better than Lara, and Sangakkara."
That's what England fans sing about their new No 3. And you cannot blame them because Ravi Bopara certainly looks the part.
Three consecutive tons have cemented his place in the team and he seems a much more confident and composed character than either Ian Bell or Owais Shah.
Which makes Shane Warne's comments in the Guardian last month surprising: "Bopara is a good first-class cricketer, but he is not an international cricketer. I think he's got all the talent in the world, but I just don't think he's got the temperament. He can be put off his game too easily and he's too worried about how he looks. Let's hope England aren't relying on Bopara [for the Ashes] because they could be in trouble."
An Aussie stirring things on the eve of the Ashes? Where have I heard that before?
From what I've seen, Ravi Bopara has the perfect temperament for international cricket. His 52 off 53 balls led England so close to victory against Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup, his quick-as-a-flash ton in Barbados should have put England in with a chance of victory, and his reaction to his unfathomable dropping in Trinidad first class.
If these comments are likely to continue from Warne, I'll have to turn the sound down during what promises to be another exciting Ashes series.
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1 comment:
He has read Bopara like a book so far. In fairness Warne has been far less biased than I expected him to be.
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