The Cricket Thread

[Jimmy Floyd]

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?batting_positionmax1=2;batting_position min1=1;batting_positionval1=batting_position;class =1;filter=advanced;home_or_away=2;host=1;orderby=b atted_score;runsmin1=100;runsval1=runs;team=25;tea m=40;team=6;team=7;team=8;template=results;type=ba tting;view=innings

Shan currently 18th in best innings by Asian openers in England. Russel Arnold is thieving a living being on that, the bitter little twat.

[Ian]

Jos Bottler at it again.

[Jimmy Floyd]

A Test match keeper going oh-for-three, as our septic cousins would say, is not good.

[Max Power]

That one was regulation as well. Only just seen the stumping now, wasn’t even close :D

[Max Power]

Pakistan such a consistently thrilling side. Nothing better than wily swing bowlers moving it both ways, quick bowlers thudding into the pads and all the Urdu chat rattling around in the stump mic. Just need the leggie on now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I fucking love Abbas. Love him. Could watch him all year.

[Max Power]

Ooof what a nut!

[Ian]

This is going well.

[Dquincy]

BBC ticker....

7 overs
Eng 16-3
The follow-on is 127, for those asking.
Joe Root, meanwhile, has asked for a new bat. Presumably one that can middle these deliveries from Shaheen. He's still on nought.

:D

[Jimmy Floyd]

I went mental punching the air in the car with the radio on when Abbas bowled Stokes. I think he might have turned me. Absolute magician.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Jesus Christ, three balls in and I'm calling this kid as an all time great quick. Bowls like some sort of freakish Dennis Lillee regen.

[niko_cee]

Yeah, he's sharp. 17 years old?

[thommo]

I think it's the first time I've actually believed the age of a teenager playing for a sub-continental side.

[Max Power]

Pretty special young talent at the crease as well tbf. Love Ollie Pope.

[Ian]

Born when Tatu were number one. Fuck's sake.

[Ian]

Right lads, who wants to say something jinxy first?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Abbas bowled 7 overs for one run until this last one, he's an absolute magician.

[Ian]

It's fine, he's gonna keep stepping on the pitch and get told off and ruin the cricket for you.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He should be allowed to run where he wants.

If this lot can find a couple of batsmen they could piss on everyone in the next 3-5 years.

[Ian]

Right lads, who wants to say something jinxy first?

Fuck's sake, that doesn't count, surely?

[Jimmy Floyd]

To be honest we're lucky we haven't just been run over for sub 100 here.

[Ian]

This 80-ball century Broad is about to score. :drool:

[Ian]

I hit post literally the exact moment Anderson was given out there. :D

[Jimmy Floyd]

This is going to be ugly. I'm not sure even if we bowl them out for 80 that we would chase 190.

[Ian]

Buttler's lucky that missed the edge because that would've been a-fucking-nother one.

[Ian]

Well, that lead is probably already a bit much ahead of however many dozen more the tail end grind out tomorrow but I'd have taken that earlier in the day.

[Dquincy]

We're in with a chance here. Prediction: Root to score a 100 and carry us to victory.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The only way we're winning this is if they go Full Pakistan, which with this attack I just can't see.

[niko_cee]

We are talking Pakistan here though.

Can't see it myself unless 3 or 4 of their bowlers are spotted on the curry mile tonight.

[Ian]

This was incredibly predictable.

[niko_cee]

Dreadful shot from Sibley which has brought about this collapse.

[Max Power]

Yeah on a pitch (and against an attack) where you going to get some absolute unplayable deliveries as Pope and Stokes have shown.

Chase was 100 too many anyway, lost it on first innings.

[niko_cee]

Lost it in Buttler's inept 'keeping (that's the 100 run plus difference), so he probably needs to blitz them to victory here to break even.

[Max Power]

Early signs is that he’s gonna have a bang so could be a fun few minutes at least

[niko_cee]

Is Shane Warne Buttler's agent or something?

[niko_cee]

Grand stand final session.

It's been a cracking match.

[Max Power]

Supposed to be going for a barbecue in 20 minutes. Thought we’d have the good grace to lose by now.

[Ian]

:drool:

Glorious. Great match.

[Max Power]

Watched the winning runs be struck on sky go on my phone whilst sipping a beer in the sun. Lovely stuff.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I genuinely can't believe we've won that.

[Ian]

It was tense as fuck at the end.

I thought it was gone before we even got to lunch, really.

[niko_cee]

Fucking hell what a game at the old bat and ball that was.

Basically lost all hope when that one went through the surface on Pope.

Buttler gets his fare share of stick (which he at least has the good grace to acknowledge and accept as well) but you have to credit him with completely turning the game on its head (even if he then did get out with the job not done in somewhat typical 'dying by the sword' fashion). Both he and Woakes were tremendous in riding their luck and punishing anything hitable. The whole innings had a much better tempo to it than the negative run rate stodge we've been indulging in of late at times. I still don't really buy the pro's-union line that "that's what Buttler can do" because that's a 1 in a hundred (if not longer) effort but it does buy him some time. Get the feeling Jimmy may get a rest for the next one and then one of the bowlers will need to rotate to fit Crawley in and move the whole batting down one. I'd probably prefer to pick a 'keeper and have Buttler as a specialist bat/dressing room presence even though that's a step in the wrong direction in all likelihood.

