Originally Posted by
Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Oh, I know I'm being silly. I'm just yet again making the point that we no longer produce test top 3 batsmen. In fact, other than Root, our middle order is make up of all-rounders and WKs.
I don't follow the CCC but those that do on the Graun were talking about Sibley (???) before the Ireland test. Basically, we're sticking with Roy on the basis of 70 against the Micks, when Leach did even better and actually opened.
I have no idea if Sibley's good enough, and if he is, why he hasn't been given a chance. It's just we don't seem to have any red ball batting cabs on the rank. Everyone's a slogging all-rounder now. I know we can't really open with Leach. I was just trying to praise the fact that he ducked the bouncers and got in line behind the pitched up deliveries and played straight. When unsure, he played with soft hands as opposed to trying to knock the leather off the ball and nicking off.
Either we find a proper opener or we take our talented sloggers and force them to do two hours of nets a day without playing a single attacking shot.
Stokes showed the way. It was a more exaggerated version of that 202* KP got against Ind, where he slogged from 150 to 200 in about 25 balls.
Buttler and Roy have to learn that you have to earn the right to slog, as Stokes did, batting defensively until you've reached 50 unless we've already got a big platform. {Yeah right.}
Credit to Bairstow's 30 against the new ball which started the acceleration, but we are going to have to find some proper test batsmen.