England Wicketkeeper

[Tin basher]

So Geraint Jones has been sidelined for young Mr Read but it has hardly helped. We appear to have a shortage of top class keepers at the minute. Jones can bat a bit but only rarely contributes a meaningful score. (100 against Bangladesh doesn't count) His work behind the sticks is adequate without being top quality. Read is a better glove man but he lacks ability with the bat. The convicts have been lucky with Gilchrist who has a Test avg near 50 and is a more than competent gloveman. We have had Alan Knott great keeper and scored useful runs, Bob Taylor fantastic keeper perhaps not so hot with the bat.
But who is the future behind the sticks for England?
Which keepers do you think should be in with a shout of getting the job?
Who is capable behind the sticks yet can make 40/50 runs when needed?

Debate/discuss

 

[stato]

.................

 

[Rectifier]

I'm not sure we should be looking at individual positions within the England squad but more the way in which the squad is selected. How can the captain be expected to work with a squad of players he had no input in the choice of, some of which only got there riding on an outdated reputation

 

[rugby then work]

There's not too much in the way of wicketkeepers with both talent and experience out there. England have tried Matt Prior (Sussex) a couple of times but never given him a run in the team, he's no worse than Read or Jones.

Alternatively maybe they should go with a young up and coming keeper and stick with him through thick and thin over the next couple of seasons.

Steven Davies (Worcester) could fill that role, only 20 years old and a raw talent he proved he can build a score when he made 192 in a 1st class game last year (remember it as it was against Gloucestershire).

 

[arsolamio]

My dad Kevin said that cricket and rugby are for fcukin Eenglish poofter boys and no one gets a good kickin like he would give em if it was a game for Jocks

My dad Bruce said they were games for gentlemen and that an ex Cpl Regiment could never understand the intracasies of either of these sports

Dad Kievin punched him in teh nose when he said that then went to teh Offie for some more diamond whites

Dad Bruce said he can't wait to get back to Wyton next week for a bit of peace and quiet

 

[rugby then work]

Your dad?? Bruce sounds like a decent bloke.

(More likely) Your dad Kevin is a tosser who needs to play front row so that he can get a real kickin.

Now go home and be a good boy.

 

[TrickyTree]

... Read is a better glove man but he lacks ability with the bat...

I ought to declare an interest here being a Patron Member of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club but, surely, you're having a laugh aren't you?

Chris Read is consistently a great performer for Nottinghamshire with the bat. Just in the last season I can recall watching him single-handedly almost pull Notts out of the clag against Durham (the top order failed miserably and Read hit 80-odd and almost won the game). The season before when Australia toured everyone said "Oh yes Chris Read, great wicket-keeper, can't bat." Yet in that season he finished top of the first-class averages in England for wicket-keeper batsmen. How good do you want him to be? And I have very little patience with the argument "Oh well, he can't do it for England". Well just take a look at what he did in the last two Tests against Pakistan and also in the game at the WACA just befor the third Test of this series and then tell me that Jones would have done any better. The trouble with Read and England is simply that a) Duncan Fletcher doesn't bloody like him and b) because of that he never gets a decent run in the team.

Jones cannot bat as has been proved throughout 2006. He didn't even get runs for Kent this summer when dropped for Read. This added to the fact that for two seasons now we've all seen that he can't catch, either.

I think the trouble is for many years England had Alec Stewart who's greatness I always said would not be recognised fully until he wasn't there anymore, and also we've seen the likes of Gilchrist and even Adam Parore and that South African fella who's name escapes me now I'm on a roll and going off on one. But the trouble is that players like Stewart and Gilchrist come along every 20 years if you're lucky. What we need to do is forget about the extra runs and pick players who, though they might not score, might save runs through their superior skill in their chosen specialisations. For me that means Chris Read in for Geraint Jones (who should never play a Test again, Matt Prior ought to be Read's understudy) and Monty Panesar in for Ashley Giles (again, permanently).

...We appear to have a shortage of top class keepers at the minute...But who is the future behind the sticks for England?
Which keepers do you think should be in with a shout of getting the job?
Who is capable behind the sticks yet can make 40/50 runs when needed?

I also don't agree that we have a shortage of quality keepers. I'd argue that Chris Read is the best gloveman in England, if not the world, and there's also Jamie Foster at Essex and Matt Prior at Sussex. So my choice for keepers would be, in order,

1. Chris Read
2. Matt Prior
3. Geraint Jones (ha ha , yes, even he!) and
4. Jamie Foster

I thang yew, and goodnight DT_Xtremez_28: !

 

[Tin basher]

Alternatively maybe they should go with a young up and coming keeper and stick with him through thick and thin over the next couple of seasons. Steven Davies (Worcester) could fill that role, only 20 years old and a raw talent he proved he can build a score when he made 192 in a 1st class game last year.

Not familar with the exploits of young Davies but 192 from a keeper and a young one at that is whats required at test level. But how is he with the gloves on.

tricky tree - Good points raised and a stern defence of Chris Read congrats but is he the way ahead for the test team. Whoever gets the job full time has a difficult task to perform.
1) Be a world class gloveman it is the England team for gawd's sake
2) Drop anchor and stay with the middle order collecting runs as and when
3) Be able to change mode from defensive stalwart holding up one end to attacking the opposition and protecting the tail.

