Second one-day international, Bloemfontein:

[Paoli]

Doubt Jones should. Tresco and Strauss are great openers as said. I wouldn't split them. If Jones does make, quick runs, good on him. This is also my 400th post lol.

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

But Tresco is a proven opening batsman. Jones isn't. Surely if he was that good he would do it for his county at least every now and then.

I don't see how thats an answer. He can't prove he is an opener without opening, and neither can we prove he is not an opener without opening. Anyway, I doubt this is the first time he's ever opened. I mean - even I've opened for my club, and my technique barely exists. We were just shorts of proper bats.

I'm a Read man myself, as you are. But we can't let that blind us to the fact that Jones may be a good player himself, or that he may be capable to performing in roles other than batting at 7 or 8 and dropping Jacque Kallis now and then*.


* Sorry, sorry..... I revoke that statement entirely. It was unjust and unfair. Jones is no more butter fingered than Key is a porker.

[cantplaycantalk]

Sticking with Tres and Strauss would also help them to build up a good understanding with the running between the wickets.

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by Goatman

I'm a Read man myself, as you are. But we can't let that blind us to the fact that Jones may be a good player himself, or that he may be capable to performing in roles other than batting at 7 or 8 and dropping Jacque Kallis now and then*.

Jones is a good player. Of that there is no doubt. As a batsman he is far superior to Chris Read, of that there isn't much to argue either. In fact I hadn't even brought the great gloveman into the equation. This is more a question of whether or not Jones should be opening. Personally unless the pinch-hitter offers something quite superb a la Gilchrist I wouldn't bother with them. Pakistan have a very useful new wicketkeeper/batsman in Kamran Akmal - and he can also catch !!

[Paoli]

I believe Jones' keeping defects are excusable in the one day game, as he is a better keeper than Dravid and Younis Khan, and i have to say the likes of Mashud and possibly Taibu.

So him opening isn't a bad idea but it is fair to say only two keeping openers have worked in the past. Gilchrist and Kaluwitharana. You could add Stewart to that but he was not much of a ODI opener. Taibu failed miserably, Boucher has had a game or two and not done well, as has Parthiv Patel.

So GO Jones better make this work---after his sloppy glovework in the tests the pressure is on for the Ashes.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

Tresco out for 37 off 35 balls - excellent ODI player, vaughan scratching around 2 off 17 not out. Says it all really. i see jones the gloves/pinch hitter is on his way back as well. Any SKY viewers can tell us what the conditions are like ?

[Pete]

Pitch is as flat as anything at the moment. Lots of cracks on the pitch though, hopefully they'll open and we'll see some uneven bounce when we get to bowl.

[Pete]

Strauss gone for two, strangled down the leg side. It's all falling to bits.

Replays show that it probably didn't hit his bat.

[Notts Exile]

Is Vaughan making this look very difficult? H seems to be crawling along at Test Match pace.

[Mike_Hock]

England re-building nicely now. Lets hope big Kev can hang around until the last 10 and then cut loose