Andrew Strauss - Genuine Opener?

[Scott-Wozniak]

Originally Posted by high_on_linseed

As I said to Kirsty: First, hed be protected from the new ball. Coming in at six, hed have a nice battered old one to biff around if things went according to plan. Secondly, it would be harder for the Kiwis to implement the plan theyve already worked out to dismiss him seventy overs into the day with fielders tiring. Lastly, it wont so much be helping Tres as be helping Butch and Hussain who are more often having to scrap it out against the old ball, rather than play their natural (and certainly in Butchers case naturally agressive) games.

No, I wouldnt drop Hussain, Id drop Giles, and play six batsmen.

HOL

I guess you're basing this on the fact that the 'new ball' is getting Trescothick out - in my mind it isn't - its his poor 'technique' and 'shot selection' thats doing it. For someone of Trescothicks supposed 'quality' to be 'undone' by virtually the exact same ball, that did exactly the same thing, bowled by the exactly the same bowler in two separate Test Matches tells me bowlers are 'sussing' out where Tresco's weaknesses are and are bowling at them. This will apply as much with the old ball as it will with the new ball - hence my reasoning that a move in batting position will not make any difference.

Whilst I agree with replacing Tresco with Strauss, I don't with moving Tresco down the order. Replace an opener with an opener, but if you want more middle order batsmen - then bring one in - not push a failing Opener down the batting order.

I also don't agree with replacing a bowler with a batsman for the reasons I've given elsewhere on the board, you don't fix problems with batting by packing the side out with batsmen - you do it by fixing whatever problems that exist with the current batsman and bringing in replacements as necessary.

But as Trescothick is a close personal friend of Vaughan's and Fletchers 'pet favourite' I can see his place will be assured for the foreseable future.

Scott

[high_on_linseed]

Originally Posted by Scott-Wozniak

HOL


But as Trescothick is a close personal friend of Vaughan's and Fletchers 'pet favourite' I can see his place will be assured for the foreseable future.

Scott

I cant argue with this last point Scott. But I do think it is generally accepted wisdom that Trescothick is too valuable an asset to be dispensed with entirely. Stewarts shot selection was never exactly water-tight, but he went on to play many valuable knocks for england at almost every position in the order. You simply dont make 250 against South Africa, without being a very good player, and thats not to mention all the other big scores Tres has made. Tinkering with technique might work for some players, but Tres is an instinctive player, and it might do more harm than good. Its hard to explain to someone who doesnt get it (hope im not being patronizing here ( ; ), but some players simply play how they play, but results vary wildly with form. I say that because I am that kind of batsman myself. Sometimes the rangefinder is on target and sometimes it isnt. In the latter case, I can never say exactly why, but in any case tinkering with bits of technique simply doesnt work. I know we are talking about entirely different levels of the game, but I guess the principle is the same. Pretty soon, and we saw glimpses in Antigua, Trescothick is just gonna click again, and hes gonna play an innings that will make his critics look pretty daft. I think hes not consistent enough to be an opener. But he is certainly good/destructive enough to be an effective 5 or 6.

As for your second point about the bowling, all I can say is every summer England feel duty bound to include a spinner, usually Giles these days, and every summer they have bog-all success (except for few isolated exceptions like Tufnell at the Oval). Besides, who would you bring in in place of Giles? Batty? Blackwell? Jason Brown? Why not Ian Salisbury (again!), hes bowling better than any of them at the moment. I say forget it! Play six batsmen, and have Vaughan and Tres, or Vaughan and Butch fill in the extra overs. This is not trying to fix the batting at the expense of the bowling. It is strengthening an already decent, though not world-beating, batting line-up at the expense of precisely nothing.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Essex Eagle

Figures are impressive but im not convinced.

He does have a tendency to plant his foot and play round his pads occasionally.

Yeah.. terrible... what on earth did they pick him for?

Not sure I spotted your name in the "Players who proved me wrong" thread.

Still I didn't stick in a Harmison entry either!

[Victor Frankenstein]

bit early to say he's been proved wrong though, he's had a good enough start but his scores have gone down since his opening 100 so might be worth waiting till this time next year before saying he was proved anyone wrong imo. Not that i think he won't, i think he has the temperament and technique to get better and better, he's certainly one of the best new players we've had in a long while, probably since tresco.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Essex Eagle

Figures are impressive but im not convinced.

He does have a tendency to plant his foot and play round his pads occasionally.

Sorry about this guys...

...I was just looking for a particular thread, when I came across this pile of non-believers.

Change of heart anyone?

[Essex Eagle]

Originally Posted by Essex Eagle

Figures are impressive but im not convinced.

He does have a tendency to plant his foot and play round his pads occasionally.

Boy does that post make me look like a muppet!

I suppose thats true enough,

technically he looks sound enough from the ODI i saw, and he looks like he is a limited type of player.

By that i mean he has his 'shots' and doesnt try anything outrageous.

Didn't harm Steve Waugh did it, so i hope if he gets a go we give they guy a good run.

No more 1 cap wonders.

Although my follow up was pretty much true!

[CJ D]

Question is - does anybody still think that Tres should drop down the order for the Aussies this summer?

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Oliver

Yeah.. terrible... what on earth did they pick him for?

Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing, Oliver?

I was reading back some of the old posts which suggested Ashley Giles should be shot, among other less pleasent things, the other day...

I'm not ashamed to admit I was not in favour of breaking up the Vaughan/Trescothick partnership, mainly because it had served England very well and I was worried about rocking the boat for a guy who had played two (excellent) test innings.

In hindsight, it has worked out for the best of all concerned, but still, it could have been a mistake. You can never tell!!

[Trescothick]

For England to win we Ashes we should play the following line-up:

Trescothick (Yes, as an opener)
Strauss (Again an opener)
Vaughan (C)
Thorpe
Pieterson
Flintoff
G O Jones (WK)
Giles
Harmison (With his recently improved batting)
S Jones
Hoggard


That is a quality line-up and their is NO doubt in my mind that Pieterson, Strauss and Tresco should be in.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Trescothick

For England to win we Ashes we should play the following line-up:

Trescothick (Yes, as an opener)
Strauss (Again an opener)
Vaughan (C)
Thorpe
Pieterson
Flintoff
G O Jones (WK)
Giles
Harmison (With his recently improved batting)
S Jones
Hoggard

That is exactly the side I would pick. Though I might leave Harmison at eleven, as he doesn't seem to respond too well to hype.

However his place there at all, is rather dependant on him finding some form in the opening weeks of the season.
Otherwise our bowling attack will once again look distinctly ordinary.
Oh for the Anderson of two winters' ago.