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Topic: God help me - the Test Cricket thread (Read 260465 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1590 –
Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on
Will he play in the Test championship vs Sth Africa at Lords in June or will he miss out again? I think our selectors will stick with the NSW attack and Boland will be the drinks waiter again.
Half the current side shouldn't be going there, if we actually make it!

We've too many blokes scratching around like starving chickens.
"Extremists on either side will always meet in the Middle!"

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1591 –
Quote from: LP – on
Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on
Will he play in the Test championship vs Sth Africa at Lords in June or will he miss out again? I think our selectors will stick with the NSW attack and Boland will be the drinks waiter again.
Half the current side shouldn't be going there, if we actually make it!
Agree, but I think the selectors will stick with the boys club and then make changes especially if the unlikely scenario of a Sth African win occurs. There are  couple of tests vs Sri Lanka coming up and Id expect that squad plus Cummins of course to make the trip to England. Marsh v Webster will be an interesting selection as will sticking fat with Khawaja, I think Konstas will need runs in Sri Lanka to cement his spot too.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1592 –
Does Kohli mean Kent in Indian?
2021-Pi$$ or get off the pot
2022- Real Deal or more of the same? 0.6%
2023- "Raise the Standard" - M. Voss Another year wasted Bar Set
2024-Back to the drawing boardNo excuses, its time
2025-Carlton can win the 2025 AFL Premiership

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1593 –
They aren't much chop without their one man bowling attack.
2021-Pi$$ or get off the pot
2022- Real Deal or more of the same? 0.6%
2023- "Raise the Standard" - M. Voss Another year wasted Bar Set
2024-Back to the drawing boardNo excuses, its time
2025-Carlton can win the 2025 AFL Premiership

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1594 –
Even without Bumrah, that was an incredibly difficult wicket to bat on.

I thought that Khawaja was OK today but he hardly faced any deliveries until Head came to the crease.  I guess it's hard to turn over the strike if you're out.

Konstas has really got up the Indians' goat without really trying all that hard.  Although it was just another cameo, I thought that he really set up the win with the runs flowing in the first few overs.

Marnus isn't a number three batsman.

Was Smith too concerned with his 10,000 run target?

Head was good.

Webster looked to be the most complete batsman of the lot.  I suppose his height helped with the variable bounce but his ability to play shots off the front and back foot is a point of difference with most of his teammates.  An excellent test debut and he could have gone close to pipping Bolo for man of the match.  Cummins must be rapt to have an allrounder who can bowl in decent spells.

It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1595 –
I wouldnt be getting carried away with Khawaja like the media have been today....no Bumrah made it easy and he is going to have to improve a lot imho by the time we take on the Saffies in the test final who have an A grade pace attack and id expect the English to juice up the Lords wicket to make it as hard for us as possible. Rightly there are calls for Marnus to be dropped but I dont see it happening and Id expect both him and Khawaja to be playing.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1596 –
As different from usual as the SCG pitch was it wasn't that bad, no more variable than what we might normally see at the MCG, and we still see centuries and total scores in the 250 to 350 range.

The problem as I see it is that players are building reputations out of IPL and T20 on top of flat tracks, and they are losing the grit and will to play persistent cricket in challenging conditions.

With this current group some of it might also be mindset off the back of the Phil Hughes tragedy, but that event in itself was a result of players losing the ability to navigate short pitched bowling courtesy of modern head gear. The ability to deal with and play short pitched bowling is greatly diminished in modern players, so much so our best exponent of batting to short bowling is Nathan Lyon. It's gobsmacking that players can get to this level and have no better strategy than to duck, and that ducking is to modern bowlers who are basically crap at bowling short compared to the greats of the past! Roberts, Lillee, Willis, Sarfraz would destroy these lists.
"Extremists on either side will always meet in the Middle!"

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1597 –
Glenn Maxwell played aggressive test cricket and was widely derided and eventually dropped from the squad.

Sam Konstas plays with even less control abandoning convention, and the very same group of commentators label him a breath of fresh air, the future of the game and claim he is revitalising test cricket.

Sucks to be be Glenn Maxwell.
"Extremists on either side will always meet in the Middle!"

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1598 –
Quote from: LP – on
Glenn Maxwell played aggressive test cricket and was widely derided and eventually dropped from the squad.

Sam Konstas plays with even less control abandoning convention, and the very same group of commentators label him a breath of fresh air, the future of the game and claim he is revitalising test cricket.

Sucks to be be Glenn Maxwell.
Ricky Ponting has just squashed Maxwells Test career by saying he shouldnt be picked and the selectors have gone with Ricky's assessment and included Cooper Connolly who has been showing a bit in the big bash comp and is very bazball suited plus bowls some handy left arm straight breaks and is much like the new English wizz kid Bethell in how he plays.

All be it Maxy's age doesnt help him but he has been one of those cricketers who hasnt been as popular in the dressing room as it seems you need to be and probably needed to play for NSW and drink at the right establishments..in NSW of course.
McSweeney back in too so some youth being nurtured in the batting department and pressure on Khawaja and Marnus to make runs to keep their spots.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1599 –
I can understand the Big Show not getting a spot on the Sri Lankan tour.  One of my favourite cricketers but he is getting on and becoming less reliable.

Hopefully, the tour will provide an opportunity for more up and coming cricketers to stake their claims.
It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1600 –
Australia vs Sri Lanka 1st Test.

Konstas is replaced at opener by Travis Head. Ingilis into the middle order.

Starts 3.30pm today on channel 7.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1601 –
Quote from: spf – on
Australia vs Sri Lanka 1st Test.

Konstas is replaced at opener by Travis Head. Ingilis into the middle order.

Starts 3.30pm today on channel 7.

Head smashed 57 of 40 balls so you’d have to give the selectors a tick.

What’s the chances of a “pick the best team for the circumstances” policy?

Uzzie has probably done enough to secure one opener’s spot for the foreseeable future 🙂

It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1602 –
I'd be going youthful openers for the future at the top and returning Head to the middle order. Uzzie should have retired after the Indian series.
Sri Lanka are mediocre and no guideline for form and will in the bottom divisional section of the new Test cricket comp which is being discussed at the moment and I think will come into being sooner than later.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #1604 –
Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on
I'd be going youthful openers for the future at the top and returning Head to the middle order. Uzzie should have retired after the Indian series.
Sri Lanka are mediocre and no guideline for form and will in the bottom divisional section of the new Test cricket comp which is being discussed at the moment and I think will come into being sooner than later.

Sri Lanka is the fifth ranked Test nation and they even got a player in the Wisden Test team 🙄

Uzzie is still consistently making runs so I’m happy to stick with him for now. The bloke who surprises me with his apparent invulnerability to the selectors’ scrutiny is Marnus.

I would have had Konstas opening with Uzzie and Head at first drop.  The other newbies can follow Smith as they are named now.
It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!