Anyone for cricket?

[jazza 1,323]

4/219 at stumps, exciting stuff in front of an abysmal crowd.

Dean Jones spoke about the crowd and explained everybody over there is on work permits,They cant get 'time off"

He also said they were looking to play day/night tests as the weather would be perfect and after 6 would be a regular sell-out.

Doolan drops a sitter.

Rogers just misses latching onto a super difficult one.

Okeefe's action looks very bush league,Hope its just the first test nerves.

Pitch will turn into a nightmare if you dont have patience.

[45HG 1,539]

Is that because related to having passports taken and working well below minimum wage?

[gsmith12 491]

We are 0/113 chasing 454.

A much more attacking days play.

[Little Richard 5,925]

Davey Warner looking very dangerous at the moment and I have to say, Younus and Sarfraz's centuries in Pakistan's innings were really great, for different reasons.

[gsmith12 491]

We have developed a slight wobble at 4/207, Warner a brilliant 133 no.

Lunch day 3.

[Macca 16,174]

We have developed a slight wobble at 4/207, Warner a brilliant 133 no.

Lunch day 3.

We'll do well to get out of this test with a draw now, smithy. The track is taking more and more spin and it could get quite tricky on the 5th day.

Credit to them, they've played well and their 3 spinners have all shown a bit.

Their late middle order set the game up - Sarfraz looked impressive.

[gsmith12 491]

Agree Macca, we seem to be in deep sh*t.

[jazza 1,323]

Agree Macca, we seem to be in deep sh*t.

We havent had the ability to play "slow" wickets for many years.

Marsh looked comfortable for a debutant on a slow wicket.

Doolan =i cant get a handle on whether hes gonna make it.

[Biffen 12,511]

Warner will be the premier batsman in the world for the next decade.

Has the talent to be averaging in the 60s at careers end.

[gsmith12 491]

I think this series has serious upset written all over it. They'll have to fight hard to win this.

Keen observation it seems mate.

[titan_uranus 23,071]

Standard Australian cricket. In Australia/South Africa where bounce and pace is the key, both our pacemen and our spinners take loads of wickets.

Dry, spinning pitch and both our pacemen and our spinners are largely ineffectual.

We made 300 with the bat which is good enough, but we couldn't keep their first innings down, 450 is huge.

I'd say we're a strong chance to lose this one. Already 200 behind with most of 2 days remaining, and I don't know if we can bat out an entire Day 5 on a pitch like this.

Edited October 25, 2014 by titan_uranus

[gsmith12 491]

Gone for all money.

[Macca 16,174]

Gone for all money.

Has it ever rained in Dubai?

[titan_uranus 23,071]

Surely Doolan's not the answer at 3. He's either unable or unwilling to rotate the strike and moves far too slowly.

Shaun Marsh got harshly treated in South Africa, and Hughes scored well in the warm-up game. Plus Shane Watson's in the wings. I think we may see one or more of them at some point this summer, I'm not confident Doolan will see it through.

[Biffen 12,511]

The batsmen have taken the "Duty Free" attitude on to the field.

Or they still cannot play spin.

[DeeSpencer 23,626]

Good older batsmen: Rogers (37), Clark (33)

Good young batsmen: Steve Smith (25), Warner (27)

All rounder: Watson (33), Marsh? Faulkner?

Keeper: Haddin (37)

Older bowlers: Johnson (32), Harris (35)

Decent bowlers/prospects: Siddle (29), Pattinson, Cummings etc

Spinners; Lyon (26), O'Keefe

The problems with the current aussie team are:

1. Spin bowling - Lyon's played a lot now and seemed to plateau. But at the same time he's young enough. Can't give up on him but he looks only serviceable at best

2. Fast bowling decline - Harris and Johnson played career peak seasons last year, but it's unlikely they can do it again. Siddle is a good 3rd support. The young guys need to step up

3. Haddin and Rogers - 2 cornerstones of our team at the start and the end of the batting line up but they are also likely to decline soon

4. What to do at 3 and 6? We don't have an answer to either. I think our best line up is Hughes and Watson. But they just haven't given Hughes a good shot of it and Watson can't stay healthy. I'm staggered to know why M Marsh got the shot at 6 ahead of Faulkner

If we don't add another good young batsmen and get one of the bowlers to stay fit then we will be in trouble.

