A Leftie's draft

[Dare]

If you guys choose to take out send2yaari then I wouldn't min subbing in.

 

[Cricketman]

Good pick, but might want to start picking some bowlers as I suspect that the remaining ones (fast bowlers) will go fast. Looking a little weak atm. Zak is good, but he's not that good. Personally, I think you should have gone for Mitch while you had the chance.

When did I have the chance? I picked Bedi, probably the best spinner picked so far. The picks before him were obvious ones tbh (Sanga and Pollock). I was going to go for Zaheer and Bruce Reid but once he was gone I was zoning in on mitch. This pick was def. going to be Mitchell Johnson but he was picked before.

 

[shravi]

When did I have the chance? I picked Bedi, probably the best spinner picked so far. The picks before him were obvious ones tbh (Sanga and Pollock). I was going to go for Zaheer and Bruce Reid but once he was gone I was zoning in on mitch. This pick was def. going to be Mitchell Johnson but he was picked before.

Mitch was picked right after Zaheer d00d. You had a choice between Zaheer and Mitch. Mitch would have been the better choice imo.

 

[sifter132]

^Ok Dare, you're locked in if send2yaari doesn't show. He's got what 12 hours left roughly? Then you can jump in.

If we find a replacement, do we really need to give him 2 picks ? Just give him the pick from this round. He would get the one missed pick in round 12 as planned. Send2yaari has to deal with that one missed pick and therefore, so does his replacement.

I hear ya mate, I want a good side too, but the replacement's done nothing wrong I don't think he should be penalised, so having a double pick is to give him a chance to have a fair go. And everyone else is still slightly better off than if no one had missed a pick at all.

 

[Cricketman]

Mitch was picked right after Zaheer d00d. You had a choice between Zaheer and Mitch. Mitch would have been the better choice imo.

No way. Zaheer is far more experienced, has more wickets, and is IMO better than Mitch. Johnson is still very unproven, does very well in places like South Africa or Australia but is susceptible to getting smashed (like in England, India)

Good bowler but does not rank above Zaheer for me.

 

[pcfan123]

Currently Mitch is way better, Khan is way overrated right now, but overall career analysis, Id pick Khan just over Mitch.

 

[drainpipe32]

Johnson didn't get smashed in England, he got smashed by England because he was terrible out of form and facing a crisis back home. Plus he's been very good in India when he's played there?

 

[sifter132]

Zaheer's only come good in the last couple of years too - look at his career average, take out the minnows and it's about 35. His record overseas is very patchy. In England averaging 29 and NZ 22 is the only places where he averages under 37 (apart from Bang and Zim). Zak averages 40 in Australia, 39 in SA, 40 in SL and Pak, even 37 in India. Basically England 2007 onwards he's been OK, but that's definitely been the high point.

Johnson's taken 2/3rds of the wickets Zaheer has in less than half the matches. And Johnson's never played Bangladesh or Zimbabwe. And he can bat. And he can field.

 

[pcfan123]

Khan has the added pressure of being the only decent seamer in a team full of nancy boy spinners. He has pretty much carried the team the last few years. The last series in England was probably his peak.

 

[Cricketman]

Its very easy to pick apart stats but the Zaheer Khan we have seen over the last 3 years or so is one of the most dangerous quicks in the world. He plays in a team full of hot and cold (mostly freezing) fastbowlers and spinners who are usually only effective in favorable conditions. Mitchell Johnson has the luxury of playing most of his matches at home in Australia on fast, hard pitches whereas Zaheer has had to toil away on unresponsive Indian (and lately very often Sri Lankan :sarcasm) wickets. Johnson has only recently been given the mantle as the spearhead of the team, Zak's had it from his debut, and Johnson usually bowled in tandem with guys like Lee and McGrath. Zaheer did not have that kind of firepower working with him.

I'm confident in choosing Zaheer over Mitchell Johnson. Zaheer may not be a wicket taker but he's the kind of guy that CONSTANTLY asks questions, consistent in bowling good lines and troubling batsman world over in all conditions. He's very similar to a guy like Andrew Flintoff (who in 79 matches has taken 226 wickets at an average of 32, that too playing a good chunk of his matches in seaming English conditions). Flintoff is England's go to man when you need a good, fiery spell of bowling but it is usually one of the other guys who end up with the wickets.

 

[drainpipe32]

Those are the stats since Mitch's debut.

 

[Num]

Its very easy to pick apart stats but the Zaheer Khan we have seen over the last 3 years or so is one of the most dangerous quicks in the world. He plays in a team full of hot and cold (mostly freezing) fastbowlers and spinners who are usually only effective in favorable conditions. Mitchell Johnson has the luxury of playing most of his matches at home in Australia on fast, hard pitches whereas Zaheer has had to toil away on unresponsive Indian (and lately very often Sri Lankan :sarcasm) wickets. Johnson has only recently been given the mantle as the spearhead of the team, Zak's had it from his debut, and Johnson usually bowled in tandem with guys like Lee and McGrath. Zaheer did not have that kind of firepower working with him.

Actually in matches where Johnson has been in the same XI as Lee, Johnson averages 28.58, as opposed to his career bowling average of 28.05. Johnson and McGrath have never played together in a Test match.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | Cricinfo.com

(Statistics were at the time of this post)

Your points about Khan not having the same bowling attack support as Johnson as well as the fact that Khan has had to bowl on generally flatter pitches are valid though.

 

[Iridium]

Well it seems that send2yaari has only around 4-5 hours to make his pick and if not we welcome Dare into this draft. I'm fretting over my next pick. I'm running short on bowlers and I'm going to take all the bowlers I can while they're available because I have a big list of batsmen.

I'm going to be away for most of the day tomorrow but I got my phone with me and I'll check when I can and try not to hold up the draft.

 

[Dare]

So am I in? Do I get one or two picks?

 

[sifter132]

2 mate , you need to catchup up so you'll have 5 like everyone else. I'll adjust the order and names on the front page.