Hmm...
barmyarmy said:
You just sent a shiver down my spine. Caddick and Cork were considered?
Bowling Options:
Caddick was definitely considered, I didn't hear anything about Cork, surely not? He's not even bowling that well for Lancashire or that regularly from what I've seen. Caddick or Gough or I guess Cork wouldn't have been that bad a choice, they have experience, they know it's their last shot and would give it there all. Ah well Collingwood got the nod and we won the ashes so enough said. I think that Tremlett will probably be the backup bowler again this winter as it will not be such a pressure situation. He deserves a chance.
Threats:
I agree with the people that have said that Pakistan have some good batsmen who should deal better with reverse swing and that Kaneira will be a big threat. I think some of our batsmen will struggle against him as we are not used to quality spin in our County game.
Shoaib Akhtar:
However I don't think many of our batsmen are going to be that worried about Shoaib. Sure he has pace but his line and length is very inconsistent. He has been bowling for Worcestershire over here in England with some success, I think he has about 15 wickets at an average of just under 30. His economy rate is also high, this isn't that special condisidering he is playing at county level.
Geraint Jones:
I think the case to replace Jones is a tough one. He averages somewhere around 30 and has a test match hundered which is pretty good for a wicket keeper. Yes he makes some key errors with the gloves but he was under a microscope during the ashes and anyone would have felt the pressure. He also took some very good catches which suggests to me it was nerves that god to him and not the lack of ability which stopped him from taking the chances. Nerves will lessen with experience. I'm not a huge fan of him although I think he is talented but I would only be in favour of dropping him unless you were sure that someone like Foster, Read, Prior etc would first of all be a better wicket keeper and secondly score more runs. You have to somehow weigh them up against each other.
Lets say for example Foster takes about 3 catches more than Jones on average a series but only averages 10 with the bat. Who would you rather have? It's a tough one to weigh up.
However Geraint Jones is currently top of the dismissals list this year in tests. That's an interesting point considering I heard someone say on the boards that our schedule is tiny compared to other international teams.
will be a good series
