Cricket Thread: Bring on the Kiwis

Jun 6, 2010
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Watching today I'm worried about Lloyd Pope's progression, or lack of it.

This pitch is spinning. Swepson is going to be a real handful. But he's struggling to have an impact and his control has been poor.

He simply doesn't land enough of his stock balls in the right spot. A few good ones mixed in with full tosses, short balls, wide balls outside off stump and stuff down leg side.

Can't build pressure. The captain can't keep him on because runs just flow. And it doesn't appear as if his control is improving. He's still young (especially for a spinner) but the question is should he be playing Shield cricket now or should he be honing his craft at 2nd XI and club level? I've been a supporter and thought he'd improve with game time but it doesn't seem to be happening.

I remember watching Murali in the nets land ball after ball after ball within a handkerchief of a leaf that he'd put down. Pope would be missing a beach towel. I know Murali is almost world's best but there's a gulf between Pope's control and what it needs to be in order to be competitive at Shield level.

Pope was supposed to be the next big thing. This is purely a guess but I'd suggest the worst version of the game for any spinner wanting to play test cricket and be a red ball star is t20. His want to play in the big bash and play in short ball cricket is probably detrimental to his red ball cricket. It works in reverse, like an established spinner could go play t20 and come back to test and shield but someone developing, thats got to be a disaster on your mindset.

Suspending the shield season for the big bash is a huge mistake from Cricket Australia. We see most big bash teams filled with grade cricket sloggers who cant get a game in the shield and they use shield bowlers. I'd like to see them create super teams that play two or three day red ball matches and have the shield players that go back to grade cricket and those wanting to develop to test level an opportunity to play against top level competition. Cricket Australia can afford to pay these players the same dollars as the big bash too. It would just prove better for development that pajama cow corner slogging
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
Jun 15, 2005
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Carey out for 2, absolutely garbage ball, worse shot.

Head a little unlucky but he's always been poor against spin, and the pitch is turning
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
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Interesting, both those wickets should have been called a back foot no ball.
 
Watching today I'm worried about Lloyd Pope's progression, or lack of it.

This pitch is spinning. Swepson is going to be a real handful. But he's struggling to have an impact and his control has been poor.

He simply doesn't land enough of his stock balls in the right spot. A few good ones mixed in with full tosses, short balls, wide balls outside off stump and stuff down leg side.

Can't build pressure. The captain can't keep him on because runs just flow. And it doesn't appear as if his control is improving. He's still young (especially for a spinner) but the question is should he be playing Shield cricket now or should he be honing his craft at 2nd XI and club level? I've been a supporter and thought he'd improve with game time but it doesn't seem to be happening.

I remember watching Murali in the nets land ball after ball after ball within a handkerchief of a leaf that he'd put down. Pope would be missing a beach towel. I know Murali is almost world's best but there's a gulf between Pope's control and what it needs to be in order to be competitive at Shield level.
Pope sounds like every leg spinner in history not named Shane Warne.

Stuey McGill took 200 wickets and threw up a wide long hop outside off every over.
 

hey shorty

Cancelled
30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
Jun 15, 2005
69,233
60,483
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
AUFC, Everton, Sturt
Watching today I'm worried about Lloyd Pope's progression, or lack of it.

This pitch is spinning. Swepson is going to be a real handful. But he's struggling to have an impact and his control has been poor.

He simply doesn't land enough of his stock balls in the right spot. A few good ones mixed in with full tosses, short balls, wide balls outside off stump and stuff down leg side.

Can't build pressure. The captain can't keep him on because runs just flow. And it doesn't appear as if his control is improving. He's still young (especially for a spinner) but the question is should he be playing Shield cricket now or should he be honing his craft at 2nd XI and club level? I've been a supporter and thought he'd improve with game time but it doesn't seem to be happening.

I remember watching Murali in the nets land ball after ball after ball within a handkerchief of a leaf that he'd put down. Pope would be missing a beach towel. I know Murali is almost world's best but there's a gulf between Pope's control and what it needs to be in order to be competitive at Shield level.
He bowled well yesterday and does have some good spells, consistency is a huge issue.

But he's only 21 so there's time.
 
May 24, 2006
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Pope sounds like every leg spinner in history not named Shane Warne.

Stuey McGill took 200 wickets and threw up a wide long hop outside off every over.
I'd say he's played more Shield games by 21 years of age than almost any spinner in Aus history

Which is why I asked whether he should be exposed at this level yet
 
May 24, 2006
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Interesting, both those wickets should have been called a back foot no ball.

20211124_185735.jpg
 

hey shorty

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30k Posts 10k Posts TheBrownDog
Jun 15, 2005
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I'd say he's played more Shield games by 21 years of age than almost any spinner in Aus history

Which is why I asked whether he should be exposed at this level yet
It tough because he's got a decent enough grade record, but grade cricket isn't what it used to be.
 
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