True. Even Ganguly was mentioning about this in the commentary. Zaheer started off as a bowler who can certainly hold the bat for quite sometime. He and Harbhajan have been involved in a few match saving partnerships, and Zaheer is a reliable bat for a tail ender. But dont know from where suddenly Zaheer has slumped back down so much to now be called a proper No.11 tail ender. Swings wildly all throughout this series. Just find it good enough to stick it out there and bat through for sometime.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia) Dec-Jan 2011/12
- Thread starter WubbaLubbaDubDub
- Start date
True. Even Ganguly was mentioning about this in the commentary. Zaheer started off as a bowler who can certainly hold the bat for quite sometime. He and Harbhajan have been involved in a few match saving partnerships, and Zaheer is a reliable bat for a tail ender. But dont know from where suddenly Zaheer has slumped back down so much to now be called a proper No.11 tail ender. Swings wildly all throughout this series. Just find it good enough to stick it out there and bat through for sometime.
Isn't Katich open for the TESTS slot? Watson n Katich should open with Warner coming in no.4 or 5.
Punter needs to get back to the No. 3 spot.
If I was Zaheer, running in all day, doing my best to bowl the Aussies out, only to go back into the changing rooms and see the 'batsmen' collapse, yet again, then I'd probably go out there to have some fun and play some shots rather than just trying to survive.
On Warner and Watson, Warner has the same number of centuries in what, 10 innings? As Watson has had in 40+ opening the batting. Makes more sense to put Watson down the order. He doesn't score heavily enough to be a proper opener.
Good to see Kohli showing that he belongs too. That Indian order needs a long overdue revamp and he should be leading the way amongst the new breed.
On Warner and Watson, Warner has the same number of centuries in what, 10 innings? As Watson has had in 40+ opening the batting. Makes more sense to put Watson down the order. He doesn't score heavily enough to be a proper opener.
Good to see Kohli showing that he belongs too. That Indian order needs a long overdue revamp and he should be leading the way amongst the new breed.
Would be a step backwards going back to Katich now. We got enough problems phasing out the oldies without adding another one.
Katich is not in the best XI of the selectors currently and hasn't been making enough Shield runs to come back I imagine. He's averaging 39 this season for NSW, with a couple of 100s, but plenty of failures that drag the average down.
He'd probably be turned to if the selectors were desperate, but when you're looking at winning 4-0 it's not getting even close to that stage yet.
I think the solution might be to start him batting lower in the ODIs. Put him at 4, then he'd have to face spinners and work the ball, but it would be far easier than it might be in the middle order of a Test team, with plenty of gaps in the field. That might help his confidence vs international spinners. With Watson, S.Marsh and Haddin there are plenty of openers in the ODI team already, so Warner could find a spot in the middle instead. Or yeah he could just try a switch hit to spook Ashwin. Although the pitch yesterday had many more footmarks than you'd find on a brank spanking T20 surface...
I hear you, but I think of Shane Watson too. Watto's career gets a light bulb moment when he moves up to open and yet now everyone wants to move out of there. I can see sense of having Cowan play at #3 as the settling batsman once Warner/Watson are out. He'd have plenty of stroke players either side, so there's no fear of Cowan bogging the innings down.
Sedition
Panel of Selectors
I feel like Watson could adapt better to the #3 role over Warner or Cowan. As far as I know, Warner and Cowan have opened all their career and Watson was thrown in as a bit of a caretaker. Watto showed he's more than capable of being a top order batsman, so moving him down to 3 and keeping Ponting at 4 until he retires feels ideal to me. The other alternative of Warner, Watson, Cowan doesn't sound bad, but anything else sounds pretty terrible really.
Ponting has essentially been coming in at 3 anyway so no reason he can't go back up there. All depends on where they feel Watson is best served. Definitely no point in moving players that are actually openers for players that have been converted into openers.
Sedition
Panel of Selectors
I remember you made the point of moving Ponting back to 3, then he retires and we don't really have someone ready to replace him. Watson seems the ideal guy to take up that role and hopefully by the time Ponting and Hussey move on, we've got a top 3 we're confident in.
angryangy
ICC Chairman
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2004
They've all been up and down the order, but only Watson has made hundreds at 3. That said, I don't really think there are any particularly good reasons that an opener might struggle to bat at 3, but as has been said, it's desirable to put an experienced player there.
puddleduck
Chairman of Selectors
I think Watson could be a good shout at 3. He's shown he can open the batting after being turned into an opener, and with that has come the toughness to see out difficult spells. Yet his natural game is an attacking one, once set he is the sort of batsmen who in theory can score match winning hundreds. In theory of course!
I think Watson at 3 just seems to make sense. If either Warner or Cowan get out, I'd want Watson coming in next up regardless of the match situation. Yet, I don't think I'd want either of them coming in at 3 in certain situations.
Strange talking about Watson as a certain top 3 batsmen considering he doesn't actually have many big scores in the long game, but it did seem like he turned a corner when he was promoted up the order.
I think Watson at 3 just seems to make sense. If either Warner or Cowan get out, I'd want Watson coming in next up regardless of the match situation. Yet, I don't think I'd want either of them coming in at 3 in certain situations.
Strange talking about Watson as a certain top 3 batsmen considering he doesn't actually have many big scores in the long game, but it did seem like he turned a corner when he was promoted up the order.
There are two ways to go about it and it all depends on what happens with Hussey. If Hussey spot is made vacant then Ponting at 3 until he retires is fine as whoever takes the 6 spot will get be able to settle into Test cricket before taking over 3.
However going by what Hussey has said he will be around so what you mentioned would become the ideal way.
puddleduck
Chairman of Selectors
I know he only got 2, but to borrow a turn of phrase from Nicholas, gosh that was a good shot.
It's hard to read much into his early days as he was in and out of the team and floated between 6 and 7 like Khawaja. Had he been kept at 6 and given 10 test matches he could well have settled into the side, of course injuries played a part too.
puddleduck
Chairman of Selectors
Dravid's eyes have gone, haven't they 
Dropped a lot of catches since arriving in England all those months ago, and though he had a good series, he still only averaged 46 with an unbeaten 100 in there. Been bowled so many times in the last month, the signs don't look good. Almost as though his single handed fight in England may have taken whatever he had left in him. Be nice to see him score a hundred in the last innings and prove me wrong for another couple of years.
Dropped a lot of catches since arriving in England all those months ago, and though he had a good series, he still only averaged 46 with an unbeaten 100 in there. Been bowled so many times in the last month, the signs don't look good. Almost as though his single handed fight in England may have taken whatever he had left in him. Be nice to see him score a hundred in the last innings and prove me wrong for another couple of years.
Similar threads
