England v South Africa - 1st Test - The Oval

[Gwylan]

Oh dear, what an absolute DISGRACE.

Put the result, not just losing but the size of it into perespective. First time in the history of test cricket a side has won whilst losing only two wickets. An innings defeat is a humiliation if you lose all you wickets twice over for that of one of the opposition, we lost twenty for less than they lost two. It would be the equivalent in football of Spain losing at home to third in the world Uruguay 8-0.

Ravi Bopara, never again, and maybe some of the ego's in the squad should shut the f*** up about creating legacies, being the best England side ever and an era of Australia-esque dominance and worry about playing and working hard a bit more.

Fifth time.

And dropping Bopara would be a terrible mistake - back to the Ramprakash era. England learned from the Ramps situation and have been loath to put a batsman in for one game and drop him the next. They gave Bairstow three games - which is fair enough but Bopara deserves some time: he does have three test centuries to his name.

 

[crodonilson]

Fifth time.

And dropping Bopara would be a terrible mistake - back to the Ramprakash era. England learned from the Ramps situation and have been loath to put a batsman in for one game and drop him the next. They gave Bairstow three games - which is fair enough but Bopara deserves some time: he does have three test centuries to his name.

Why does Bopara deserve time and how much time are you going to give him?? He's had countless chances at test level now and taken none of them. I'd have no issue if he was getting out to good bowling but the two dismissals were pathetic, particularly the second one when we were trying to save the game. I'd have given Bairstow the rest of the summer to prove his worth.

 

[Gwylan]

Why does Bopara deserve time and how much time are you going to give him?? He's had countless chances at test level now and taken none of them.

That's just rubbish. He's scored 3 test centuries in 13 tests - a perfectly respectable scoring ratio - and has an average of about 32. He's got to have a chance to prove that he take that extra step.

The whole ethos of England's test team has been to give batsmen a chance and not drop them after one test. He has to stay in for the rest of the series (and be told he's in for the rest of the series), making a batsman fretful is not going to help at all. We really don't want to go back to the days when we'd play 20-odd players in a test series and lose a series by three or four games.

 

[crodonilson]

That's just rubbish. He's scored 3 test centuries in 13 tests - a perfectly respectable scoring ratio - and has an average of about 32. He's got to have a chance to prove that he take that extra step.

The whole ethos of England's test team has been to give batsmen a chance and not drop them after one test. He has to stay in for the rest of the series (and be told he's in for the rest of the series), making a batsman fretful is not going to help at all. We really don't want to go back to the days when we'd play 20-odd players in a test series and lose a series by three or four games.

3 centuries in 2009 against a very poor West Indies attack on flat tracks.

I wouldn't have started with him, it's not like he's a novice now, he needs to step up. I guess now they've picked him they should give him the rest of the series but he's had countless chances before and there are plenty of good young batsmen coming through who would have done a better job than Bopara.

 

[maltaseagull]

Have to love Steyn, even when he's not bowling well he's deadly.

There was a comment on the BBC live text about SA not having the bowling attack to take wickets on this pitch. (Unlike England) Got that one wrong then!

 

[Gwylan]

3 centuries in 2009 against a very poor West Indies attack on flat tracks.

I wouldn't have started with him, it's not like he's a novice now, he needs to step up. I guess now they've picked him they should give him the rest of the series but he's had countless chances before and there are plenty of good young batsmen coming through who would have done a better job than Bopara.

That "poor" West Indian series won the series - they weren't that bad.

Ever heard of Steve Waugh? He didn't get a test century until his 27th test. I suppose you think he should have been dropped as well

Where are these young batsman? Next in line is probably James Taylor - he will certainly play for England but this is not the series to blood him. Not sure there are lots of other batsmen knocking down the door though.

I'm not wholly convinced by Bopara either but he has to be given a chance. To drop him would give a terrible message to other batsmen. England's recent success has been built on stability and consistency - they can't go back to the days of throwing in batsmen for one or two games and discarding them.

 

[Simster]

Why does Bopara deserve time and how much time are you going to give him??

Because the alternative is either Morgan, who is shit, or Bairstow, who hasn't proved he deserves a chance ahead of Bopara either on the first class county circuit or in the three matches he has played.