The Craig Kieswetter Thread - how do you rate him? [Merged]

[shahzadddd]

Kieswetter has had an impressive few games for England A on the current tour doing well against Pakistan A and today against England.

He has played for South Africa U19s , but like quite a few of his countrymen (Pieterson and Trott namely) , he has decide to try his luck in England and this week he fulfils his qualification period.

He is a wicket keeper batsman and looks like a useful opening bat. Matt Prior watch out!

[Juggernaut]

All I see is another Saffie playing for England.

He's played for RSA U19's which tells me that South Africa has played an important role in his development as a cricketer and yet he chooses to play for another country.

What's the reason? Can anyone tell me?

As far as I know he qualifies to play for England by having spent 5 years in the country right? I mean he doesn't have an English parent like Pietersen.

[IM NOT YOU]

81 off 66 vs England

77* off 52 vs Pakistan A

40* off 42 vs Pakistan A

50 off 32 vs Pakistan A

31 off 24 vs UAE A



that should be enough to earn a call up!!

[Sledger]

I would say Prior (another SA cricketer I think) is a proven performer in tests and it won't be easy to replace him. His ODI and T20 form hasn't been great so you'd expect Kieswetter to be breathing down his neck soon.

[BoomBoomAfridi]

Becoming embarassing for England with the number of non-english players they have in their side!

Pietersen
Strauss
Trott

And looks like Craig Kieswetter will join them soon!

[Lara400]

You forgot to add Prior to that list!

This lad though is going to make it big, has been stringing in the performances.

[shahzadddd]

I don't think you can count Strauss and Prior in that list. Their roots are from SA , but their effective cricketing education was in England.

KP , Trott and now Kieswetter are Saffers for sure who would have probably stayed in SA if they thought chances of breaking into the SA team were greater.

[Sledger]

Anyone think he'll start on Friday? I think he might shove Prior out considering his form..

[ghulam35]

England players that have recently played for England or are contracted or in the current squad.

4 players Born in South Africa/Played for South Afrcia Jnr/B Teams

Andrew Strauss - Born in SA
Matt Prior - Born in SA
Jonathan Trott - Born in SA
KP Pietersen - As we all know

6 Other Players not born in England

TR Ambrose - Born In Austraila
EJG Morgan - Irish, evem played for irelamd
Vikram Solanki - Born In India
Amjad Khan - Born in Denmakr, did he play for them to?
Owais Shah - Born in Karachi
Geraint Jones - Born in Papa New Guinea

None of the following 6 were born to english parents

Dimitri Mascarenhas - Sri Lankan parents, raised up in Austrailia
Adil Rashid
Monty Panesar
Sajid Mahmod
Ravi Bopara
Samit Patel



thats 16 players that could and in some cases should not be playing for England. They can name a full squad out these lot.

If you add Craig Kieswetter when he gets the call up, thats 17

[Sledger]

I'm not against the like of Rashid, Jones etc playing. England is a multi-cultural society and its fair enough that they should play. The only problem is this 'Kolpak' rule in which anyone who's played for other teams can travel to England and have a good shot at getting a spot.

[sa88]

Another good find for the South Africa B team!

But you cannot count guys like Rashid - he's born and raised in Bradford. Same goes for Patel, Bopara, Mehmood and Monty.

[ghulam35]

Originally Posted by sa88 Another good find for the South Africa B team! But you cannot count guys like Rashid - he's born and raised in Bradford. Same goes for Patel, Bopara, Mehmood and Monty.

im not disputing any of them playing for England even though like yourself I do have some issues for the likes of Trott and Morgan, the point I was trying to make was that all these players are qualified to played for other nations so could easily have been playing elsewhere.

[shahzadddd]

Paul Collingwood says they're not tempted to call Kieswetter into the team for these matches in Dubai : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cric...nd/8522233.stm

But if Prior shows any signs of weakness I think he will definitely be in the frame.

[Sohaib-789]

He is batting is better than priors as is his keeping.

[shahzadddd]

Scored his maiden ODI ton today. People (i.e. Darren Gough http://twitter.com/DGoughie) are touting him as the new Trescothick.... gotta wait to see how he does this summer I reckon.

