How Good Is Timothy Bresnan?

[D/L]

He is the most expensive death bowler.,.

And yet he keeps getting picked. Perhaps the selectors take into account what they see on the field and not simply what they read in a spreadsheet, or something.

[meninblue]

It was a tactical mistake to have Bresnan at boundary ropes when his fielding is in such awful form. Also, Broad should have noticed by now that short (60 m ?) mid wicket boundary is being targeted by all the batters for a six, so he should be having best fielders on the leg side.However, I am wondering where the bad fielders should be hidden while fielding.Is it actually possible for a captain to find such a position where the ball won't go for a catch or won't get a chance of run out.

[Gingerfinch]

It was a tactical mistake to have Bresnan at boundary ropes when his fielding is in such awful form. Also, Broad should have noticed by now that short (60 m ?) mid wicket boundary is being targeted by all the batters for a six, so he should be having best fielders on the leg side.However, I am wondering where the bad fielders should be hidden while fielding.Is it actually possible for a captain to find such a position where the ball won't go for a catch or won't get a chance of run out.

I would say long leg/third man in tests when the batsmen aren't looking to run two's when there is only a one, but when they are , ie, in limited overs cricket, maybe the slips, or mid wicket/covers. Difficult.

[Arthur Crabtree]

When his arm was strong, he was an asset in the deep. Better in the ring now? Definitely slip if we have one, but I remember him dropping one when put there. Also, Tredwell isn't very mobile and he is an ok slip.

[meninblue]

It was a tactical mistake to have Bresnan at boundary ropes when his fielding is in such awful form. Also, Broad should have noticed by now that short (60 m ?) mid wicket boundary is being targeted by all the batters for a six, so he should be having best fielders on the leg side.However, I am wondering where the bad fielders should be hidden while fielding.Is it actually possible for a captain to find such a position where the ball won't go for a catch or won't get a chance of run out.

I would say long leg/third man in tests when the batsmen aren't looking to run two's when there is only a one, but when they are , ie, in limited overs cricket, maybe the slips, or mid wicket/covers. Difficult.

Exactly, very difficult to hide players as per my experience of observing the Indian team which had so many slow and bad fielders in previous century.Still Broad will have to find a place to hide his teams bad fielders. Yes third man fielding position came to my mind when i posted the question as least number of catches go there as well as least number of run outs are effected from that position.

[D/L]

When his arm was strong, he was an asset in the deep. Better in the ring now? Definitely slip if we have one, but I remember him dropping one when put there. Also, Tredwell isn't very mobile and he is an ok slip.

He still is and there was little wrong with Bresnan's arm yesterday when Buttler fluffed the excellent run out opportunity that Bresnan's powerful, accurate throw provided.

The same arm also completed an excellent piece of fielding on the boundary rope that saved two runs.

Of course, some will point to dropped catches as evidence of a deterioration in ability, even when catches were being dropped all over the place, particularly when they seem to have an issue with a player. Similarly, they will make excuses for their heroes when they fall short of expectations. We saw this very often during the various Pietersen sagas.

[meninblue]

When his arm was strong, he was an asset in the deep. Better in the ring now? Definitely slip if we have one, but I remember him dropping one when put there. Also, Tredwell isn't very mobile and he is an ok slip.

Yes, prior to injury he never dropped catches so frequently.He was definitely a fielder who fielded okay.It is in these last few months that he is becoming a severe liability on the field. Jade dropped one catch yesterday and Tredwell dropped one against West Indies ? but i don't think they are not as frequently bad as Bresnan.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I think he didn't start so well, then made himself useful in the field, about the time of their T20WC win. It was quite impressive the improvement he made.

[meninblue]

England's Fielding and Catching Should Not Be Forgotten Because of Alex Hales
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2008275-englands-fielding-and-catching-should-not-be-forgotten-because-of-alex-hales

What followed was a dreadful display, as a total of four catches were dropped and a number of other fielding errors occurred in the subsequent overs.Tim Bresnan was one guilty party, as he dropped a catch each off the bowling of Dernbach and captain Stuart Broad.

Jayawardene was let off twice, once by Bresnan and also in the fifth over by Dernbach from the Yorkshireman’s bowling, as the players seemed to struggle with the wet ball.

As a finale to such a shambolic display in the field, Ravi Bopara then shelled a chance in the final over off the bowling of Bresnan, who holds a rare distinction of being involved in some way in four dropped catches.

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Now i see that Bresnan dropped two catches in spite of one as i initially mentioned.That makes at least 4 dropped catches in 2014 and one missed run out chance.As mentioned by the author of the article, Alex Hales innings has probably covered up all the dropped catches..

[D/L]

When his arm was strong, he was an asset in the deep. Better in the ring now? Definitely slip if we have one, but I remember him dropping one when put there. Also, Tredwell isn't very mobile and he is an ok slip.

Yes, prior to injury he never dropped catches so frequently.He was definitely a fielder who fielded okay.It is in these last few months that he is becoming a severe liability on the field. Jade dropped one catch yesterday and Tredwell dropped one against West Indies ? but i don't think they are not as frequently bad as Bresnan.

A severe liability in the field would be someone like Panesar. Off the field it would be someone like Pietersen. It is risible, if predictable, from certain quarters, to put Bresnan in the same category and the selectors clearly don't.

The double negative, "but i don't think they are not as frequently bad as Bresnan" was quite amusing too.

