Just one question springs to mind after the first day’s play at Trent Bridge: should we drop Kevin Pietersen?
The elephant in the room
Just one question springs to mind after the first day’s play at Trent Bridge: should we drop Kevin Pietersen?
As the anticipation escalates for the 2023-24 Big Bash League, we present to you our comprehensive wagering guide, brimming with crucial statistics, meticulous team breakdowns, and insights into past season trends to bolster your betting adventures. The BBL13, the twelfth iteration of the Big Bash League, is set to unfold in 2023-24. The Big Bash League houses eight fiercely competitive teams, each facing off against the others twice in the regular season, leading to a total of 56 thrilling...
We shouldn’t let the ODI series in Bangladesh go unmentioned. Yes, it was ‘only Bangladesh’, but not everybody realises that the Tigers are rather handy in their own backyard. In fact, England are the only side to have won a bilateral ODI series in Bangladesh since 2015. And now we’ve done it twice! It’s an impressive achievement. Who were our stars in the 2-1 series win? Two familiar faces excelled with the bat. Jason Roy returned to form with 155 runs at an average of 52 (although the lion’s...
With the dust having truly set on last year’s painful series defeats in England and Australia, which all but damaged their hopes of making the World Test Championship final (2023), the Proteas will want to regain their form quickly against the West Indies at home. The Windies, on the other hand, would like to make it a double sweep on their travels to Southern Africa after beating Zimbabwe in a recently concluded two-match series. This instalment of the Sir Vivian Richards Trophy is therefore...
Rolling out of bed the other morning after a leisurely Saturday lie in, I turned on the TV expecting to see a good couple of hours of cricket. Instead, BT Sport was screening a documentary about Pele. Checking the internet to see what had happened, I was shocked to find Australia had already been bowled out for 91 to lose the first Test to India by an innings and then some. Leaving aside for a moment the arguments about doctored pitches and favourable home conditions, this is a shocking defeat...
No player should be bigger than the team. The pressure is on Pietersen to justify his place ahead of a returning Ian Bell for this winter – he needs a 100 this series. Cook needs a score soon too; he looked terrible yesterday and has scored 1 hundred at home in the last 2 years.
Morgan’s ton has really stirred things up. A lot of the supposedly established batsmen need to be on their toes. Everybody is assuming that we’ll play 6 batsman against Australia, but that isn’t necessarily true (although I admit it probably is). Flower strikes me as a pragmatist. He knows 4 bowlers is enough to dismiss Pakistan’s batting line-up in English conditions, but he knows that Australia in Australia is a different proposition. It won’t swing for Anderson like it does in England. The swing wll for a few overs but then …. well, it will be very tough to take wickets in hot conditions on true surfaces. Flower / Strauss opted for Prior at 6 last summer in the Ashes, he knows the likes of Swann (and the other tailenders) scored heavily, and they may just surprise us again this winter. Why would he change what was a winning strategy from 2009? We hardly set the cricketing world on fire in South Africa this winter with 4 bowlers – i.e. one win, one defeat, and two nail biting losing-draws.
If we go with Shahzad’s reverse swing (and 5 bowlers) which batsmen will miss out. I repeat. Which batsmen (plural!). Only five of Strauss, Cook, Trott, Bell, KP, Collingwood and Morgan can play. Two will miss out. I would suggest that the only one who can be totally sure of his place in the side at the moment is Strauss (and possibly Collingwood). They are ALL playing for places. Morgan has really put the cat amongst the pigeons.
Morgs – as ever insightful yet controversial enough to provoke a response; though you can’t leave the 4 vs 5 bowlers debate alone!
Morgan’s ton does make it all the more spicy when it comes to selection time – but that is what the England management want. There is more to this policy of resting, it is to give more players experience and increase the competition. Morgan gets another go and makes his mark, and Bopara has to be very close as well with Bell to return… perhaps. The same goes with the bowlers. It reminds me of the Australia of old. Someone get injured and they have a quality replacement… remember that mutant (not Ponting, the other one) who would stand in for Warne and took over 200 test wickets, so I recall.
So yes Pieterson is the Elephant in the room… It may just be the dressing room filling up the water bottles…
I agree with Goose about Cook – who is for me a classic example of English ‘will this do?’ underachievement, and a generally over-rated player who’s rather benefited from his Essex connections within the England set-up. He needs big runs, and quickly.
It is much easier to justify playing 6 batsmen when they are all quality players – guys you wouldn’t want to leave out. Part of my problem with the 4 bowlers route is that potential number 6s didn’t fill me with confidence – and would probably just make a pair!
I cannot imagine England leaving out either KP or Morgan atm to be honest. Collingwood will remain as he’s unofficial vice-captain (surely he commands more respect than Cook). On TMS, Alec Stewart suggested that Cook is probably the most vulnerable batsman in the team … but I’m not sure whether many will be comfortable with England ‘doing an Australia’ and promoting a middle-order player to open a la Shane Watson. Interesting selection dilemmas.
Teece, good point about England creating competition for places. It’s the first time in my life that I can remember us having quality replacements and useful looking bowlers waiting in the wings. As for Stuart MacGill, I always thought of him as a hamster on steroids, but your description works just as well.