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[Steveo1000]

Goodness, you can see why test cricket around the world is on its (No Swearing Please). This is dreadful, the test series in the West Indies is a joke, and the series in India isn't far off a joke. Roll on the IPL I say.

[Steveo1000]

Is Mary Whitehouse monitoring this forum. Since when has another word for a persons bottom been deemed swear word. Lol.

[ProWannabe88]

Ross Taylor smashes two boundaries then goes working a left arm spinner to mid wicket, against the spin.... Village that!! He's better than that rubbish.  Set them up and knock them down Monty.

[FattusCattus]

Dull pitch, dull cricket - no magic spark from England, no bristling intent from NZ.

[Steveo1000]

I really like Monty as a cricketer, but I would find it hard to defend him here if someone said he was average. He is relying on the batter making a massive mistake, not spinning them out.
I want him to be one of the best spinners in the world but he is not. Why is that? Is it that he needs more variation?

[Twelfth Man]

Average catch from Prior?

[ProWannabe88]

What a catch 

[DiscoStu]

I take catches like that in my sleep. After 6 pints. And a kebab.

Back to Monty, he seems to be stuck in 'contain' mode and as has been pointed out before, needs a helpful track to get a haul of wickets. In my mind he is a player who knows that he is 2nd choice and so doesn't have the confidence to bounce back after a couple of bare innings.

[Steveo1000]

Are there any left arm spinners that have "the one that goes the other way"?
Loads of off spinners have a ball that goes away from the bat, not sure i have seen a leftie with one that turns back into the right hand bat.

[The_Bird]

Shillingford and Ashwin both have superb Doosra's, I've thought Monty has always bowled the same regardless of how the pitch is playing. Was it Warne that said he would bowl different speeds depending on each individual pitch? Monty seems to bowl 55mph regardless. 

[FattusCattus]

I think Monty may lose ground this summer if Borthwick, Briggs or Kerrigan can make any strides forward this summer.

[Steveo1000]

Shillingford and Ashwin both have superb Doosra's, I've thought Monty has always bowled the same regardless of how the pitch is playing. Was it Warne that said he would bowl different speeds depending on each individual pitch? Monty seems to bowl 55mph regardless.

Exactly what I mean. Is it a physiological reason why slow left armers don't bowl a doosra, or just that no one has developed one? I guess there is greater motivation in an off spinner getting one to go away from right hand bat than for a SLA to get one to turn in.

[FattusCattus]

I agree, as an ex-SLA myself, the wrong 'un can just turn into the pad. A better ball was an arm ball that you could stick up outside off-stump and that swung in late.

[Steveo1000]

With the volume of lefties in international top orders it might not be long until a SLA has the motivation to invent a ball that goes the other way. Would be good to see.

[FattusCattus]

Perhaps a better ball for the SLA is the one that is angled in towards the stumps and that skids on to claim the LBW?