Strauss gone

[Pavilionaire]

Re Brearley - it's ironic that Strauss is retiring because his test batting for the last year or so has been mediocre around the 20-odd average. Mike Brearley career test average? 22.88 in 39 tests.

If we'd had the internet in 1981 it wouldn't have been a case of "Brearley is a brilliant captain", it would have been more along the lines of "He's got a shit average and captaining a side with the 2 highest English test wicket takers in history - Botham and Willis - should be a piece of piss anyway".

In the pantheon of English cricketers Strauss will go down as a pretty decent captain and a pretty decent bat too. I remember Brearley's batting - it made Bopara look like Viv Richards.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Re Brearley - it's ironic that Strauss is retiring because his test batting for the last year or so has been mediocre around the 20-odd average. Mike Brearley career test average? 22.88 in 39 tests.

If we'd had the internet in 1981 it wouldn't have been a case of "Brearley is a brilliant captain", it would have been more along the lines of "He's got a shit average and captaining a side with the 2 highest English test wicket takers in history - Botham and Willis - should be a piece of piss anyway".

In the pantheon of English cricketers Strauss will go down as a pretty decent captain and a pretty decent bat too. I remember Brearley's batting - it made Bopara look like Viv Richards.

Brearley was a brilliant captain, he galvanised a maverick squad. They tried other captains and they failed. Brearley was in the team because he was a great captain, there is no doubt about that, he was literally captain first, who happened to bat. Strauss was in the team because he was a great batsmen, he became captain by default because of the KP / Moores disaster.

I sort of agree with you, but Strauss was in the team for his bat, he got the captaincy role because realistically there wasn't anyone else up to it. Brearley was a genius as a captain, in some ways he transformed what a captain did, especially for England teams. Two very different men, and do have there own position in the history of the England team,

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Brearley was a brilliant captain, he galvanised a maverick squad. They tried other captains and they failed. Brearley was in the team because he was a great captain, there is no doubt about that, he was literally captain first, who happened to bat. Strauss was in the team because he was a great batsmen, he became captain by default because of the KP / Moores disaster.

I sort of agree with you, but Strauss was in the team for his bat, he got the captaincy role because realistically there wasn't anyone else up to it. Brearley was a genius as a captain, in some ways he transformed what a captain did, especially for England teams. Too very different men, and do have there own position in the history of the England team,

Very well put.

In the late 70s/early 80s when Brearley was England captain was you still had a mix of 'gentlemen' captains at County level (often Oxbridge' types) who retained their place because they led a team well than for their outright batting skills. I can think of our very own J.R.T. Barclay at Sussex who never really pulled up trees as a big run scoring batsman but still opened competently for Sussex mainly because he had a good technique (handy against some of the fiery bowling attacks around then) and above all led the team well plus he had to handle characters like Imran and Miandad (who were Captains of their own countries) but often played second fiddle to Trouters! These days every player has be more than handy with the bat, so having a specialist Captain isnt really an option, especially at international level.

 

[crodonilson]

You really do talk some drivel.

Bopara got 3 centuries against a terrible West Indies side, so gets the number 3 berth against the Aussies in 2009 and in the 4 tests he plays is sorted out every time. So is dropped and Trott takes his chance.

Bopara was correctly picked for this years South Africa series, but due to personal reasons asks to be left out after the first test and whether he gets back in is now down to his own form.

The reality is Trott is a better player than him, so has held the number 3 position since 2009 and other players have taken their chance. Taylor looks technically better than Bopara (who often looks like a walking wicket).

So back to you fishing.

Anyone who is worth their salt in Cricket knows Bopara has a huge amount of technical ability and skill, he is however something of an enigma and needs an arm around him and confidence placing in him, that's not a few tests here and then a couple of bad tests and out of the side. That's why we should be investing our faith in him and teeling him he's there for the long term, not just the India series and if he only averages 25 he's out again, now wonder he has struggled of late when he knows one bad score and he's out again.

 

[vegster]

Anyone who is worth their salt in Cricket knows Bopara has a huge amount of technical ability and skill, he is however something of an enigma and needs an arm around him and confidence placing in him, that's not a few tests here and then a couple of bad tests and out of the side. That's why we should be investing our faith in him and teeling him he's there for the long term, not just the India series and if he only averages 25 he's out again, now wonder he has struggled of late when he knows one bad score and he's out again.

Ramprakash #2 ?

 

[fleet]

Shame he has gone, he has been a great captain, but I was at Lords on Sunday when we were trying to bowl them out to win and we had Anderson bowling with no slip. I think he needed more aggression and belief in his bowlers. Just maybe the right time to go?

 

[Questions]

Re Brearley - it's ironic that Strauss is retiring because his test batting for the last year or so has been mediocre around the 20-odd average. Mike Brearley career test average? 22.88 in 39 tests.

If we'd had the internet in 1981 it wouldn't have been a case of "Brearley is a brilliant captain", it would have been more along the lines of "He's got a shit average and captaining a side with the 2 highest English test wicket takers in history - Botham and Willis - should be a piece of piss anyway".

