he don’t get no respect!
It was really highlighted on the morning of the second day of the latest Test match at Trent Bridge, when he had just got both of the West Indian centurions out and barely rated a mention from the commentators, who were more interested in bigging up the media darling who took a catch.
Before this game and the previous outing at Lord’s it was all about how he shouldn’t be picked. Others would be better, he doesn’t do enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same after this game even though he took the most wickets in each innings, most in the match and was England’s third top scorer in the first innings.
It did come a surprise he was named man of the match and Strauss didn’t get it for his ton. Thirteen games, thirteen wins, MotM and they’re still talking Finn, Onions and Tremlett.
Now I like Finn, he’s certainly one for the future but when you look at the stats as they stand right now after both of them have played 13 Tests it makes for interesting reading…
| Player | Matches | Inns | Wkts | Avg | Econ | SR | B. Inns | Runs | B Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bresnan | 13 | 25 | 52 | 25.46 | 2.79 | 54.6 | 11 | 362 | 40.22 |
| Finn | 13 | 26 | 53 | 26.92 | 3.72 | 43.4 | 14 | 37 | 9.25 |
| Flintoff | 79 | 137 | 226 | 32.78 | 2.97 | 66.1 | 130 | 3845 | 31.77 |
Bresnan comes out on top in most categories with his main competitor for the bowling spot. Having bowled one innings more Finn has one wicket more so you could say that’s Bes’s s there’s only strike rate where Finn has the advantage. Yet when you factor in it’s only less than two overs better but Bres goes for near on a run less per over and his wickets cost nearly a run and a half less. You then add the clincher nearly ten times as many runs scored in three innings less, bringing a batting average that currently stands just over 40.
And when compared to England’s stand out all-rounder of the last twenty years, Freddie Flintoff, the latter has of course amassed greater numbers due to the fact he played 6 times as many matches but all Bresnan’s averages are better. Would be interesting to see the stats of Flintoff’s first thirteen matches, I bet they just don’t stack up to Bres.
What more does Bresnan have to do?
So no they’ll keep counting Bresnan off while complaining that Anderson was unlucky. How can he be classed as unlucky when so many of his previous wickets have come from rank bad long hops?
As for the Test match it matched the first one. West Indies having the upper hand for small periods of the game, when Sammy and Samuels were putting on their centuries and some of the bowling spells, but they just can’t keep it up for any great length of time and so let England off the hook time and time again.