[Keith]

How useless would england be if they did not rely on their imports over these many years?

Bring in Allan Lamb and many many many others.

Actually I have no problem with Lamb, he went because of apartheid, fair enough there!! Similar opinion on Wessels.

The rest are only journeymen that have no allegiance to any country.

[shahzadddd]

@Keith In the apartheid days, things were different, but what do you think is the motivating factor for the current crop of SA players jumping ship to England?

Money ? Quota system back home? Better chance to play international cricket? Mixture of all 3?

[Keith]

Originally Posted by shahzadddd @Keith In the apartheid days, things were different, but what do you think is the motivating factor for the current crop of SA players jumping ship to England? Money ? Quota system back home? Better chance to play international cricket? Mixture of all 3?

Money, I do not think so. They could have made plenty playing locally and in county cricket (as many currently do) if they did not make the grade to international level.

Better chance to play international cricket would be my choice with this 1!! They were simply not good enough to make it locally and decided to go elsewhere.

The quota system is a misnomer and should stopped being used an excuse by these sorry dudes!! Perhaops it was a factor 10 years ago, not anymore. Anyone in SA cricket circles will tell you the same. At international level you get picked on merit and merit alone. At local level there are guidelines with regards to quotas but nobody is taken to task if you do not adhere to these guidelines.

England are happy to take whatever they can get. They do not have enough quality players of their own hence use your passport and heritage.

The guys, of colour, that are currently plying their trade locally are there on merit and no other reason.

Before anybody says Keith says this because he has only sour grapes, please look at the rankings, we are higher than England in all formats, even with our current crop and England's imports and have been consistently so!!!

Heck guys I am thinking of making a comeback, perhaps I can also play international cricket. There is a country out there waiting with open arms!!! Seems to be an open door policy on Saffers so I should be in with a shout!!!

[AZ]

this guy is some player, some of his straight hits were just awesome...

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Juggernaut All I see is another Saffie playing for England. He's played for RSA U19's which tells me that South Africa has played an important role in his development as a cricketer and yet he chooses to play for another country. What's the reason? Can anyone tell me?

AFAIK his Mum is English and he has spent most of his life here since age 11. He identifies as an Englishman and not a South African.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Keith How useless would england be if they did not rely on their imports over these many years? Bring in Allan Lamb and many many many others.

Lamby had a very good record against WI but was mediocre against most other sides. Smith did better overall but neither of them could play spin bowling and had to be carried by Gooch, Gower and Gatting in that respect.

Bowlers win matches and there has not been a Saffer bowler for England unless you go back to Tony Greig.

So the statement that we rely on imports does not really hold up to analysis.

Of late, an awful lot of Saffers have moved to the UK because there are oportunities here that they do not have in their own land, and that includes cricketers. Blame your government, not the ECB.

[the SHA]

I seem to recall some time back that the UAE team were forced to disqualify a number of their 'home' players, who were really Pakistani/Indian ex-pats who had moved to the Emirate because there were not similar opportunities in their homeland.

I hope UAE is lodging its complaint with the ICC accordingly. Also a class legal action. Lets face it they need the money these days...

[Golden arm]

Originally Posted by Keith Money, I do not think so. They could have made plenty playing locally and in county cricket (as many currently do) if they did not make the grade to international level. Better chance to play international cricket would be my choice with this 1!! They were simply not good enough to make it locally and decided to go elsewhere. The quota system is a misnomer and should stopped being used an excuse by these sorry dudes!! Perhaops it was a factor 10 years ago, not anymore. Anyone in SA cricket circles will tell you the same. At international level you get picked on merit and merit alone. At local level there are guidelines with regards to quotas but nobody is taken to task if you do not adhere to these guidelines. England are happy to take whatever they can get. They do not have enough quality players of their own hence use your passport and heritage. The guys, of colour, that are currently plying their trade locally are there on merit and no other reason. Before anybody says Keith says this because he has only sour grapes, please look at the rankings, we are higher than England in all formats, even with our current crop and England's imports and have been consistently so!!! Heck guys I am thinking of making a comeback, perhaps I can also play international cricket. There is a country out there waiting with open arms!!! Seems to be an open door policy on Saffers so I should be in with a shout!!!

