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Memnoch · 12-18-2006, 10:08 PM

Fixing the batting is easy enough - they have their best players playing, and there's nobody from outside the side that might improve their batting. Felcher needs to move KP to 4 and Collywobble to 5. I don't think Felcher can hide KP down in the order any longer - along with Strauss he's England's best bat and he needs to bat higher to attack the bowling. Collywobble is a more defensive player and can provide that link between the top and lower middle order.

Neither bat with the tail very well, but I think Colly is better than KP at doing so - KP was exposing the bunnies to Warne and Pidge taking a single first ball of each over. It's also worth noting that KP's been pretty much one of the last men standing amid the wreckage of England's batting in this Test. You don't want this bloke running out of partners and batting with the bunnies, you want him to in a position where he can shape the course of the innings. At the moment he's coming in and having to adjust his game to how the innings has played out. Plus the OZ can set defensive fields for him, give him the singles (which he takes) and work on getting his partners out.

The rest of the batting is ok, though I feel Flintoff is batting one spot too high. I think he should really be a cowlashing No7, instead of a No6. Ideally you'd have another batsman at No6 (which would mean that a wicketkeeper would have to bat at No8). Since GoJo's Test career is likely been euthanased in this match this would probably be Read (who's another rabbit).

But then you have to take take away a bowler, which is the real problem for England - inability to take 20 Australian wickets (they took 11 in Brisbane, 14 in Adelaide and 15 in Perth). Taking out a bowler means you would have to take out one of Mahmood or Anderson, and go with three pacers in Flintoff, Harmy and Hoggard, and have Panesar bowling a lot of overs. Can those 4 bowlers - one of them an allrounder - take 20 wickets at the MCG and SCG? I doubt it.

All of a sudden this side doesn't look all that balanced, does it. Felcher was really counting on GoJo to be a Gilly type player, to balance the 5 man bowling attack. His failure has left England with a very long tail.

Strauss
Cook
Bell
KP
Collywobble
(Another batsman)
Freddie
Read/GoJo
Harmy
Panesar
Hoggard

Given GoJo's loss of batting form and complete mental breakdown, I think Freddie will have to keep batting at 6, and Mahmood or Anderson (or Plunkett) will have to play, and they'll have to go without that lower-middle order bat that I think they need.

[ 12-18-2006, 10:23 PM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

12-18-2006, 10:08 PM	#120
Memnoch Ironworks Moderator Join Date: February 28, 2001 Location: Boston/Sydney Posts: 11,771	Fixing the batting is easy enough - they have their best players playing, and there's nobody from outside the side that might improve their batting. Felcher needs to move KP to 4 and Collywobble to 5. I don't think Felcher can hide KP down in the order any longer - along with Strauss he's England's best bat and he needs to bat higher to attack the bowling. Collywobble is a more defensive player and can provide that link between the top and lower middle order. Neither bat with the tail very well, but I think Colly is better than KP at doing so - KP was exposing the bunnies to Warne and Pidge taking a single first ball of each over. It's also worth noting that KP's been pretty much one of the last men standing amid the wreckage of England's batting in this Test. You don't want this bloke running out of partners and batting with the bunnies, you want him to in a position where he can shape the course of the innings. At the moment he's coming in and having to adjust his game to how the innings has played out. Plus the OZ can set defensive fields for him, give him the singles (which he takes) and work on getting his partners out. The rest of the batting is ok, though I feel Flintoff is batting one spot too high. I think he should really be a cowlashing No7, instead of a No6. Ideally you'd have another batsman at No6 (which would mean that a wicketkeeper would have to bat at No8). Since GoJo's Test career is likely been euthanased in this match this would probably be Read (who's another rabbit). But then you have to take take away a bowler, which is the real problem for England - inability to take 20 Australian wickets (they took 11 in Brisbane, 14 in Adelaide and 15 in Perth). Taking out a bowler means you would have to take out one of Mahmood or Anderson, and go with three pacers in Flintoff, Harmy and Hoggard, and have Panesar bowling a lot of overs. Can those 4 bowlers - one of them an allrounder - take 20 wickets at the MCG and SCG? I doubt it. All of a sudden this side doesn't look all that balanced, does it. Felcher was really counting on GoJo to be a Gilly type player, to balance the 5 man bowling attack. His failure has left England with a very long tail. Strauss Cook Bell KP Collywobble (Another batsman) Freddie Read/GoJo Harmy Panesar Hoggard Given GoJo's loss of batting form and complete mental breakdown, I think Freddie will have to keep batting at 6, and Mahmood or Anderson (or Plunkett) will have to play, and they'll have to go without that lower-middle order bat that I think they need. [ 12-18-2006, 10:23 PM: Message edited by: Memnoch ] __________________