Leach & Root our best 2 spinners. Combined they leaked the same number of runs as Hartley but in half the overs.
India's 3rd spinner, Axar, has more First Class wickets than Root, Rehan and Hartley put together. Our refusal to play CC matches at the height of the summer instead of that mickey mouse competition isn't going to improve our stock. There isn't a single CC game for the seven weeks between the 3rd July and 22nd August!!!
How are the likes of Rehan and Hartley or, for that matter the fantastic prospects in our U19s, expected to learn their craft when everything is so stacked against them?
Talking about our young spinners, they have the Windies in a spot of trouble at 98-5 with Farhan Ahmed, 15 year old younger brother of Rehan and 17 year old Taz Ali taking a couple of wickets each.
I've been one of his biggest fans on here since the first time he came into the team - despite the fact that he plays for Surrey - and it's no secret that I advocated years ago that he needed to move up the order when we were batting him at 6/7. I've also suggested that his injuries have caused him to have a bit of a stop/start career.
When I checked his scores in the last 18 months I found that he's batted 21 times in that period - against SA (5-H), Pakistan (5-A), NZ (4-A), Ireland (1-H), Australia (4-H) and India (2-A) scored 901 runs at an average of 47.11. If we were to take that 205 against Ireland out then this drops to 38.33. That really is very good especially given the fact that more than half of those innings have been away from home.
If we look at his runs batting down the order and at 3 we find this:
Below 3 - 35.06 At 3 - 46.36
If we then take out that 205 against Ireland this becomes:
Below 3 - 32.32 At 3 - 39.75
The times when he has looked fallible is when he's gone in with an exaggerated Bazball mindset rather than playing every ball on its merits but still looking to be positive and not reckless. As he was in the first innings in this match - but would anyone care to guess when the last time was that he batted anywhere? It was on 28th June last year when he had to bat with that shoulder injury. Perhaps he is someone who really would have benefitted with a warm up match here!!!
In the absence of anyone better and the fact that Root refuses to bat at 3, I'm really not sure that we could ask for more, could we?
Comments
India's 3rd spinner, Axar, has more First Class wickets than Root, Rehan and Hartley put together. Our refusal to play CC matches at the height of the summer instead of that mickey mouse competition isn't going to improve our stock. There isn't a single CC game for the seven weeks between the 3rd July and 22nd August!!!
How are the likes of Rehan and Hartley or, for that matter the fantastic prospects in our U19s, expected to learn their craft when everything is so stacked against them?
Mark Wood and Joe Root to start day 3.
Jadeja 87 lbw b Root
Bumrah 0 b Root
436-9
Way the pitch has behaved the last 20 minutes is somewhat concerning…
436 all out and a lead of 190 for India.
Crawley 16 (21)
Duckett 4 (15)
Crawley (31) 33 c Sharma b Ashwin
A very entertaining innings. Beaten in the air on that one, takes the edge and caught at slip
89-1, trail by 101.
Duckett 38 (42)
Pope 16 (15)
117-3 and 73 behind
swiftly followed by Root 2 (6)
117-3 both wickets to Bumrah
cnuts waited till I got up
10 (24)
140-4
140-4
Needs to kick on now.
Pope 67* (94)
Foakes 2* (12)
When I checked his scores in the last 18 months I found that he's batted 21 times in that period - against SA (5-H), Pakistan (5-A), NZ (4-A), Ireland (1-H), Australia (4-H) and India (2-A) scored 901 runs at an average of 47.11. If we were to take that 205 against Ireland out then this drops to 38.33. That really is very good especially given the fact that more than half of those innings have been away from home.
If we look at his runs batting down the order and at 3 we find this:
Below 3 - 35.06
At 3 - 46.36
If we then take out that 205 against Ireland this becomes:
Below 3 - 32.32
At 3 - 39.75
The times when he has looked fallible is when he's gone in with an exaggerated Bazball mindset rather than playing every ball on its merits but still looking to be positive and not reckless. As he was in the first innings in this match - but would anyone care to guess when the last time was that he batted anywhere? It was on 28th June last year when he had to bat with that shoulder injury. Perhaps he is someone who really would have benefitted with a warm up match here!!!
In the absence of anyone better and the fact that Root refuses to bat at 3, I'm really not sure that we could ask for more, could we?
Can't really argue with anything you say to be fair.