Logically on the day England win their first test series is 3 years (that’s not true, is it) I should be talking about Monty Panesar and his 6 wickets for 344 runs.
But Monty has burned me before.
When he was first picked I was assured he was humorous in the field, and while he is chuckle worthy, he is no Tufnell.
Then I was told he just plainly couldn’t bat. He’s no Brett Lee but he makes Chris Martin look like a proper number 11.
Also I was told he could bowl, so far, his career average is 32, it’s not horrible, but its not Portmanesque either.
I’m going to talk about Timothy Grant Southee, who might be more exciting than this entire series put together.
A 5 wicket haul in the first dig, a 77* of 40 in his last at bat.
Not bad for a kid who is practically a foetus.
He is only a hundred days younger than Ishant Sharma, but Sharma, while looking good in his first few tests did not have the impact of Southee from the get go.
Sharma’s first five wicket haul was his second test where he slapped around a shoddy Pakistani tail.
Southee destroyed English’s top order first time at the crease.
Plus Southee does not have an alien growing out of his throat.
Take that Ishant.
Ofcourse Ishant got out Ponting alot, which is worth 83 English wickets.
A five wicket haul and a 70 gets you seven figures in India, Sir Ian Botham comparisons in England, and in Australia he wouldn’t be playing because he is a bowler and under 25.
Where to now for this youngster?
Will he become the cricketer that drags New Zealand back into real test playing status.
Or will he make a lot of dollars when he retires from the national side for personal reasons to play in the ICL.
Or will he become a statistical footnote in the slow decline of modern culture.
Exactly.
