First Test: West Indies v England, Antigua, April 13-17.

[Aidan11]

Only 50 tests for Trotty?

Seems like it should be more.

[Aidan11]

Is Anderson getting his excuses in early?

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies ... 60469.html

[Arthur Crabtree]

If you can't bowl without resorting to unacceptable behaviour than that's your fault. Wasn't the difference between India and the WC that one was in England anyway? I know he's not asking for sympathy here, though that is just as well.

[Arthur Crabtree]

If you ignore the Victorian era bowlers as incomparable to the rest (though Dale Steyn's strike rate is the same as Sid Barnes') the SR suggest that only Truemen has been an ATG strike bowler from England (I've taken that limit as being below 50). Anderson is certainly comparable to anyone else from this country though (but yet again, the same as Broad).

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=bowling

I reduced the limit from 100 wickets to 70 wickets for home Tests (if I'd made it 50, Finn would have been the best post Victorian by a distance). I thought Anderson would have been top of this, but Fred Trueman and Bob Willis are a long way in front. Again, Broad and Anderson are very close.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=bowling

[Arthur Crabtree]

Just if anyone is interested, these are the SRs for all bowlers with 100 wickets.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=bowling

[Arthur Crabtree]

Gough has a better SR than McGrath, Lillee and Thomson!

[rich1uk]

If you can't bowl without resorting to unacceptable behaviour than that's your fault. Wasn't the difference between India and the WC that one was in England anyway? I know he's not asking for sympathy here, though that is just as well.

I know you aint a fan of sledging AC and I am not condoning anyone crossing the line but some players just get fired up differently when they are playing and they need that emotion to perform at their best

look at a guy like McEnroe , I doubt he would have been as successful if it wasn't for his blowouts and he kept all that energy and emotion bottled up

[alfie]

Although Broad (see link above) has exactly the same number of wickets in the last couple of years. Their records are about identical in every respect, apart from Anderson playing longer.

I agree about the five bowlers.

What a surprise Actually , so do I ; now that Swann has gone from the attack it has become ever more necessary ...if we hope to keep Anderson and Broad on the field they cannot be forced into the role of stock bowlers as well as the cutting edge , as they have been a bit too often in the past . At some point , a new pace bowler will establish himself with a bit of consistency (hopefully very soon !) ...but until then England are likely to remain reliant on one or both of them for the key wickets.
I will be interested to see Wood in action - if he gets a game ...and if I can manipulate my sleep patterns to see some of it !
West Indies Tests are a nightmare in this time zone...

[Arthur Crabtree]

It's a weakness in his game if it matters that much. He did well last summer after TB, and the press were saying he had cut out the verbals. I doubt cursing the batter made any difference at all. Does anyone really think the difference between last summer in England on deliberately prepared green wickets, and an away ODI series in Australia was the sledging?

[rich1uk]

It's a weakness in his game if it matters that much. He did well last summer after TB, and the press were saying he had cut out the verbals. I doubt cursing the batter made any difference at all. Does anyone really think the difference between last summer in England on deliberately prepared green wickets, and an away ODI series in Australia was the sledging?

its not a weakness actually the opposite, its part of what makes him the player he is, everyone has different personalities , react differently to being in a match situation and blow off steam differently

if you try to change players from their natural behaviour that would weaken them as cricketers

[Arthur Crabtree]

Though if he didn't stop taking wickets after TB, how much does it matter? If it's not shameful, why does he cover his mouth? You're actually not allowed to abuse the batter (we're not talking banter here). Saying he's a better player is like saying a defender in football is more effective when he goes through the back of the attacker. Playing sport is fundamentally about modifying people from their natural behaviour, as is all life. We learn to be disciplined, and to care about others.

[rich1uk]

playing sport is about winning

and I repeat as long as he is not crossing any lines then I don't see what the problem is

I find this argument a bit strange AC , on one hand you have been very critical of the ECB for its attitude towards individuals and turning players into PR clones who don't think for themselves rather than embracing and managing natural differences between people but here want them to do exactly that because you don't like sledging

I don't want to see players turned into automatons and not play with passion , if sometimes that passion spills out so be it

[Arthur Crabtree]

I want people to play with passion. The best cricket I've seen was 2005 when the England bowlers didn't say much (though I'd rather they hadn't thrown the ball at the batters). The players talk about 'the line' but it means nothing if they are deciding where it is. For me, the behaviour of people like Johnson and Anderson is a huge turn off. And it's different from how players are in interviews, where their corporate blandishments are just a way of saying they don't want to communicate with the public, or possibly that they can't think for themselves. For me, abusive sledging is just playing at being aggressive. Many scary bowlers don't say a word.

[alfie]

On reading that article , it strikes me as Jimmy rather thinking out loud... clearly the Jadeja business did affect him ; and he has been forced perhaps to re-evaluate exactly where that famous line everyone is urged not to cross actually lies...

It has always seemed to me that Anderson's aggression is somewhat manufactured - as a device to spur him into a more effective performance...and it seems he at least believes it is necessary. (Certainly in interviews , and any off field viewing , he comes across as a fairly mild mannered fellow) . I am not sure he really does need it : as a bowler who relies mainly on skill rather than brute force you'd think he could manage quite well by remaining calm and determined ; but everyone has his own idiosyncratic ways , and what worked for Statham , for example , doesn't work for everyone. Even so : Jimmy seemed to harness his "angry" feelings pretty well in the latter part of the India series , without stepping out of line ; so I'd like to think he will be able to do so again.
Did he really feel inhibited during the WC ? Perhaps he did : when things are not going your way you can easily start to doubt everything you are doing ; and if you are somewhat conflicted already about how you ought to behave it is not hard to imagine that any change just might be having an effect on you... Since that whole campaign is now gone I think he'd do well to forget it and start fresh tomorrow. Perhaps watch a video of the last three India Tests to get him in the right mood ?

In any case I wish him well for his hundredth Test , and hope he can pass Sir Ian in some style.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I find this argument a bit strange AC , on one hand you have been very critical of the ECB for its attitude towards individuals and turning players into PR clones who don't think for themselves rather than embracing and managing natural differences between people but here want them to do exactly that because you don't like sledging.

Sledging and PR speak are both examples of players conforming. They are the same. I don't see a contradiction.