Anyone for cricket?

[leave it to deever 17,517]

Wasn't exactly great sportsmanship presenting medals in an empty stadium with India holed up in their rooms.

I think they must have been gutted though.

Firm faves throughout the comp and one billion on their case.

The only game they lose is the final.

So it's easy for me to think they should have been present for the presentation but the reality is very different.

[Macca 17,033]

1 minute ago, layzie said:

Yeah that's true. If the roles were reversed and this final was at the G do you reckon we'd be similar? 

Well, there'd probably be more Indians at the ground (MCG) than Aussies so it depends on who wins!!!

I watched about 20 or 30 games in the WC and there was a good number of opposition supporters at each game except ... the final

The cameras kept panning to 1000's of locals and then occasionally 2 or 3 people in Aussie tops.  And there was no crowd support for any Aussie highlights - dead silence every time

So I wasn't suprised at all that that the ground emptied once the Aussies won

[leave it to deever 17,517]

Has cricket really ever been a game based on honor and good sportsmanship?

Its always touted as a gentleman's game but the reality is very different.

Even going back to the bodyline era....it wasn't very sporting back then.

It's a nice idea but I'm not sure if it's the case.

[Macca 17,033]

8 minutes ago, leave it to deever said:

Wasn't exactly great sportsmanship presenting medals in an empty stadium with India holed up in their rooms.

I think they must have been gutted though.

Firm faves throughout the comp and one billion on their case.

The only game they lose is the final.

So it's easy for me to think they should have been present for the presentation but the reality is very different.

Yep, finals are finals and you've still got to go out there and win the game

Thinking about it, our experience at tournament level came to the fore

We were cool, calm and collected right throughout.  Where as India did not respond well to the adversity that came their way.  They froze a bit but I wouldn't call it choking

Probably lacked real leadership where as the Aussie team was chock full of experience and wise-heads

I've witnessed all 6 World Cup wins now and feel quite blessed.  The team is my favourite outside of the MFC and I've been richly rewarded over time

[Macca 17,033]

11 minutes ago, leave it to deever said:

Has cricket really ever been a game based on honor and good sportsmanship?

Its always touted as a gentleman's game but the reality is very different.

Even going back to the bodyline era....it wasn't very sporting back then.

It's a nice idea but I'm not sure if it's the case.

And we took great delight in Thommo & DK Lillee terrorising the Poms in '74/'75

Later on Mitch Johnson was unleashed in 2013/14 

John Snow for England was particularly nasty back in '70/'71 ... he was seriously quick.  Hard work just surviving as a batsman

No helmets back in those days either.  A touch of the gladiatorial was cricket back then

Gentleman's game?  Maybe in the village green back in olde England but not at the lower levels in suburban Oz ... we play for sheep stations!

[leave it to deever 17,517]

14 minutes ago, Macca said:

Yep, finals are finals and you've still got to go out there and win the game

Thinking about it, our experience at tournament level came to the fore

We were cool, calm and collected right throughout.  Where as India did not respond well to the adversity that came their way.  They froze a bit but I wouldn't call it choking

Probably lacked real leadership where as the Aussie team was chock full of experience and wise-heads

I've witnessed all 6 World Cup wins now and feel quite blessed.  The team is my favourite outside of the MFC and I've been richly rewarded over time

I think with hindsight now, there were a couple of red flags.

Basically all the pressure was on India. And there was a lot of it.

India relied on their top order batsmen. They were very good but in doing most of the heavy lifting many of their batters didn't get much time.

With our team it was always a case of someone new stepping up.

Got hand it to us, we are super cool when it counts. 

 

[leave it to deever 17,517]

3 minutes ago, Macca said:

And we took great delight in Thommo & DK Lillee terrorising the Poms in '74/'75

Later on Mitch Johnson was unleashed in 2013/14 

John Snow for England was particularly nasty back in '70/'71 ... he was seriously quick.  Hard work just surviving as a batsman

No helmets back in those days either.  A touch of the gladiatorial was cricket back then

Gentleman's game?  Maybe in the village green back in olde England but not at the lower levels in suburban Oz ... we play for sheep stations!

70s cricket was sublime.