Please offer your services for afghanistan

[muhammad saad]

In my opinion he is the next big thing After Gilli , Sangakara and Dhoni but he really needs to improve his keeping and temperament to get to this level.
(Definitely better than McCullam and Kami)

[sakss]

more of a mis n hit player....will struggle against good bowling attacks...
basically only good for t20 cricket

[sakss]

p.s =kami is much better

[Usman Chadda]

Saw him bat live in Sharjah against Pakistan A. The monster he launched off Mohammad Talha was enough to convince me that this guy has some serious talent. Just needs to get those ugly hoicks out of his repertoire

[Billy]

Keeping needs a lot of work, but he's a good enough athlete to pull off some great catches. Despite his power with the bat he still looks as if he can't rotate the strike as he would like in T20 cricket, which leads to some ugly hoicks; he will probably look more at ease in the 50 over format until he develops a bit more.

[*sallu*]

He looks to me as a very hit and miss player.

I'm not sure he'll succeed over the long run unless he improves.

A lot of his shots are thick outside edges that just evade the fielders, however, at the end of the day, he scored the runs when it mattered, and deserves the credit for that

[gameovais]

I have to say that his off side play is gorgeous, after our very own Razzaq, he is now my favourite player. Razzaq hits straight, but this guy hits over cover so elegantly, it's shame he didn't get many to hit over cover yesterday. Love this guys batting.

[saj786]

talented but will soon b worked out, basically limited on legside, plus he should be playing for boks

[Dr. Khan]

I like his approach, looks to hit straight mostly.
Quite elegant to watch, looks decent at the top of the order.

Further judgment reserved till I see him in the longer formats.

[Paradox]

at people being jealous of the amazing talent he has saying he's a 'hit and miss' player.
Just has one flaw - when bogged down, he just tries to hit out and most of the time fails. e.g., when Ajmal dropped him a few times. The shots he played were nothing special - just was bogged down due to tight bowling and hit it straight to the fielder, put his head down and walked off (didn't realize he was dropped though ).

Very very stylish player though, in the Pietersen mould. LOVED the shot he played vs SL in the semi, over cover.. so stylishly and elegantly, shot of the tourney for me.

[James]

Just watching the 'highlights' of his latest painful innings today. I don't know much about domestic cricket but surely England could have picked somebody a bit better than this.

Matt Prior, Steve Davies even?

[musaarthali]

He is really horrible opener..can't even rotate strike...

you have to give Bopara a chance against SL

any way i dont see England beating SL so doesn't matter who played in next match...

[leatherface58]

Bedwetter unleashes whole new level of Crap everytime he sets foot on the cricket field. Davies is a better choice. Hell if they want a straight dude, buttler is a keeper as well. Kieswetter only has the south African quota to fill. England came to their senses and dropped dernbach. Must do the same with flyswatter.

[James]

Bedwetter, Flyswatter

Any others? His name has potential

[xtrm]

Craig Kieswetter is in horrible form but actually he is a good player if you rewind to the past a little. He just needs a little practice and yes i think for the time being Steve Davies should be playing .

[fight_club]

Any opener looking to play too square and too cute will not succeed unless he has hack of an eye. This fellow are international level as an opener has very slim chances of succeeding

[in_cutter]

I did say:

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/sh...d.php?t=147600

[shah_1]

Just look at quote of colly in the sky studio

I am a massive fan of Craig Kieswetter. We need him to fire if England are going to win this tournament

The guy has strike of 110, a very ugly looking batsmen and pundit in UK hype him like he is even better than chris gayle.

My opinion is that,

He is even worse than Imran Farhat, the best compliment I can give to Kieswetter batting ability.

[LastLaugh_PK]

So Davies is out of the English squad because he is homo-sexual?

[Lara400]

Comes from the Misbah school of cricket tuk tuk....six

[Bullet Drive]

I rate him but the problem with him is he is very much limited to the off-side. Needs to improve his leg side game.