Credit also to the groundsmen and women who have been preparing the pitches this summer. I don't know if it's the lack of 5-day revenue pressure but they feel like they have all been absolute belters.

[Gray Fox]

Stokes withdrawn for the rest of the series. He's to return to New Zealand for family reasons.

[niko_cee]

I think the most gratifying thing about that win was the thumb in the eye it provided to Sophie Raworth and the BBC News at Ten editorial team who had England 'facing defeat' after day 2, 4 wickets down in a first innings. Come on now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I spent ages wanting Buttler (if he plays) as captain/6/not keeper and I'm sticking to that (what's the point in just lambing Crawley).

However, I think the selectors will keep him as keeper as the prevailing moneyball stats wisdom is that glovework simply does not matter at all in the grand scheme of things.

[Ian]

Who would you have at 3?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Root 3 Crawley 4 Pope 5 Buttler 6

I mean, I'd love the alternative of picking more than 3 batsmen in the side but that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

[Ian]

Does Root's average at 3 take any significant hint now that he's so frequently middling anyway?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Opening: 417 at 42
At 3: 1,933 at 38
At 4: 3,397 at 49
5 or lower: 2,038 at 62

What this tells you is that it's easier to bat at 5 than at 4 and easier at 4 than at 3, which is why he doesn't want to do it, but I still don't see the logic in therefore making Zak Crawley do it.

[Ian]

So what you're saying is play him at 11 and watch him amass a 300 average.

Sorted. :cool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

6/7 less so because people who bat there are worse and have to face the second new ball. At 5 you're in the sweet spot of batting from 30ish overs through to whenever and if you do get to the second new ball you're probably already on 80+.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul worked this out early in his career and spent the next 15 years fluffing his career numbers while his team rotted around him.

[Ian]

Just clicked onto the live text on the BBC to check out this 530-1 Kent got and saw a mention of Haseeb Hameed.

:(

[Danny]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKcvHAec6GM

Hopefully not geoblocked. Certainly worth a watch.

Smith at 19:43 is gold.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Ah, such nostalgia for a far off time when their honesty was just that fraction less elite.

[Danny]

Broad being fined by his dad is enjoyable.

1293191075532804103

[Ian]

“The thing I am learning about Test cricket is that you’ve got to keep moving forward, trying to adapt and stay one step ahead. That comes from chatting to other people and trying to glean as much knowledge as possible.”

You can tell Sibley hasn't been speaking to James Vince.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Archer dropped for Curran. Good old Jimmy really has got them folded over a table hasn't he. Thought Archer bowled much better than him in the first Test.

[Ian]

Masood b Floyd c Anderson

I would agree though, Archer basically seems to get stick purely for not constantly bowling 120mph bullets and incinerating the stumps even if he's actually bowled well.

[Ian]

We've dropped Abid, so that's him guaranteed a ton. :moop:

[niko_cee]

Our catching is absolutely horrific these days and has been for some time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Just seen Woakesy has 86 @ 22 at home, and 25 @ 51 away. What a don.

[Dquincy]

Always amuses me how many times the experts will predict before the start of a session or day's play that the bowling attack are going to continue taking wickets early on and it's as blunt as anything. Or vice-versa, they slag off the bowlers for playing badly and the next session they're on fire.

Bunch of slags.

[Ian]

I'd say any old shit too if it kept me in as cushy a job as they've got.

"Fing for me, Jeff, is they're just not getting the ball in those areas"

Good work mate, have a few grand.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If it's any consolation, golf punditry is even lazier. 'Well, the thing is, Alastair, he's won before, so he knows how to win. The question is: will he win today?'

The inverse also applies for someone who hasn't won before, with the result being permanent overpaid pundit smugness until - and wait for this, you won't see it coming - someone wins for the first time, in which case everyone shits the bed and runs for the hills.

[Ian]

Bit lol, that. Good throw though.

[Dquincy]

If it's any consolation, golf punditry is even lazier. 'Well, the thing is, Alastair, he's won before, so he knows how to win. The question is: will he win today?'

The inverse also applies for someone who hasn't won before, with the result being permanent overpaid pundit smugness until - and wait for this, you won't see it coming - someone wins for the first time, in which case everyone shits the bed and runs for the hills.

Bang on.

In other news, Is Sam Curran actually any good? I'm not convinced, but that might be due to his lack of height.

[niko_cee]

Can't believe you've asked Jimmy that question.

[Dquincy]

The question was open for all and any to comment.

[Ian]

Sam Curran though, my fucking lord, we're talking a once in 25 years player here boys. Strap in. He will end the Test career of Ben Stokes within 3 years.

:rosebud:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Yeah, you're basically asking Mr Toad if motor cars are any good.

The key stat is that since he came into the side, England's win % is 76% when he plays and 47% when he doesn't.

And he has ended the Test career of Ben Stokes. Not seen him do anything for ages.

[Ian]

Is there a mitigating factor for that stat Jim, other than him being the bestest?

I would say that even not knowing that he's a player I wish we were finding a way to put in the team more often.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think he's just a classic balancing all rounder who is good enough at both disciplines that it takes pressure off the others on both sides of him. He is also good at assassinating set batsmen with his various surprise deliveries (in ducker to right handers, bouncer). We haven't yet seen with England the true outrageous talent that I think is in there, especially with the bat, but that could just be a maturity thing. He's still only a nipper.

