Have we got play in Sydney yet? 

Fancy asking CA for a second Test (day/Night Test) in Sydney when they can't even get their weather right.

The 'Pink Test' isn't enough for them. I'm a supporter of the McGrath Foundation. But I reckon they go overboard with the ever increasing pink each year which surely comes at significant cost. First it was wear pink day 3, then pink stumps, pink caps, commentators in pink (thankfully the late Richie didn't have to put up much with it in his beige), pink ball, soon it will be pink bats and pink outfield. And televised in HD Pink! 

Overboard if you ask me. Too late to go back now for fear of PC backlash.

Anyway the Sydney Test now being the last Test of Summer is quickly becoming irrelevant. Despite it's historical significance. 

PS. The Pink Test really does suit Sydney though...

5 hours ago, H_T said:

 

Overboard if you ask me. Too late to go back now for fear of PC backlash.

 

lol. mustn't upset the perpetually aggrieved

Great story coming out of India where a school cricketer has knocked up an astonishing 1009 n.o. off just 323 balls, setting a new all-time batting record in all competitions of the game. 

Fifteen year-old Pranav Dhanawad hit 129 fours and 59 sixes, with one bowler conceding 142 runs off a mere 6 overs.

The ground admittedly had short boundaries, but so did the ground which was home to the previous record, 628 n.o by Albert Edward Jeune Collins, who held the mantle for 117 years. 

It will be included in Wisden, so it's the real deal, despite being just a school game.

There's a really sweet and serious interview - including questions such as what's it like to be in the nervous 900's - with the humble hero here. 

16 hours ago, Grapeviney said:

Great story coming out of India where a school cricketer has knocked up an astonishing 1009 n.o. off just 323 balls, setting a new all-time batting record in all competitions of the game. 

Good luck to him. Pity he missed out on my 1023 off 319 balls posted several years ago on the beach. Cracker of a day & innings that one! Big night too from what I can recall....

On 7 January 2016 at 2:25 PM, H_T said:

Good luck to him. Pity he missed out on my 1023 off 319 balls posted several years ago on the beach. Cracker of a day & innings that one! Big night too from what I can recall....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjr9Y3oNW-4

On 12 June 2008 at 9:01 AM, Whispering_Jack said:

How do we get that Chanderpaul out?

It's finally happened ~

Chanderpaul retires from all forms of cricket

More than a month has passed since I posted the above comment about Chanderpaul's retirement and, in the interim, the Aussies convincingly won two away test matches and are back on top of world in the rankings. 

And yet, not a peep around here.

Have people lost interest in this aspect of cricket?

 

i c that Warner may drop down the order,  to bat at 3 ?    Imagine that,  eh Wat ?

& my dear Watson,  as an opener ?  

On 1 March 2016 at 0:30 AM, dee-luded said:

 

i c that Warner may drop down the order,  to bat at 3 ?    Imagine that,  eh Wat ?

& my dear Watson,  as an opener ?  

T20 Mickey Mouse stuff.

4 hours ago, Chelly said:

T20 Mickey Mouse stuff.

lol..  yes,  but I at least can see the potential for Warner to bat @ 3 in the test side.  Boony style.

Shield Final - related to other thread about "true" extras. It's on the scorecard again because (I think) a Vics official rubbed the ball into the concrete and it gave away a 5 run penalty - after a boundary too, not often you see a 9!

Final very evenly poised.

S.A. essentially 2-8 with plenty of overs left in the day. If they get the full 28 overs in, Vics can expect to have them 4-5 down with a lead around 100.

VICs need 157 more runs with 9 wickets in hand to win the Shield!

WI take out the T20 in the Men & Women! Does anyone know what odds that multi would have been pre-tournament?

Australian test squad for Sri Lanka announced.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-australia-2016/content/story/1018833.html

I feel like I'm saying this every time, but it really gets to me the armchair ride some NSW players seem to get with selection over the Victorian guys!

How Henriques is selected over Stoinis and how O'Keefe is selected over Fawad Ahmed or John Holland is so so farcical I don't know what more needs to be said or done.

Henriques (older then Stoinis) has a batting average of 31.91 as compared to Stoinis's 39.05.  Henriques does have a betetr bowling average of 30.18 compared to 53.42, but 98 wickets in 62 First Class matches is hardly the figures of someone you expect to bowl you to victory.  Stoinis has 21 wickets in 33 matches, so 77 wickets in his next 29 matches (less then 3 a match) is more then achievable for Stoinis to show his bowling is equally as good as Henriques.

As for O'Keefe, I don't get what the selectors see in him.  He's just a conservative straight arm darter that doesn't threaten the batsmen.  He took 17 wickets in 6 first class matches last season @ 24.64 which is impressive for an average, but only because he doesn't go for many runs as he doesn't bowl a lot of hit me balls.  Fawad on the other hand was brought up on sub continent pitches, so I would have thought would have been an ideal second spinner to pick.  Or if you wanted to go with a left arm spinner, how about John Holland who's been held back by constant injuries over the years.  Finally got a couple of games late last season and took 14 wickets in 2 matches @ 20.92 and is still in his mid 20's as opposed to O'Keefe & Fawad who are in their 30's.

If it were me, I'd of gone with Stoinis & Holland over Henriques & O'Keefe, but then obviously I'm biased as I actually have some Victorians in my squad.  And while I'm at it I'd of had Handscomb in ahead of Shaun Marsh as the reserve batsman also, as if Neville gets injured the morning of a test, I don't know who's going to keep?

