Bopara replaces Trott for England

by robbo277 Sat 06 Aug 2011, 10:49 am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/14430325.stm

Ravi called up to the 13 man squad.

Jonathan Trott has failed to recover from his shoulder injury and has been replaced by Ravi Bopara for the third Test against India.

Trott injured himself diving in the field during the second Test victory at Trent Bridge that put England 2-0 up in the four-Test series.

Chris Tremlett missed that game through injury but is named in the squad.

Steven Finn completes the 13-man party for the game, which starts at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Bopara has averaged 37.65 in first-class cricket in 2011, scoring three centuries for Essex. This week he scored 19 and 25 playing against Sri Lanka A for the England Lions at Scarborough.

He last played a Test for England against Australia at Headingly in 2009.

A win for England will clinch the series and lift them to the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings.

Tim Bresnan replaced Tremlett at Trent Bridge and took five wickets in the second innings, having also scored 90 in England's crushing win.

National selector Geoff Miller said: "Ravi Bopara comes in for Jonathan Trott, who is continuing his rehabilitation from his shoulder injury.

"Chris Tremlett is recovering well from the back spasms that ruled him out of the second Test - and although we are expecting him to be fully fit ahead of Wednesday, we felt it was prudent to include an extra seam bowler at this stage.

"That means Steven Finn comes into the squad. We have seen some very pleasing performances during the first two npower Test matches.

"But there is still plenty more to do in this series, and the squad and management will be determined to carry the momentum from recent weeks through to the remaining two Tests and push for a comprehensive series victory."

England squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Jimmy Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett.

So Bopara in for the injured Trott. A bit of a reflection of 2009, when Bopara was the man who made way for Trott to come into the Ashes winning side, a position he hasn't yet relinquished. I think Bell is likely to play at 3 again with Ravi coming in down the order (either at 5 or 6), but Ravi has played tests at 3 before. Trott will almost definitely take back his place when he returns from injury, so the only question is will Bopara score enough runs to oust Morgan from a place in this line-up? Although I'm not a huge fan of Bopara, I hope he goes well in this series to prove that there is a bit of depth underneath our front-line batsman.

I would also say Finn's inclusion could be a sign that Tremlett will definitely miss the test, but their might be an element of kidology to that selection. The decision for the 3rd seamer spot will surely just come down to a straight shoot-out between Bresnan and Tremlett, with Bres obviously getting the nod if Tremlett is ruled out due to injury. Finn will only come in if Tremlett is ruled out and another seamer goes down injured.

by robbo277 Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:01 am

May also be worth noting:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/static/cricket/statistics/scorecards/2011/08/86616/html/scorecard.stm

Taylor made 76 and 98 in the recent Lions game, whereas Bopara only managed 19 and 25.

by Gregers Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:08 am

Total rubbish from the selector. If bopara plays then we're effectively playing 10 against 11.

Bopara over both Taylor and Hildreth is stupidity, what has Bopara done to deserve yet ANOTHER chance?

by msp83 Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:19 am

An average county season, a poor match against Lanka 2nd side. But Ravi Bopara makes the cut over the much talked about James Taylor.
May be they are looking at Bopara's seam ups, Trott did bowl a couple overs every now and then.

by **Ozzy3213** Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:25 am

Poor decision in my opinion. Bopara has been tried before and found wanting.

Taylor has been in good form and did well against Sri Lanka A. Taylor should have got the nod, with Bell batting at 3 and Taylor coming in at 5. This would be progressive thinking from the selectors, but once again they have been very short sighted in their decision making process.

by Guest Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:25 am

Shocking decision. Massively disappointed!

by jimbohammers Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:28 am

This is a joke!

by msp83 Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:42 am

So will Bell bat at 3? Think England wold be beter served that way, Bell is more comfortable batting down the order, but Bopara at 3 may not help them much, particularly as Zaheer Khan should be back to lead the Indian attack.

by ShankyCricket Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:45 am

An absolutely TERRIBLE decision.

by GSC Sat 06 Aug 2011, 11:52 am

Bell to 3, Mogs to 5 and Bopara at 6 then. Still not convinced

by LivinginItaly Sat 06 Aug 2011, 12:10 pm

Maybe the decision of bopara over Taylor or hildreth has been influenced by it being very much a one off appearance, with Trott expected to be back for the 4th match. The selectors may think that a one-off test is not the best way to introduce a new player as a poor performance could then mentally set back their progress without them having the opportunity to rectify it in the next match.

