Anyone for cricket?

[Demonstone 19,395]

Ah, this is why.

https://cricketresolved.com/arm-sleeves-why-do-cricketers-wear-them/#:~:text=Arm Sleeves Offer Protection,of players getting field bruises

[Lexinator 840]

11 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Well that makes two of us Christmas grinches. 😂

No surprise about yesterday’s rain interruptions, but we’re back on track now. Mitch Marsh’s two consecutive balls, given on both, DRS for both, decision reversed on both. Phew 😅 

Accidently pressed 'report' button instead of quote button, hopefully DRS works on that too so you're not 'out' 😅😁

That was crazy stuff 2 DRS reversed in a row! Even the umpire saw the funny side of it 🤣 I cheered loudly at the TV when the third ball wasn't a DRS decision hehe. 

Good game we have on our hands! Going tomorrow, first Boxing test in 8 years! Long overdue! 

[WalkingCivilWar 32,760]

11 hours ago, Lexinator said:

Accidently pressed 'report' button instead of quote button, hopefully DRS works on that too so you're not 'out' 😅😁

That was crazy stuff 2 DRS reversed in a row! Even the umpire saw the funny side of it 🤣 I cheered loudly at the TV when the third ball wasn't a DRS decision hehe. 

Good game we have on our hands! Going tomorrow, first Boxing test in 8 years! Long overdue! 

Enjoy!

 I had tickets for Day Three last year but the match was a wrap on Day Two. At least you’ll get to see some action.

Cue a massive downpour of nonstop rain. 🤣

[Macca 16,173]

A good sporting wicket at the G ... gone are the days when the wicket was dead and hard to bat on (and bowl on) 

We're just a bit too good for Pakistan right now ... their bowling is ok and they can bat a bit but our all-round game is superior

330-400+ in front after our 2nd innings should get the job done.  The track could get quite tricky to bat on tomorrow and on the 5th day

Of interest will be how many Smith can make ... struggling of late and is due 

And right on cue, out goes Khawaja! 

 

Edit: Now 2 for 6 (Marnus out caught down the leg side) ... a 330+ lead looks a while away!!

Edit(2): 4 for 16!! At this rate a 100-150 lead might have to do!! 

We're in allsortsa!!

Edited December 28, 2023 by Macca

[Lexinator 840]

Good day today, thanks to all that believed in me that I would. Both Pakistan and Australia played well throughout the day. Few missed chances by Pakistan in the field when they were on top gave us the ascendancy. Hamza and Afridi bowled well. Hard to see Marsh miss out on a ton, funnily I went years ago when Shaun got run out on 99 at the MCG, brothers, hey!? Good crowd, not sure figures, felt like between 40,000 to 50,000ish, good atmosphere.

[Lexinator 840]

Pakistan a sniff here.

[Macca 16,173]

22 minutes ago, Lexinator said:

Pakistan a sniff here.

They're going on for an extra half an hour after those 2 wickets fell

And this thread never fails to bring opposite outcomes as soon as anyone sides with a team one way or the other

So I'm loathe to call things Australia's way (now) because you know what happens then, Lex!

Pakistan needs to swing hard and go for it if they're any chance of winning

[Hopeful Demon 1,275]

Cummins will go down as one of our best fast bowlers in history. No question.

[Macca 16,173]

It's all over (that was quick)

Pakistan could have won this test if they'd held their catches.  When they had us 4-16 in our 2nd innings they had to capitilise

Bit of an enigma of a team.  Plenty of talent but they don't know how to win

The Aussies played well when we needed too.  By contrast, we know how to win

And I agree, @Hopeful Demon , Cummins steps up time and time again when we need him too

A big occasion player

A different bowler to the great DK Lillee but the same mindset.  McGrath the same

 

[Lexinator 840]

31 minutes ago, Macca said:

They're going on for an extra half an hour after those 2 wickets fell

And this thread never fails to bring opposite outcomes as soon as anyone sides with a team one way or the other

So I'm loathe to call things Australia's way (now) because you know what happens then, Lex!

