SL tour of Australia, Jan 16 - Feb 5

[yuppie]

Ray Lindwell captained for one test. Shane Watson for one test....

Australia has not had a history of Fast bowler captains. Maybe its time? Certainly no batsman commands a guaranteed place in this team at present.

[Arthur Crabtree]

George Giffen, but he was an all rounder, which doesn't count. So as Yuppie says, a Test from Ray Lindwall.

I think the most from other countries (ignoring all rounders like Kapil Dev or Imran Khan) would be Courtney Walsh and Mad Bob. Wasim Akram, but he could bat a bit. Heath Streak for Zimbabwe. Waqar Younis. Not many.

[GarlicJam]

Akram was a bowler all up though. Batting was an extra.


It is a funny thing how traditionally they aren't picked as captains - not too many spin bowlers either, Shane Warne - where the first job as a captain is to decide the plan for getting 'this' batsman out. The first player a captain goes to to discuss this? The bloody bowler.

[yuppie]

I guess the problem in the modern game with fast bowlers is the injury problem. More likely to get hurt than the batters?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Good point.

But it's more than that, Bowlers just aren't perceived as captain material.

Perhaps it's because in the days for gentlemen and players, the bowlers were the working class professionals. The gentlemen were the aristocratic amateurs. In England for over a decade, all the batters went to private schools (apart from Ravi). Not so much the bowlers. Don't know if that is reflected around the world though.

[alfie]

I think with fast bowlers it is a lot to do with the injury risk...and perhaps also that they tend to arrive in the team fairly young , and their batting team mates from the same , as it were , "generation" are that little older and (theoretically) wiser ; so get groomed for the leadership roles... By the time the bowler is recognized as growing into wisdom he's also seen as close to retirement !
Think the Gentleman/Player aspect was a factor - certainly in England. But I don't really think it has been an issue in modern times. Botham was primarily a bowler - despite his batting heroics - when he got the job ; Willis probably was seen as the only player certain of his place at the time...

Australia had no problem with (spin) bowler Benaud as skipper - and he was excellent in the role. Likewise Illingworth for England.

The practical aspect - at any level , never mind Tests - is that a key bowler expends a heck of a lot of energy along with mental effort and concentration , just bowling during any given day ; and these days throws himself around in the outfield when he's not in action...whereas the batting skipper , who often tends to be a slip specialist , has a relatively peaceful opportunity to survey the whole picture and assess what is required. I've always felt that to be the main reason teams prefer to have a batsman in charge,

[yuppie]

A batsmans position in the team is certain before tests starts. Root will know he will be batting first drop or at 4. But bowling requires flexible thought to situations. Is there a risk a bowling captain might not be objective when making changes? Possibly over bowling themselves or even under bowling themselves.

I remember way back with Allan Border who was a handy spin bowler. There was a lot of thought at the time that he was to slow to bowl himself. Unless he was playing WI at the SCG. Similar thoughts were also raised about S Waugh though in fairness he had others around him who could carry that workload.

[GarlicJam]

Also bowlers (especially pace bowlers) invest so much, emotionally and physically, of themselves during the fielding innings. Does this cloud/effect judgement and decision making?


edit: sorry, just read that Alfie pretty much has already posted that...

[alfie]

Also bowlers (especially pace bowlers) invest so much, emotionally and physically, of themselves during the fielding innings. Does this cloud/effect judgement and decision making?


edit: sorry, just read that Alfie pretty much has already posted that...

Cool...I think you said it more succinctly , GJ.

I also like Yuppie's point that a bowler-captain often either under or over bowls himself - or perhaps more accurately is seen to do so.. Not that it matters when you win...but it can put a bit of extra pressure on when the team is battling. It is certainly harder to be completely objective when choosing to bowl yourself - or not - in a critical situation. Though I guess it often comes down to how confident you are feeling at the time so perhaps works out fairly well often as not ...as long as you have a realistic assessment of your own bowling skills

[mikesiva]

Sri Lanka's fast-bowling reserves on the Australia tour have been dealt another serious blow with Dushmantha Chameera being ruled out of the second Test due to an injury to his left ankle. Chameera, who suffered the injury during the first Test in Brisbane, will return home along with fast bowler Lahiru Kumara, who had recently been ruled out of the second Test and the South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury.

Sri Lanka's selectors have picked 22-year-old pace-bowler Chamika Karunaratne as Kumara's replacement. SLC, in a press release, said Karunaratne would join the team in due course.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... eplacement

[GarlicJam]

Due course?

The test starts in less than 3 days

[andy]

when does 2nd start? feels like ages between tests...

[Arthur Crabtree]

Tomorrow night, UK time.

[sussexpob]

Sri Lanka's fast-bowling reserves on the Australia tour have been dealt another serious blow with Dushmantha Chameera being ruled out of the second Test due to an injury to his left ankle. Chameera, who suffered the injury during the first Test in Brisbane, will return home along with fast bowler Lahiru Kumara, who had recently been ruled out of the second Test and the South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury.

Sri Lanka's selectors have picked 22-year-old pace-bowler Chamika Karunaratne as Kumara's replacement. SLC, in a press release, said Karunaratne would join the team in due course.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... eplacement

It hardly looks a blow. Chameera may have been a prospect they pinned a lot of hopes on a few years back, but hes been injured for the best part of 2/3 years, and now injured again. And judging on his performances save for his debut couple of tests, hes been terrible. He went for nearly 200 /1 in the NZ game, and hardly looked dangerous in the last test.

Sri Lanka really do have a terrible bowling line up....

[andy]

Kumara's the one they are missing the most