Nah, it's meant to spin in Sri Lanka. Fair play.
Also, Herath is another one of those universally-liked players, so it's hard to feel too aggrieved.
Nah, it's meant to spin in Sri Lanka. Fair play.
Also, Herath is another one of those universally-liked players, so it's hard to feel too aggrieved.
I won $180 over the last two tests thanks to the ineptitude of Australia, so I don't mind coming in for poundings away from home in the slightest as long as we continue to get 2/541 (Warner 400*) come every summer. This must be why you get such favourable odds betting against Australia on away tours. The bookies take the inflated stats and rankings of Australia at face value. And if they continue to thrash everybody at home then it's just fantastic, free money every time Australia tour Asia.
Before this series Sri Lanka only had one win against Australia in 35 years of test status.
Also when Australia go down 2-0 in India after the first two tests next year, they'll hold the record for most consecutive test losses in Asia - 11.
We're going to win in India this winter, against all cricketing logic, and it's going to be glorious.
Fairest pitches in the world, mate.
They used to be, until the flat drop-in pitches ruined everything.
It used to be that there was something for every kind of cricketer. Adelaide for big hitters, Perth for fast bowlers, Sydney for spinners. Melbourne tended to reward very high quality play from anyone. Brisbane was weird in that Australia never, ever lost there for no apparent pitch-related reasons.
Now they're just all photocopied batting tracks. Boring.
If cricket was actually as popular as CA dream it is, they wouldn't need to let AFL grounds have primary use of all their stadiums to keep the lights on and they wouldn't have to use drop in pitches. But only the Ashes and domestic 20/20 actually make any money, and 20/20 is fine played on homogenous roads.
Starc and Smith are the only genuine quality players Australia has right now. The rest are jobbers and flat track bullies. Cricket's bunk these days, that a side as mediocre as this Australian one ever got close to the number 1 test ranking is a joke.
I agree with this paragraph almost entirely, although I actually think that David Warner is pretty good. Cupboard's bare outside of that though.Originally Posted by elth
There's no great team doing their thing at the moment, which shows in the way that the number one ranking (as if that means anything) bounces around.
Starc's great to watch though. I had a front row seat at an ODI in Sydney a while back. It was rained off, but he got five or so overs in. Seeing him bowl in person, I know for a fact that I'd not even have time to register what had happened before the ball smashed into my stumps/legs.
Flat roads + an entirely pointless ball = home wins = test ranking points
Warner would be fine if he had someone with as much spine as Justin Langer beside him, but his aggressiveness just doesn't work when the team is his wicket away from a collapse in every game, because his style means he's going to give it away as often as he scores a run a ball century.
If there's one thing that sums up where international cricket is, it's the never-ending calls, including from 'experts' who should know better, that Jos Buttler be reinstated to the England Test side.
I think everyone is scared about watching Bairstow keep wicket in Asia. Think of the missed stumpings. Not that Buttler is significantly better...
Who do we reckon is going to go then? I think an Ian Ronald Bell recall is coming despite him not being in great form for Warwickshire. Bit of chatter about Lancs wonderkid opener Hameed who's passed 1000 runs for the season. Batty as a another spinner?
Gaz Batts would make my life but think it runs contrary to everything This England Setup is about. More likely they'll bring a left armer, maybe Ansari, surely not Fat Sam.
Rashid should play. Reckon England's Chris Woakes will go well over there, on his way to pipping all the Olympians to Sports Personality of the Year.
I'd go with this:
Cook
Hameed (fuck it, read any Paul Edwards match report about his innings this season, he sounds the business)
Root
Borthwick
Moeen
Bairstow
Stokes
Woakes
Rashid
Broad
Anderson
Also on the trip: Duckett, Foakes, Ansari, Wood, Finn. Gallance, Hales and Vince can all fuck off.
I saw Simon 'the analyst' Hughes tweet some nonsense lineup which dropped Broad, retained Vince, and had Stokes at 4.
And for reference this is the Championship stats for English qualified spinners this year.
Div 1
Batty 38 @ 27
Rayner 35 @ 23
Leach 34 @ 24
Rashid 29 @ 34
Kerrigan 23 @ 38 (lol)
Ansari 22 @ 29
Fat Sam's Grand Slam 22 @ 36
Div 2
Tredwell 19 @ 41
What this tells you about Div 2 is a bit alarming, as is the fact that Ravi Bopara has taken 37 wickets at 20.
As I think George Dobell said, if England win in India it's not going to be through their spinners. No Swann and Monty now. Just need some solid citizens to take advantage of raging turners and Rashid to mop up the tail. I think Wood could be a factor with his extra pace.
If you are going to blood (another) new opener then India isn't the worst place to do it. Go for the kid.
Cook and Root were both introduced in India...
I wonder if we could pull Langer out of retirement. Maybe our best option.
