Cricket

[DavidSSS]

Rizwan was certainly unlucky to get out for a graze on his sweat band, didn't know that was considered part of the glove but there you go.

Good fight by Pakistan, but when you compare the teams it was almost inevitable that they lose given their team is much younger and has a lot less experience.

Great test, would have been even better had Rizwan survived, might have gone right down to the wire.

DS

 

[spook]

Rizwan was certainly unlucky to get out for a graze on his sweat band, didn't know that was considered part of the glove but there you go.

It's only part of the glove if it's part of the glove. He should get new gloves without bands and wear separate bands if he wants them.

I like this Pakistan team. Good openers, Shafique looks a really good player in the making, Imam is solid but needs to rotate the strike better. Masood's average belies his talent - he's capable of averaging 40, which with his intent is good enough for a no.3. Like him as a captain too. Babar has disappointed so far but is world class, think he'll get runs on a less bouncy pitch in Sydney. Shakeel, like Shafique, looks the goods, ditto Salman who is brilliant in the slips. I love Rizwan, excellent keeper and fiesty batsman.

If they had Naseem Shah and a good spinner they'd look very strong. A strong Pakistan is great for cricket, especially considering how unlikely it seems we'll ever see a strong Weat Indies again.

 

[Tigers of Old]

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 doing.

He second top scored in a tough situation where every run counted.

It was tough batting against good bowling. Smith isn't the player he was as his eye just isn't the same.

Like a lot of great players, when that starts going they make up for it in other ways.

He is comfortably our best player when the going is tough. Why - he reads the conditions and adapts his game better than anyone else.

Take yesterday. The match situation and conditions meant he never drove on the up, no extravavent cuts/pulls. Leave everything possible, play with a short backlift, value your wicket and work the ball. Test match batting.

On another day, he would play completely different. His teammates could learn a lot.

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

Totally agree. Smith came in when the team was on it's knees at 4/16.
He was then part of a 154 run partnership that saved (then won) the game on a very hard batting track.
Sure not the greatest 50 he's ever hit but an important one.
The criticism is out of whack.

 

[TT33]

Totally agree. Smith came in when the team was on it's knees at 4/16.
He was then part of a 154 run partnership that saved (then won) the game on a very hard batting track.
Sure not the greatest 50 he's ever hit but an important one.
The criticism is out of whack.

Actually I think it was one of his best innings, considering the the game situation. If he faltered we were stuffed. He grafted & supported Marsh who was terrific. Without both of them, we lose that test.

I salute them both.

 

[Streak]

I think Smith is out of form at the moment. That grafting 50 will do him the world of good, and think he regains his mojo in the Windies series.

He is playing at mere mortal level at the moment, not immortal as in previous years.

I also think that he should be playing at No.3. He is a natural for that role. His stats tend to support this, although the number of innings as a No.3 might not be representative.

Batting Position	Inns	NO	100s	50s	0s	HS	Runs	Avg	S/R
3​	29​	3​	8​	5​	0​	215​	1744​	67.08​	57.65​
4​	109​	13​	19​	26​	6​	239​	5924​	61.71​	52.94​

 

[tigerman]

The Perth and MCG wickets haven't been the easiest to bat on and Pakistan have bowled well to Smith. Scores of 26, 50, 31 & 45 isn't too bad, he has been in some good partnerships too.
One thing I do know, we would be up the creek if he was to retire, is still our best batsmen.

 

[Legends of 2017]

How long before test cricket disappears? 5 years? 10 years?

‘What a joke’: Test cricket is officially dead — news.com.au

The cricket world is furious after South Africa announced it was sending a ‘C-team’ to play series in a sign Test cricket is officially dead.

apple.news

‘Imminent death’: Sad Test cricket reality — news.com.au

The ugly reality surrounding the longer format of cricket was laid bare this week with only one thing to blame for the damning downfall.

apple.news

 

[Tigers of Old]

How long before test cricket disappears? 5 years? 10 years?

‘What a joke’: Test cricket is officially dead — news.com.au

The cricket world is furious after South Africa announced it was sending a ‘C-team’ to play series in a sign Test cricket is officially dead.

apple.news

‘Imminent death’: Sad Test cricket reality — news.com.au

The ugly reality surrounding the longer format of cricket was laid bare this week with only one thing to blame for the damning downfall.

apple.news

When I was a youngster I'd sit there & watch every ball of every session, of every test for 5 days straight.

Try getting a kid to watch 5 balls these days..

 

[IanG]

How long before test cricket disappears? 5 years? 10 years?

