I do wonder who could be next off the production line in terms of actual openers. A lot of the leading runs scorers in Div 1 last season were either overseas or players that have been and gone in terms of an international career.
There's not a lot of obvious names in county scene , not that scoring bulk runs at championship level seems to bother Key or Baz. Someone like Tom Haines has had an average last 12-18 months and probably isn't on the list anymore and the Lions squad in SA doesn't offer any real clues either.
Which is exactly the reason why they might have to look left field again and promote Bethell. Growing up in the Windies has meant that he isn't afraid of pace and to be fair he was done by a beauty of a ball in the first innings. Beyond that I will be interested to see how Emilio Gay performs following his move from Northants to Durham. He averaged 57.43 for Northants last season and has been playing for Italy (I appreciate there's no comparison playing white ball at that level to Test cricket) but opening with ex-Aussie batter, Joe Burns, hit 50s in all four matches (averaging 134.50). The fact that this is this is Stokes' county can't be a backward move any more than it was for Robinson.
I do wonder who could be next off the production line in terms of actual openers. A lot of the leading runs scorers in Div 1 last season were either overseas or players that have been and gone in terms of an international career.
There's not a lot of obvious names in county scene , not that scoring bulk runs at championship level seems to bother Key or Baz. Someone like Tom Haines has had an average last 12-18 months and probably isn't on the list anymore and the Lions squad in SA doesn't offer any real clues either.
It's not just the average, it's the speed and aggressiveness that is important to the Bazball ethos. An Alastair Cook type accumulator isn't what they are after.
Indeed you feel that they'd rather a Crawley type, averaging 30ish, rather than a slow accumulator, averaging 40.
Bethell was in to bat inside four overs in both innings and showed that he has the temperament to recognise when the risk/reward in both of them. He lasted for 34 balls in the first innings for 10 with Crawley and Root out either side of him without scoring a run and then hit that 50* off 37 balls in the next. It's wrong to get carried away but if they do think he is going to be good enough then there is little difference, a lot of the time, him opening for England than to be batting at 3. He has, of course, another string to his bow and that is his spin but I'm not sure that he will be good enough in red ball at Test level to offer the consistency that is required and certainly not if he isn't bowling at county level. But he is only 21 so who knows what happens in that respect in the future.
I do wonder who could be next off the production line in terms of actual openers. A lot of the leading runs scorers in Div 1 last season were either overseas or players that have been and gone in terms of an international career.
There's not a lot of obvious names in county scene , not that scoring bulk runs at championship level seems to bother Key or Baz. Someone like Tom Haines has had an average last 12-18 months and probably isn't on the list anymore and the Lions squad in SA doesn't offer any real clues either.
Which is exactly the reason why they might have to look left field again and promote Bethell. Growing up in the Windies has meant that he isn't afraid of pace and to be fair he was done by a beauty of a ball in the first innings. Beyond that I will be interested to see how Emilio Gay performs following his move from Northants to Durham. He averaged 57.43 for Northants last season and has been playing for Italy (I appreciate there's no comparison playing white ball at that level to Test cricket) but opening with ex-Aussie batter, Joe Burns, hit 50s in all four matches (averaging 134.50). The fact that this is this is Stokes' county can't be a backward move any more than it was for Robinson.
Emilo Gay will be one to keep an eye on. If he scores well for Durham then I could definitely see him in around the squad.
It would be a massive ask anyway, a player flying direct from London to NZ, and playing immediately. Keeping for 6 hours with that jetlag would be horrendous!
The real issue is England not picking a backup keeper, and picking 3 spinners instead. OR if they genuinely think Pope is their No 2 keeper, to not then pick someone like Bracey who's more local at the moment. Billings was called up in the last Ashes as he was in Australia at the time.
I wondered about this last week. Was Robinson the replacement keeper, or just backup to Pope. In which case, flying someone to the other side of the world at short notice doesn't seem very sensible.
It would be a massive ask anyway, a player flying direct from London to NZ, and playing immediately. Keeping for 6 hours with that jetlag would be horrendous!
The real issue is England not picking a backup keeper, and picking 3 spinners instead. OR if they genuinely think Pope is their No 2 keeper, to not then pick someone like Bracey who's more local at the moment. Billings was called up in the last Ashes as he was in Australia at the time.
I wondered about this last week. Was Robinson the replacement keeper, or just backup to Pope. In which case, flying someone to the other side of the world at short notice doesn't seem very sensible.
We should never have gone out there without a proper backup keeper but I'm pretty sure that he was flown out there with a view to him playing in the second Test. It's just that innings of Bethell's and the win meant that they couldn't drop him. If Bethell does do well again, then the chances are they will keep the same team for the final Test which will be gutting for both Ollie, his friends and his dad, especially, who is in mid-air right now. The fathers of former Kent keepers might both be cursed in that respect. Should Bethell fail in both innings then he might well play in the third Test because there is absolutely no doubt that Smith will be back in the summer and the management will have to take that decision to drop him, Pope or even Crawley (and allow Bethell to open) at that time anyway.
NZ is the sort of place where a part time keeper like Pope is probably "good enough". Mainly seam bowlers, and not baking hot either. In terms of keeping pedigree, he's no worse than Smith anyway.
Keeping in India or Sri Lanka for 6.5 hours to spinners under a baking sun would require someone better.
NZ is the sort of place where a part time keeper like Pope is probably "good enough". Mainly seam bowlers, and not baking hot either. In terms of keeping pedigree, he's no worse than Smith anyway.
Keeping in India or Sri Lanka for 6.5 hours to spinners under a baking sun would require someone better.
Try telling that to Bashir if and when Pope misses a stumping or drops a catch standing up. We probably won the last Test because NZ dropped so many including a regimental catch standing back by Blundell. Missing one on a surface that isn't a bunsen burner can catch those out that aren't used to keeping on a regular basis because the mind isn't trained to doing the job for long periods of time whatever the conditions.
Both Buttler and Bairstow suffered in that respect given neither did it for their county. Pope is fourth choice at Surrey, Cox is third choice at Essex. We've been playing lip service to keeping for years, had an opportunity to play a proper one in Robinson (one that has had a strike rate of over 80 in county cricket in the last two season so fits the Bazball modus operandi) but took the soft option yet again in not taking him but electing to take three spinners instead.
Fisher has actually been around for years but not around for years in the sense that in not only made his Yorkshire first team debut at 15 but, at the same age, was in the England U19s. Since then he has been riddled with injuries and for someone that has been around a dozen years has, relatively, hardly played at all.
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Emilo Gay will be one to keep an eye on. If he scores well for Durham then I could definitely see him in around the squad.
Keeping in India or Sri Lanka for 6.5 hours to spinners under a baking sun would require someone better.
Both Buttler and Bairstow suffered in that respect given neither did it for their county. Pope is fourth choice at Surrey, Cox is third choice at Essex. We've been playing lip service to keeping for years, had an opportunity to play a proper one in Robinson (one that has had a strike rate of over 80 in county cricket in the last two season so fits the Bazball modus operandi) but took the soft option yet again in not taking him but electing to take three spinners instead.
Agree.
I hope if England go two up Robinson gets the Gloves for the 3rd test.
Same here.
One cap seam bowler who has left Yorkshire to join Surrey for next season.