This is why I don't like having discussions with you War, you base everything on your judgement of seeing them bat a bit.
No i dont judge everything based on seeing players just "bat or bowl a bit". I look at a combination of stats & watching them play. Since given our average domestic structure, it would be naive to take all statistical performances on face value. Get it right now..
Carberry would survive against top international pace attacks he's one of the best on the county circuit against pace, its against spin that he has a slight technical problem.
Ha. How could you be confident Carberry could handle international pace attacks of PAK & AUS quality, when their is no county attack of even half that quality of those two international attacks, that he would have ever faced in his life?
Although playing pace is indeed his strenght. IMO i dont believe his technique againts pace is good enough to handle really good international pace attacks. If Cook is struggling (even Cook in this poor for his better than Carberry), i dont have much confidence in Carberry.
And the thought of Trott against the new ball wouldn't really be a nervy proposition. He's shown that against pace and the new ball coming in at number three (he's basically been an opener with Cook at the moment).
Making the transition from # 3 to opener is not an easy mental transition. Few batsmen (top players) in test history have done that well, while many have failed @ it. Much less Trott who isn't any great player.
Plus lets not forget Trott struggled last winter againts the quality SA attack & in this current series vs the quality PAK attack he has just been decent. So it is indeed a nervy proposition to throw him into opening role in AUS. Since 1 or 2 early failures & we are back to square one.
No he hasn't "been scoring runs for years". He averaged 31 the other year.
Edit: And the year before that he averaged 30.
Hildreth has been is superb form not only at home but in nearly every match he's played this year. Technically he is completely sound and definitely could slot into England's lower order without being overawed. Its starting to get onto my nerves this talk that anyone who plays for Somerset doesn't have a realistic chance of getting into the team because of the pitch they play on. Its over empathised.
On the Hildreth point look at the match he's currently in. Bowlers pitch and he tops scores with 83 out of a total of 215. While Essex in their first innings are 59-4.
Check those stats back sir.
- 2009 he averaged
44
- 2008
30
The overall point is that he averages 42 in all his years @ Taunton. Even if this probably is his best year statistical. But thats just 42, he hasn't exactly dominated. If he was averaging 52 then i & the selectors may have probably taken notice.
Admittedly though i guess last season when he scored that 303 not out was probably his sort of breakout season & this season he has obviously kicked on. After years of averaging in 30s ish, with Somerset generally being in Division 2.
This is all good for him, & hoepfuly for ENG one day, but it would naive on anyones part to start jumping on his bandwagon suggested
"definitely could slot into England's lower order without being overawed"., given the clear discrepancies in the standard of bowling in county cricket. Thats wishful thinking. Especially given the last young batsmen in Bopara who had a dynamic domestic season (who looks just as technical sound as Hildreth if not slightly), looked absolutely abysmal when confronted by the quality aussie attack in 2009 Ashes.
This is why i always saw take all domestic performances with BIG pinch of salt. You do that & if a player makes the step up & struggles/fails, you wont be left wondering why they did.