Cricket: More Than a Game

Sigh...

This team has forgotten how to win a game of cricket.

I swear every night I go to bed when Aus is batting, I wake up to the radio news telling me of another batting collapse.

It's a f*cking disgrace.

AP Erebus wrote:

I swear every night I go to bed when Aus is batting, I wake up to the radio news telling me of another batting collapse.

It's a f*cking disgrace.

I had the same thing happened. Turned the TV off looking good at about 1/110, then everything fell apart.

It is very telling that of the three tight games in the series England has managed to do enough to get positive results, while we have been lacking that one extra partnership or outstanding bowling spell.

It is a closer series than the scoreline suggests, the first test could have gone either way, 14 runs is a very small amount. The 2nd, well that was easy for England but the 3rd would have been an Aus win but for the rain. Then the 4th, well Aus were in a very winnable postion but suffered a total collapse. Could easily be 3-1 and an Aussie win, instead of 3-0. Or at least 2-2.

England are 3-0 up and deservedly so, but that a bad Australian team has been in a position to win 3 of the tests should be a cause of concern for English supporters because from where I'm sitting, a lot of the time England doesn't look all that much better than us. That said, both teams can improve a lot and barring injuries the series in Australia could be pretty competitive.

As for our batting performances, the selectors bet the farm on Ponting and Hussey lasting the distance and so they didn't give the young blokes a chance to establish themselves against weaker teams. Now we're paying the price for that mistake.

spankyboy wrote:

England are 3-0 up and deservedly so, but that a bad Australian team has been in a position to win 3 of the tests should be a cause of concern for English supporters because from where I'm sitting, a lot of the time England doesn't look all that much better than us. That said, both teams can improve a lot and barring injuries the series in Australia could be pretty competitive.

As for our batting performances, the selectors bet the farm on Ponting and Hussey lasting the distance and so they didn't give the young blokes a chance to establish themselves against weaker teams. Now we're paying the price for that mistake.

Perhaps, until you consider that in each test probably only 2 or 3 England players have played up to their potential. In that case, I'd be more concerned if I were Australia that you are currently 3-0 down.

Totally, Dave, except that things can't really get much worse for Australia so there's not much to worry about on that front. I've been pretty surprised at the form of Trott and Cooke so far this series but they'll both come good at some point. Hopefully Bell will have gone off the boil by then. :p

Yessir, but by that time they might have recognised that Bairstow hasn't really got what it takes and that Root is still a little under-developed (perhaps freeing him up for a rematch with Cow Corner Warner over 10 rounds) and upgraded them. Still, what do I know - I said before the series that Bell was a weak link

It didn't take much to have the English drop anchor. What a turgid day of test cricket. It felt like 1968.

That's the England I grew up with. I did derive a great deal of amusement from seeing The World's Most Boring Cricketer chiding England in print for not getting on with it and going to win the game.

Yes Boycott, I mean you. I still love watching cricket despite being exposed to watching you on TV. The prime example of a player who became 10 times greater in his own mind once he actually stopped playing.

What do you expect from the most selfish cricketer that ever lived?

Our lack of a quality spinner hurts the most. There is no way we would be served up dry pitches like this if we had a weapon in the same bracket as Swann.

They should have treated Smith like Watson did the new kids, but instead patted full tosses to mid off and dabbed long hops to point. Terrible.

Bruce wrote:

What do you expect from the most selfish cricketer that ever lived?

As well as someone who beats women up, and a proper 'ee by gum' Porkshire cretin who supports Man United.

It's like he was put on Earth for me to hate. He's bloody good at that.

Bloody umpires have really done their best to ruin these test matches havn't they?

I can't remember where I saw it, but I remember reading that because there is an agreement not to use English or Aussie umpires, that rules out 10 of the 14 on the international panel - so what you are left with is perm any 3 from 4 of the berks we've seen in this series.

Fair play to the Aussies for giving it a go, but at the end of the day losing 3-0 or 4-0 is pretty much the same thing.

Possibly in this very thread Dave.

8 of 12 are English or Australian so that leaves the bare minimum for an Ashes series.

I wouldn't mind a return to the 'one each' allocation of umpires with a neutral third and match referee.

Bruce wrote:

Possibly in this very thread Dave.

8 of 12 are English or Australian so that leaves the bare minimum for an Ashes series.

I wouldn't mind a return to the 'one each' allocation of umpires with a neutral third and match referee.

Quite right sir. I knew I'd seen it from a respected cricket commentator - well, it was either here or AGB, and it was quicker to check back through here first

Given the use of technology etc, I can't see why the 1+1 with neutrals at 3rd and match referee wouldn't work. The only issue would be for these 'umpires given it / not given it therefore the evidence has to overturn it' calls.

Oh man, keep it classy England...

The Splashes: England players celebrate Ashes victory by urinating on The Oval pitch

A number of players including Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson took it in turns urinating on the pitch to the cheers of their team mates.

