04/25/24
May 27, 2004
Hussain walks away: Probably won't mean much to most SFers but Nasser Hussain has retired from all forms of cricket, including county. Good thing? Bad thing? Does anyone care? IMHO he's certainly going out on top but it seems extreme to retire totally. I would have thought he could have played respectably at the county level for the foreseeable future. England will miss his experience and his grit. He wasn't perfect but can youngsters like Strauss be relied to put on a gritty innings and get England out of trouble, something I'm sure will be required in the near future?
We were talking in the pub last night about whether Strauss or Nas should be dropped to make way for Vaughan. I guess that was a pretty pointless conversation. Strauss looks like he might have the "right stuff" so I say give him a run in the team. Oh, and bye bye Nas, it's been fun. Good luck in your retirement.
posted by squealy at 11:13 AM on May 27, 2004
I don't know what the debate has been about anyway, you didn't need to drop Hussain nor Strauss, you needed to drop Jo Durie Trescothick. Now you can still drop him and give Bell a game.
posted by Fat Buddha at 12:12 PM on May 27, 2004
I'd drop him in a minute FB. But then, I know nothing about cricket and was just trying to be friendly. ;-)
posted by squealy at 12:27 PM on May 27, 2004
Trescothick... Jo Durie *buckled* Nas may have been good, but he was old-school dull. Strauss looks exciting. Tresco is thick and should be dropped from a great height. That shuffle-across-the-stumps-then-leave-it style does my head in. He's one of those players that people describe as "doing well despite a lack of natural talent because he works so hard" - to hell with that! Get the raw kids in and ake superstars of the few among them that will work as hard AND have talent! [/England Cricket Sovled]
posted by JJ at 04:44 AM on May 28, 2004
Totally agree, Tresco should have been dropped at the end of the Windies tour, if not during it. Strauss is looking good but let's not forget that it's on the back of just one test match, so it would be wise to be cautious. Whatever you think of Nasser, one thing you can say for him is that he's left England in a better state than he found it and played a vital role in turning round our fortunes (along with others).
posted by Pete at 07:07 AM on May 28, 2004
There were several times during the New Zealand game when it could have gone either way, and Strauss showed that he has the necessary twice. I was particularly impressed during a bad spell he was having in the second innings when he just played himself out of it, so I think, he at least, can be relied upon. More to the point, can we rely on old timers like Trescothick to get us out of trouble? The evidence suggests not. Bring on the nippers, I say. It worked with the bowlers and could work with the batsmen, such as Bell. Do it the Aussie way, identify the talent and nurture it.