Pakistan needs to swing hard and go for it if they're any chance of winning

Haha, I will take the commentators curse 😅

 

[Lexinator 840]

11 minutes ago, Macca said:

It's all over (that was quick)

Pakistan could have won this test if they'd held their catches.  When they had us 4-16 in our 2nd innings they had to capitilise

Bit of an enigma of a team.  Plenty of talent but they don't know how to win

The Aussies played well when we needed too.  By contrast, we know how to win

And I agree, @Hopeful Demon , Cummins steps up time and time again when we need him too

A big occasion player

A different bowler to the great DK Lillee but the same mindset.  McGrath the same

 

Definitely winnable game by Pakistan. As you said, missed a few chances. Made a good and respectable battle with the Aussies. Onto Warner's swansong match. 

[WalkingCivilWar 32,760]

As soon as Rizwan got out it was as good as over.

Please don’t judge me, guys. I’m at Marvel about to watch a Big Bash match *hangs her head in shame*
I got a free ticket and I’m here with crazy passionate Dees fans, so it’s not as bad as it sounds. 😅

[Macca 16,173]

3 minutes ago, Lexinator said:

Definitely winnable game by Pakistan. As you said, missed a few chances. Made a good and respectable battle with the Aussies. Onto Warner's swansong match. 

We're still going to see a lot of Davey as he's indicated that he'd like to go on and play in the 2027 ODI World Cup! 

In the meantime, he'll earn an absolute fortune from all the various t20 comps worldwide (and good luck to him too)

I remember reading once that Brad Hodge played in 8 x t20 comps (per year) in his last few years.  Good $$$$'s

It's now possible to play in 10+ t20 comps as there's probably at least 25-30 comps that players can participate in.  And that's a real threat to the future of Test cricket as money talks

[Macca 16,173]

20 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

As soon as Rizwan got out it was as good as over.

Please don’t judge me, guys. I’m at Marvel about to watch a Big Bash match *hangs her head in shame*
I got a free ticket and I’m here with crazy passionate Dees fans, so it’s not as bad as it sounds. 😅

Yeah I've been watching the t20's (not intently) but lets face it, there's not much on TV anyway as an alternative

And I don't want to be part of the fun police!  My biggest issue with t20 is that it's quite repetitive so you know what's coming next (the hoick to cow-corner) 

Light entertainment with almost zero passion involved.  Who cares who wins?  

But it's a bit of fun and apart from the threat to Test cricket, quite harmless

Test cricket and the administrators of Test cricket need to find ways to keep the 5 day test relevant, innovative and vibrant.  And there is a way but Australia, India & England need to lead the way

Edited December 29, 2023 by Macca

[Lexinator 840]

21 minutes ago, Macca said:

We're still going to see a lot of Davey as he's indicated that he'd like to go on and play in the 2027 ODI World Cup! 

In the meantime, he'll earn an absolute fortune from all the various t20 comps worldwide (and good luck to him too)

I remember reading once that Brad Hodge played in 8 x t20 comps (per year) in his last few years.  Good $$$$'s

It's now possible to play in 10+ t20 comps as there's probably at least 25-30 comps that players can participate in.  And that's a real threat to the future of Test cricket as money talks

He will make a fortune! Will be in high demand for a few years yet! I think he will do really well once he retires from test cricket and can concentrate on being explosive and destructive batter that he enjoys being. Would be some effort if he made the '27 CWC!

[Lexinator 840]

28 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

As soon as Rizwan got out it was as good as over.

Please don’t judge me, guys. I’m at Marvel about to watch a Big Bash match *hangs her head in shame*
I got a free ticket and I’m here with crazy passionate Dees fans, so it’s not as bad as it sounds. 😅

I like all format so no bashing from me. Dee fans at the cricket!? Can't go wrong! ❤️💙😁 Enjoy!