A hard job indeed and I agree the value of Alec Stewart is only realised now he has gone. Gilchrist is a once every 20 year event and maybe it's not our turn to have a decent keeper yet. The convicts went years after Rod Marsh finding someone to fill his boots ditto England from Alan Knott to Alec Stewart

 

[Tin basher]

A good chance that Nixon to be used for the 20/20 game HUM???

 

[TrickyTree]

...Gilchrist is a once every 20 year event and maybe it's not our turn to have a decent keeper yet. The convicts went years after Rod Marsh finding someone to fill his boots ditto England from Alan Knott to Alec Stewart

Ummm....not sure about that. I always thought Ian Healy (Adam Gilchrist's predecessor) was pretty special. Also between Alan Knott and Alec Stewart you shouldn't forget that we also had Jack Russell (who, interestingly enough, before he was passed over for Stewart actually had a higher Test batting average than his rival) and before him Bob Taylor.

 

[Tin basher]

Ummm....not sure about that. I always thought Ian Healy (Adam Gilchrist's predecessor) was pretty special. Also between Alan Knott and Alec Stewart you shouldn't forget that we also had Jack Russell (who, interestingly enough, before he was passed over for Stewart actually had a higher Test batting average than his rival) and before him Bob Taylor.

Surprised to find Jack Russell had a better average than Stewart the things you learn on the Goat!
However at the moment the depression is just to great it doesn't seem to matter who has the gloves on Jones, Read or Nixon the other 10 can't seem to get it together against he current crop of convicts. England losing is bad enough, and no nation has a right to win every game, but to keep losing to the bloody Aussie's URGH!!!!!. Is it time to burn some more stumps and create ashes 2 after this winters tour. Ah well we can always look forward to the one-dayers to lift the carpet of gloom can't we? There's always hope

 

[TrickyTree]

Things I find wrong with this tour......a poor schedule, wrong captain (I said for most of the summer that it ought to be Andrew Strauss), poor selection (didn't the 2005 Lions tour teach Duncan Fletcher anything)....the list goes on.

But we have to remember that this Australia team is pretty bloody special, to my mind more so than Clive Lloyd's West Indies. And it's not as if anybody else can live with them either - the Aussies are blowing everybody away and have done for years.

I can't get excited about a 20-over thrash, I enjoy these games immensely but they're just a bit of fun. However I think we'll get soundly thrashed in the ODI's and will struggle to make the Super 8 in the World Cup. But despite all we're actually not that bad a team (in terms of Test cricket - we are currently second in the LG ICC Test Championship) and I predict series victories over both the West Indies and India this summer (although in true Wellington style the India series will be "a close run thing").

 

[Tin basher]

But we have to remember that this Australia team is pretty bloody special, to my mind more so than Clive Lloyd's West Indies. But despite all we're actually not that bad a team (in terms of Test cricket - we are currently second in the LG ICC Test Championship)

I agree Clive Lloyds windies excellent team best in the world in their day but this current aussie team is the best I have seen ever in 40 odd years of strolling round this planet.

Off Topic Tricky tree - Old big head - Far and away the BEST manager England never had top bloke and thats from someone who follows Accy Stanley. Off Topic

 

[TrickyTree]

You know, for all I've advocated Chris Read, I've been very impressed with Paul Nixon.

Maybe the way ahead is Nixon as first-choice and Read as understudy, with a view to taking over eventually (Nixon's not getting any younger).

Shame he's a bloody Fox though ::

 

[Tin basher]

Maybe the way ahead is Nixon as first-choice and Read as understudy, with a view to taking over eventually (Nixon's not getting any younger).

Quite agree Nixon at 36 is hardly at an age to be starting a promising international career and Read could still be the way ahead. But if Mal Loye from the red rose county can make his debut at 34 then anything is possible with the current selectors. Us Lancashire types have been asking for some time for Loye to be given his chance. DT_Xtremez_28:

 

[TrickyTree]

Flippin' 'ell....after 89 days, 5 Test Matches, 1 Twenty20 game and 3 One-Day Internationals.....finally, England beat Australia DT_Xtremez_28:

Won by 92 runs! Bring on the Kiwis on Tuesday!

 

[Tin basher]

Flippin' 'ell....after 89 days, 5 Test Matches, 1 Twenty20 game and 3 One-Day Internationals.....finally, England beat Australia DT_Xtremez_28:

Won by 92 runs! Bring on the Kiwis on Tuesday!

Heard the last rites of the Aussie innings on the radio. Well done lads on beating the convicts at last. I agree bring on the Kiwis. Things are looking up what price a world cup semi final place now. DT_Xtremez_30: DT_Xtremez_30: Hee hee we won oneDT_Xtremez_28: DT_Xtremez_28:

 

[theladf]

At Last we beat the Aussies!!!!!DT_Xtremez_19: we did win one match while I was in Perth but that was only the Kiwis. I can hear the open topped bus revving up now, and Ravi Bopara MBEDT_Xtremez_31:

 

[Tin basher]

On the down side from the whooping and cheering Englands victory over them damn convicts. Ed joyce is Irish. England victory Hummmmm.

 

[theladf]

Indeed Joyce is Irish, Pietersen is South African, Geraint Jones was born in Papua New Guinea, Strauss etc etc, but we haven't got an Aussie in our side, but Australia have got an Englishman in theirs DT_Xtremez_31: