CRICKET: Lutters Lines (July 30)
IT'S been a relatively quiet week in cricketing circles other than Murali achieving his 800 Test wickets (5 for an "ICC World XI" and 176 against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, although 112 against England), but I'm letting it go, as I was angry enough about it last week.
I shall leave it with a quote from a BBC forum on the matter – "he got 800 great run outs". End of.
The other big news was Pakistan, under new captain Salman Butt, beat Australia. Butt is a very talented player, arguably Pakistan's best, and the best player does not always make the best captain, but as Pakistan have tried almost everyone else in their squad as captain, I suppose they had no real choice.
What was the most impressive thing about their win at Headingly was the fact that they set up the win by bowling Australia out for just 88 on the first morning of the game.
Having been annihilated by the "Baggy Greens" in the winter on their tour Down Under and had various squad members banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board for under-performance, the current team have shown a huge amount of character to bounce back.
They have some hugely talented players in their squad too. My "one to watch" would be Mohammad Aamer, who at the tender age of 18 has already played 10 Test matches, 15 ODIs and 18 T20 games for his country, making his debut when he had not long turned 17.
He really is a talent, too, quick and aggressive – just what you want in an opening bowler. Assuming that his body holds up to the workload of bowling fast, he will be taking international wickets for quite some time, although he might struggle to match Murali's feat.
Would a 17 or 18 year old bowler be given a chance for England?
English cricket has always been a little reluctant to throw talented kids in at the deep end, something the likes of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Australia don't seem bothered by. Australia have been known to pick players who have yet to play a first class game – David Warner had at one point played more games for Australia than he had for his state (New South Wales).
In England, the selectors prefer players to get runs/overs under their belt on the county circuit before they are considered for the full England side. They are getting better, with Steven Finn having been selected for matches against Bangladesh at the age of 21, but then being sent off for a body strengthening programme, which is sensible, but you can't see Aamer being ordered to do the same thing.
At times, it can be worth just throwing players into pressurised situations and seeing if they sink or swim – you can learn a lot from doing so, but at the same time it can have a lasting effect on a player.
It's a difficult balance that any board of selectors has to consider, but it appears that Pakistan may have unearthed a gem with Aamer, as England have with Finn.
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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