Including all the changes with Packer.

If you get a chance to watch the two part drama on Netflix re Packer v The cricket board, it's worth it.

I still remember the centenary test.

[Macca 17,033]

Just now, leave it to deever said:

70s cricket was sublime.

Including all the changes with Packer.

If you get a chance to watch the two part drama on Netflix re Packer v The cricket board, it's worth it.

I still remember the centenary test.

I went to the first 2 days of the Centenary test ... felt devastated after day 1 but ecstatic after day 2!  It was a memorable test match with many highlights

I know a few people who went to every day but I had to work on the Monday (day 3) 

Thanks for the heads up on Packer vs The Board ... will take a look

[leave it to deever 17,517]

1 minute ago, Macca said:

I went to the first 2 days of the Centenary test ... felt devastated after day 1 but ecstatic after day 2!  It was a memorable test match with many highlights

I know a few people who went to every day but I had to work on the Monday (day 3) 

Thanks for the heads up on Packer vs The Board ... will take a look

Howzat! Kerry Packer's War.

Packer is portrayed as the bullheaded business man he was but it's a nice walk down memory lane.

[Macca 17,033]

Derek Randall's big hundred, DK with 11 wickets, Marsh's 100, Hookesy's 5 consecutive boundaries, McCoskers courage, same margin as in the 1st ever test,  England pushing for victory

Centenary Test 1977

Highlights 1:07:45

Edited November 21, 2023 by Macca

[leave it to deever 17,517]

12 hours ago, Macca said:

Derek Randall's big hundred, DK with 11 wickets, Marsh's 100, Hookesy's 5 consecutive boundaries, McCoskers courage, same margin as in the 1st ever test,  England pushing for victory

Centenary Test 1977

Highlights 1:07:45

Watched the highlights.

Tx a lot.

I was wrong about honor and sportsmanship.

Rodney Marsh claiming he wasn't sure one catch didn't carry was great honesty and integrity.

Dkls run up was longer than Benny Browns.

How young was Bill Lawry.

Some incredible talent in that lineup.

Cheers Macca.

I'm thinking the World cup result should add some spice to this Friday's test match.

Edited November 21, 2023 by leave it to deever

[Macca 17,033]

11 hours ago, leave it to deever said:

Watched the highlights.

Tx a lot.

I was wrong about honor and sportsmanship.

Rodney Marsh claiming he wasn't sure one catch didn't carry was great honesty and integrity.

Dkls run up was longer than Benny Browns.

How young was Bill Lawry.

Some incredible talent in that lineup.

Cheers Macca.

I'm thinking the World cup result should add some spice to this Friday's test match.

Yeah, normally I wouldn't tune in to the t20 internationals with great gusto, but the 5 games could be very competitive

Game time start isn't user friendly either

[Macca 17,033]

It seems not everyone is happy about Dave's farewell test

The Roar, ABC news or Yahoo has the full story from Mitch Johnson (unleashes on Warner, Bailey)

Edited December 3, 2023 by Macca

[Lexinator 1,715]

On 03/12/2023 at 14:34, Macca said:

It seems not everyone is happy about Dave's farewell test

The Roar, ABC news or Yahoo has the full story from Mitch Johnson (unleashes on Warner, Bailey)

Gosh. Not the first time he's lashed out on other players. Johnson starting to remind me of Cornes in this regard. Warner has made mistakes, but feel he's come a long way and matured a lot. Let's hope to see some blistering centuries from Dave this summer to see out a fantastic test career. 

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Lexinator said:

Gosh. Not the first time he's lashed out on other players. Johnson starting to remind me of Cornes in this regard. Warner has made mistakes, but feel he's come a long way and matured a lot. Let's hope to see some blistering centuries from Dave this summer to see out a fantastic test career. 

Probably in the overwhelming minority here but I agree with Mitch on this occasion. Warner has paid his dues (he had no choice) by serving the ban but to this day has never owned it. I would respect him if he’d come out and say yeah I [censored] up, what I did was wrong on every level, I put my country to shame and for that I’m sincerely sorry. But he won’t. He won’t because he hasn’t taken responsibility for what he did.

