Andrew Strauss - Genuine Opener?

[DaveGillespie]

2003 County Championship stats.

16 Matches, 29 Innings, 2 Not Outs
High Score of 155, 1401 Runs @ 51.88
4 100s, 7 50s

Third season in a row scoring more than 1000 County Championship runs.

18th April - Away vs Essex (Batting First having Won Toss, Draw)
1st Innings: c Robinson b Dakin, 1 Run off 6 Balls, 7 Minutes
2nd Innings: lbw b Middlebrook, 40 Runs off 58 Balls, 61 Minutes

23rd April - Home vs Sussex (Batting Second having Lost toss, Middlesex Won)
1st Innings: c Prior b Kirtley, 10 Runs off 16 Balls, 25 Minutes
2nd Innings (chasing 328): lbw b Kirtley, 83 Runs off 162 Balls, 322 Minutes

9th May - Home vs Lancashire (Batting Second having Lost toss, Draw)
1st Innings: c Flintoff b Anderson, 6 Runs off 12 Balls, 15 Minutes
2nd Innings (Following On): not out, 100 Runs off 181 Balls, 366 Minutes

14th May - Away vs Kent (Batting Second having Lost toss, Draw)
1st Innings: run out, 3 Runs off 10 Balls, 7 Minutes
2nd Innings (following on): c Ealham b Tredwell, 93 Runs off 135 Balls, 161 Minutes

21st May - Away vs Leicestershire (Batting First having Lost toss, Draw)
1st Innings: c Snape b DeFreitas, 26 Runs off 36 Balls, 40 Minutes
2nd Innings: c DeFreitas b Brignull, 25 Runs off 30 Balls, 36 Minutes

4th June - Home vs Essex (Batting First having Lost toss, Draw)
1st Innings: lbw b Dakin, 11 Runs off 35 balls, 43 Minutes
2nd Innings: DNB

27th June - Home vs Surrey (Batting First having won toss, Draw)
1st Innings: c Hollioake, b Saqlain Mushtaq, 47 Runs off 88 Balls, 113 Minutes
2nd Innings: c Butcher, b Sallisbury, 95 Runs off 137 Balls, 252 Minutes

9th July - Home (Southgate) vs Leicestershire (Batting First having won toss, Middlesex Won)
1st Innings: c Nixon b Amin, 147 Runs off 240 Balls, 290 Minutes
2nd Innings: not out, 73 Runs off 67 Balls, 95 Minutes

15th July - Home (Southgate) vs Warwickshire (Batting Second having lost toss, DraW)
1st Innings: c Troughton b Giles, 37 Runs off 40 Balls, 153 Minutes
2nd Innings (Following on): c Wagh b Betts, 23 Runs off 41 Balls, 44 Minutes

23rd July - Away vs Surrey (Batting Second having won toss, Draw)
1st Innings: lbw b ormond, 87 Runs from 122 Balls, 137 Minutes
2nd Innings: DNB

30th July - Away vs Nottinghamshire (Batting Second, Middlesex Won)
1st Innings: c Atri b Smith, 29 Runs from 73 Balls, 83 Minutes
2nd Innings (chasing 146): c Read b Cairns, 6 Runs from 9 Balls, 14 Minutes

13th August - Home vs Kent (Batting First having won toss, Middlesex Lost)
1st Innings: c Jones b Khan, 12 Runs from 13 Balls, 9 Minutes
2nd Innings: c Jones b Saggers, 9 Runes from 28 Balls, 33 Minutes

21st August - Away vs Lancashire (Batting Second having lost toss, Draw)
1st Innings: c Keedy b Martin, 155 runs from 260 Balls, 287 Minutes
2nd Innings (following on): c Schofield b Hooper, 63 Runs from 103 Balls, 122 Minutes

26th August - Away vs Warwickshire (Batting Second having won toss, Middlesex Lost)
1st Innings: b Waqar Younis, 0 Runs from 1 Ball, 0 Minutes
2nd Innings (chasing 203): lbw b Wagh, 61 Runs from 124 Balls, 154 Minutes

5th September - Away vs Sussex (Batting First having won toss, Middlesex Lost)
1st Innings: c Prior b Martin-Jenkins, 138 Runs From 172 Balls, 227 Minutes
2nd Innings: c Ambrose b Lewry, 4 Runs from 6 Balls, 3 Minutes

10th September - Home vs Nottinghamshire (Batting Second having lost toss, Draw)
1st Innings: c & b Cairns, 15 Runs from 34 Balls, 45 Minutes
2nd Innings: DNB


What can be gleaned from those stats is that he appears to have the capacity to play the long high-scoring innings (83 Runs off 162 Balls, 322 Minutes vs Sussex, 100 Runs off 181 Balls, 366 Minutes vs Lancs following on, 147 Runs off 240 Balls, 290 Minutes vs Leicester), a more up-tempo knock (73* off 67 vs Leicestershire in the same game as the 147) and to hang in there for a while without getting out (29 off 73 in 83 minutes vs Notts). A few scores just falling short of hundreds though (83, 93, 87), but 4 100s and 7 50s is a reasonable conversion rate. Very good in the follow on (scores of 100, 93, 23, 63). Certainly looks like he's up to the task.

[Essex Eagle]

Figures are impressive but im not convinced.

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

[DaveGillespie]

I haven't had the chance to see him play a proper innings yet, but 5 LBWs out of 27 dissmissals wouldn't necessarily suggest that.

[Essex Eagle]

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.

[freddie flintoff 142]

quite agree, he looks good, maybe not test class (yet) but looks sound for odi's and we need a few more proper batters in the side

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

Lets look at who is currently opening, one who nervy and getting out to silly shots and one who is batting in lead boots and uses his eyes and not his feet. Strauss may not be perfect, but he's the better option.

[Kirsty Harris]

Strauss has a lot of potential, but it has yet to be proved. I'm not sure whether he will be an opener for England, I think perhaps he will take over Hussains slot in the test matchs and number 3 in the one-day game. Dodgy footwork or not, I think Tres is not going to be shifted from the team any times soon, and although Vaughan may be more suited to batting at 3 in one day games, he's going to give himself a run at the top of the order, I'm sure.

[Essex Eagle]

Originally Posted by Richie Benauds Love Child

Lets look at who is currently opening, one who nervy and getting out to silly shots and one who is batting in lead boots and uses his eyes and not his feet. Strauss may not be perfect, but he's the better option.

Tres is not playing well granted.

but are England that well odd that they can jettison a batsman with an average of 41 and 3300 test runs for an unkown quantity?

I know over the next 10 tests who the most likely to score hundreds and its not strauss!

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

Never said jetison EE, just "move" to number 6 probably were he can tonk vetori round to his hearts content and bowl some gentle medium pace were he might snare one or two.

[cantplaycantalk]

Originally Posted by Richie Benauds Love Child

Never said jetison EE, just "move" to number 6 probably were he can tonk vetori round to his hearts content and bowl some gentle medium pace were he might snare one or two.

Ah turn him into a bits and pieces player then?
If he is batting 6 could he share the gloves with G Jones when we go to Zim and they can both bowl