Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1440 – December 07, 2024, 07:48:18 pm Quote from: Professer E – on December 06, 2024, 10:42:56 pmThat's the best I've seen Starc bowl for a long time, he bowled very intelligently and looked dangerous for multiple ball each over.The questions remain.As I've mentioned, his record is 1/3rd brilliance and 2/3rds poo, he bowled very well but that's a break even after Perth. It looks like he has responded to the cook many gave him from Perth, but why does an Australian Test player need such motivation?I'll wait and see what happens in the 3rd test, but history suggests he'll switch off when conditions aren't perfect for him. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1441 – December 07, 2024, 07:51:39 pm Quote from: DJC – on December 06, 2024, 08:05:25 pmDespite Starc, Cummins, Lyon and Hazelwood being the most successful test bowling quartet, I’m not sure that Cummins and Hazelwood necessarily provide the best environment for Starc to thrive. An all rounder with a frugal, metronomic action to stifle scoring perhaps 🤔No matter whether you are the premium quick or the best spinner in the world, when conditions do not suit you have to be prepared to pin down an end, it's part of being a good team member. For me that is when the 2/3rds poo arrives, not this Day/Night test when you couldn't ask for better quick bowling conditions so far!I'm thinking of Lillee, Hadley, Willis, McGrath, all had their glory moments, but hardly ever dropped their bundle, even on tours of Sri Lanka, Pakistan or India in the bad old days of rolled dirt. Starc best is virtually as good, when conditions suit, but his in-between can be horrendous.Starc is too good when conditions suit to explain away the poo went the going is tough! Quote Selected Last Edit: December 07, 2024, 07:55:01 pm by LP
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1442 – December 07, 2024, 08:31:06 pm Quote from: LP – on December 07, 2024, 07:51:39 pmNo matter whether you are the premium quick or the best spinner in the world, when conditions do not suit you have to be prepared to pin down an end, it's part of being a good team member. For me that is when the 2/3rds poo arrives, not this Day/Night test when you couldn't ask for better quick bowling conditions so far!I'm thinking of Lillee, Hadley, Willis, McGrath, all had their glory moments, but hardly ever dropped their bundle, even on tours of Sri Lanka, Pakistan or India in the bad old days of rolled dirt. Starc best is virtually as good, when conditions suit, but his in-between can be horrendous.Starc is too good when conditions suit to explain away the poo went the going is tough!That makes no sense LP.We didn’t use Jeff Thompson as a stock bowler but Lillee could bowl long and economical spells and still take wickets. Same with Brett Lee; dynamite as a strike bowler but ordinary if required to bowl long spells, and Mitch Johnson is another one.The problem with Starc is not Starc; it’s the bowlers that are selected to play alongside him. Quote Selected
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1443 – December 07, 2024, 09:48:17 pm And Boland nicks off Kohli!That’s a huge wicket in the context of the game 👏 Quote Selected
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1444 – December 07, 2024, 10:26:23 pm Problem with Starc is bowling in conditions that suit the batters ,not the pink ball test under lights which is weighted towards the pace bowlers.Good bowler for sure but not at the elite level IMHO.. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1445 – December 07, 2024, 10:42:02 pm Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on December 07, 2024, 10:26:23 pmProblem with Starc is bowling in conditions that suit the batters ,not the pink ball test under lights which is weighted towards the pace bowlers.Good bowler for sure but not at the elite level IMHO..Starc is elite by any measure.Despite how well Starc bowled and batted today, Scott Boland was the man with the ball in India’s second innings, particularly with the aggro he displayed 🙂 Quote Selected
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1446 – December 07, 2024, 10:50:55 pm Quote from: DJC – on December 07, 2024, 10:42:02 pmQuote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on December 07, 2024, 10:26:23 pmProblem with Starc is bowling in conditions that suit the batters ,not the pink ball test under lights which is weighted towards the pace bowlers.Good bowler for sure but not at the elite level IMHO..Starc is elite by any measure.Despite how well Starc bowled and batted today, Scott Boland was the man with the ball in India’s second innings, particularly with the aggro he displayed 🙂Elite bowlers bowl well in any conditions and that couldnt be said of Starc.....Rabada, Bumrah etc all have test bowling averages of around 21/22 and Starc is going at close to 28, he isnt even close to being elite. Quote Selected
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1447 – December 08, 2024, 04:23:12 pm If they lose a wicket chasing 19 runs it would take a bit of gloss off the win IMO. Quote Selected
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1448 – December 08, 2024, 05:32:31 pm Quote from: Gointocarlton – on December 08, 2024, 04:23:12 pmIf they lose a wicket chasing 19 runs it would take a bit of gloss off the win IMO.The openers are always on a hiding to nothing in that situation. They both would have sighed in relief as Khawaja's last shot reached the boundary. Quote Selected
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1449 – December 09, 2024, 12:58:30 pm Quote from: DJC – on December 08, 2024, 05:32:31 pmQuote from: Gointocarlton – on December 08, 2024, 04:23:12 pmIf they lose a wicket chasing 19 runs it would take a bit of gloss off the win IMO.The openers are always on a hiding to nothing in that situation. They both would have sighed in relief as Khawaja's last shot reached the boundary.I like the cut of McSweeneys jib. I can see him turning into a bit of a swash buckling opener where as Ussy is more of your ship steadier. Nice pairing from a novice eye like mine. Quote Selected Last Edit: December 10, 2024, 07:39:49 pm by Gointocarlton
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1450 – December 09, 2024, 02:52:14 pm Amazing the turnaround in a the space of one test match and commentary to match! I was very wrong about Boland... Quote Selected
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1451 – December 09, 2024, 03:14:29 pm Boland is the ideal bowler against the Indians and makes life a lot easier for Cummins and Starc.It’s bad luck that he has little chance of keeping his spot in the eleven. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1452 – December 09, 2024, 05:08:29 pm Agree, but ageism gets him for me. Quote Selected
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1453 – December 09, 2024, 05:54:06 pm Quote from: DJC – on December 09, 2024, 03:14:29 pmBoland is the ideal bowler against the Indians and makes life a lot easier for Cummins and Starc.It’s bad luck that he has little chance of keeping his spot in the eleven.Id reward Boland and keep him for the next test, his line and length worry players like Kholi who want to hit everything to the boundary and keep knicking off and Id leave Hazelwood out and give him some more rest time but we all know the NSW cricket mafia will want their man straight back in and its odds on Boland will be carrying the drinks again. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread Reply #1454 – December 09, 2024, 07:06:26 pm The selectors don't pick Boland twice running because they think he gets targeted due to his accuracy. I expect an underdone Hazelwood to play and Boland in Melbourne.I feel the result was a bit suss, India aren't the Paki but it seemed a bit off....why keep bowling Siraj when he was going a 7 an over? Why didn't Bumrah bowl against Head? Some of the Indian batting was reckless at best, Pant ramping Boland was "great entertainment".... Then he meekly nicks off. The series needed it to be 1-1 going to Brisbane, imagine the numbers next week when this one kicks off. Quote Selected