I'd like to see him play more white ball as I think he could be a legend there, but it's basically impossible to get in the white ball teams at the moment.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Also, is Dom Bess actually at this match?

[Ian]

Yes although it's not clear why at this point.

[Ian]

MS Dhoni: India legend retires after 16-year international career (bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/53792647)

You gonna be okay, Jimmy? :(

[niko_cee]

Been decent here all day (fantastic bowling conditions tbh) so quite what Southampton aka The Manchester of the South is up to having no play at all for days and days is anyone's guess.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We all played across the south of England, it's just that the threshold for getting on in international cricket is far, far too high.

[niko_cee]

Glorious sunshine again, not that it really matters but what the fuck is going on in Southampton?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think the main problem they seem to have is the procedures are set up to ensure consistency in when there is/isn't play, rather than to maximise the amount of play that there is.

Groundsmen are often miserable fuckers who would rather no one played at all, but I think it's the rules and regs which are to blame.

[Ian]

Why are they even bothering to try and restart the game at this point? Does it help them stop having to give back some TV money or something?

Even England aren't going to contrive to lose 19 further wickets in the time left.

[Ian]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/53833613

Why isn't earlier starts to make up overs just a thing that's already in place?

[niko_cee]

Probably a health and safety/crowd control sort of thing (which is why they can tinker with it at the moment), although I do agree, I'm sure we started at 10.30 here for a while and I really got used to it. South Africa kick things off early don't they? It should also be possible to forecast lost play ahead of time and try to make it up in advance, to an extent, imo (although the fact it takes the full day plus extra time to get through a normal amount of overs sort of vitiates that). I suppose it gets tricky because a day already has quite a lot of play in it, another 15 overs or so could be ruinous to bowling attacks.

[Jimmy Floyd]

In golf they move all the tee times forward if they see a storm coming. Don't see why you couldn't do the same with a start time in cricket (would obviously need a max overs in the day limit to save bowlers' legs).

[Ian]

1296341637426081793

The deviation on a delivery of that pace isn't even the most mental thing about that video.

James Vince got past 24!

[Jimmy Floyd]

I assume Neesh means the history of the game since HD cameras a handful of years ago, rather than back to when children played with shepherd's crooks in the 16th century.

[Ian]

Maybe he has a very dim view of 16th century bowling technique.

[Jimmy Floyd]

There's a guy buried in my local graveyard who invented the middle stump, being one of the era (late 18th century)'s leading bowlers who had tired of losing out on wickets as the ball passed between leg and off. Can't help thinking that Shane Watson and others have missed a trick not getting that decision reversed.

[Ian]

It's not been a good series for Burns.

Also in checking what exactly his numbers are I saw his Cricinfo profile picture is this:
https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/304300/304322.jpg

Sort the hair out, mate.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Lovely knock from Crawley, can't wait for them to tie themselves in knots trying to pick the team when Stokes comes back and end up shoving him up to open and ruining him / ruining everyone.

[Ian]

What I've loved about this Crawley innings is that he's just used his brain. Quick runs were there for him early so he took them. When they dried up a bit he was patient and didn't start waving his bat at everything.

[Max Power]

Surely Stokes for a bowler and everyone from six drops down? But you know they will be getting an itchy trigger finger for Burns (which they shouldn’t)

Great knock though - hits the ball so crisply, nice to watch. Buttler looks in unreal touch as well.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They also seem to hate going in with 4 + Stokes as he is liable to not be able to bowl at any given moment. They seem to like him as a luxury 6th option.

Christ knows when the next game is going to be anyway.

[Max Power]

Crawley triple here? :drool:/:cab:

[Danny]

Nice wicket for you there

[Max Power]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/image/2161520-3x2-940x627.jpg

[Queenslander]

Get it into ya!


https://i.ibb.co/k594rzW/Screenshot-20200823-165756-Facebook.jpg (https://ibb.co/Jmyvb8M)

[niko_cee]

Rory routinely shelling them in the slips isn't doing him any favours in the stick with him through a bad patch stakes.

Fucking hell, Crawley's at it as well.

[niko_cee]

Azhar Ali finishing not out and then striding out to open the next innings is very cool.

Shame it was all for nought due to light.

[Dquincy]

Weather looks a bit shit for the last two days. Feel a draw coming on.

[Ian]

We don't appear to have much of a plan for how Bess might take some wickets here. I doubt Pakistan care about the low run rate, they just need to bat time so Bess bowling the same straight ball almost every time may not cut it here.

[niko_cee]

He has to bowl straight to try and get a bowled or lbw as it's not like we're going to catch anything (or get a stumping).

[Ian]

Hah. Fair point. :moop:

[niko_cee]

Jimmy implementing the same policy.

[niko_cee]

Looking at the weather it might be next summer before Anderson manages to clock up number 600. Probably makes all those drops all the harder to stomach. A whole year of 600 merch missed out on.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They should hastily arrange one against Norfolk or something to get him there at home, as there's no way he'll accept missing any Tests overseas (if indeed we actually play overseas).

[Ian]

Young Jimmy Anderson had some shocking hairdos, didn't he?