[leatherface58]

Originally Posted by LastLaugh_PK So Davies is out of the English squad because he is homo-sexual?

No he is out because he is English born

[ElRaja]

Originally Posted by James Bedwetter, Flyswatter Any others? His name has potential

the first time my dad saw him mentioned in a game, he quizzically asked "newsletter"???

[frenchcut]

one if not two out of cook bell and trott should definitely be playing (cook most certainly). an opener who can ease his way to 70 in 50 balls should not be taken lightly

no idea why prior who can bash it in tests hasn't ever been given a run. the ease with which he bashes it in tests means he should be picked any day of the week ahead of tightsweater

[leatherface58]

Originally Posted by frenchcut one if not two out of cook bell and trott should definitely be playing (cook most certainly). an opener who can ease his way to 70 in 50 balls should not be taken lightly no idea why prior who can bash it in tests hasn't ever been given a run. the ease with which he bashes it in tests means he should be picked any day of the week ahead of tightsweater

Prior sucks in ODI. Don't know why. He plays awesomely in tests. But in ODI his average as well as sr is shocking.

[hopelessbiscuit]

Kieswetter is midly awful..and they should pick someone who is a bit better than him.. Typical British understatement..

[Bullet Drive]

Prior has a poor ODI record but this last season he's done real well in limited overs cricket for Sussex.

Another option could be for England to give the gloves to Bairstow who is a genuine keeper.

[Anfield]

He was good in the last T20 wc. Hammered Aus to win the title for England.

[khalil1986]

An absolute horrible hack, plus he has a bit of attitude.

[LegendAli]

Originally Posted by khalil1986 An absolute horrible hack, plus he has a bit of attitude.

don't all the english players?

unfair judgement.

[IM NOT YOU]

kieswetter is a top class player


half the people here dont know anything about english cricket. the end.

[pakistanalltheway]

Originally Posted by IM NOT YOU kieswetter is a top class player half the people here dont know anything about english cricket. the end.

Lol so James who is an English fan doesn't know anything about English cricket ?

[frenchcut]

Originally Posted by leatherface58 Prior sucks in ODI. Don't know why. He plays awesomely in tests. But in ODI his average as well as sr is shocking.

Would still have him over inkblotter. Just personal preference

[James]

Prior should be given a go. Gun test player and an experienced head too.

Barring a miracle innings against Sri Lanka, I'd say the ship has sailed for Daisycutter.

[mastermind_quad]

Agreed Prior is better....but IMO Steve should get a chance before him

[MattyB]

Kieswetter is technically unusual just like KP which means when either of them score runs it is remembered however it is very rarely remembered when either of them fail.

Prior and Davies on the other hand have fairly normal techniques which means when they score big runs it isn't remembered as much.

Prior and Davies are better batsmen and wicket-keepers than Kieswetter the only difference is that Kieswetter has "flair" which means even when he fails he will be given another chance.

[truthseer]

Originally Posted by James Prior should be given a go. Gun test player and an experienced head too. Barring a miracle innings against Sri Lanka, I'd say the ship has sailed for Daisycutter.

Prior has had countless chances in LOI's and has not manage to succeed and do half of what Kieswetter has

[James]

Agree he always looked pure suck in ODIs, but Prior only played 10 T20s sporadically. Was in fine form this season in domestic T20s, worth another run.

[malakian]

Yawn, Prior is a proven failure in limited overs cricket, although that's partly down to the England management not knowing what to do with him, he should never have opened.

England need to drop Kieswetter forever, give him to NZ or something. Give Bairstow the gloves and bring in a proper opener like Lumb.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by malakian England need to drop Kieswetter forever, give him to NZ or something. Give Bairstow the gloves and bring in a proper opener like Lumb.

Concur.

[James]

Airwafter dropped.

Bairstow keeping.

[leatherface58]

Finally. My name calling worked and bedwetter is outta here. Dernbach is back though. :facepalm,:

[frenchcut]

Looks like jetsetter's on a plane back home

[James]

Bairstow with a mixed performance behind the stumps and 2 runs.

Up for debate whether Particlescyther would have improved the team today.