All Out Cricket's Discussion Of The Week - Should Steven Finn be in England's Test Team?

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Today on www.alloutcricket.com New Zealand correspondent James Henderson discusses Steven Finn's month in Otago, New Zealand:

The home of cricket may always be Lords, but England’s assistance in world domination comes from a more obscure source. Cast away in New Zealand’s South Island is a safe haven for cricketers in need of some fine-tuning and match sharpness. Otago is a sanctuary of trust for the ECB – with Steven Finn the latest benefactor.

Finn’s arrival Down Under follows that of Jonathan Trott, Dimitri Mascarenhas and the recently crowned County Championship winner Kyle Hogg in recent years, demonstrating that first-class cricket in New Zealand has something to offer its Northern Hemisphere counterparts.

“Otago is trusted to provide a good service,” says Vaughn Johnson, Otago Volts coach and former specialist fast bowling coach for the Black Caps. “I think word gets around about our players, our culture and that Dunedin is a great place to get your head down and put the work in. It is a reasonably quiet place and many overseas players have done well here because of this environment – players enjoy playing here.

“The main aim of the deal is for Steven to play cricket and to get as many wickets as possible. Fortunately for Otago the time frame works well for both parties and we are looking forward to the new season with an experienced international fast bowler in our ranks.”

The Middlesex paceman will be available for a month of Plunket Shield action as he looks to gain match sharpness ahead of England’s upcoming series against Pakistan, with the contradicting seasons a major factor in the ECB looking below the equator to get their players game time in appropriate conditions.

To read more of this article visit www.alloutcricket.com

On the back of his impressive performances in India, Should Steven Finn be in the England's Test XI?

i know hes only played 10 tests but bresnan has a bowling average of 23.6 and a batting average of 45, and he only has 1 not out so not as if his average has been inflated by not outs

dont really see how you can leave him out

as far as commnets about picking bowlers based on their batting , thats tosh, if there isn't really much to choose between their bowling then of course the better batsman will get picked. its not as if we are leaving out guys who are clearly better bowlers just because they cant bat.

Our seam bowlers last year were Anderson, Broad and Finn before we went to Australia.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;spanmax1=31+Dec+2010;spanmin1=1+Jan+2010;spanval1=span;team=1;template=results;type=bowling

Flower might look at the ODI bowling figures in India and decide Finn bowled better than Bresnan and that Finn's extra pace would be what was needed in the UAE.

With all the bowling the bowlers get through there are always injuries so Finn wouldn't have to wait too long. In the last 7 years we have used the least number of bowlers in 2011

Fast bowlers used in (in order of most matches played to least)

2005 - Hoggard, Harmison, Flintoff, Jones, Anderson, Plunkett (6)
2006 - Hoggard, Flintoff, Harmison, Mahmood, Plunkett, Anderson, Lewis (7)
2007 - Sidebottom, Harmison, Anderson, Hoggard, Plunkett, Tremlett, Broad, Flintoff, Mahmood (9)
2008 - Anderson, Broad, Sidebottom, Flintoff, Harmison, Hoggard, Pattinson (7)
2009 - Broad, Anderson, Flintoff, Onions, Harmison, Sidebottom, Bresnan, Khan (8)
2010 - Anderson, Finn, Broad, Bresnan, Tremlett, Onions, Shahzad, Sidebottom (8)
2011 - Anderson, Broad, Tremlett, Bresnan, Finn (5)

anu_d wrote:

Hoggy_Bear wrote:Anu
Bresnan is a good exponent of reverse swing. Will that not be useful in UAE?

when does he reverse swing?

he is a pitch assisted, very English seamer

He got reverse swing in Bangladesh and at times in Oz.

anu_d wrote:

Hoggy_Bear wrote:Anu
Bresnan is a good exponent of reverse swing. Will that not be useful in UAE?

when does he reverse swing?

he is a pitch assisted, very English seamer

You do watch cricket right? Did you see his spell on the 3rd afternoon at the MCG?

Mike Selig wrote:

anu_d wrote:

Hoggy_Bear wrote:Anu
Bresnan is a good exponent of reverse swing. Will that not be useful in UAE?

when does he reverse swing?

he is a pitch assisted, very English seamer

You do watch cricket right? Did you see his spell on the 3rd afternoon at the MCG?

or indeed on the fourth afternoon at the SCG. Or indeed in Bangladesh. In fact in every test he's played away from home he's got it to reverse swing. But yeah, what Mike said, that spell of three wickets for not very many at the MCG which pretty made sure England won the Ashes, plenty of reverse swing there.

All the bowlers bowl reverse swing even Bopara.

Hoggy_Bear wrote:

anu_d wrote:

Hoggy_Bear wrote:Anu
Bresnan is a good exponent of reverse swing. Will that not be useful in UAE?

when does he reverse swing?

he is a pitch assisted, very English seamer

He got reverse swing in Bangladesh and at times in Oz.

optical illusion I'd say.

I never saw him get any reverse when every bolwer in India in the current series was reversing