brandon
Striker
I've stayed away from this thread largely, but seeing how his Test Match is over batting wise and it seems for all the world like he won't play the next Test, I'll throw my thoughts into the ring.
We have a real problem finding an opener to compliment Cook - who it must be said deserves a lot of credit for continuing to churn out the runs regardless of who his partner is.
Jennings seems likely to join a long list of players who have tried and failed to make the opening slot his, he follows a common trend too of having scored a century and started very well, but then lost form and become under considerable pressure to keep his place.
Just how many failures does it take is the question? Four it would appear with regards this Series, although you could argue 5 since his debut ton.
Now I'm not suggesting he should keep his place and truth be told, the way he's been treated in the media and to some degree on this thread - he's better of back at Durham. I'd have no complaints seeing him back, but I find it very sad that many folk on here are calling him worse than shite despite probably never having seen him in the flesh.
Now you don't score 1,600 Championship runs in a season and then a hundred in a Test match if you're shite. Some of the performances he put in last season were absolute class. Technique, temperament and strokeplay of the finest quality seen at Durham since Di Venuto left.
He clearly needs to get some form back and maybe the best thing for him is to come back and play some county cricket to do that.
I'd still take him to Australia, even if he doesn't get another run all season - even if only as a backup opener, because he's a very clever and strong bloke. He will definitely have become a better man for having had this chance and I've no doubt that if he gets another go, he'll do his very best to make sure he keeps the job for longer than 6 Tests.
The bigger issue for England however in my view is who comes in next, because two Tests (or is it three?) against the West Indies is hardly going to prove if the next opener has what it takes to tackle the Aussies in the winter.
We're in this rut of giving a player a series before dropping them. I feel the way to go is to pick someone and say to them, regardless of form, we ARE sticking with you for a full year. Summer and Winter. We will coach and nurture you and work with you to make you the best you can be. If after a year it doesn't work, then move onto the next one. Because sooner or later, we'll need to find two openers, not just one.
That's my issue to with the other issues for selection. 3 and 5. Westley I believe has the temperament, technique and graft to be a useful Test number 3. Malan however should never have been picked in the first place and I can see him scoring easy runs against the WIndies and subsequently booking his plane ticket to Oz.
We have a real problem finding an opener to compliment Cook - who it must be said deserves a lot of credit for continuing to churn out the runs regardless of who his partner is.
Jennings seems likely to join a long list of players who have tried and failed to make the opening slot his, he follows a common trend too of having scored a century and started very well, but then lost form and become under considerable pressure to keep his place.
Just how many failures does it take is the question? Four it would appear with regards this Series, although you could argue 5 since his debut ton.
Now I'm not suggesting he should keep his place and truth be told, the way he's been treated in the media and to some degree on this thread - he's better of back at Durham. I'd have no complaints seeing him back, but I find it very sad that many folk on here are calling him worse than shite despite probably never having seen him in the flesh.
Now you don't score 1,600 Championship runs in a season and then a hundred in a Test match if you're shite. Some of the performances he put in last season were absolute class. Technique, temperament and strokeplay of the finest quality seen at Durham since Di Venuto left.
He clearly needs to get some form back and maybe the best thing for him is to come back and play some county cricket to do that.
I'd still take him to Australia, even if he doesn't get another run all season - even if only as a backup opener, because he's a very clever and strong bloke. He will definitely have become a better man for having had this chance and I've no doubt that if he gets another go, he'll do his very best to make sure he keeps the job for longer than 6 Tests.
The bigger issue for England however in my view is who comes in next, because two Tests (or is it three?) against the West Indies is hardly going to prove if the next opener has what it takes to tackle the Aussies in the winter.
We're in this rut of giving a player a series before dropping them. I feel the way to go is to pick someone and say to them, regardless of form, we ARE sticking with you for a full year. Summer and Winter. We will coach and nurture you and work with you to make you the best you can be. If after a year it doesn't work, then move onto the next one. Because sooner or later, we'll need to find two openers, not just one.
That's my issue to with the other issues for selection. 3 and 5. Westley I believe has the temperament, technique and graft to be a useful Test number 3. Malan however should never have been picked in the first place and I can see him scoring easy runs against the WIndies and subsequently booking his plane ticket to Oz.