[niko_cee]

Operation 600 is (almost) underway.

[Gray Fox]

If there's still a load of cloud overhead you'd imagine he'll have a field day.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think it would be appropriate for Buttler to come up to the stumps and attempt to effect a stumping for the 600th.

[niko_cee]

I know they can't catch but 1 slip? :cab:

[Jimmy Floyd]

I know they can't catch but 1 slip? :cab:

Got to get the squeeze on and cut off their boundary options here. There are World Test Championship points at stake.

[Max Power]

They’ve got both the silly mid on and silly mid off in position though :cab:

[Jimmy Floyd]

In case he needs a comforting chat on the way back to his mark.

The 'plan' for Archer sounds even more mental.

[Ian]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/28/cricketer-left-in-need-of-windscreen-repairs-after-smashing-own-car-with-huge-six

Excellent.

[igor_balis]

Fuck off bairstow

[Ian]

I obviously want England to do well but it's hard not to chuckle when Bairstow fails.

[Ian]

T20 really is the most boring cricket going.

[igor_balis]

Banton is a proper white ball player. Get hales back in for someone pointless like malan.

[Ian]

Mo is in!

I take it all back, T20 is great.

[Ian]

Mo. :(

[Ian]

Rizwan is bossing this.

[Dquincy]

What a game last night. :drool:

Nothing better than an Australian collapse.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I turned it off at 90/0 because it was a procession. Still have no idea how they fucked it.

[niko_cee]

Yeah, same. Well, not that I really watched much of it before that point but I stopped bothering with the live text about then. That's the sort of epic bottle job England used to chuck in when playing good Australia.

[Ian]

Ashton Agar is a still a thing?

That brings back some.unpleasant memories.

[Dquincy]

That's the beauty with Cricket, it's never over until it's over. Love it.

Someone was slagging off the T20 format previously, but i like it. I think all 3 variances of the game have their appeal. Variety is the spice of life.

[Ian]

T20 bores the fuck out of me. Gimme close matches at the arse end of a tournament and yeah, I'll get it into it. Basically any sports is good when the tension is ramped up and it's all on the line. The rest of the time though, people just swinging at everything couldn't interest me less.

[hfswjyr]

That's the beauty with Cricket, it's never over until it's over. Love it.

Someone was slagging off the T20 format previously, but i like it. I think all 3 variances of the game have their appeal. Variety is the spice of life.

Now I'm a big fan of cricket, but isn't it actually the exact opposite in cricket? Needing 100 runs off 2 overs is essentially "over", but the game needs to be played out anyway.

I'll stick with ODIs > Tests > T20s, the latter which I barely follow at all. It's simply too much cricket for me otherwise.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I love them all. In Tests the onus is on bowlers to attack, in T20 it's on batsmen, and in ODIs it's mostly on batsmen but they have a bit of space to breathe.

T10 is probably pushing it a bit as there's no wicket pressure at all.

[Ian]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cricket/54049659

That's excellent.

[phonics]

This is a funny headline https://i.imgur.com/PcmfI7J.png

[Ian]

Turkeys confident humans will vote against Christmas.

[Danny]

Interested to see how this all plays out.

On the face of it you would wonder why he stayed there for so long, was made captain and then went back after being released if it was a terrible as he says. However I dont think too much detail has been put out about what happened and when aside from seeing one comment made around 2009.

[Clunge]

Somerset heading back to Lords – it would be just our luck that after unsuccessfully chasing the county title for 120+ years, we'll go and win the makeshift County Championship this year...

[Jimmy Floyd]

You'll get beat by Essex (again).

Surrey are worse than death, so I'm keeping a low profile.

[Clunge]

Pinched Joverton though, sods.

[Max Power]

Australia have no idea against Rashid. Hardly any of them seem be picking him.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Has he gone up to another level or have they just got no exposure against googly bowling? Seems weird since he has played a fair amount of Big Bash.

[niko_cee]

Australia going full [historic] England with their choking ability these days it seems.

Marnus Labuschagne gives off the air of being an absolute arsehole with the way he conducts himself at the crease. Seeing so many of them bowled whilst wafting and not moving their feet was quite funny.

[Queenslander]

Auatralia are rubbish away from home.

[Ian]

This Zampa lad looks like he's been plucked straight from Summer Bay.

[Ian]

https://www.ecb.co.uk/video/1832669/david-warner-wicket-b-joe-root

:drool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

This has been a series of choke and counter-choke, not sure who is winning this.

[Max Power]

Wow didn’t think they would blow it after that 200 run partnership but they just might again! Rashid final over! Gulp.

Been a great summer of cricket regardless of the weird circumstances -really high quality and entertaining.

[Jimmy Floyd]

England make any cricket good (except away in India and Australia). We are right in the sweet spot of being good enough to beat anyone, but also bad enough to lose to anyone.

[Dquincy]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Throw everything at it.” <a href="https://t.co/YTeVNJgUjH">pic.twitter.com/YTeVNJgUjH</a></p>&mdash; Crease Magazine (@CreaseMag) <a href="https://twitter.com/CreaseMag/status/1306909747799642112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Dave.]

