Cricket

[Leysy Days]

Inclined to agree Sin. Leysy gone a bit over the top, I assumed Smith must have been a tasaweigan!!

Smith should have been caught behind early in his innings. He was lucky with a review in the first innings. Is getting hit on the pads a stack more often. In reality Is a shadow of the great player he was. It's almost like he has too many thoughts in his head. He was purely instinctive but now looks like he is thinking too much. That dismissal looked like a tail ender scared of the short ball. If I was bowling to him it would be relentless chin music, he clearly has lost his edge to the short stuff.

He is averaging 42 in 2023. 6 x 50's in his last 24 innings. He's back to being human. Doubt he ever get's near his previous form.

Not sure what was so outlandish. Logged on this morning expecting Smith and Marsh to be lauded for pulling the Test back in our favour.

Instead get posters pushing Smith to retire and asking what is wrong with him.

He is not the player he was. He's 34. That is obvious. His amazing eye isn't quite what it was and he'll never get back to his freakish best.

But he is still our best player. Especially when we need him.

BTW his average of 42 in 2023 is very good when they predominantly include tours of England and India.

Only Khawaja and Marsh (from limited innings) averaged more.

Warner, Labuschagne, Head, Green, Carey etc would all like to have averaged that this year.

 

[MD Jazz]

Champion who has averaged 53, 58 and 42 in the past 3 years. Still the most prized wicket for anyone playing Australia.

Champion of course yes. Most prized - na. He's not the danger man he was. Head is the game changer/match winner.

He's looked vulnerable in the last year. He never previously looked vulnerable. Maybe he can turn it around but history is against him. Past champs like Ponting/Gilly/Tendulkar all dropped off markedly late in their careers. Their career averages took a real relative smashing.

 

[Sintiger]

The comment "I don't know what is wrong with Smith" is what Leysy thinks what was a bit ridiculous. It is like he isn't pulling his weight and has no idea what he's

I thought we were commenting on the game on at the moment? Obviously you are commenting on something else.
What I saw was a player who has been a champion batter seemingly not trying to score ( 1 off his last 34 balls) and getting out which was almost predictable.
His mind seems cluttered, he has been whinging about getting out almost to the point of dissent and certainly he got himself into such a negative mindset late yesterday that he couldn’t score.
This is not the Steve Smith we are used to and something was or is wrong with the way he has played in this game and in this series.
No idea why you are talking about the last 3 years.

 

[MD Jazz]

Not sure what was so outlandish.

Wait a sec. You bashed Sin for questioning his current form and that innings in particular. That was a struggle of an innings by Smith. (Vaughn in particular noted this)

I note that we are comparing the current version with arguably the second best batsman ever version.

 

[Leysy Days]

Champion of course yes. Most prized - na. He's not the danger man he was. Head is the game changer/match winner.

Head is very dangerous and much improved. But on a wicket tough to bat on and against good opposition. Smith eats Head for breakfast and will still consistently outperform him.

Head's technique when the ball moves (or spins) is just too loose to be in the same class.

He might get there. But let's not get carried away. Remember Head averaged less than Smith in 2023 (and 2022).

 

[tigerman]

Great captaincy by Cummins to bring himself on and to then get the vital breakthrough. He has gone to another level since about halfway through the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Edit

Damien Fleming just said that he has gone to another level.

 

[Leysy Days]

Wow. out or not?

Not enough evidence to overrule umpire for leysy.

 

[jb03]

Wow. out or not?

Not enough evidence to overrule umpire for leysy.

Not enough evidence for mine.

 

[spook]

Could not conclusively say that hit the glove. Poor call. Bill Lawry will be muttering 'why have a sweat band as part of the glove?'

Great test match, could have been an epic finish if they were five or six down at stumps. Will take a miracle now.

Kudos to the ground staff, excellent pitch. Overcast conditions helped too. Cricket is always better when there's something for the bowlers.

Speaking of, what about this Cummins bloke. All-time.

 

[bigwow]

Didn't see the Rizwan dismissal live, but replay looked questionable. Lost 5-18 from there, game over.

 

[tigerman]

A shame the way it finished at the end, Pakistan fought pretty hard, it was a fantastic test match.

 

[TigerForce]

A shame the way it finished at the end, Pakistan fought pretty hard, it was a fantastic test match.

Yep. Better competition from Pakistan in this test but some of their batting is horrendous. Questionable fARC decision on Rizwan as they had some good momentum with that partnership. Starc remains on a pending hat-trick for 1st bowl next test.

 

[tigerman]

Yep. Better competition from Pakistan in this test but some of their batting is horrendous. Questionable fARC decision on Rizwan as they had some good momentum with that partnership. Starc remains on a pending hat-trick for 1st bowl next test.

Hazlewood was on a hat rick with his first ball in this test, and now Starc will be on one in Sydney.
Get on the draw for the Sydney test, it will p1ss down.

 

[tigertim]

Yep. Better competition from Pakistan in this test but some of their batting is horrendous. Questionable fARC decision on Rizwan as they had some good momentum with that partnership. Starc remains on a pending hat-trick for 1st bowl next test.

Unfortunately hat tricks can’t cross games, across innings but not a game.

 

[TigerForce]

Unfortunately hat tricks can’t cross games, across innings but not a game.

Sad but true. Oh well, at least make it unofficial...

 

[TigerMasochist]

Ripping game of cricket, just so many changes of control and influence during the game. They can stick their ODI n T twenty crap fair where the sun don't shine. Nothing beats a balls n all test match.

 

[Streak]

A shame the way it finished at the end, Pakistan fought pretty hard, it was a fantastic test match.

Yeah, just a little more composure both batting and in the field from them and they would have won I reckon.

There bowlers have been magnificent really.

The sad thing is, from here we are going to get a test series against a very poor looking Windies team.

 

[TigerMasochist]

Yeah, just a little more composure both batting and in the field from them and they would have won I reckon.

There bowlers have been magnificent really

Heard a comment during the game that we had around 750 tests of experience compared to around 260 tests for Pakistan. When it came to crunch moments and simply finding a way to take away momentum I reckon this had a massive influence on the outcome. We simply managed to take more advantage of their mistakes than they did of ours.

 

[tigerman]

Yeah, just a little more composure both batting and in the field from them and they would have won I reckon.

There bowlers have been magnificent really.

The sad thing is, from here we are going to get a test series against a very poor looking Windies team.

Yes, I think their batsmen have stood up pretty well to a damn good bowling attack. Their bowling was good, their fielding lets them down.

I'm looking forward to next summer against India and the year after against England.

 

[theglove3]

Ripping game of cricket, just so many changes of control and influence during the game. They can stick their ODI n T twenty crap fair where the sun don't shine. Nothing beats a balls n all test match.

Spot on, TM.

Great match.
I went last 3 days.

Nothing beats red ball cricket.
I just love the brutality of it.
Bowlers don't get 4 overs, then hit the beers.
You've got to keep running in, ball after ball.
No respite.

Pat has had his knockers but he is amazing.
Just keeps presenting.
The Hoff was pretty good as well, so accurate.
You know what you are going to get with Starcy.
Can leak big runs. But he is a strike bowler.
Finished it off with a couple of brutish deliveries.
The Goat copped some tap 2nd Inns. Was pretty good 1st Inns.

DRS is a lottery.
Needs to be refined, as too many referrals eat into "the supposed" 90 overs in a day.
Umpire's call is a joke.
Half a ball hitting, half a ball missing.

That said, Great Test Match!

p.s. Tiger Royalty watch.

Day 2 Saw Richo sinking Great Northerns in the MCC members. Top bar level 4.