Andrew Strauss Appreciation Thread

[ganeshran]

Great Innings. Even with our pathetic bowling/fielding, this innings truly deserves respect :clap::clap: Amazing to see how fit Strauss is, he didnt need a runner, no cramps, no tired looking shots, just the clinical batting performance..

[nballa]

appreciated, now lets move along.

[HowardRoark]

class player. they either produce or procure some great eft arm batters. gower, tresco, and now this guy.

Fixed :winky:

[Watson87]

Which batsman would walk after the opposition dont even appeal? Maybe Gilchrist but nobody else.

True that. Well played Straussy boy, why didn't baywatch play? was he scared :giggle:

[Sachinism]

Dhoni walks on lbws

[theanalyst]

Never rated him as an ODI batsman... But todays was an exceptional captain knock!!

His form over the past year has been outstanding. He can now play the big shots and his strike rate is very good.

[Serani]

Fixed :winky:

Well all the left arm batters named were produced so dont fix what isnt broken.

[jibranpatel15]

what i liked about strauss is his awareness in building this innings. Everytime england needed a boundry to release pressure he did it and without mu fuss. Truly a gentlemens knock this was. And he didn't get out to poor shot or tired ness he got out to maybe ball of the match from Zaheer Khan. More importantly he was in my SS team i had no sachin/sehwag and i was thrashed to 70 odd position but he himself took me from there to 33. It was my badluck that he didn't last till the end or else i could have made top 20 who knows. :congrats: ''a captains knock'' :congrats: :yay: :yay:

[HowardRoark]

Well all the left arm batters named were produced so dont fix what isnt broken.

Conveniently ignoring Strauss from the list?

[Serani]

Conveniently ignoring Strauss from the list?

He was born in a foreign country to english parents, but learned all his cricket in England. Have you heard the mans accent? He does the queen proud.

[Anakin]

He was lucky to be in the crease for so long, but hats off to him for doing that.

[Dark Warrior]

Dhoni walks on lbws

hehe. good one. :--D

[littlemaster1982]

Never rated him as an ODI batsman... But todays was an exceptional captain knock!!

:dito:

[ganeshran]

Strauss. Batsman. Captain. Respect.

[vvvslaxman]

Tendulkar and Strauss compared http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/9409472.stm Cricket World Cup: Strauss and Tendulkar compared By Oliver Brett Although neither was involved in the enthralling finish, Sachin Tendulkar and Andrew Strauss provided two of the most exquisite centuries seen in World Cups when India and England played out their tied match in Bangalore on Sunday. Tendulkar (120 from 115 balls) started slower than Strauss (158 from 145 balls) before accelerating dramatically in the second half of his innings With the help of the "wagon wheels" provided here, showing each player's scoring areas - and a graph comparing their rate of scoring - their innings can be analysed more closely. Tendulkar's was his 47th one-day century, but only his second against England, and he began steadily as he crafted an imposing target for India's opponents. With his partner, Virender Sehwag, burning a trail at the other end, the 37-year-old waited patiently until the ninth over, soon after the departure of Sehwag, to hit his first two boundaries. He got them off consecutive balls, identifying one of his favoured areas behind square on the leg-side for neat deflections. From that point on, he picked up the pace of his scoring, dominating the big partnership for the second wicket with Gautam Gambhir. TENDULKAR wagon wheel: No fours at all in front of the wicket on the leg side from the Indian master, but there are four sixes in the same arc Two sixes cames off Paul Collingwood, the first an eased, lofted straight drive, the second smashed with similar elegance over midwicket. And there were three sixes off Graeme Swann: two over long-on, the other a slog sweep over deep mid-wicket. As the Tendulkar wagon wheel shows, none of his 10 fours were hit in front of square on the leg-side, partly because Strauss ensured he often had two people posted on the ropes in that region. But the other regions are all studded with fours, as England's bowling force - in theory strengthened by the addition of Michael Yardy - was run ragged. When England began their chase of a monstrous-looking target of 339, Strauss was quick out of the blocks because his team simply could not afford to get behind the asking rate of almost seven runs an over. A leg-glance and a booming square cut gave him two of the 18 fours he would accumulate in all in the very first over of the chase, and he was off and away. STRAUSS wagon wheel: The England captain's preference for square-of-the wicket hitting is demonstrated while his huge six came off Yuvraj Singh While Tendulkar's rate of scoring accelerated sharply from a steady base, Strauss cruised along at something close to a run a ball throughout the innings, taking in the rapid opening stand with Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott's brief stay at the crease and the really big partnership of the innings with Ian Bell. Not traditionally someone who plays attacking shots down the ground, he stuck to the areas he knows best - square of the wicket and behind square - with only four scoring shots, each gaining him a single, coming in the mid-off region. It was only when Bell, who defied his critics with some lusty blows of his own, cramped up in the latter stages of the chase that Strauss's smooth rhythm was also stifled, and the two men fell off consecutive balls. Statistically, the Strauss innings was superior to Tendulkar's, both in terms of runs scored (158 to 120) and strike rate (108.96 runs per 100 balls to 104.34). In truth however, it would be curmudgeonly to say the England captain produced the better innings. In keeping with the result of the match, let's call it a tie.

[Ranjha]

Its true that Strauss innings was the best yesterday. Agree with the highlighted parts. But good to have Tendulkar in superb form. We will need him big time when the real worldcup starts on March 23rd.

[Raghav_12]

Strauss had his task cut out. He always knew that he had to carry on atleast run-a-ball, so could plan accordingly. While Sachin on other side never knew what would be a good score. For the fact that Sachin had to continously deal with changing situation and had to replan his innings all the time, I would put it right equal to Strauss' innings. No more and No less. I don't think there is any point in the notions that runs scored in second innings are more valuable that scored in first innings.

[vvvslaxman]

If Strauss had batted first i bet he would not have batted like that. He would have batted conventionally. If you ask me next time we meet England we must chase.

[Ranjha]

Strauss had his task cut out. He always knew that he had to carry on atleast run-a-ball' date=' so could plan accordingly. While Sachin on other side never knew what would be a good score. For the fact that Sachin had to continously deal with changing situation and had to replan his innings all the time, I would put it right equal to Strauss' innings. No more and No less. I don't think there is any point in the notions that runs scored in second innings are more valuable that scored in first innings.[/quote'] Innings of Strauss was better. Chasing a huge total under pressure is no joke. Plus He scored almost half the runs England scored. Wheras Tendulkar scored 1/3 of the runs India scored.

[Ranjha]

If Strauss had batted first i bet he would not have batted like that. He would have batted conventionally. If you ask me next time we meet England we must chase.

When did ifs an buts start to matter in cricket?