Dean Jones RIP.:(

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's at times like this when Indian journalese really comes into its own (Times of India):


Jones was in Mumbai as part of the Indian Premier League broadcast set-up, and was learnt to be absolutely fine before he suffered a sudden collapse.

On Thursday, at around 11 am, Jones, after finishing his breakfast, attended a briefing session for the day's IPL broadcast and then was chatting with colleagues in the corridor of the hotel he was staying in South Mumbai.

Suddenly, to everyone's shock, Jones fell down and collapsed.

[Ian]

This is my second MDB reference today but that last line has proper Medieval Death Bot energy.

[John Arne]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX8oUzQsfs0&ab_channel=Kaboom

[Ian]

That is ludicrous.

[Danny]

What was it? I cant see it.

[Ian]

https://www.iplt20.com/video/209387/that-u-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e-pooran-save?tagNames=indian-premier-league

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've never seen a piece of fielding like it.

[Ian]

It's one of those where you don't understand why he's even trying it in the first place. If he'd given up as he got near the boundary nobody would have been questioning his commitment or anything.

[Mellberg]

I can't stop watching that. Sensational.

[Danny]

Its very good. Santners effort at 11 is similar and somehow down in 11th :face:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap_jU9fbV7Y

[Ian]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/54352180

He'll review that.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He should do what Stuart Broad did when they left him out for a game, and throw a sulk so big that it was easier just to pick him again.

[Dquincy]

5 over innings? Taking the piss a bit.

'England sweep Windies after five-over thriller'

http://www.skysports.com/share/12086282

[Max Power]

“Captain Cool” batting out another draw in this match for the betting syndicates.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I was literally about to post just that, he is an absolute joke. All in complete control as ever.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Cricinfo:
Abdul Samad to bowl this over, it appears. There aren't a lot of bowlers in India who feel any confidence when they're bowling to Dhoni, no matter what his strike rate.

Lalit Modi has turned them all into slavish boot-lickers

[Jimmy Floyd]

Dhoni is struggling again. Bloodshot eyes.

19.1
5w
Abdul Samad to Dhoni, 5 wides
Oh this is a disastrous start for SRH! It's not terrible bowling, to be honest. Slips a length ball down leg side as Dhoni steps out at him. Bairstow loses his footing as he looks to go for that down leg side and he misses it. And it dribbles past all the fielders

This sounds like the match fixing battle to end all battles.

[Jimmy Floyd]

1323541683636764677

Any guesses? I have half an idea but I'm not 100%.

[Ian]

They sound too obscure for me unless it's super recent.

Assuming it's actually real.

[Queenslander]

Darren Pattinson?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Patto only played the once (what a time to be alive).

I was thinking Zafar Ansari or Nick Compton, though my sources have now rubbished the former.

[Queenslander]

My second guess was a South African those petty rascals.

[Dave.]

Gavin Hamilton or Dougie Brown maybe?

[Dave.]

Or Ed Joyce might be a better shout?

[thommo]

My first thought would have been a British-Asian. In my experience, they're more likely to support the countries of their parents/ancestors.

[Queenslander]

Now this is different.


Aaron Finch and Virat Kohli have led their sides onto the SCG barefoot for a touching ceremony ahead of the first ODI.

The Australian and Indian cricket teams came together before the match in a powerful and united stance against racism, while acknowledging the traditional owners of the land.

https://i.ibb.co/rmdd0ZJ/FB-IMG-1606448129091.jpg (https://ibb.co/ZV22XhC)

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/australia/cricket-australia-vs-india-odi-barefoot-circle-photos-video-indigenous/news-story/e1d5b22b1767add2fe0f7e8f0d101c88


As you can imagine the Fox Sports news comment section is a very rough read.

[niko_cee]

Hasn't Langer had them doing that sort of thing for ages (outwith the stand against the immediacy of modern prejudice)?

[Queenslander]

Im not sure Ive dropped off Cricket recently.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The best way to 'acknowledge the traditional owners of the land' would surely be to give it back to them.

Not sure how I feel about this series, any delight I feel about one side's defeat will be tempered by dismay at the other's victory. England are on at 4pm though so all is well.

[Queenslander]

From my cold dead hands.

Just another piece of the bigger picture of breaking the cycle down I here I guess.

[niko_cee]

I'm sure he had them walking around Lords barefoot at some point.

[Ian]

The best way to 'acknowledge the traditional owners of the land' would surely be to give it back to them.

Look, right, they may have "discovered" it 50000 years before Europeans rocked up but they're not even white so can they be said to have "owned" land?

[Jimmy Floyd]

We've shoved Jonny down to 4 to accommodate Roy, which I'm sure will delight him. Double Curran as well. Feels like about three years since I last watched England.

[Ian]

I don't normally bother with T20 but I'm working until 11 so I suppose that might help pass some of the time.

[niko_cee]

That was a bizarre final over from Curran.

I find T20 very hard to watch as you have no idea what represents doing well at almost any point in the match.

[niko_cee]

Did I just clock a boundary advertising board with 'below the waist grooming' on it?

[Shindig]

I bloody hate Manscaped's advertising.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They've got bang into the acast advertising roll in the selection of sport podcasts I listen to along with beer 52, razor blades, men's trousers and what have you. Then the other day I was listening to a more general interest podcast and suddenly Sophie Ellis Bextor is trying to sell me baby clothes. I'm sure this isn't the best version of humanity.