Having said that I still think it is a bad decision as I don't see what the selectors see in Bopara - surely he hasn't been picked for his bowling???

by Stellar Key Sat 06 Aug 2011, 12:13 pm

It makes more sense than throwing in virgin Taylor to face the current worlds no #1.

This selection shows the lack of cover we have in the batting and might explain why our out of form batters do not feel much pressure from any test wannabees to take their place.

We're going to miss Trottie, he's one of the stable guys compared to a few of the guys and the line up is weaker without him.

Good thing all the bowlers are currently so hot with the bat. Very Happy

by Liam_Main Sat 06 Aug 2011, 12:58 pm

Total rubbish from the selectors Boparas had his chance and failed time to give someone else a go. Taylor should of been in the squad ahead of him.

by Smile Sat 06 Aug 2011, 2:32 pm

Bopara is in thanks to his part time bowling. I do not agree with the selectors but they are consistent if nothing else.

by Day V Lately Sat 06 Aug 2011, 4:36 pm

Would of thought this would be an ideal opportunity to get a look at Taylor, much easier coming into a winning side. This decision was all too predicatble though.

by B91212 Sun 07 Aug 2011, 5:49 am

Smile wrote:Bopara is in thanks to his part time bowling. I do not agree with the selectors but they are consistent if nothing else.

Agree that is the reason. Although I'm not sure I agree with the selection but look what happened to India in the first test when they lost Khan and struggled. If England are going to continue with the 6 batsman 4 bowlers policy then at least one of the batsmen has to be able to throw down 5 or 6 overs semi-meaningful overs a day and more occasionally. KP's bowling is pretty ineffective (like Reina's for India), even on turning pitches.

After saying all that Trott's bowling wouldn't worry even the worst walking wicket in village cricket......

by Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler Sun 07 Aug 2011, 7:26 am

Smile wrote:Bopara is in thanks to his part time bowling. I do not agree with the selectors but they are consistent if nothing else.

Its the only explanation.

Is he in the side though or the squad? Because surely they still have the option of playing Bresnan and Tremlett instead of Ravi and getting a proper fifth bowling option albeit with a weaker batting lineup.
The inclussion of Finn in the squad suggests that Tremlett is still a doubt too.

by Guest Sun 07 Aug 2011, 10:12 am

not suprised that he is back in the squad, but i would have thought that being 2-0 up in a 4 match sereis, would have been perfect time to play someone like taylor.....

by JDizzle Sun 07 Aug 2011, 11:34 am

The selectors have been doing a very good job recently with Test side e.g. Trott to come in for The Oval, Tremlett and Bresnan in the Ashes, but this time they've messed up. If you can't introduce Taylor into a winning side then when can you introduce him.

by Guest Sun 07 Aug 2011, 12:14 pm

JDizzle wrote:The selectors have been doing a very good job recently with Test side e.g. Trott to come in for The Oval, Tremlett and Bresnan in the Ashes, but this time they've messed up. If you can't introduce Taylor into a winning side then when can you introduce him.

totally agree

by Stellar Key Sun 07 Aug 2011, 12:31 pm

JDizzle wrote:The selectors have been doing a very good job recently with Test side e.g. Trott to come in for The Oval, Tremlett and Bresnan in the Ashes, but this time they've messed up. If you can't introduce Taylor into a winning side then when can you introduce him.

Not now when we are so close to becoming no 1 . For me these are 2 important test matches and no time for new boys.

