Match thread -4th Test/Ashes;Aus-Eng.

[Rob]

Originally posted by bangla_amar
Thanks to some England batters for making it such an exciting match playing some utter ridiculous shot....Bell, pieterson, and jones, oh jones. I really started to dislike this guy, people get surprised when he catches something, once in a while plays good innings but I am pretty sure Reid being a far less competent batsman would have been more productive with his glove work. Isn't that the primary job of w/keeper? Jones completely fails in this department.

I too get frustrated with him. But he is in the side as a batsman/keeper. The England side is structured so the keeper bats at 7, and that keeper has got to make runs. Jones does that and has won us several test matches in the last year with his fantastic partnerships with Flintoff. You have to make good totals to win tests really.

And with the quality of Englands attack, they can afford a slightly less competent keeper because they keep creating chances.

As for the other options, Read doesn't have a good enough technique for a number 7, and Priors keeping is worse.

Jones is the best option. Anyone who heard Flintoffs praise of him in the presentation will know that the England team know something about GoJo we don't.

He didn't play a v.good shot in the run chase here, the pressure got to him like it did to the other England players. But his 85 in te 1st innings went a long way to enabling England to win the match.

Anyway, never mind Jones' catching - what about Pietersens? Rubbish!

Edited on, August 28, 2005, 6:43 PM GMT, by Rob.