Tuesday 30 December 2008

Everyone wants to be the spinner

Fresh from Monty being seriously shown up by Swann / Swanny / The Swannster / Swannarooney / Swanndabidozie in India, the Windies squad is announced with yet another sure fire mega hit for the future in the form of Adil Rashid. All I can see in this selection by the old farts in the ICC is just a nod to other vaguely respected old farts elsewhere that, yes, yes, they do still expect big things from the lad, despite him moving on very very little over the summer just gone. When was the last time 3 spinners were in a single squad that was meant to be taken seriously? What a waste of time. Presuming that only 1 spinner will actually play, 1 will carry drinks and one will not even be told in person that he's not getting on the plane in the first place, why bother? Elsewhere in the squad assuming we're also playing 3 dedicated pace men, there's 1 spare wicky, a spare bowler and a spare batsman (please let it be Bell...) but 2 spare spinners is apparently the order of the day?

If there's no room for Vaughan, why get Rashid's hopes up? Pointless.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rashid's inclusion is supposedly more for his batting, but having an extra spinner in the side may be more a way of encouraging him/putting the shits up Monty, which is probably a good idea.

As for Swann, he needs another series before there's enough information available to judge his performance properly.

And Vaughan - well, he should be made to work for his selection, in the same way that Shah has been made to.

Spigot said...

Poor Monty may be scared, but it's not in his nature to be able to really do much about it. When he was at the other end to Swann who was varying his deliveries with good success and Monty still just doing his a-bit-too-fast ball time after time. If Adil is coming, Monty is surely helpless.

As for Swann, they're not going to play two spinners in the Windies are they? If he plays somehow instead of Monty he'd quite likely just stay there as long he does at least as well as Monty was likely to. Hard to see outside of the subcontinent how a spinner is going to really be justified in replacing the incumbent, as is always seen in a daft flip flopping of wickies.

Damith S. said...

Seems an odd decision to have 3 spinners. Swann and Monty should be the first choices right now.

But like AP said maybe its to get MOnty off the comfy couch he is on right now.

Monty bowled well in the Ashes, Im sure he can bowl like that again, one day.

How long has Mushy been on the job now ?

Ps- Happy new year !!!

Som said...

Happy New year.
Blogrolling you. Do have a look at my baby at www.gonewiththewindies.blogspot.com and blogroll if you wish.

Anonymous said...

Spiggy - I'm feeling confused and a little dizzy. I think - for possibly the first time - I agree with every word you've typed.

I might have to go and lie down now.

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