I think they could take the little lad on tour as one of the extra batsmen.

by Guest Sun 07 Aug 2011, 12:41 pm

taylor should be in the side for the 3rd test, if ravi fails here, that shouldbe it for him in tests... and it pains me to say that being an essex fan

by Smile Sun 07 Aug 2011, 12:48 pm

Bopara will play. Six batsmen and four bowlers.

by Guest Sun 07 Aug 2011, 12:49 pm

yup, as always lol

by hodge Sun 07 Aug 2011, 6:08 pm

that is all....

by msp83 Sun 07 Aug 2011, 7:56 pm

Although I am not particularly impressed by Bopara's selection, think the England selectors do deserve some credit. They picked Tremlett for the winter trip to Australia, Gave Bresnan a nice easy introduction to test cricket which eventually proved to be a sound move. They stuck with Stuart Broad when the entire world was demanding his banishment. They made Alastair Cook the ODI captain, and England won an ODI series against Sri Lanka, and Cook showed a new side of his ODI game!!!!.
So who knows, it may be Bopara's turn to batter our boys all around the park this time around!!.

by hodge Sun 07 Aug 2011, 8:06 pm

hmmm what are the odds on a Bopara ton in test......

by dummy_half Mon 08 Aug 2011, 9:04 am

Remember Bopara scored plenty of runs against the West Indies, who had a moderate bowling attack for Test cricket, and now he's going to be facing an Indian side shorn of their best seam bowler and premier spinner, so he might be successful again. It was only against a top quality test attack that he struggled.

Not saying it's the right choice, but as a short term replacement I can understand going for somenone with experience rather than blooding a young player.

by **Fists of Fury** Mon 08 Aug 2011, 9:12 am

I just do not see Bopara as the answer long term, his technique has far too many failings against high quality bowlers.

If he makes runs in this Test it will just keep him in the frame as England's backup batsman for even longer, meaning that he will come in against the likes of South Africa when we need him and be found horribly wanting.

As a result of that, I would have gone with Taylor for this Test match, and give him some experience of cricket at the highest level whilst the pressure isn't quite so much.

by ShankyCricket Mon 08 Aug 2011, 9:13 am

dummy_half wrote:It was only against a top quality test attack that he struggled.

What makes you feel that an attack of Hilfenhaus,Siddle,Johnson and Hauritz is top class?
Ishant,PK,Sreesanth and Mishra is a far better attack.

by Smile Mon 08 Aug 2011, 9:30 am

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:
dummy_half wrote:It was only against a top quality test attack that he struggled.

What makes you feel that an attack of Hilfenhaus,Siddle,Johnson and Hauritz is top class?
Ishant,PK,Sreesanth and Mishra is a far better attack.

The former is the better bowling attack.

by ShankyCricket Mon 08 Aug 2011, 9:31 am

I dont think so tbh.

by Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler Mon 08 Aug 2011, 10:57 am

You have to remeber that Bopara is Gooch's adopted son. Hes invested years in talking him up, coaching him, and pushing him on the england side. Sooner or later he'll do something like scoring 3 centuries in a row just by chance.

by ShankyCricket Mon 08 Aug 2011, 11:05 am

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:You have to remeber that Bopara is Gooch's adopted son. Hes invested years in talking him up, coaching him, and pushing him on the england side. Sooner or later he'll do something like scoring 3 centuries in a row just by chance.

by jbeadlesbigrighthand Mon 08 Aug 2011, 11:20 am

Fists of Fury wrote:I just do not see Bopara as the answer long term, his technique has far too many failings against high quality bowlers.

If he makes runs in this Test it will just keep him in the frame as England's backup batsman for even longer, meaning that he will come in against the likes of South Africa when we need him and be found horribly wanting.

As a result of that, I would have gone with Taylor for this Test match, and give him some experience of cricket at the highest level whilst the pressure isn't quite so much.

Fists of Fury, can I ask what exactly you mean when you say Bopara's technique has too many failings? What do you think his technical deficiencies are? Most criticism I've seen of Bopara relates more to his temperament.

There seems to be a lot of people saying that Bopra has 'had his chance and failed' at Test level. He's only played in three series. His first series was an away series in Sri Lanka. He then had three games against the Windies, home and away, scoring three centuries. Finally, he played (badly) in a home Ashes series. Is that really enough to dismiss a player for? Look at Ian Bell's career. He starts off with great performances against Bangladesh and West Indies, before crumbling against the Aussies. Would England have been better off if he'd been immediately discarded?