[jazza 1,323]

Good older batsmen: Rogers (37), Clark (33)

Good young batsmen: Steve Smith (25), Warner (27)

All rounder: Watson (33), Marsh? Faulkner?

Keeper: Haddin (37)

Older bowlers: Johnson (32), Harris (35)

Decent bowlers/prospects: Siddle (29), Pattinson, Cummings etc

Spinners; Lyon (26), O'Keefe

The problems with the current aussie team are:

1. Spin bowling - Lyon's played a lot now and seemed to plateau. But at the same time he's young enough. Can't give up on him but he looks only serviceable at best

2. Fast bowling decline - Harris and Johnson played career peak seasons last year, but it's unlikely they can do it again. Siddle is a good 3rd support. The young guys need to step up

3. Haddin and Rogers - 2 cornerstones of our team at the start and the end of the batting line up but they are also likely to decline soon

4. What to do at 3 and 6? We don't have an answer to either. I think our best line up is Hughes and Watson. But they just haven't given Hughes a good shot of it and Watson can't stay healthy. I'm staggered to know why M Marsh got the shot at 6 ahead of Faulkner

If we don't add another good young batsmen and get one of the bowlers to stay fit then we will be in trouble.

Pattinson,Starc and Cummings will be there foe the next decade.No problems there.

Lyon{nude nuts}has played pretty bloody good for an average and has deserved his rewards.

Hughes has a problem with spin,pace and swing bowling.

Doolan has dropped 3 sitters that b graders would be embarassed about so far,and his batting hasnt been that good yet.

Okeefe didnt look anything dangerous or exciting from what i saw.

We just struggle to produce slow wicket players,Yallop and Martyn are the only ones i can think of.

[DeeSpencer 23,626]

Pattinson,Starc and Cummings will be there foe the next decade.No problems there.

Lyon{nude nuts}has played pretty bloody good for an average and has deserved his rewards.

Hughes has a problem with spin,pace and swing bowling.

Doolan has dropped 3 sitters that b graders would be embarassed about so far,and his batting hasnt been that good yet.

Okeefe didnt look anything dangerous or exciting from what i saw.

We just struggle to produce slow wicket players,Yallop and Martyn are the only ones i can think of.

I just feel there might be a gap between now with Harris and Johnson and when those young guys actually get over their injuries and can perform. Siddle is our only reliable performer and he can't carry an attack. We should always have a decent pace attack. It won't ever be bad. But it should be our strength and will probably only be good enough to win games at home.

Lyon does a good job at home as well, he just can't step it up on spin friendly pitches when he needs to, particularly on day 5 pitches.

Hughes has many problems but scores runs! Warner has problems. Steve Smith has problems. We don't have any perfect batsmen. I understand the theory behind fixing some of his technical problems before he gets another shot. But I don't think you can wait much longer.

[gsmith12 491]

Add Behrendorff and Hazlewood to the fast bowling stocks, both very good young quicks.

[Macca 16,174]

I wouldn't be too concerned going forward ...

These grassless, somewhat dusty, turning tracks won't be encountered too much in the future ... these type of wickets are a bit of an achilles heal for our blokes but upon checking the future tours program, we won't be encountering these type of decks until mid 2016 (when we visit Sri Lanka for 3 "scheduled" tests)

We're scheduled to visit Bangladesh in late 2015 for 2 Tests but I can't see them being too much trouble regardless of the state of the wickets ... not sure the last time that Sri Lanka beat us in a series either (if ever)

Early 2017 represents a big challenge when we visit India again for 4 Tests but playing in India has always been a big challenge.

[gsmith12 491]

The experts are tipping an unchanged line up, FMD given Doolan's atrocious display with the bat and in the field I find that extraordinary.

Surely Phil Hughes deserves another chance.

[gsmith12 491]

In Maxwell and Starc, out Doolan and O'Keefe.

Pakistan win toss and bat again.

Blimey.

[gsmith12 491]

Phil Hughes must be thinking WTF ?

[jazza 1,323]

Its bad when Maxwell looks like the most likely to take a wicket

[gsmith12 491]

Words fail me.

Our ineptitude on these barren tracks is beyond belief.