[igor_balis]

The best way to 'acknowledge the traditional owners of the land' would surely be to give it back to them.

Not sure how I feel about this series, any delight I feel about one side's defeat will be tempered by dismay at the other's victory. England are on at 4pm though so all is well.


https://youtu.be/ejorQVy3m8E

[Ian]

+1 for being sick of Manscaped adverts.

[niko_cee]

33 year old Dawid Malan quietly wheeling away as the world's best [International] T20 batsman just shows what a bizarre format it is. It's not even like it's a flash in the pan. His record is ridiculous and he's been at it for ages.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The stattos on twitter reckon he shouldn't be in the side because he starts too slowly. Then again they get all their data from the fixing leagues filled with absolute throwdowns and tiny boundaries, so there is probably a 'class' factor that they aren't taking into account.

[Ian]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/55153678


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0UxTe76Vmk

[Jimmy Floyd]

Kane Williamson currently 109* in a Test and it doesn't appear to be on telly in this country, this is giving me serious FOMO anxiety.

[hfswjyr]

I can't even get it on telly in New Zealand.

251 and out.

[Max Power]

The signal things seems like wank to me tbh but Morgan rinsing Vaughan is what I’m here to see.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/30442146/south-africa-vs-england-1st-odi-newlands-untoward-coded-signals-dressing-room-says-eoin-morgan?platform=amp&__twitter_impression=true

‘While England had cleared their plan with match referee Andy Pycroft, the use of signals has attracted some criticism in the British press - most notably from Michael Vaughan, who wrote in his Daily Telegraph column that there was "absolutely no chance" he would have engaged with an analyst looking to send him information during a game in his time as captain.

"Captains are different," Morgan said on Thursday, the eve of the three-match ODI series which starts at Newlands, in response to the criticism. "You get captains that really enjoy the title, the power and the accolades that go with it, and then you have other captains that continue to be pushed and want to learn for the benefit of the team.’

[Ian]

Ouch. :D

[Jimmy Floyd]

:D

Brilliant.

The signal thing seems weird to me. Allegedly it's about the old chestnut of 'match-ups' (which is nothing more than analysts justifying their job with baseball speak as usual - I'm pretty sure 'who should bowl at who' has been part of cricket tactics since Lumpy Stevens) but I can't see why Eoin Morgan wouldn't know these things from team meetings or just from basic cricket knowledge. Let's say the 'match up' is even as complex as 'Rassie van der Dussen has a low strike rate vs full pitched slower balls on sixth stump from right arm around' - then you have not only captain and vice captain, but the entire bowling unit that would know this information from the analyst meetings and not have to have massive Strictly cards held up from the dressing room.

[niko_cee]

This weird 'x-factor' sub type thing has been tried before hasn't it (and found to be massively beneficial to one side or the other, I forget)? Surely it is disproportionately beneficial to the side batting first in this construct - ie how have the first 10 overs gone for you (good, maybe swap in a bowler, bad, swap in a batsman) or is that the idea - to weight it in favour of batting first seeing as everyone loves to chase?

[Jimmy Floyd]

The idea is to have gimmicks for the sake of it because marketing clowns need to justify their jobs.

It is hugely beneficial for the side batting first. As for the extra point for winning at 10 overs, again, in a close game (which is the only time it's relevant) why would you gamble on trying to get 1 point and possibly hurt your chances of getting however many it is for the win.

[Jimmy Floyd]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/india-in-australia-2020-21-1223867/australia-vs-india-1st-test-1223869/full-scorecard

Should be a good Test match. That Aussie attack is going to flay us alive next year. I honestly can't see how we don't lose 5-0.

[Ian]

And they're not going to bat like this for us, either.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Interested to see this New Keith Miller character they seem to have unearthed, his Shield stats are dirty as fuck. Sadly it may mean an end to the storied Test career of Mitch 'Mitch' Marsh.

[Ian]

Is his name at least Mitchell? Or perhaps Glenn?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Cameron Green, which is good enough for me, combining as it does a very common Aussie cricketer first name with the colour of the team's famous hat. Sounds a bit regen-y, actually.

[Queenslander]

5-15 lol

Edit 6/19 ooofff

That fast bowling line up is pretty good.

[Queenslander]

First time in Test history where the first 6 batsman were dismissed for single figures.

Lol India

Edit: Shami retired hurt what a day

India'a lowest ever Test score.

[Ian]

So by extension then must be the first time an everybody in the team has failed to hit double figures, then?

EDIT: Oh no, the Saffers managed it in England in the 20s. Was the stat you saw the first time in 21st century or something, Queenslander?

[Queenslander]

So by extension then must be the first time an everybody in the team has failed to hit double figures, then?

EDIT: Oh no, the Saffers managed it in England in the 20s. Was the stat you saw the first time in 21st century or something, Queenslander?

Just a tweet whoops

[Ian]

I mean it's a pity India couldn't be the first ever but the first in nearly a century will have to do. :)

[Queenslander]

It is still the funniest sporting moment of 2020.

[Jimmy Floyd]

36 all out, as India, shouldn't be possible.