It also makes me laugh how many people are saying Taylor should be given his chance now, while the pressure isn't on. What then happens when he faces a tougher test, and struggles? Would he, too, then be cast onto the scrap-heap?

by **Fists of Fury** Mon 08 Aug 2011, 11:33 am

Jbeadle, his technical failings come against the swinging ball, in that he has a tendency to play away from his body with little to no foot movement - a sure fire way to get out in such circumstances.

Also, as you rightly point out, his temperament is questionable to say the least, and I'm just not sure if he has what it takes upstairs to make it at the highest level.

The comparison with Bell is slightly redundant in that Bell was facing Warne, McGrath et al, whereas Bopara was failing to the much less vaunted lineup of Johnson, Harris etc. Maybe he is worth another chance, though any more failings and it will just be far too many.

by cabbagesandbrussels Mon 08 Aug 2011, 11:37 am

This MUST be last chance saloon time for Bopara...

by Guest Mon 08 Aug 2011, 11:48 am

i agree

by Smile Mon 08 Aug 2011, 12:37 pm

Morgan is under more pressure than Bopara. Bopara knows he is only as Trott is injured but he also knows a decent score and a failure from Morgan may get him selected at the Oval.

by Guest Mon 08 Aug 2011, 12:49 pm

I think Morgan's 70 in the second dig in the second test, whilst being already in an insurmountable position, may have eased some of the pressure, I would like to see him take the bull by the horns and get a big 100 in the first innings though.

Bopara just doesn't do it for me.

by Smile Mon 08 Aug 2011, 12:56 pm

Morgan's 70 was no better than Bresnan's 90. He has to start scoring centuries and runs under pressure otherwise he is of no use to this team.

by Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler Mon 08 Aug 2011, 2:03 pm

With Bopara its not just tests though. Hes been gievn umpteen opportunities in limited overs too and amany times looked liek hes going to make it then flumped.
Bell is maybe a good comparrison though, hes yoyoed in and out the side with selctors convinced he ws good enough but continuous failings. The difference would be that he was rated as the best English stroke player of his generation (Ramprakash is that old he counts as the previous). Bopara is just rated as a gifted batsman with potential.

Sorry but to my mind it was the right time for Taylor to step up. And yes if he comes in and fails you do drop him. Thats how it works. He then has to work on specific failings and if he can convince the selectors hes improved he gets another go. Maybe Bopara has done that, but his returns in ODIs and first class cricket dont suggest tio me hes any better a player he was than when they previosuly dropped him.

The bowling option is important though and what I really think swung it for him. England wont go into a game with no cover bowling at all, it could be suicide.

by GSC Mon 08 Aug 2011, 2:13 pm

Eh, Bopara's had his failures in the past, but hes also had some good moments. Failed at #3 perhaps, maybe his talent will flourish more at #6.

Taylor's only 21, theres plenty of time to get him in the team. No need to shove every promising youngster into the team right away

by jbeadlesbigrighthand Mon 08 Aug 2011, 2:26 pm

But limited overs is different. We've got plenty of players who aren't as effective in the short form. Most notably Matt Prior.

Bopara's only really had one bad test series, which was an Ashes series, in which he was batting at number 3. I don't think that's enough to damn him on. Consider that when Trott came in to the side in Bopara's place he did so at number 5, with Bell moving up to 3.

Compare Bopara with Morgan. Bopara has played 10 tests, 15 innings. Morgan 11 tests, 16 innings. Bopara has 502 runs, 3 centuries, Morgan 512 runs 1 century. Pretty similar. Except Bopara's played in away series in SL and WI, and his home series was against Australia. Morgan's played only home series and against teams (Pakistan excepted) who don't have strong bowling attacks. Is it also time for Morgan to be jettisoned? Has he also had his chance and blown it?

by dummy_half Mon 08 Aug 2011, 2:40 pm

I don't think it's time (yet) for Morgan to be ditched, for a couple of reasons:
1 - While he has technical issues to sort out, I don't think there are many who doubt his mental strength, as shown by his performances in ODIs
2 - He's a good scorer of quick runs and is one of our best players of spin.