[Lexinator 840]

10 minutes ago, Macca said:

Yeah I've been watching the t20's (not intently) but lets face it, there's not much on TV anyway as an alternative

And I don't want to be part of the fun police!  My biggest issue with t20 is that it's quite repetitive so you know what's coming next (the hoick to cow-corner) 

Light entertainment with almost zero passion involved.  Who cares who wins?  

But it's a bit of fun and apart from the threat to Test cricket, quite harmless

Test cricket and the administrators of Test cricket need to find ways to keep the 5 day test relevant, innovative and vibrant.  And there is a way but Australia, India & England need to lead the way

I still love test cricket best!!!

[Macca 16,173]

15 minutes ago, Lexinator said:

I still love test cricket best!!!

There's room for all 3 formats (the 2023 ODI WC Final was the most watched cricket game ever, apparently) 

t10 is popular in the Middle East and the '100' in the UK is also very popular.  New comps in the USA are getting a foothold as well.  The Yanks watching cricket!!!

And as much as I don't particularly like Bazball, that type of cricket will bring in new fans (and the Poms can see themselves getting hold of the Ashes with that type of cricket - they love it)

So cricket is in a very healthy state right now and I believe close on 170k patrons were at the MCG for the Test against Pakistan

40k at Optus Stadium (Perth) & 30k at the Gabba for recent big bash games are very good numbers

Edited December 29, 2023 by Macca

[WalkingCivilWar 32,760]

4 hours ago, Macca said:

Light entertainment with almost zero passion involved.  Who cares who wins?  

Exactly! I had so much fun watching the ‘Gades chalk up their first win… and I don’t even go for them. I’m a Stars fan, but as you said Macca, who cares who wins. 🥳

[MadAsHell 4,088]

I agree that the sport of cricket is in good health, however the ICC needs to make sure that all forms are looked after. I've heard a few suggestions of late that all have merit and could work.

Someone mentioned earlier in this thread about about England and India moving to a 3 year cycle instead of 4, which I think has strong merit. Especially if to allow for the future tours program to work they start those summers off with one off tests against the likes of Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland etc before the 5 test Ashes or Border/Gavaska trophy starts. Then on the 3rd year you can have two 3 test series against South Africa followed by New Zealand. Or a 2 and then 4 test series against one of Sri Lanka or West Indies followed by Pakistan.

Steve Waugh came out the other day and called on the ICC to start to make separate payments to players (outside of the country boards) to incentivise selection for your country in Test match and ODI cricket. I think this is a great idea and a way to help keep players playing for their country. T20 cricket still needs Test and (to a lesser extent) ODI cricket to thrive. T20 cricket is built off the back of stars from the longer format such as Warne, Kohli, Dhoni, Gilchrist, Gayle etc. I could go on.

And finally from the ODI perspective. Wasim Akram had a great idea I remember him talking about during the World Cup. He mentioned no one cares about the bilateral ODI series anymore, so that they need to get back to the old tri series. His theory that every country only plays one tri or quad series a year each and that you have to win a series to qualify for the World Cup. By the 3rd year of a World Cup cycle, any full member nation that had yet to qualify would have to host a tri series against an associate nation who would have gone through their own qualifying process (think Scotland, Netherlands, UAE, Hong Kong etc) in order to get a final World Cup squad. This allows for each ODI series to feature multiple teams with their own final and proper steaks.

All really good ideas in my opinion which could all work in conjunction with eachother.

[Macca 16,173]

4 hours ago, MadAsHell said:

I agree that the sport of cricket is in good health, however the ICC needs to make sure that all forms are looked after. I've heard a few suggestions of late that all have merit and could work.

Someone mentioned earlier in this thread about about England and India moving to a 3 year cycle instead of 4, which I think has strong merit. Especially if to allow for the future tours program to work they start those summers off with one off tests against the likes of Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland etc before the 5 test Ashes or Border/Gavaska trophy starts. Then on the 3rd year you can have two 3 test series against South Africa followed by New Zealand. Or a 2 and then 4 test series against one of Sri Lanka or West Indies followed by Pakistan.