You must have a stodgy as fuck opener somewhere in the Sheffield Shield, or do they just pick strokeplayers these days?
Chris Rogers was perfect really. Well, ish.
EDIT: Wait. Marcus Stoinis and his ten inch Stoinis. Get him in.
Everyone's a bit useless at the moment. Michael Klinger would have been perfect, but he's about a hundred now.
Maybe Travis Dean could do a job.
Losing 6/21 in 4 overs is fairly lol.
'mon the 'tarians!
Ben Duckett is the absolute business if you didn't already now
Extras with the joint 3rd highest score in that innings :d
I can't wait for Yorks to sign Duckett.
Mark Wood is the man
Bit of a partnership here.
Northants in the process of mugging off all the England wankers.
Quality running there.
NO! *starts running*
Duckett's an actual dwarf.
Pakistan number one Test team in the world confirmed.
All hail King Misbah
All things considered, probably the greatest captain of my lifetime. You could argue Steve Waugh, but he had a whole army of world-leading players at his disposal, a full array of home Tests, and a non-mental cricketing culture behind him.
In fact I'd go:
1. Misbah
2. Ranatunga
3. Waugh
4. Ganguly
5. Hussain (yeah, really)
For argument's sake, let's say my lifetime began with Allan Border's retirement.
Can't imagine how much I'd hate Mohammed Hafeez if was a Pakistan fan.
Think England win this series 5-0 tbh, weather permitting
Azhar Ali opening up with his 50 strike rates is so gash. I guess the rest of them are stark raving lunatics though.
That first review.
The DRS system does need sorting. The theory about it being there to correct obvious errors is all well and good, but that isn't how it is used and I'm not sure the way it functions at the moment is really having an overly positive effect on the game.
The first obvious change is that the player should have to explain the reason they think the decision is incorrect, and that's the only thing that the review checks. No optimistic reviews which happen to come good because of unrelated bowler overstepping, for example.That first review.
The DRS system does need sorting. The theory about it being there to correct obvious errors is all well and good, but that isn't how it is used and I'm not sure the way it functions at the moment is really having an overly positive effect on the game.
Wouldn't have helped here, but it really bugs me when that happens. And it should probably cut down on the more frivolous reviews, because having the player actually say that they thought the decision was wrong because of [reason] should at least make them seem a bit silly if they're clearly having to make something up.
The main problem with reviews is that most teams are completely incompetent at using them. Like, literally fucking clueless.
The main problem is the umpire's call. You either embrace the predictive element, or you don't. The thinnest snick and RTS can have you on your way (or not), but a ball can be knocking leg stump out of the ground and you're fine. There is inconsistency between modes of dismissal. I suppose as a halfway house you could say a review lost to 'umpire's call' wouldn't be lost, but even then, I'm of the mind that if the ball is (predicted to be) hitting the stumps, and a pad stops it from doing that, then that is, by definition, lbw, and should be out.
It isn't used to correct clear errors. It is used speculatively and too much emphasis then rests on the original decision. Not that it is a system aimed at achieving the 'correct decision' in absolute terms anyway.
The problem they have is that historically umpires used to uniformly not give things which were clearly lbw (I got into massive grief at the weekend for giving something when the batsman 'got a big stride in' - it was hitting the stumps you mooks), and so the consequences of liberalising the review system will be that wickets tumble freely and games are over more quickly.
Broadcasters want batsmen to succeed and games to last the distance.
Exactly. The review system was invented to stop batsmen getting 'bad ones', not to make decisions better in terms of overall accuracy, and the "umpire's call" lbw anomaly is the last bastion of the old "going down leg" decision rationale. Get rid.
Not seen much of this, but going as it's at the Rose Bowl I'm going to assume Pakistan are at least 100 runs light here.
When Pakistan bat first, a par total is basically whatever they get.
The sound off the bat when Jason Roy middles it
My boy out for 96 this morning. We're basically looking at an 18 year old English Wasim Akram here, but with better batting.
I read that he's more likely to end up as a batting all rounder in the future. Fuck all that, focus on the left arm swing.
He's not. He's going to be absolutely amazing at both in a way people can't comprehend these days. From what I've seen he could legitimately end up batting 4/5 for England and also being the main opening bowler.
If he avoids injury he'll surpass Botham easily.
Fucking hell.
Trying to think of comparable cricketers I've seen at the same age, I guess Mohammad Amir was bowling-wise at 17 but he didn't bat as well. Rabada... nah.
Dan Lawrence at Essex is also mega and should be playing for England within 18 months.
How on earth is that conclusive evidence to overturn an on field decision?
Start the car.
Ironically, that's the sort of ball/stump contact that the DRS would have as inconclusive.
The Messiah batting on Sky now (in a semi final against the dreaded yorkies).
Our batting has been abysmal recently. Surrey are going to walk this
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