Yes, I would like to see a bit more productivity, converting starts into good scores, but he's doing OK so far.

Bopara for me is in a bit of the same situation as Bell was a few years ago - has good natural ability but so far hasn't shown the necessary mental strength to make the jump to Tests. Maybe he will do it, and this week might be the start of phase two of his test career. Alternatively, he may be found wanting again, in which case he should be consigned to the same scrapyard that Ramprakash spent the second half of his career in - very good player in County cricket but not able to bridge the gap to Tests.

by Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler Mon 08 Aug 2011, 2:49 pm

Id say Morgans place should be under threat from Taylor, but the selectors will have an eye on Morgans ability to play spin. Cook too has a poor record at home, but hes proven his worth on foriegn tours time and again. Morgans only away series is the one he excelled in. Lets see how he gets on in Sri Lanka, if he cant cut it their then yeah he should definatly make way.
Its not right to say that limited overs cricket isn totaly irrelvant to judging someones syuitabilityu to test cricket. You can judge if they are able to produce tehir best game in tough international conditions and if they have the mentality to step up. Its also worth noting that it was Morgans ODI play that got him the test spot, not his first class career..if its ok to recruit Morgan on that its OK to question Bopara on it. As for Prior, its a long time since he played ODIs where most of the time like every England keeper he had to open. Hes also a much improved players since those days, hes took his test batting avergae up by 6 in the last year alone...Id argue it may be time to give him another go, manay questioned his exclussion from the world cup.
The reason people wanted Taylor ahead of Bopara for Trott though is that Taylor has been playing better cricket and getting better scores recently.
We can argue about how good or bad Boparas test record is, but we can also point to the fact hes done little to demand a return to the side other than being the right kind of player for the circumstance. Bell will go to 3, he will go to 6 , Boparaa can cover for Trotts bowling. I dont see it as a disasterous selection, im just not convinced he really has what it takes.

by liverbnz Mon 08 Aug 2011, 2:56 pm

^ Prior played in the WC for England. That was his most recent of many chances in ODis.

by dummy_half Mon 08 Aug 2011, 3:03 pm

I really don't get the issue with Prior and ODIs - all he should need to do is bat like he does in Tests and he'd be as good as anyone we have as an ODI batsman, but for some reason he seems to try too hard and so fails frequently.

by jbeadlesbigrighthand Mon 08 Aug 2011, 3:04 pm

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Id say Morgans place should be under threat from Taylor, but the selectors will have an eye on Morgans ability to play spin. Cook too has a poor record at home, but hes proven his worth on foriegn tours time and again. Morgans only away series is the one he excelled in. Lets see how he gets on in Sri Lanka, if he cant cut it their then yeah he should definatly make way.
The reason people wanted Taylor ahead of Bopara for Trott though is that Taylor has been playing better cricket and getting better scores recently.
We can argue about how good or bad Boparas test record is, but we can also point to the fact hes done little to demand a return to the side other than being the right kind of player for the circumstance. Bell will go to 3, he will go to 6 , Boparaa can cover for Trotts bowling. I dont see it as a disasterous selection, im just not convinced he really has what it takes.

I understand why people want Taylor. He's undoubtedly going to be an international player. I'd dispute that he's in better form than Bopara, however. Barring the Lions match, Bopara has been in better form than Taylor. His FC ave is higher this year, he's got more runs and more tons. He also scored a big century the other week in what were by all accounts incredibly difficult conditions.

I know this probably sounds like I'm president of the Ravi Bopara fan club. I'm not. However, I do think people are dismissing him too quickly - it's too similar to the chop-and-change selections that hampered England for so long.

by Smile Mon 08 Aug 2011, 3:05 pm

dummy_half wrote:I really don't get the issue with Prior and ODIs - all he should need to do is bat like he does in Tests and he'd be as good as anyone we have as an ODI batsman, but for some reason he seems to try too hard and so fails frequently.

Having to open hasn't helped him.

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