I like the idea of this.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/cricket/icc-keen-to-introduce-two-divisions-in-test-cricket-with-promotion-and-relegation/news-story/2a00386734f3b8f4279fac23019ca636

Ideally I reckon it would be best giving Ireland & Afghanistan test status and having two groups of 6, but I'm sure there's different ways they'll be able to make it work.

On 2/28/2016 at 2:10 PM, Whispering_Jack said:

 

Have people lost interest in this aspect of cricket?

It seems so.  Hopefully what's being considered in my above post may help get people's interest in the sport back.

13 hours ago, AngryAtCasey said:

I like the idea of this.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/cricket/icc-keen-to-introduce-two-divisions-in-test-cricket-with-promotion-and-relegation/news-story/2a00386734f3b8f4279fac23019ca636

Ideally I reckon it would be best giving Ireland & Afghanistan test status and having two groups of 6, but I'm sure there's different ways they'll be able to make it work.

The idea has merit for a number of reasons TD ... one being that the smaller nations could be introduced into the lower division and help grow the game.  Teams like Ireland & Afghanistan could cut their teeth against the lesser performed Test nations if we had 2 divisions.  If the ICC added 2 nations I'd favour an 8 & 4 set-up as an initial launch (perhaps 7 & 5)  Teams from the different divisions could still play each other but for lesser or greater points.

One other reason is the promotion & relegation scenario where certain teams would suddenly have a lot more to play for ... the only issue I have with that is do test cricketers need any more incentive other than knowing what is expected and required upon selection? 

But the biggie for me would be the proper recognition for the best performed team in the top division - the no.1 test ranking isn't really celebrated as it should be or could be.  A yearly trophy presented at the end of the New Year* tests could work (assuming South Africa, Australia & New Zealand were all in the top division) 

Current rankings ...

Rank     Team         Matches     Points       Rating

1         Australia          32            3765         118

2         India                20            2238         112

3         Pakistan          20            2227         111

4         England          32             3370         105

5         New Zealand  25             2449          98

6         South Africa    22             2015          92

7         Sri Lanka        24             2113           88

8         West Indies     21            1374           65

9         Bangladesh    12              687            57

10       Zimbabwe        4                48            12

 

*We often have 3 tests all played in the first week of January in 3 different countries (Aus, S Afr & NZ) ... those tests are often the final tests of those particular series' ... if New Zealand weren't in the top division then maybe only 2 series would be the deciding factor (to arrive at the best performed test team of the season)  Or perhaps a series could be held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Sharjah over the Xmas/New Year period. 

We could, in theory, have 4 series all played concurrently over the Xmas/New Year to decide things.

Edited June 3, 20168 yr by Macca

Would be interesting to see how they do it. Given Richardson i suspect they may initially go 5 & 5 and the relegation and promotion happens after every 2 seasons (allows for home & away series).

So as it stands now you'd probably see Australia possibly start doing 7 tests a summer while in top division bringing Manuka Oval in Caberra into the equation. Means one summer they'd probably have 2 tests v NZ & a normal 5 test Ashes series, then the following summer 3 tests v Pakistan & the usual 4 against India.

And it would be nice to see them bring in a 3rd division to see if some countries can move up the rankings. As it stands now that group would include Afghanistan, Ireland, UAE, Scotland & PNG. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Cricket_League

Whatever ends up happening, i think we all agree, change of some kind is required.

Edited June 3, 20168 yr by AngryAtCasey

Anyone catch any of Day 1 yesterday?

Rolled the Lankans for 117 and 2/66 at stumps when rain hit.  Wickets were shared.

I must say I was concerned with Joe Burns dismissal.  He didn't look to have any idea against Herath.

On 1/6/2016 at 2:20 PM, H_T said:

Anyway the Sydney Test now being the last Test of Summer is quickly becoming irrelevant. Despite it's historical significance. 

PS. The Pink Test really does suit Sydney though...

I know I'm replying to this nearly 7 months after it's initial post.  But I do agree with your comment about the test becoming more irrelevant with it always being the last of the whole summer.

Reckon they need to go back to having a Perth test in mid January and then the Adelaide test over the Australia Day period.  Move the ODI's to November just after the Matador Cup and you can then play a few T20's in early Feb after the Big Bash.  Makes a lot more sense to me.

Also think it helps interest build over the summer.  Let the ODI's work as a build up for the Tests which are always more popular and then have a few junk T20's for the kids at the end of the summer when the threat of AFL pre-season matches straling crowds away comes into the picture.

3 hours ago, AngryAtCasey said:

Anyone catch any of Day 1 yesterday?

Rolled the Lankans for 117 and 2/66 at stumps when rain hit.  Wickets were shared.

I must say I was concerned with Joe Burns dismissal.  He didn't look to have any idea against Herath.

Herath's a good bowler.

It was a good tactical move to bring him on in gthe second over. It probably caught Burns by surprise.  A poor shot, but I wouldn't write him off on the strength of that one dismissal.

Warner's shot was a shocker, but I always think bat to pad to stumps is a bit stiff.

I can't imagine it would have been that often that we'd lose after losing the toss but bowling the opponent out for 117 in the first innings, but I think we're on track for a loss in this one.

Left-arm wrist spin is the toughest spin to play and their new chinaman bowler is good at it. We only need 185 more but most of that is going to have to come from Smith and Voges. 

Marsh gone. 129 more needed with 5 wickets in hand is a big ask. Should be a gripping finish.

1 minute ago, 45HG said:

Marsh gone. 129 more needed with 5 wickets in hand is a big ask. Should be a gripping finish.

If we win it will only be because of Smith holding it together. Just saved on review as I type.

The tail can bat but not against spin in Sri Lanka/India/UAE.

Weather aside, I think this is over now.