Big deal - wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last. I doubt very much many of the scribblers were still there, and it's a darn sight less embarassing than the drunken parade around London that accompanied the 2005 Ashes win.

Christ, where've the Aussies been hiding that Finch character ? I can't help but imagine him on a chain, like Mongo.

England actually batted pretty well, and would have chased down a 200 score quite easily despite being 40-odd for 4 at one point. Just a shame the bowling was so unimaginative and, let's be honest, without thought. Still, if you give the managerial reins to the Wheely Bin, then you don't expect much else. I was sorry to see Luke Wright picked again - even his tombstone will have 'flattered to deceive' on it.

Finch has nothing to offer the longer forms of the game - but he has forearms like Popeye and subscribes to the Graham Pollock theory of batting.

200 is easily chaseable on a postage stamp ground with an astroturf pitch. Are some of those boundaries less than 40m?

Aegas Bowl isn't that small - the boundary ropes were brought in significantly for the England ladies to regain the Ashes earlier in the day, but moved back for the men's match. It's also not a ground known particularly for high scores - the previous high for a domestic slogathon was 225, and 179 for an international.

Having said that, Martin Guptill did slaughter 189 out of NZ's 359 on the ground this year against England.

Bruce wrote:

Finch has nothing to offer the longer forms of the game - but he has forearms like Popeye and subscribes to the Graham Pollock theory of batting.

200 is easily chaseable on a postage stamp ground with an astroturf pitch. Are some of those boundaries less than 40m?

Its my local, and contrary to the way it looks on TV, it is not a small ground.
I watched Hampshire chase down Essex's 181 there a couple weeks ago, and that was down to Shah and Carberry tonking the ball around.
Finch just did it on a much, much bigger scale. I'm sorry I didn't get tickets!

IMAGE(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zlhOLr1gmM4/Ug9Z_PWyyWI/AAAAAAAAPUo/uPnKyErRpmc/w821-h547-no/20130726-P1050095.jpg)

Looks like South African cricket is well f*cked.

http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/artic...

MrDeVil909 wrote:

Looks like South African cricket is well f*cked.

http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/artic...

The BCCI are a f*cking disgrace. No other game in the world has a single entity with that much power.

It's happily destroying cricket, all in the name of power and money.

You're not wrong, AP. Meanwhile, the most corrupt competition in world cricket (and possible world sport) carries on in their own backyard.

Yes, IPL, you can sit down now.

It's very upsetting, SA and India have had a very special relationship since our return to cricket, and most of this sh*t has its roots in our pulling the BCCI's collective ass out of the fire when we hosted the IPL for them.

Now one spiteful person is undermining the relationship to grind his axe and the whole BCCI is dancing along.

I really wish CA would stand beside the CSA. But of course we will fold to those shrill sooks.

England squad for the upside-down leg of the Ashes.

Alastair Cook (Essex, captain), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Matt Prior (Sussex, vice-captain), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Monty Panesar (Sussex, on loan at Essex), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Chris Tremlett (Surrey).

So....Carberry instead of Compton (meh), Ballance instead of Taylor (meh), Tremlett instead of Onions (ok if he plays like the last Aussie Ashes series, meh if not).

Lehmann opined this morning that England were 'dour' (fair enough) and that Australia had identified their weaknesses. You'd better hope so, mate, as an England team that never fired above 50% of capacity beat you 3-0, and that would have been 4-0 but for the umpires.

davet010 wrote:

England squad for the upside-down leg of the Ashes.

Alastair Cook (Essex, captain), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Matt Prior (Sussex, vice-captain), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Monty Panesar (Sussex, on loan at Essex), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Chris Tremlett (Surrey).

So....Carberry instead of Compton (meh), Ballance instead of Taylor (meh), Tremlett instead of Onions (ok if he plays like the last Aussie Ashes series, meh if not).

Lehmann opined this morning that England were 'dour' (fair enough) and that Australia had identified their weaknesses. You'd better hope so, mate, as an England team that never fired above 50% of capacity beat you 3-0, and that would have been 4-0 but for the umpires.

Or 3-1 if not for the weather

I don't listen to anything the Aussie cricket team says anymore. They've been talking for so long, but no backing it up with actions that I couldn't really give a sh*t what they say.

That being said, I'm a bit more hopeful of a better showing in Aus. Our batting is still a massive problem.

The downside of not having a TV, missing an event like this.

Graeme Smith's 5th 200.

On another note. The issues with the Indian Tour here have been resolved by CSA folding completely to BCCI demands.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

The downside of not having a TV, missing an event like this.

Graeme Smith's 5th 200.

On another note. The issues with the Indian Tour here have been resolved by CSA folding completely to BCCI demands.

Congrats to Graeme Smith. Not the prettiest player to watch, but he does get the job done with monotonous regularity.

And f*ck the BCCI