It's not all Matt Prior's fault - is it?.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

I think most of the batsmen are culpable - they were all guilty of giving their wicket away more at least once in the series. Sure there was great seam bowling from the indians but england too produced high quality seam bowling at times, only they werent rewarded because the likes of dravid and tendulkar put a higher price on their wicket. we need to do the same. OK strauss needs a holiday, the keeping situation needs looking at but generally, with a bit more concentration and application, we should be OK. Nice that the county system, so often a finishing school for foreign late bloomers (lehman and hussey springs to mind) has finally produced another one in the form of sidebottom which should give us all a bit of hope. Maybe we can find a gloveman now ................

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Collyisamackem

Remember that Marcus Trescothick has a first class average in the thirties, Collingwood averages 29 in the CC this season ..... averages aren't everything to selectors!!!

This was one of Duncan Fletchers greatest achivements. If it wasnt for this the likes of Vaughan, Tres, Flintoff, Jones S... would never have been selected and we would have had a team full of the likes of Ramps, Hick, Lewis, Bicknell ..... I know which would have been the most succesful .

Anyway, I cant see why Mustard couldnt be considered. His keeping is miles better than Priors and his batting has been very consistant this season. Against India Priors batting and keeping has been a joke.

Regarding the team for the first test in the winter surely Strauss, Bell and Anderson are the most likely to miss out and Prior should but probably wont .

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by pie_chucker

Regarding the team for the first test in the winter surely Strauss, Bell and Anderson are the most likely to miss out[...] and Prior should but probably wont .

Good point p_c, but Prior and Anderson have not had decent runs in the team (yet) unlike Strauss and Bell.

I would think it unfair to leave Strauss and Bell in the side and drop Prior, if matt Prior is dropped - then Strauss and Bell should go also - the England batting has been dreadful IMO.

The bowers have done a good job considering Flintoff - Harmison - Simon jones - Hoggard could not play in the side, these four are world class bowlers.

[pie_chucker]

The bowlers did do well but in the last 2 tests they ultimatley didnt do their job - no matter how well it was percieved that they bowled. The fact was if Harmison, Hoggard and Flintoff had been available India would not have scored as many runs.

Anyway back to the batters. Strauss and Bell are struggling and Prior didnt exactly do much against India.

When Flintoff comes back he will take one place and Shah should take the other, as for Prior take your pick it could be one of 6.

[adamberry]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

His [Mustard's] Championship batting average this season isn't at all impressive and he hasn't score a ton.

Don't mean to blow this argument out of the water, but that puts a certain G.O. Jones ahead of Mustard (two tons, averaging roughly 33)...

Originally Posted by Ernest

I would think it unfair to leave Strauss and Bell in the side and drop Prior, if matt Prior is dropped - then Strauss and Bell should go also - the England batting has been dreadful IMO.

I agree regarding Prior and Strauss, I just don't feel that Bell has quite got to that stage. A poor tour of Sri Lanka would certainly put his place under question IMO.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by adamberry

that puts a certain G.O. Jones ahead of Mustard (two tons, averaging roughly 33)...

Geraint Jones may have been second rate with the gloves... but he wasn't anything like as poor as Prior.... and given time might well have been better than Stewart when stood back... and he is possibly better already than Stewart stood up to the stumps.

Of course... that's not setting the bar very high: Stewart was reliable on sitters but nothing special on his feet when stood back... and was pretty awful when he came up to the pegs.

Foster is no Bob Taylor... but is,. by all accounts, far, far better than Stewart EVER was as a gloveman.. and is very handy with the bat: he's technically sound and might well be the best of all the wicket-keeper-batsmen candidates in the classic role of seeing off the second new ball - surely a more important attribute than Prior-like ability to flog the old, soft ball!

As I understand it, Mustard might be more of a natural gloveman than Foster.. but Foster is the polished article where Mustard is clearly not. In batting terms, Mustard probably has more talent... but once again, Foster is the finished article: I know which of the two I'd rather have coming to the crease to stop the rot as a couple of wickets fall to the second new ball!

With all that said... I'd rather see Read in the role: he is to England's wicket-keeping options what KP and Vaughan are to England's batting options and Hoggard is to England's bowling options - so clearly worth a place that no second thought should be needed!

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Rachael

With all that said... I'd rather see Read in the role

We'd all rather see a decent keeper, but lets face it its never going to happen.

[Mr Hutt]

Although Prior has copped more criticism then is generally given to a man so early in his career maybe because of his tongue wagging rather than his glovework, he is not as good of a keeper as read was.

Lets face it the two catches could have meant 100 runs less in the last innings chase for England, and thus the series drawn possibly.

[south beds mikey]

Originally Posted by Mike

Panesar, simply should have taken more wickets in the 2nd half of the English summer when pitches are drier.

What!!? Have you seen the weather in England this summer? Drier pitches? Maybe in Sydney Mike but not here