Sport Today

> He averages 45+ while Dhoni averages under 40. While I'm not, as you
> know, one for relying heavily on averages, that's a significant
> difference

> Prior is now a very fine keeper.

>> Prior is probably the best keeper-batsman in England's history and is

> I'd agree although a bit harsh on Stewart who despite his dire record
> in Oz, which was strange since his batting style best suited those
> sort of pitches, arguably faced better bowling attacks.

> Some interesting comments from Steve Waugh today: "I like the look of
> Phil Hughes, he's got something deep within him that makes him a long-
> term Test player", "I think England aren't as good as they think they
> are" and "I think it's about time where we could have one female
> player per Big Bash side. Going forward, I can't see why the girls
> can't have representation in the Big Bash"!

> >Tipped Australia to lose the Ashes series 12 nil even through they only
> >play 10 Tests ? :-)

> >Actually his big mistake is forgetting about the English weather

> >He also named the Australian side as the worse to ever contest the Ashes
> >which is most probably true even through they haven't named it yet

> >A quick summary ?:

> >England wins the top 3 batting positions by a landside

> >The next 3 are pretty even

> >Keeper batsman would also be pretty even if they pick Paine

> Prior is probably the best keeper-batsman in England's history and is
> obviously the best in the world at present. He's even the #7
> specialist bat in the rankings these days.

> There are two days' worth of light between Prior and any likely
> Australian candidate.

> Cheers,

> Mike
> --

> > Prior is probably the best keeper-batsman in England's history and is

> I'd agree although a bit harsh on Stewart who despite his dire record
> in Oz, which was strange since his batting style best suited those
> sort of pitches, arguably faced better bowling attacks.

> Some interesting comments from Steve Waugh today: "I like the look of
> Phil Hughes, he's got something deep within him that makes him a long-
> term Test player", "I think England aren't as good as they think they
> are" and "I think it's about time where we could have one female
> player per Big Bash side. Going forward, I can't see why the girls
> can't have representation in the Big Bash"!

> Ramapriya

> > He averages 45+ while Dhoni averages under 40. While I'm not, as you
> > know, one for relying heavily on averages, that's a significant
> > difference

> difference to his overall average of 45+. But not as significant a
> difference as the significant difference between that figure of Prior's and


> a significant 50.2 v Eng/RSA/RotW. AND BAD'S NOT EVEN OUR #1 KEEPER. Matt
> Wade will own Prior. Significantly.

> > Prior is now a very fine keeper.

> Land of Hope and Glorrry, Mother of the Freeee,
> How shall we extol thee, very significantly...

> alvey

>> > >I don't know about "obviously" if you compare him with Dhoni. Prior's
>> > >clearly the better keeper, but - fine batsman though Prior is - Dhoni at
>> > >his best is a genius with the bat. So though overall one might give the
>> > >edge to Prior, I don't think it's obvious.
>> > He averages 45+ while Dhoni averages under 40. While I'm not, as you
>> > know, one for relying heavily on averages, that's a significant
>> > difference given that Dhoni proabably gets in more road batting time
>> > than Prior. I freely concede that Prior could (almost certainly) not
>> > have played the double hundred that Dhoni did against Aus, and that
>> > Dhoni has the field to himself as a limited-over player, but for
>> > selection in the putative World Test XI, it's a no-brainer.

>> What is the world coming to when Mike makes my argument. That Prior is more consistent, that the occasional great / incredible / Mt. Everest reaching knock that single-handedly transforms a game, can't compare with the metronome-like consistency of a bat who does significantly better on average...

>> Mike, I will make a stats-rat out of you yet :) It may be when we are watching the 2037 Lord's 3-day-night Test, but we'll get there,

>> Bharat

>I'm not sure if you can sustainably make the argument that Prior is
>superior to Ames, although I note the 'probably' in Mike's initial
>statement.

>> Tipped Australia to lose the Ashes series 12 nil even through they only
>> play 10 Tests   :-)

>> Actually his big mistake is forgetting about the English weather

>> He also named the Australian side as the worse to ever contest the Ashes
>> which is most probably true even through they haven't named it yet

>> A quick summary  :

>> England wins the top 3 batting positions by a landside

>> The next 3 are pretty even

>> Keeper batsman would also be pretty even if they pick Paine

> Prior is probably the best keeper-batsman in England's history and is
> obviously the best in the world at present. He's even the #7
> specialist bat in the rankings these days.

> There are two days' worth of light between Prior and any likely
> Australian candidate.

> For 4, 5 and 6, it's 2-1 to England. KP+Bell vs Clarke. Obviously ignoring head-to-heads. Just picking the best 3 of the 6.

> Unfortunately there's something of a tradition of English cricket
> writers/commentators doing that before almost every tour of England by
> Australia, after which they proceed to beat us. For obvious reasons the
> tradition lapsed in the 1990s, but it certainly happened in 1989.

>> Unfortunately there's something of a tradition of English cricket
>> writers/commentators doing that before almost every tour of England by
>> Australia, after which they proceed to beat us. For obvious reasons the
>> tradition lapsed in the 1990s, but it certainly happened in 1989.

> The Daily Telegraph cricket book said (before the '89 series) that it could be looked forward to with "guarded pessimism" by England, noting that someone at some point would call this the worst Australian team ever to tour England, which would spur them on.

> Waugh was a sook as a player when things were not going his way, looks
> like nothing has changed in retirement.

>> Waugh was a sook as a player when things were not going his way, looks
>> like nothing has changed in retirement.

> I beg your pardon?? One's free to hold a view but calling Steve Waugh
> a sook is at once utterly risible and preposterous.

> >> Waugh was a sook as a player when things were not going his way, looks
> >> like nothing has changed in retirement.

> > I beg your pardon?? One's free to hold a view but calling Steve Waugh
> > a sook is at once utterly risible and preposterous.

> Why?