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Topic: God help me - the Test Cricket thread (Read 87035 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #630 –
Back in the day, the done thing was to warn the non-striker first.  After that warning it was OK to run the batter out if s/he backed up too far and left the crease (but it would still outrage some cricket “purists”) . I would change the laws of the game to make that former gentlemanly behaviour official.  If the non-striker cheats by leaving his/her crease, any bowler can run them out any time in the innings after the batter has been warned.
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”  Oddball

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #631 –
Something to put in the back of your mind regarding Carey. His batting so far in his career hasn't exactly set the world on fire. But a column in The Age made a good point that he has batted with a view to maximising the team's chances of winning rather than maximising his own score. As this columnist said, he could easily have become more selective with his shot-making as he entered the 90s in order to maximise his chance of a maiden Test century but instead he carried on with risky sweeps and reverse sweeps to accelerate the scoring. He ended up being bowled by a part-time bowler while playing a sweep as a result. That meant Cummins can decide to declare overnight without having to eke out a few more runs on Day 3 or give Carey the ability to crawl to 100. The columnist claimed that the same commitment to team strategy led Carey to give away his wicket in innings against the Poms. In short, he's the anti-Boycott. Thoughts?

Might be worth watching for Swepson's debut tonight. It's not as though the pitch is going to allow the quicks to rip through the batting order before that happens.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #632 –
Pitches in Pakistan are a nightmare for bowlers of both teams, just flat tracks where the ball scuffs easy and its impossible to get wickets. We have the best attack in world cricket IMHO but the Pakis hammered us in the 1st Test especially their openers, they got some of their own medicine this game after they bowled around the wicket down legside to slow the scoring rate in a disgraceful display and Carey sparked the innings by playing like he does in white ball cricket where he built his reputation as a quick scorer.
I think Carey is a decent player and reasonable keeper, he isnt going to be the next Gilchrist but I think he can be a valuable player, probably needs to make runs when the going gets tough on good bowling tracks to show he can graft and counter atack but I agree his batting vs England was compromised where he sacrificed himself for the good of the time on a few occasions.
Hoping Swepson does well but fear for the kid on these tracks vs players who play spin every day of the week and on small grounds where miss hits disappear for six. Maybe the Pakis will be over cocky and play without much care so we can take advantage and make a result possible....

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #633 –
Barring a batting collapse, I expect this is very much "draw" territory EB.  :)   

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #634 –
No doubt the quicks aren't going to blast out the Pakistani batsmen on such a tame wicket. But the hope is that the cracks create inconsistent bounce and the abrasive pitch helps create reverse swing later. Presumably, this is why Cummins kept batting into Day 3, giving Australia a possibility of getting the Pakistanis to follow on if the strategy works. The follow on target is now 356 rather than 305.

In any event, the Australians now have roughly twice the odds of a series win compared to Pakistan given that it's hard to see how Pakistan wins this test. Admittedly, that's twice an infinitessimal probability. If Australia does win this Test, the curators at the ground for the 3rd Test will need to reverse course and create a bowlers' paradise in the hope of evening up. 

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #635 –
Okay, here comes Swepson!

Pretty good 1st over. The 1st ball was on a good length but would have hit the middle strap on the pad if the batsman didn't get a bat to it. That would worry them.  The batsmen then started running like startled rabbits. The throw hit the wickets on the 1st quick run but the batsman was well in, but then on the 2nd quick single one batsman started running while the other didn't. Again, no cost to the Pakistanis. But in Lyon's new over, the twitchy running came back to haunt them with Swepson running out Shafique by half a metre! They're not as composed as you would have thought.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #636 –
Well well well ... 4 down for 66.  That ain't healthy

EDIT - now close to enforcing the follow on. 

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #637 –
84/6! Google's live score suggests Australia has a 75% chance of winning now. Who wants to chip in to hire some mercenaries armed with AK-47s to make sure the pitch is safe during the next 2 nights?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #638 –
We'll have two days to win this .... lovely ....

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #639 –
WTF? All out for 148 and 408 runs behind and Cummins won't enforce the follow-on ...

None of our bowlers have raised a sweat. Why bat again?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #640 –
Quote from: Mav on
WTF? All out for 148 and 408 runs behind and Cummins won't enforce the follow-on ...

None of our bowlers have raised a sweat. Why bat again?

Mystifying to say the very least @Mav ... and meaningless IMO

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #641 –
Quote from: Mav on
WTF? All out for 148 and 408 runs behind and Cummins won't enforce the follow-on ...

None of our bowlers have raised a sweat. Why bat again?
I'd bat again, just to freshen up the bowlers there is still two days and another test to go.

I do think Cummins made a mistake, but it wasn't batting again.

The Pakistanis used the light roller prior to batting, that would have been to preserve the wicket assuming they could mount a defence over the remaining three days, they have local knowledge.

Cummins should have bat again just to use the heavy roller on the wicket, make it break up and deteriorate faster, give the Aussies only a handful of overs to bat out of the two remaining days. If the heavy roller was the right one to settle down the wicket the Pakistanis would have used it already and they didn't! Then after using the heavy roller I'd bat 15 or 20 overs and then declare to get 4 or 5 overs at them tonight.
The Force Awakens!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #642 –
Near 500 runs ahead?  You playing for a draw Patrick?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #643 –
They will bat for 1 hour more, then have the best of 2 full days to roll them with no chance of losing.  I don't have a problem with what they've done - imagine if we'd enforced the follow on, and Pakistan set us 120 to win on a crumbling wicket?   Much rather knock off that extra 120 at the end of day 3 and let them play in the dirt.....
This is now the longest premiership drought in the history of the Carlton Football Club - more evidence of climate change?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #644 –
They're relying on the pitch deteriorating a bit more,  plus absolutely physically and mentally grinding the Pakis into the dirt. Approach seems to have worked thus far.   Remember, only one side has pushed to win a game, the other has stonewalled.
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?