[Queenslander]

Bring on the smug Black Caps

[ItalAussie]

This was pretty funny, to be fair. Messed up my plan of watching cricket all afternoon the next day though. :D

[ItalAussie]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/india-in-australia-2020-21-1223867/australia-vs-india-1st-test-1223869/full-scorecard

Should be a good Test match. That Aussie attack is going to flay us alive next year. I honestly can't see how we don't lose 5-0.

The trick is that we knock you over for 200 then still spot you a 50-run lead.

Smith and Labaschagne are the only batsmen in the team currently who can get really big scores. Maybe Warner and Pucovski when they're back.

[Queenslander]

Is this still a talking point in the UK?

https://www.facebook.com/246741755487265/posts/1687537741407652/

Both online and offline the wee Kiwis are still obsessed...

[Jimmy Floyd]

Nah, it's moved on to Warner is a cunt and Steve Smith is a weirdo without reference to sandpaper except among unimaginative knobheads who don't watch cricket.

[Dquincy]

I don't think you can describe Smith as "weak". The man is a cricketing machine.

[Kikó]

England’s tour to India is set to be shown on Disney’s Hotstar streaming service in February and Amazon are contenders to show the next Ashes as cricket enters a new era of live broadcasting.

Either Sky Sports or BT Sport has broadcast every England series since 2005, but supporters now face the prospect of having to pay multiple subscriptions to watch the team play their biggest Test series of 2021.

Star Sports, part of the Disney empire, has exclusive rights to broadcast cricket within India and sells on its access to broadcasters in other territories, such as Sky or BT.

But the explosion in popularity of streaming services, such as its Disney+ channel, has led Disney to seriously consider retaining the rights, worth around £20 million, and screening matches in this country via one of its own digital platforms rather than selling them on to a traditional broadcaster.

The most likely platform to be used for the England tour to India would be Hotstar, which can be downloaded on to PCs, tablet and mobile via an app and costs £5.99 a month.

From Feb 23, Hotstar content will be available in Europe via the Disney+ platform, a streaming service like Amazon Prime and Netflix, but that will be halfway through the England series.

England will play four Tests in India, starting in Chennai on Feb 5, as well as five T20s and three ODIs.

The third Test in Ahmedabad will be a day-night match and the time difference works well for broadcasters in England. Amazon has an appetite for one-off big events rather than long-term deals like Sky has with the England and Wales Cricket Board. The Ashes in Australia fits into Amazon’s model, and it has the purchasing power to outbid all rivals.

Cricket Australia signed a five-year deal with BT Sport in 2015 that expires after the current Australian season, leaving the rights to the next Ashes up for grabs.

Telegraph Sport revealed last month that Amazon was interested in the Ashes, and it is understood talks have reached an advanced stage, although Sky remains a strong rival given it would be interested in showing the Big Bash as well as all other Australian Test series.

Losing the India tour and the Ashes would be a blow for Sky given the need for England live content to fill schedules on its dedicated cricket channel, but the broadcasting landscape in sport is changing quickly. Streaming services such as Disney and Amazon have huge budgets to challenge the established sports broadcasters.

Sky has had a virtual monopoly over England’s tours since 1990.

The last Ashes series on BT Sport was the first England tour for decades to have not been shown live on Sky, which has had a difficult relationship with the Indian board and has not shown any of its cricket for the past two years.

Amazon recently signed a deal with Cricket New Zealand for exclusive access to its India rights.

Cricket is seen as the ideal vehicle for breaking into the Indian market and capitalising on its digital boom. “We focus on picking sports events that transcend the day-to-day and have broad appeal as well as appeal to hard core fans. It is a moment to view,” Alex Green, the managing director of sport for Amazon Prime, recently told the BBC’s Media Show.

The pandemic has crippled other areas of the Disney business, but its streaming service is booming.

Christine McCarthy, the Disney chief financial officer, recently said it expected to have up to 350 million global subscribers by the end of 2024 and linking its sports content on Star with its digital service is inevitable.

[Ian]

The drive to ensure sport is viewed by as few people as possible really is quite something.

[Jimmy Floyd]

India doesn't have to worry about people watching cricket, hence the above scenario. From Disney perspective it's about shifting UK subscriptions to watch its Star Wars guff and whatever else they have.

[Ian]

Isn't that saying it's a separate subscription to Disney+ though?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Hmm, yeah - in which case I'm guessing it's aimed squarely at Indian diaspora rather than England fans.

[Ian]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/55584297

That picture of him in his hotel room. :face:

I mean whatever works for you I guess but what a dork.

[Queenslander]

Smith is forgiven in Queensland

[Jimmy Floyd]

That Wade-Green-Paine middle order is tragicomic. Might as well dump a Marsh brother in there to complete the vibe.

[Queenslander]

That Travis bloke is hard done by.

[Ian]

I'm sure we'll make them look like world beaters if we ever get that far down the order.

[Queenslander]

At the moment both Nations should be pulling heel turns on New Zealand

[Ian]

I don't think I could do that to Kane Williamson.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm sure we'll make them look like world beaters if we ever get that far down the order.

You'll be pleased to know that in our inter-squad warm up game today Team Buttler got absolutely skittled by Team Root, necessitating Dom Sibley to come in again for a second bat at 48/6, so all is well at the manor house.

[Ian]

Who was on Team Buttler?