This was further compounded when his wife was a participant on the TV show, SAS Australia. She said he’s never acknowledged involvement in the pathetic cheating scandal. Zero respect for the both them. 

[Macca 17,033]

43 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Probably in the overwhelming minority here but I agree with Mitch on this occasion. Warner has paid his dues (he had no choice) by serving the ban but to this day has never owned it. I would respect him if he’d come out and say yeah I [censored] up, what I did was wrong on every level, I put my country to shame and for that I’m sincerely sorry. But he won’t. He won’t because he hasn’t taken responsibility for what he did.

This was further compounded when his wife was a participant on the TV show, SAS Australia. She said he’s never acknowledged involvement in the pathetic cheating scandal. Zero respect for the both them. 

I reckon just about the whole team knew about what was going on (re sandpaper) ... the keeper especially and all the bowlers just had to know as the ball itself changes it's appearance with such methods

And if there's an absence of normal abrasiveness, then even more so

Bancroft himself hinted strongly that the bowlers knew and if Smith the captain knew, it's difficult to believe that the rest of the team didn't know

So maybe Warner won't put his hand up because his teammates won't?  

CA probably want the whole thing to go away so the Warner farewell tour is rubber stamped (?)

In my view it's a murky story 

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, Macca said:

I reckon just about the whole team knew about what was going on (re sandpaper) ... the keeper especially and all the bowlers just had to know as the ball itself changes it's appearance with such methods

And if there's an absence of normal abrasiveness, then even more so

Bancroft himself hinted strongly that the bowlers knew and if Smith the captain knew, it's difficult to believe that the rest of the team didn't know

So maybe Warner won't put his hand up because his teammates won't?  

CA probably want the whole thing to go away so the Warner farewell tour is rubber stamped (?)

In my view it's a murky story 

I also believe the whole side knew what was going on, or at least most of them. Lehmann, Smith and Warner were punished which says they were complicit to a level higher than just knowing about it. Smith and Warner sympathisers say it’s because they were captain and vice-captain that they were punished, but I find that hard to believe. I believe the other story… they were pinged because it was them who encouraged Cam Bancroft to transgress.

It is indeed murky, Macca. It was disgraceful and shameful, an everlasting blot on Australia’s otherwise admirable record.

Edit: if only Warner would accept accountability. For mine, him denying having done anything wrong is worse than the actual act of cheating. Be a man and own up ffs

Edited December 5, 2023 by WalkingCivilWar

[Macca 17,033]

3 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

I also believe the whole side knew what was going on, or at least most of them. Lehmann, Smith and Warner were punished which says they were complicit to a level higher than just knowing about it. Smith and Warner sympathisers say it’s because they were captain and vice-captain that they were punished, but I find that hard to believe. I believe the other story… they were pinged because it was them who encouraged Cam Bancroft to transgress.

It is indeed murky, Macca. It was disgraceful and shameful, an everlasting blot on Australia’s otherwise admirable record.

Edit: if only Warner would accept accountability. For mine, him denying having done anything wrong is worse than the actual act of cheating. Be a man and own up ffs

Excellent points Civ but Bancroft has suffered the most even though he owned his wrongdoing.  He's made about 1500 runs in the last year and a half in the Shield but apparently he's 'Not knocking down the door' (?) That's a lot of runs that aren't being noticed

Bancroft's papers might have been stamped

Not forgetting that all the way through, miilions of $$$$'s in salaries were and are at stake.  Those yearly contracts are worth a pretty penny as are the match payments

Edited December 5, 2023 by Macca

[Macca 17,033]

Bancroft could have replaced an out of form Warner in the Test team a year ago but will Bancroft play for Australia again?

By the way, I don't dislike Warner as many do and his white-ball form is still stellar.  His fielding alone in the World Cup was exceptional and his runs were invaluable

But his Test form is questionable ... ex coach Darren Lehmann is saying that Warner will need to make runs in the first Test against Pakistan to remain in the team

Edited December 5, 2023 by Macca

[Macca 17,033]

And now it looks like Mitch Johnson will lose his Triple M cricket commentary gig. Not listed amongst the 18 strong commentary team

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Macca

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Macca said:

Bancroft could have replaced an out of form Warner in the Test team a year ago but will Bancroft play for Australia again?