[backfootpunch]

England's Fielding and Catching Should Not Be Forgotten Because of Alex Hales
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2008275-englands-fielding-and-catching-should-not-be-forgotten-because-of-alex-hales

What followed was a dreadful display, as a total of four catches were dropped and a number of other fielding errors occurred in the subsequent overs.Tim Bresnan was one guilty party, as he dropped a catch each off the bowling of Dernbach and captain Stuart Broad.

Jayawardene was let off twice, once by Bresnan and also in the fifth over by Dernbach from the Yorkshireman’s bowling, as the players seemed to struggle with the wet ball.

As a finale to such a shambolic display in the field, Ravi Bopara then shelled a chance in the final over off the bowling of Bresnan, who holds a rare distinction of being involved in some way in four dropped catches.

===================================================================================
Now i see that Bresnan dropped two catches in spite of one as i initially mentioned.That makes at least 4 dropped catches in 2014 and one missed run out chance.As mentioned by the author of the article, Alex Hales innings has probably covered up all the dropped catches..

i doubt it has to be honest, the england camp will surely have not forgotten and neither will anybody who watched the game live because that first innings was embarrassing

in fact on sky sports news i just saw england doing a specific boundary catching session

[meninblue]

England's Fielding and Catching Should Not Be Forgotten Because of Alex Hales
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2008275-englands-fielding-and-catching-should-not-be-forgotten-because-of-alex-hales

What followed was a dreadful display, as a total of four catches were dropped and a number of other fielding errors occurred in the subsequent overs.Tim Bresnan was one guilty party, as he dropped a catch each off the bowling of Dernbach and captain Stuart Broad.

Jayawardene was let off twice, once by Bresnan and also in the fifth over by Dernbach from the Yorkshireman’s bowling, as the players seemed to struggle with the wet ball.

As a finale to such a shambolic display in the field, Ravi Bopara then shelled a chance in the final over off the bowling of Bresnan, who holds a rare distinction of being involved in some way in four dropped catches.

===================================================================================
Now i see that Bresnan dropped two catches in spite of one as i initially mentioned.That makes at least 4 dropped catches in 2014 and one missed run out chance.As mentioned by the author of the article, Alex Hales innings has probably covered up all the dropped catches..

i doubt it has to be honest, the england camp will surely have not forgotten and neither will anybody who watched the game live because that first innings was embarrassing

in fact on sky sports news i just saw england doing a specific boundary catching session

I guess the fielding drills happen usually . The problem for Bresnan is that he is unable to take catches and effect run outs where it actually matters. In nets he maybe doing better as there is lack of pressure. Maybe he is unable to cope with the pressure on field or it's just not pressure but his agility,hand eye co-ordination or basic fielding skills are gone bad. The reason could be any but he has to sort it out soon. Otherwise as seen in recent years, batters also target bad fielders to score more runs. For example, I remember batsmen doing that by hitting the ball where Zaheer was fielding and used to take a extra run. Munaf and Ishant were other bad fielders who were targeted by batters .But they certainly did not drop as many catches as Bresnan has recently.So Bresnans problem is two fold as batsmen will try to exploit the weakness in his fielding by taking extra run as well as trying to risk hitting ball over boundary where he is fielding as the chances of them getting caught is less.They are being successful in doing that against him in recent times and it will not be a surprise to me if more batters try same tactics.Like batsmen analyze weakness in bowlers, they are more aware than us watching fans as to who is dropping more catches and is weakest fielder in opposition team.We saw it happen to Monty and now it's happening with Bresnan.It won't change overnight but with the help of fielding coach and more fielding drills specifically designed for his weakness in fielding, in couple of months we may see him field like he did before.

[ntini77]

I'd play Woakes and Parry in place of Bresnan and Tredwell today. Neither win games for England in this format.

[D/L]

I guess the fielding drills happen usually . The problem for Bresnan is that he is unable to take catches and effect run outs where it actually matters. In nets he maybe doing better as there is lack of pressure. Maybe he is unable to cope with the pressure on field or it's just not pressure but his agility,hand eye co-ordination or basic fielding skills are gone bad. The reason could be any but he has to sort it out soon. Otherwise as seen in recent years, batters also target bad fielders to score more runs. For example, I remember batsmen doing that by hitting the ball where Zaheer was fielding and used to take a extra run. Munaf and Ishant were other bad fielders who were targeted by batters .But they certainly did not drop as many catches as Bresnan has recently.So Bresnans problem is two fold as batsmen will try to exploit the weakness in his fielding by taking extra run as well as trying to risk hitting ball over boundary where he is fielding as the chances of them getting caught is less.They are being successful in doing that against him in recent times and it will not be a surprise to me if more batters try same tactics.Like batsmen analyze weakness in bowlers, they are more aware than us watching fans as to who is dropping more catches and is weakest fielder in opposition team.We saw it happen to Monty and now it's happening with Bresnan.It won't change overnight but with the help of fielding coach and more fielding drills specifically designed for his weakness in fielding, in couple of months we may see him field like he did before.

That is almost as ridiculous as your claim that batsmen will not do their best if they don't like their captain (see the Pietersen thread).

In the match against Sri Lanka, of course, we saw Bresnan effect an excellent stop in the deep and a powerful, accurate throw that would have resulted in a run out had Buttler not fluffed his lines. That example alone gives the lie to the utter tripe spouted above about Bresnan's fielding.

[D/L]

I'd play Woakes and Parry in place of Bresnan and Tredwell today. Neither win games for England in this format.

Between two fairly evenly matched teams, it is mostly good fortune that wins games in this format.