And, you may be about to answer that question depending if he was on Team Buttler, how is Crawley going to get on as an opener?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm quite optimistic about Crawley the opener (and Crawley in general tbh). He made a cool 46 for Team Root before nicking off to Mason Crane, who, it appears, is still alive.

Buttler lined up: Sibley, Pope, Bairstow, Buttler, Curran, Foakes and then Sibley again. Pope got all their runs and Bairstow (our new number three, it appears) got out slashing at a wide one from Jimmy Anderson.

[Ian]

I really, really, really don't want Bairstow back in the team.

And I'll be sticking to that when he inevitably PROVES THE CRITICS WRONG with a decent score at some point because he'll soon be back to using DRS to confirm he's out to plumb LWBs.

[Ian]

Who cares, he seems to be a top fella.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I want to hate them for being whingers after the 2019 final, but scrutiny reveals that they in fact didn't whinge at all and it was boatloads of Aussies and Indians whingeing on their behalf.

NZ cricket is a genuine underdog really, below the elite level it is an absolute mess of a setup compared to England or Australia, it's pretty incredible that they produce the players they do.

[Ian]

Yeah I was gonna say the people involved that I saw (I obviously don't follow cricket news, social media, etc. that much in the scheme of things) seemed to take it in good grace despite being as gutted as you'd expect them to be.

[Ian]

Behave.

[hfswjyr]

NZ cricket is a genuine underdog really, below the elite level it is an absolute mess of a setup compared to England or Australia, it's pretty incredible that they produce the players they do.

Genuinely interested to hear what sources you base this on. I'm not disagreeing; just surprised someone in the UK understands our system here. In my uninformed view, I would suspect it's (along with all our other sports) due to our small population, hence funding/resourcing issues.

Most of our top players at the moment come from fairly small parts of the country, which surprises me. Auckland has all the resources, but can't seem to produce elite level players.

[hfswjyr]

Sorry, I know we are the land of the niggle.

NZ 1 in cricket and union hurts.

NZ cricket supporters haven't forgotten the thrashing we got in Aus last year. The #1 on paper is nice, but anyone who knows anything about cricket understands it's only on paper...

[Jimmy Floyd]

Genuinely interested to hear what sources you base this on. I'm not disagreeing; just surprised someone in the UK understands our system here. In my uninformed view, I would suspect it's (along with all our other sports) due to our small population, hence funding/resourcing issues.

Most of our top players at the moment come from fairly small parts of the country, which surprises me. Auckland has all the resources, but can't seem to produce elite level players.

Precisely that (I know about it because I bring players across here for club cricket). Auckland has quite a decent setup but other than that there is just no depth anywhere and therefore the facilities have very little investment put into them, or at least cricket facilities are over-grassed afterthoughts slapped on the side of rugby grounds. NZ players at just-below-elite level who come over to play in England are usually woefully undercooked relative to where you'd think they'd be.

The reason you'll probably see a fair few top players come from south island or from wherever else (never having visited NZ I never quite understand what things like 'Central Districts' are) is because those regions will have some central funding from NZC at first class level and so will be able to plough lots of investment into quite easily identifiable talent.

The other way of doing it is to have (like Australia) a ridiculously strong grade system whereby you really have to be something to make it to state level, so talent ID is done via sink or swim. We in England are somewhere in between. South Africa does it all via the school system, which has its drawbacks.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Good to see the saintly Aussie captain producing some more trademark wit.

1348517066668711936

[Ian]

Yeah given he started it that little interchange has gone well for him.

[Queenslander]

Pretty mild stuff but I wish they'd just stop with the forced banter.

[Ian]

Just a load of top, top lads having a banter, innit.

[Queenslander]

Not top lads at all. They are all so boring and it is no surprise that Paines bullshit and Smiths roughing up the crease pop back into the culture when they are under pressure.

The good boy act is all smoke and mirrors.

[Ian]

I know I was joking. :D

Like, at least have the self-awareness to know if you're witty enough to do an entertaining sledge. If after the first response you're going to have to resort to "yeh but nobody likes you :(" then maybe just wind it in.

[Ian]

James Ormond v Mark Waugh – Ashes 2001 – Fifth test, The Oval

Despite Waugh undoubtedly having a greater mark on cricketing history, Ormond well and truly came out on top of this war. Upon arrival, Waugh said to Ormond: “Look who it is. Mate, what are you doing here? There’s no way you’re good enough to play for England.” Ormond replied: “Maybe not, but at least I’m the best player in my family.”

I'd not seen that one before. :D

[Queenslander]

:moop:

Got my morning autism derp.

I also think if the crowd has already been in the news for maybe saying something racist it might be smart to just stick bullying Marnus for lols.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Tim nice but dim is going to get, as they say, 'the sack' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZm_NGeVnfc&t=02m00s), and presumably Marnus will take over and lead them to a 5-0 shitting all over us next year.

[Queenslander]

I'd not seen that one before. :D

:D

All time classic.

[Jimmy Floyd]

That one and the Atherton 'When in Rome, old boy...' one are the best. And the Eddo Brandes one obviously but I hardly even believe that can be real.

[Ian]

Labooshaaaaaane's average is stupid and he and Smith are definitely going to dick us to death.

Didn't he only come in against us as a replacement for somebody else as well? :moop: