What role is Bopara playing?

I've often posted about how I think Ravi Bopara can come good for England but his international career is stalling just when he's showing his quality in County cricket. He got the cricket writers award this year and for me his 201 for Essex in a one-day game was the domestic performance of the season ahead of Napier's Twenty20 knock because there was a bit more brain used than Napier's shot a ball, not to mention more runs. And yet he is a specialist batsman at 8 for England in the one-day team.

Yes, I've chosen to post this after he scored a quick unbeaten 50 in possibly the only high point of England's ODI match against India. But whether he's scored a hatrick of ducks or a hatrick of century's, he should never bat below Matt Prior for England in any form of cricket, even though he is from Sussex! And realistically he could make a great argument for batting ahead of Bell, Collingwood and Patel too.

So if he's going to bat at eight and waste his obvious batting ability then he's going to bowl....right? Well maybe not every match, but when we're not on top in the field? Or perhaps when we're losing it a little and the main bowlers aren't keeping the runs down? Or when we've lost all control and clearly no bowler can do much worse than what's gone before him, no matter how part time he is? It seems the answer is always no to Bopara's bowling, no matter what the situation.

Fingers crossed that his career isn't ruined by poor management.