Yes! He's a fantastic keeper and a specialist at his job.
Too much workload for Buttler or Bairstow to keep wicket and be expected to bat at a high level in a 5-day test match.
English cricket thread
- Thread starter Samid
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Too much workload for Buttler or Bairstow to keep wicket and be expected to bat at a high level in a 5-day test match.
I believe Mahmood and Bohannon have gone home haven’t they so they won’t feature. Missed opportunity for Mahmood. So agree with above line up with Robinson in.
Not settled, he’s played 22 tests! He still looks totally lost and is being protected at all costs despite being one of the more experienced batters we have at this point!
I *think* Mahmood is still there in the Big Bash, Bohannon has gone home (ludicrous decision to send the Lions home might I add)
Even skysports news have removed the word "famous" since this morning. It was there.
I agree but he’s still only 24! For me there’s no question Pope has the talent, it’s the mental side of the game he’s lacking in. Shunting him up to 3 doesn’t help, his talent is worth protecting as best as you can because his payoff is considerable.
I agree he’s a talent but he just needs to go away and work out what he is. Long term I don’t see how keeping him at 6 helps because you’re essentially creating a situation where he’s never going to learn what’s needed to be the anchor of the side, at least if he goes to 3 and fails he’ll have more of an idea what to work on, rather than sticking at 6 and failing and having no idea what’s needed when he’s eventually moved to 3/4/5
Well I stand corrected and apologise. Didn’t think anyone would be thick enough to come up with a headline like that but someone was. Glad they removed it as it was a stupid headline.
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Think that ship sailed with Adam Gilchrist.
Yeah crazy. Absolutely crazy.
Foakes is hardly Bob Taylor, he’s got a better first class record than Buttler. Bairstow does average 37 with the gloves but I’m not sold on Bairstow in test cricket in 2022, especially with the moving ball in England. England need to improve their fielding and they should start with the keeper.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-leaf-blown-along-the-road-and-into-the-ashes
Smith was on 22 off 26 by now and cruising. There was a brief delay as Haseeb Hameed, who always seems to be tumbling out of the door with his school tie askew clutching a piece of toast, fiddled his way into a pair of shin-pads.
There were some other good things on the fourth day for England. Ollie Pope’s wicket-keeping was lithe and limber. There was even something refreshing in the sound of his eager, piping chat, a pleasant change from the silent sadness of Jos Buttler, who crouches for every ball with the look of a laudanum-addled poet splayed in his garret composing his latest ode to death.
Smith was on 22 off 26 by now and cruising. There was a brief delay as Haseeb Hameed, who always seems to be tumbling out of the door with his school tie askew clutching a piece of toast, fiddled his way into a pair of shin-pads.
There were some other good things on the fourth day for England. Ollie Pope’s wicket-keeping was lithe and limber. There was even something refreshing in the sound of his eager, piping chat, a pleasant change from the silent sadness of Jos Buttler, who crouches for every ball with the look of a laudanum-addled poet splayed in his garret composing his latest ode to death.
That is very unfair to Gilchrist since even without his batting he was a test match quality wicket keeper. What is happening today is that teams are picking barely competent keepers who can bat. I'm not sure Gilly is top 5 but I'd certainly put him in the top 10 pure test wicket keepers of my lifetime (sixty plus years). His foot movement was outstanding and the number of catches he took was outrageous. As a comparison, Alan Knott (who is possibly the best keeper I've ever seen) took 250 catches in 95 tests. Gilly took 379 catches in 96 tests
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It would have been nice to have kept them but it's completely unrealistic to keep almost an entire other squad on reserve in a bubble, away from their families for over 2 months.
They’re managing to do it with the womens side. Keep them on laying some Australian sides and then if necessary send whoever home that’s struggling
The England women's side aren't out there for near as long though.
Actually they’re going straight from Australia to the World Cup, so currently the last planned game of this trip is March 26th (likely to go further in the tournament looking at the teams strength) so it is actually a similar length of time
Are the England women's A side really staying until the end of March at a bare minimum
I guess they men's play more matches in general but that would be insaneI think that amount of time is mental. The England Lion's team would have had to stick around in a bubble playing no one as the BBL was on so again I think that would have been too harsh. Fair play to the women if they are doing that for that amount of time.
I know the full whack are definitely staying for the full month of the Ashes, but after that I’m not certain with the A side. I think a fair few are going because of New Zealand’s strict covid laws so they’re playing it safe taking excess players but they did rip up the plans and redo it all a few weeks ago. I believe they’re essentially going into full quarantine, not even mixing with each other outside training/matches quite soon after getting into AustraliaAre the England women's A side really staying until the end of March
Agree Gilchrist was an excellent wicketkeeper. But he definitely raised the bar in terms of what is expected of keepers.
To be classed as a top wicketkeeper these days you need to be averaging 35+ in test cricket (which obviously rules out all of ours!)
This Hobart wicket is insane. 150 might be a very good score.
Possibly the most elaborate Labushagne leave yet, that one.
Robinson has to get fitter and stronger. He's started at less than 120kmh here.
Don't think I've ever seen a greener wicket. We're basically playing in England in April.
Will Root call him out for it? Was quite keen to jump on Archer bowling less than 90mph
He could and he should. Robinson doesn't even look fit.
Head is playing Wood poorly here. Doesn't look confident at all (although tbf none of us would!)
Why are we playing Wood and not Anderson though? We're resting a 40-year-old who's lethal in these conditions instead of a guy who's ideally suited to the next series we play.
Why are we playing Wood and not Anderson though? We're resting a 40-year-old who's lethal in these conditions instead of a guy who's ideally suited to the next series we play.
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These 2 have turned the game on its head, in the space of 18 overs.
Can’t see England scoring highly on this wicket
In the last 40 overs Australia have scored 200-2.
Seems like the pitch is playing better than it looks, but still...
This is utterly pointless. We all know England are going to get these wickets with half hour left, then end up 3 down by the end of the day.
Yeah was thinking the same. Rain might save us.
So, just to confirm, we've taken a 35-year-old and a 39-year-old to Australia because of their experience in seaming conditions.
We've had three green, seaming wickets in the series, but haven't played these two bowlers together in any of them.
The only time we've played them together is on flat pitches which are suited to a different kind of bowler.
We've had three green, seaming wickets in the series, but haven't played these two bowlers together in any of them.
The only time we've played them together is on flat pitches which are suited to a different kind of bowler.
Selection has been pretty poor for a while now but in this series it's sunk to a new low.
Don't even see the point in recalling Pope and Woakes. Why bother taking Lawrence and Overton there if dropped and unfit players still get another chance ahead of them?
Yeah Overton should surely have played this match.