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Topic: God help me - the Test Cricket thread (Read 262568 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #750 –
As much as Green had a good day, right on queue for those of us bagging him, he needs to sustain it, and the pressure will be on now if Starc is an out.

This Saffie side has a batting line-up with more fragile peanuts in it than my Nan's peanut brittle, we should be running through them!

As much as the Saffies have a decent pace in the bowling line up, they were all over the shop with the swinging pill, and our blokes should be able to survive and thrive. You'll get the odd unplayable and a bunch of free hits in between. And that is really our complaint about Green.

I think there is no coincidence that in that 3rd or 4th spell, bowling +140kph, that Green had an impact, I begging that he repeats it for us.

Overall, this match has confirmed my resolve that T20 has a lot to answer for on the demise of cricket skills.
"Extremists on either side will always meet in the Middle!"

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #751 –
Marnus' catch was a ripper, but if one of my kids had played that shot in U14s they would have been spoken to.  Feet going to leg....bizarre open stances slicing across the ball... No wonder it's ended in tears.
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #752 –
Prof - a kid I 'coach' in U13s asked me about his stance. He said his (private) school coach said to stand this way (open).  I just asked how he was going to get his foot across to the ball to play an offside shot and he couldn't do it.   Makes no sense to me.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #753 –
Quote from: dodge – on
Prof - a kid I 'coach' in U13s asked me about his stance. He said his (private) school coach said to stand this way (open).  I just asked how he was going to get his foot across to the ball to play an offside shot and he couldn't do it.   Makes no sense to me.

I think it was Ricky Ponting yesterday who pointed out that the more open the stance, the less able the batsman is to use his feet.
It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #754 –
Greg Chappell said the same about Hilton Cartwright too.
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #755 –
I spent twenty weeks this offseason watching the best batting coach in the country work with kids and his attitude towards open stances was simple; "cricket's a side on game: batting, bowling and throwing"
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #756 –
Wide stance means less ability to play further forward or further back, agree with Prof the best players are more side on and you only open your stance a bit when facing bowlers from around the wicket.
The short format game has changed how players take block and where they stand and you have more players now more open so they can deflect the ball through the onside from an off stump line. Steve Smith has profited from that technique but its gets a lot of other batsmen into trouble when the ball swings/seams away and they get squared up. That was a sin when I first learnt the game as was cutting against the spin but you see it often now from professional test players. Why would you try and cut Nathan Lyon close to the stumps through the offside when he is getting turn back in and bounce? Use your feet and hit with the spin in front of the wicket was the old method but now we have silly reverse sweeps and/or playing off the back foot looking for the easy single turning the ball through a web of leg side fielders waiting for a catch

Same with bowling, bowling closer to the umpire with a side on action gives you more natural ability to swing the ball away, Dennis Lillee regardless of new ball or old ball always could move the ball away because he had a classic side on action.
Lillee was just poetry to watch as he made his way to the wicket and was the best quick bowler I have seen play the game.
Terry Alderman was another who got close to the stumps/umpire when bowling and had that nice side on action, didnt need to be quick as he just moved the ball away from right handers independent of the conditions.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #757 –
The wide stance is a side effect of T20, baseball stances for flat bat slogs, but unless you decide to play ramp shots in Test cricket the wide stance cuts out about 25% of the playing surface.
"Extremists on either side will always meet in the Middle!"

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #758 –
Nortje bowls with a front on action and he goes alright 🙂
It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #759 –
Quote from: DJC – on
Nortje bowls with a front on action and he goes alright 🙂
Front on is meant to be easier on your back but it won't allow you to swing the ball away. A lot of the Windies greats were front on bowlers too so being side on isnt essential I agree.
Nortje seems to do it easy too, strolls in first ball at @147k, never looks In a sweat either and was doing laps of the MCG pre game in the heat. He is consistently the quickest bowler in the world by a long way and very fit as well. Think he clocked 155k yesterday in that heat  at one stage which is scary stuff.
If he had a smarter captain who bowled him at the crunch times with good plans he would have even better results.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #760 –
I believe it's based on the alignment of the hips and has nothing to do with the upper body
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #761 –
Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on
Front on is meant to be easier on your back but it won't allow you to swing the ball away. A lot of the Windies greats were front on bowlers too so being side on isnt essential I agree.
Nortje seems to do it easy too, strolls in first ball at @147k, never looks In a sweat either and was doing laps of the MCG pre game in the heat. He is consistently the quickest bowler in the world by a long way and very fit as well. Think he clocked 155k yesterday in that heat  at one stage which is scary stuff.
If he had a smarter captain who bowled him at the crunch times with good plans he would have even better results.

I think that's one of the key factors EB.  South Africa has a great pace attack but they're not being given the opportunity to play to their strengths.  Rabada isn't the bowler he was but his performance seems to set the stage for his teammates.  Bringing him on first or second change, and with a plan, could get a lot more out of his bowling, particularly if Nortje and Jansen/Ngidi have knocked over an opener or two.
It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #762 –
Looks like Elgar learned..opened with Nortje and instant results.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #763 –
How about spidercam knocking Nortje ask over t1t?

The operator has been suspended, and so he should have been.
It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #764 –
Quote from: DJC – on
How about spidercam knocking Nortje ask over t1t?

The operator has been suspended, and so he should have been.
Really dangerous, that camera needs to be higher for safety.
Maybe a form of autonomous braking when getting closer to objects.