By the way, I don't dislike Warner as many do and his white-ball form is still stellar.  His fielding alone in the World Cup was exceptional and his runs were invaluable

But his Test form is questionable ... ex coach Darren Lehmann is saying that Warner will need to make runs in the first Test against Pakistan to remain in the team

He was definitely an asset in our World Cup campaign - no doubt about that at all. I’m also dubious about his selection in the upcoming Test series but one never knows.

PS: I’m stunned to hear about Mitch Johnson losing his commentary gig with Triple M, especially if it’s as a result of him expressing his opinion on Warner. And I empathise with Mitch about how he felt when he read George Bailey’s initial response to his (Mitch’s) comments about why he believes Warner doesn’t deserve a big sendoff. At the time, when I read that Bailey had said, “Is he ok?” I was angry because it’s a very condescending thing to say in response to an opinion made by someone who’s struggled with mental illness. It’s an implication that’s made all too often, and Bailey should know better and should’ve exercised sensitivity.

End of rant. 😑

[Macca 17,033]

8 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

He was definitely an asset in our World Cup campaign - no doubt about that at all. I’m also dubious about his selection in the upcoming Test series but one never knows.

PS: I’m stunned to hear about Mitch Johnson losing his commentary gig with Triple M, especially if it’s as a result of him expressing his opinion on Warner. And I empathise with Mitch about how he felt when he read George Bailey’s initial response to his (Mitch’s) comments about why he believes Warner doesn’t deserve a big sendoff. At the time, when I read that Bailey had said, “Is he ok?” I was angry because it’s a very condescending thing to say in response to an opinion made by someone who’s struggled with mental illness. It’s an implication that’s made all too often, and Bailey should know better and should’ve exercised sensitivity.

End of rant. 😑

The issue I have is that if the public are going to pile onto Warner and Warner alone, that doesn't seem fair especially if the guilt is widespread

So we know that Smith & Bancroft were implicated but what about Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood & Paine etc etc?  

As always, we often look for the scapegoat to satisfy our angst.  And I'm by no means excusing Warner, it just seems a bit one-sided and pointed

Personalities play a part and I can't imagine the public piling on to say, Hazlewood, in the same way (if he was guilty)

As it stands, Bancroft, although on the outer with the selectors, has a lot of sympathy from the public

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Macca said:

The issue I have is that if the public are going to pile onto Warner and Warner alone, that doesn't seem fair especially if the guilt is widespread

So we know that Smith & Bancroft were implicated but what about Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood & Paine etc etc?  

As always, we often look for the scapegoat to satisfy our angst.  And I'm by no means excusing Warner, it just seems a bit one-sided and pointed

Personalities play a part and I can't imagine the public piling on to say, Hazlewood, in the same way (if he was guilty)

As it stands, Bancroft, although on the outer with the selectors, has a lot of sympathy from the public

I reckon Bancroft deserves the sympathy. He was put in a very difficult situation, one in which he was left with little choice. He’s being directed by the senior-most players to do something I’m sure he’d rather not do. What was his other option?

You’re right about the absence of piling onto the other senior players who clearly knew what was going on but Warner was being his usual cavalier, arrogant self and that never goes over well.

Personally I reckon stupidity was a close second to cheating. How they thought they wouldn’t be caught with a million cameras capturing their every move is beyond me.

Just on Tim Paine… I reckon it’s a travesty that he was dumped for the sexting situation. It had zero to do with the sport and it happened years prior and was resolved by Tim and his wife. Personal matter that shouldn’t have a bearing on his position in our side, let alone as our captain. 

Edited December 6, 2023 by WalkingCivilWar

[Macca 17,033]

1 hour ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Personally I reckon stupidity was a close second to cheating. How they thought they wouldn’t be caught with a million cameras capturing their every move is beyond me.

Yep, rivals the 'Fine Cotton' affair!

Edited December 6, 2023 by Macca

[Guest]

@Macca and @Lexinator 

check this out…

Obstructing the field

Only the second batsman in Test Match history to be dismissed in this way.

What was he thinking?!?!