Koushik as an Opener?

say · #1 August 13, 2003, 12:15 AM

These days what makes a good opener in the one-dayers? Courage and Aggression.

Koushik has both of these two qualities. If he gets a fifty or seventy we are looking at a score of 250-270. Very defendable totals or good starts for a long chase. As we need a win very badly - I wouldn't be surprised if Dav employs this strategy.

NZ has tried this with Vettory and failed.

India has tried Sehwag and connected.

I say to win a match we need to try out various things. At this stage of our history we can't / shouldn't think defensively. We shouldn't think about getting respectable scores - we should rather think about how to win - immediately.

Having a decent showing against Aus is fine, but if we don't get a win soon - the cricket world is not going to see us very kindly for too long.

Again, people suggesting that the openers should play 15 overs and get 100 on the board - think how easy it would be if we get a 40 / 50 or 70 from a pinch hitter.

Koushik has the aggression and courage. And physical ability to hit the ball out of the park. If needed train him as a pinch hitter. I bet if he is given the opener role in next five one-dayers he will connect in at least one of them. And will get us our first win in four years. That will erase four other losses and our four years of agony.

Go Koushik - Go all the way.

blink · #2 August 13, 2003, 01:25 AM

Aggression and courage does not make a good opener, and even if you think it does, i don't know why you would think koushik has courage because every time i've seen him face pace he has backed away to leg.

Ask yourself seriously, how good a batsmen is koushik? If you don't know have a look at his record.

Pinch hitters are a total waste of time unless you are batting second chasing 350 and you are Aus, SA, India, or someone like that. 99% of the time a pinch hitter will score less than 10. Every once in awhile they will come off. Asking koushik to knock up a mere 50 or 70 off say 30-50 balls as an opener once in his career is absurb.

If you want credible scores, opening with koushik is not the way to go about it. In ODI the perfect opener is the one who can find the blend between attack and defence. He has to be a batsmen with a technique in the first place but secondly needs to be able to score at about 4 an over without taking many risks.

I say pick Hannan and Golla. Ask them to be positive, but not aggressive, and tell them to rotate the strike more often. If they are too slow, Ash or Bidyut could come in.

And anyone who starts talking about scoring 250-270 and winning games simply by promoting koushik has lost it. we need firstly to be consistent and competitive.

say · #3 August 13, 2003, 09:45 AM

points well made...

I feel the concept of 'Opener' that you described is true in the classical sense.

but not in a dire situation..

the point is that 60/1 is a lot better score than that of a 60/5 ( that we usually see)

If we are sending Koushik at number 8 or 9 to bat (with 75 -125 runs on the board) the game is over by that time. There is no room left even to 'try' for a win. So if we are thinking about a 'WIN' seriously - we should think what can make a difference - 'NOW'.

My guess is Dav, who invented/perfected this hitting-opener concept, will try it again. He knows that a win will keep us afloat. And we need a 'WIN' so badly.

[Edited on 13-8-2003 by say]

Ehsan · #4 August 13, 2003, 01:18 PM

Good point. Masri is good in bowling but batting is not his cup of tea. Can we really rely on him as an opener

I don't think so...

blink · #5 August 13, 2003, 04:45 PM

I understand the idea of trying for a good start with a pinch hitter and trying for a win but its success rate is pathetic. The likelihood of masri having success as a pinch hitter is extremely low. If you like the idea of pinch hitter, at least pick a specialist batsmen (but we've seen what happened to Rokon).

Shubho · #6 August 13, 2003, 05:27 PM

...but introducing Kowshik as an opener is the most ridiculous idea ever fielded. The guy has no technique! He jumps fifty feet into the air to tackle a short delivery, swings and misses a whole lot, throws his bat at anything that moves (be it man, bat, ball or a stick insect), and probably even closes his eyes when he's batting. So he got lucky a couple of times, and scored some runs...big whoop. Let's not destroy his confidence by making him the easy wicket for other teams' pace attacks.

Although I desperately want to see BD's average run rate to accelerate, having a pinch-hitter anywhere in the top or middle order is a hair-brained idea.

bhobishshot · #7 August 13, 2003, 05:41 PM

What the heck, send all the bowlers first. What have we got to loose. Instead of having 3/0, 3/10, 3/20, or 3/30. We have that kind of score anyway. Start at the bottom. Our openning sucks, no matter who goes first.

1.Masri
2. Bishya/Monju
3. Whoever
...

reinausagi · #8 August 14, 2003, 12:28 AM

"Courage and agression" is something our top order have too much of. add to the mix "recklessness" and pretty much describes everyone in the top order with the exception of Javed Omar. Mushrafee is a typical slogger with limited batting skills a la Murali. Ther only reason to change his batting order would be to bring him in as a nightwatchman during tests. Other than that, he batting in exactly the position he should be. If the rest of the batsmen could set him up for success by scoring a defendable total in the first inning of a ODI, Mushrafee could come in handy a nd slog 15 in an over before his luck runs out. No, his value to the team, is as bowler almost exclusively.