Role of fast bowlers more important - Waqar

[StinkyBoHoon]

australia's spinners escaped closer scrutiny today imo. they couldn't get a break through and sri lanka were building a good total on a very tricky pitch.

of course what that may come down to is not the quality of the spinners, but the skills the batsmen have to play spin.

 

[aussie1st]

Look @ SRI attack today vs AUS. If they maintain that 3 spinner policy for the rest of that tournament, but lose Malinga to injury & have Kulasekera or Fernando as the only quick. That attack would look farrr less potent.

What exactly are you trying to argue? I never said Malinga isn't important to SL. But look what you pointed out, using 3 spinners. The same ploy SA are using, would any team be using that if spin wasn't just as important as pace?

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australia's spinners escaped closer scrutiny today imo. they couldn't get a break through and sri lanka were building a good total on a very tricky pitch.

Krejza looked good, just didn't take that wicket. Smith might have pulled another bunny out of his hat in the remaining few overs and Dussey could have come in and picked up one of his lucky wickets.

 

[War]

What exactly are you trying to argue? I never said Malinga isn't important to SL. But look what you pointed out, using 3 spinners. The same ploy SA are using, would any team be using that if spin wasn't just as important as pace?

Im arguing the balance of attacks. Whether an attack who main wicket-taking threat is the quicks (AUS), would be more effective than one whose attacks main wicket-taking threat is spin & has no quality pace (SRI without Malinga)

SRI would use 3 spinners because thats their strength in home conditions. But if they didn't have Malinga their attack would be less potent, if it was Kulasekera with the new-ball instead.

The power-play overs with the field up is an area where bowling a spinner regardless of how good he is very risky. The teams who have quality pace who can hit the block holes will be more dangerous.

SA like PAK have the perfect balance of quality pace & spin to cover both areas. But like SRI with Malinga, if SA & PAK lose any one of their quicks, that will reduce the potency of their attack more than the lost of any spinner 90+% of time.

 

[aussie1st]

If Pakistan lost Afridi that would far outweigh the loss of any of their quicks. Without him they would most likely have lost to Canada and more than likely SL. Take Tahir out from SA and they are probably chasing alot more than 222 against WI in their opening match.

All this who is more importance stuff is silly, cricket is a team sport, spinners play their part as do the pacemen. Without one or the other the team is not nearly as strong.

 

[War]

Harsha Bhogle: Ashwin must replace Chawla | Opinion | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

Winter, or what we had of it, is saying goodbye and the World Cup is scrubbing itself clean of its influence. The second half will be quite different and teams will have to gear up to the new challenges on the way. Pitches will start getting drier, outfields quicker, and players will discover that their intake of fluids has increased steadily.

It probably means that spin will have a greater role to play, even more than it currently has.

Well i see Mr.Bhogle is reiterating the same point Imran Khan made about the pitches in IND potentially beginning turn more as we enter the knockout stages.

If this theory is proven right, then spins role VERY important (but not necessarily more important than pace). But if not & the pitches remains flat in IND especially, then as Steyn showed in the IND vs SA game, in the power-play & death overs, the teams with the high quality 90 mph will make the difference in this cup.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

england 4 pacers
bangladesh 4 spinners

massively inferior batting line up beats superior one.

 

[War]

Clearly now Bhogle's & Imran's theory are coming to pass. Pitches now becoming increasingly helpful to spinners - although quality fast-bowling in the likes of Khan, Gul, Malinga will still have a major say in the final couple matches.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

it's interesting how the pace spin contrast has worked in this world cup.

opening with spin is almost standard.

but it's fallen on the fast bowlers to come in the middle overs and remove batsmen. the pre-requiste for competing in this world cup has been ample spinners and a pace bowler than can summon reverse.

 

[sami ullah khan]

Wahab Riaz proved Waqar right today. If our batting can back it up, we would go into the Finals on back Wahab's performance.

 

[used2bcool]

Sami, don't forget about Ajmal. I thought he was exceptional today. I also thought that Dhoni misread that pitch badly - the pitch had a green tinge to it and I think we went in thinking pace, because that's the only reason I can offer for picking Nehra over Ashwin. In the end, Nehra bowled really well but I still think Ashwin would've been a handful on that track, especially in the second innings.