‘What a joke’: Test cricket is officially dead — news.com.au

The cricket world is furious after South Africa announced it was sending a ‘C-team’ to play series in a sign Test cricket is officially dead.

apple.news

‘Imminent death’: Sad Test cricket reality — news.com.au

The ugly reality surrounding the longer format of cricket was laid bare this week with only one thing to blame for the damning downfall.

apple.news

Steve Waugh on this:

‘Is this a defining moment in the death of Test cricket’: Steve's right to be on Waughpath over pathetic Proteas squad

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh couldn't be more spot on with his fears for the future of Test cricket after blasting Cricket South Africa…

www.theroar.com.au

 

[Sintiger]

The Perth and MCG wickets haven't been the easiest to bat on and Pakistan have bowled well to Smith. Scores of 26, 50, 31 & 45 isn't too bad, he has been in some good partnerships too.
One thing I do know, we would be up the creek if he was to retire, is still our best batsmen.

I posted a while ago that the cupboard looked pretty bare to me for batters coming through for Australia. There were posters on here who listed players they saw as potentially the next wave and I accept I may be wrong but I feel we don’t seem to have players screaming out to be picked.
There was a time where terrific shield players couldn’t get a look in because we were so strong. We seem to have a lot of bowlers but fewer batsmen.
Hope I am wrong

 

[Tigers of Old]

I posted a while ago that the cupboard looked pretty bare to me for batters coming through for Australia. There were posters on here who listed players they saw as potentially the next wave and I accept I may be wrong but I feel we don’t seem to have players screaming out to be picked.
There was a time where terrific shield players couldn’t get a look in because we were so strong. We seem to have a lot of bowlers but fewer batsmen.
Hope I am wrong

Everything is relative. That may still be talent that's better than 90% of Test playing nations in the current climate.

 

[tigerman]

I posted a while ago that the cupboard looked pretty bare to me for batters coming through for Australia. There were posters on here who listed players they saw as potentially the next wave and I accept I may be wrong but I feel we don’t seem to have players screaming out to be picked.
There was a time where terrific shield players couldn’t get a look in because we were so strong. We seem to have a lot of bowlers but fewer batsmen.
Hope I am wrong

The advent of T20 cricket has thrown a spanner in the works for aspiring test batsmen. Once upon a time shield matches we’re played at the same time as test matches. Now with BBL there’ll be a couple of shield games before the tests and then they don’t play again until February.
An injured or out form test player would be replaced by an inform shield player.
With the chance of making millions around the world in t20 competitions, a good sound defence is not the priority for young players nowadays. I can’t say I blame them.

 

[Sintiger]

Everything is relative. That may still be talent that's better than 90% of Test playing nations in the current climate.

The advent of T20 cricket has thrown a spanner in the works for aspiring test batsmen. Once upon a time shield matches we’re played at the same time as test matches. Now with BBL there’ll be a couple of shield games before the tests and then they don’t play again until February.
An injured or out form test player would be replaced by an inform shield player.
With the chance of making millions around the world in t20 competitions, a good sound defence is not the priority for young players nowadays. I can’t say I blame them.

Probably both of these are correct

There are a lot of players not playing BBL who are doing well in Shield cricket and vice versa. It is a different game I guess.

 

[tigertim]

Ian Smith, Brett Lee and Brad Haddin, a scintillating commentary trio….

 

[Legends of 2017]

Ian Smith, Brett Lee and Brad Haddin, a scintillating commentary trio….

 

[tigerman]

The Aussie girls have done well in the 3rd ODI against India, 7/338 off their 50 overs.
Litchfield scored a brilliant 119. My girl Alana King did well down the order, 26 off 14, she has scored 54 off 31 balls in her last 2 knocks.

 

[jb03]

Ian Smith, Brett Lee and Brad Haddin, a scintillating commentary trio….

Ian Smith is normally pretty good.


The article posted makes a good point about players having lunch rather than resuming after a rain break (and the slow over rates)

 

[TigerMasochist]

T20 cricket = Big dollars, flashing lights, dancing music, bells, whistles n jabbering announcers for a competition of 30 seconds of adrenaline rush where no-one remembers the result the next morning.
Thousands of irrelevant games per year purely to provide platforms for advertising to the generation in need of mindless, constant, instant, visual distraction.

 

[Sintiger]

Ian Smith is normally pretty good.

I don’t mind Smith. His commentary at the end of the Maxwell 200 in the World Cup was terrific I thought.
Lee and Haddin are terrible
I’ve never been able to work out why Brendan Julian hasn’t ended up commentating all over the world as he is excellent imo.
Maybe he doesn’t want the lifestyle that comes with constant travel.
Ponting is the best. Fantastic insight into the game.

 

[TigerForce]

Looks like another 1 sided test.....anyway, if Starc got Shafique out with his 1st ball (instead of 2nd), he would've gained an unofficial hat-trick.