In the pantheon of English cricketers Strauss will go down as a pretty decent captain and a pretty decent bat too. I remember Brearley's batting - it made Bopara look like Viv Richards.

Oh I thought we were talking about captains......the decision makers, the tactitions, the man managers and the motivators.
Sorry didn't realise it was about batting averages.

 

[Questions]

Brearley was a brilliant captain, he galvanised a maverick squad. They tried other captains and they failed. Brearley was in the team because he was a great captain, there is no doubt about that, he was literally captain first, who happened to bat. Strauss was in the team because he was a great batsmen, he became captain by default because of the KP / Moores disaster.

I sort of agree with you, but Strauss was in the team for his bat, he got the captaincy role because realistically there wasn't anyone else up to it. Brearley was a genius as a captain, in some ways he transformed what a captain did, especially for England teams. Two very different men, and do have there own position in the history of the England team,

Good post.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Anyone who is worth their salt in Cricket knows Bopara has a huge amount of technical ability and skill, he is however something of an enigma and needs an arm around him and confidence placing in him, that's not a few tests here and then a couple of bad tests and out of the side. That's why we should be investing our faith in him and teeling him he's there for the long term, not just the India series and if he only averages 25 he's out again, now wonder he has struggled of late when he knows one bad score and he's out again.

That pressure is part of test cricket and he can't hack it, simple as.

Alot of the commentators and people supposedly "ITK", which seem to be mostly his mates at Essex, bang on about how much talent ravi has. I'm sure he looks like a world beater when they watch him in the nets or against Hants 2ndXI but that doesn't mean anything if he's going to walk out in every international match looking like he's there for the taking.

It's not his average that tells me he's never going to make it, it's the way he plays. If he's not done it by now he's never going to do it, and there's better players coming through who can play in the middle order.

Sorry Ravinder, you had your chance

 

[Pavilionaire]

Oh I thought we were talking about captains......the decision makers, the tactitions, the man managers and the motivators.
Sorry didn't realise it was about batting averages.

Strauss has said he's retiring primarily because his batting over the last year has been poor and his place in the side is in question. So averages, runs scored etc is at the heart of the issue.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Anyone who is worth their salt in Cricket knows Bopara has a huge amount of technical ability and skill, he is however something of an enigma and needs an arm around him and confidence placing in him, that's not a few tests here and then a couple of bad tests and out of the side. That's why we should be investing our faith in him and teeling him he's there for the long term, not just the India series and if he only averages 25 he's out again, now wonder he has struggled of late when he knows one bad score and he's out again.

The technical ability that means he does not move his feet well and often goes after the ball too hard? Typical one day player.

 

[sagaman]

Thanks Straussy - you did a great job

Hope that KP clears off!

 

[John Bumlick]

In fairness to Krakatoa, Trott did play for SA up to u19 level. He certainly didn't play for the full SA team though, as JB seems to be pointing out.

nail on head. apologies to krakatoa though as i must confess i was unaware he'd represented SA at any level.

 

[krakatoa]

Cheers. Nothing against Trott as a bloke or a cricketer, just don't think someone who only decided to become 'English' in his 20's should then go on to captain England, ahead of people who were born and bred here.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Press conference today at midday, seems Strauss will be off,

Not only Strauss gone...but so have Mozart,Chopin,and others......RIP guys.

 

[Gwylan]

In the late 70s/early 80s when Brearley was England captain was you still had a mix of 'gentlemen' captains at County level (often Oxbridge' types) who retained their place because they led a team well than for their outright batting skills. I can think of our very own J.R.T. Barclay at Sussex who never really pulled up trees as a big run scoring batsman but still opened competently for Sussex mainly because he had a good technique (handy against some of the fiery bowling attacks around then) and above all led the team well plus he had to handle characters like Imran and Miandad (who were Captains of their own countries) but often played second fiddle to Trouters! These days every player has be more than handy with the bat, so having a specialist Captain isnt really an option, especially at international level.

Don't think this is quite true - that certainly was the case up until the 60s but by the end of the 70s captains had to justify their place. Trout may have been a limited player but he certainly wasn't the worst - he was a regular for some years before he was a captain - he was a fantastically imaginative skipper though. I think that 1981 season where we came so close to being champions is still my favourite Sussex season.

But I can't think of any other 'Oxbridge types' of that period who were captain by virtue of their background - Nick Pocock of Hampshire perhaps but, again, he was in the side on merit.

Fully agree with the sentiments on Brearley - he was a superb leader who raised captaincy to new levels, probably only Benaud was his equal as test skipper. But for those who say that he was only in the side for his captaincy, it's worth noting that he was picked as a batsman originally and only took over as captain when Greig left for Packer (and again when Botham packed it in).

Strauss wasn't the equal of Brearley as a captain but he did a good job and was a decent bat too - he'll be missed.

 

[Gwylan]

Just seen that there are rumours that Strauss is going to be selected as a Tory parliamentary candidate - talk about frying pan into the fire.

The last England captain to resign to follow a political career wasn't a roaring success.