for courses.
That more resembled a donkey derby.
Vaughan is “confused” – no mention of a dot com – the coach seems to be blaming selection on him and apparently dropping a player who hasn’t contributed with either bat or ball made them unsettled. It’s almost as ridiculous as the crap that used to come from Fletcher after poor performances.
Darren Pattinson certainly was an odd pick and not the right one. That has nothing to do with his upbringing, as bad as Grimsby is at least he was born here, so many others that weren’t people have had less trouble handling , whether South African, Australian, West Indian etc. It’s a very soon to be thirty year old with just 12 first class games under his belt who has had just one Twenty20 game at Headingley being picked because it should swing there and he’s got a decent average in the few games he’s actually played.
Now I’m normally the most cynical of people but don’t think much of the cynical view that he was only picked to stop the Aussies, because even if they’re struggling to come up with players I couldn’t see him getting the nod.
All the talk that Tremlett will be a bit narked after being over looked but he wasn’t the answer, I don’t know if he is at this level at all never mind on a slow pitch that would just provide lollipop bounce for his short pitched balls.
Harmison well much talk that he should have played but much like Tremlett short pitchers wouldn’t work if he is picked he has to be told it’s only for one game, no guarantees, as central contracts are the worst thing for a player like him, it allows him to get in a comfort zone knowing he doesn’t really have to bother to get picked, so he lives off the odd decent performance here and there.
Swing, reverse swing and pace now who would that bring to mind? Oh yes someone called Jones, I think he would have bowled a few more than the three overs Vaughan saw fit to give Pattinson on the first day of the Boks first innings.
The effect of dropping Collingwood must have really hit home when they were 70 overs into the second new ball and only 10 overs to go to get the third and Vaughan thought to himself “Oh well might as well give Colly a go, can’t be any worse” only to realise he wasn’t about.
But all that had bugger all to do with the batters repeatedly giving their wickets away. They still have this international game arse about, playing test matches like they’re a limited overs game – slashing and swiping at every ball – and one dayers like test matches grafting at slow run rates. As soon as Pietersen hit the first ball for four, you knew this wasn’t going to last long and the more fours that came the quicker it was going to end.
I couldn’t bring myself to listen to the post match waffle but I expect there was much talk of “learning from this” and “taking the positives”. The amount of learning they must have done over the last few years you’d think they would know something about playing the game by now.
Positives – well if you don’t count Freddie not breaking down with an injury then there is only one Broad’s batting, he looks a class act with the bat, even classier than his dad, get his bowling on track and he will be a must pick, though his batting is probably making him that already.
One group I felt sorry for over the four days at Leeds was the local dog population. That high pitched girly screeching that came from the South Africans every time they got a wicket must have pierced a few canine eardrums, god it was like a crowd of 12 year olds at some crappy boyband show.