Pollocks future

[John]

Originally Posted by Vrock7

He certainly doesn't have the impact now that he once did.

I think the best thing is to retire him from Test cricket and keep in the one day game for the world cup. He can bowl 7 overs and Kemp and Kallis can bowl the other 3. He can bat at 6.
I think his Test cricket career is well and truly at an end. Botham I seem to remember went on a few Tests too long. The same goes for the likes of Ambrose, on his last tour of England even the most ordinary Test batsmen looked comforable against him.
McGrath will be risking it for the Ashes this winter.
So Polly should bite his pride his bowling has always been his strength its time to call Test cricket a day.

[Vrock]

Well today Pollock took 3-30 and he bowled very well IMO. He gave the batsmen lots of worries and was the core of a good bowling performance by SA.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by John

...Ambrose, on his last tour of England even the most ordinary Test batsmen looked comforable against him...

Were you watching the same Ambrose as me? He was far from his best and didn't have as good a tour as his new-ball partner Walsh (34 wickets @ 12.82). But he bowled really well, taking 17 wickets @ 18.64, going at less than 2 an over with one third of his overs being maidens. The English batsmen were comfortable as, after seeing off Walsh and Ambrose, there was little to worry about from the likes of Nixon McLean (7 @ 33.28), Reon King (8 @ 30.50) and Franklin Rose (4 @ 67.50).

[John]

Sorry you are totally right. I have these memories of Ambrose looking shot. If Pollock got those sort of figures I would be over the moon. My memory of the events has totally played tricks on me.
But still my general point stands even if my example was completely wrong. That a number of cricketers have continued too long and Pollock might join them. The experts in SA pointed out his loss of pace about 2 years ago and this Australian tour bowling figures seem to suggest he is much less of a bowler.
So maybe he should concentrate on the one dayers leading up to the 2007 world cup.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by John

For a couple of years people have noted a decline in Pollocks pace. Should he open the bowling anymore?

No with respect to Pollock and SA supporters it's time to let go as he will IMO only hold SA back opening the bowling, as a back up bowler maybe he has longer.
But with Nel and Ntini SA should be looking forwards, not IMO clinging to the past like England did with Botham, and Austraila to a degree with McGrath.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Lemming

Were you watching the same Ambrose as me? He[...] bowled really well, taking 17 wickets @ 18.64, going at less than 2 an over with one third of his overs being maidens.

The late model Ambrose was, for me, the best Ambrose: he rarely bowled with the sustained venom we might recall from his earlier days... but the venom was still there when he wanted it (one or two balls per spell) and in terms of control he was on a par with McGrath and in terms of variations he was just sensational.

Pollock's still bowling well every time he gets a pitch that gives him a chance: on pitches prepared for Murali, Harbhajan or Danish Kaneria he is struggling more than he used to... but the moment the new ball will swing or seam and he can get some bounce (i.e. the moment you get a decent Test track) he's back in business.

The other thing with Pollock is that he's a natural athelete: he remains a tireless workhorse even now.... and whilst injury can plague anyone anytime... he's appears less prone than many younger colleagues.

[Ninjaman]

Originally Posted by Rachael

The late model Ambrose was, for me, the best Ambrose: he rarely bowled with the sustained venom we might recall from his earlier days... but the venom was still there when he wanted it (one or two balls per spell) and in terms of control he was on a par with McGrath and in terms of variations he was just sensational.

I disagree.

Best Ambrose was around 92 to 94-ish.

Low average with high strike rate around that time.

I've lost count of how many times, if there was even a glimmer of a chance to win, he'd get you the win.

I've still seen nothing to match his spell vs Australia at Perth.

And the way he destroyed England at Trinidad ws amazing. To this day, I still believe it was his presence that caused Ramprakash to run himself out just to avoid having to face him!!!

As he got older and wiser, he was still highly effective but just not to the level of 6-7 years previously

[greg]

I think Pollock would be more use now as first change,give Nel the new ball and Pollock will keep control when he comes on and can become the workhorse.He is still a quality bowler even if he is not as effective as he once was.

[flanflinger]

One thing is Pollocks favour is that according to the Wisden Cricketer, he was the bowler with the best economy rate throughout 2005.

He had an economy rate of 2.50, while McGrath and Vaas had 2.58.

[butchering lee]

just to revisit this thread - i really like pollock (as a cricketer) and have been hoping he may turn a corner before the fade.

in ODIs he's certainly showing some good signs:

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/rsavi...ry/271043.html

the author puts the turnaround down to the fact that he's "begun a season without fitness niggles for the first time since..." now i'm hoping he can take this form into tests. he's not so old as to have to retire (well, my age in fact - so something of a spring chicken really) and with some fine tuning to his fitness i'm hoping he can give the team something they need for at least a couple more years.

i'm wishing him luck!!