Steve Waugh came out the other day and called on the ICC to start to make separate payments to players (outside of the country boards) to incentivise selection for your country in Test match and ODI cricket. I think this is a great idea and a way to help keep players playing for their country. T20 cricket still needs Test and (to a lesser extent) ODI cricket to thrive. T20 cricket is built off the back of stars from the longer format such as Warne, Kohli, Dhoni, Gilchrist, Gayle etc. I could go on.

And finally from the ODI perspective. Wasim Akram had a great idea I remember him talking about during the World Cup. He mentioned no one cares about the bilateral ODI series anymore, so that they need to get back to the old tri series. His theory that every country only plays one tri or quad series a year each and that you have to win a series to qualify for the World Cup. By the 3rd year of a World Cup cycle, any full member nation that had yet to qualify would have to host a tri series against an associate nation who would have gone through their own qualifying process (think Scotland, Netherlands, UAE, Hong Kong etc) in order to get a final World Cup squad. This allows for each ODI series to feature multiple teams with their own final and proper steaks.

All really good ideas in my opinion which could all work in conjunction with eachother.

You make a lot of very good points, TD.  Agree with all

Some further issues ... 

So the South Africans are saying that sending a 2nd rate test team to NZ is a one-off when factoring in the future tours.  But can they be believed?

The trouble is that the ownership of all the t20 teams in South Africa are from IPL franchises and the IPL hierarchy itself is talking about having another t20 competition in the September/October window (every year) ... so in the future, any test cricket scheduled during those months could be compromised

And what's to stop other test nations doing the same thing as what South Africa are doing ... in a short space of time a new normality could exist

The ICC needs to protect the future tours when it comes to test cricket but will they?  

So cricket is in good health but test cricket is at the crossroads (somewhat)  A sign of that is the glut of 2 test series that we're now seeing

And we should look no further than our own backyard ... after Pakistan we play a 2 test series against the West Indies and then a 2 test series against NZ in NZ.  Further complicating matters are the WTC* points gained from test matches.  

If NZ prevail against a B grade South Africa in the upcoming 2 test series, should they be afforded maximum WTC points? 

One solution is for cricket to be like soccer where International windows could be created to protect the authenticity of test cricket.  All test tours could incorporate white-ball cricket to satisfy the bean-counters

But that would require an ICC directive and the ICC is made up of all the member nations where self-interest rules ($$$$'s from privatised t20 comps) 

 

*World Test Championship (points)

Edited January 3 by Macca

[Macca 16,173]

The Proteas currently 8-48 batting first in the 2nd Test with Siraj taking 6-15! Apparently their lowest ever score is somewhere in the 70's (in the modern era since their readmission in 1995) 36 the lowest back in the early 1900's

The wicket very lively but they've batted poorly

Significantly pleasing that the first 3 days at Newlands (Cape Town) being sold out

Edit:  South Africa all out for 55

Edited January 3 by Macca

[Macca 16,173]

As for the 3rd test vs Pakistan, they did very well in the end to make over 300 after being in real trouble a few times 

Ponting stated that he reckons the pitch will start playing up and be hard to bat on so it's possibly advantage Pakistan

Batting last may be a bit of an assignment but we shall see

[WalkingCivilWar 32,760]

Following the monumental fall of many wickets in the India vs SA match, this is what Ravi Shastri had to say…

beautifully put, Ravi
🤣🤣🤣

[Macca 16,173]

Aiden Markram is playing a great hand on this treacherous pitch in South Africa ... currently 102n.o. defying all the odds in a brilliant performance.  Even a half century would have been a major achievement

South Africa now lead by 60 and making a game of it somehow.  Probably need to be 150+ ahead but who knows on this track?  

India win by 7 wickets in the shortest test match of all time ... 107 overs vs 109.2 overs (way back when)

Edited January 4 by Macca