Cricket: More Than a Game

Well done Yorkshire. I've always rated Dizzy as a thinking cricketer. He was really great.

What I wouldn't give for someone like that now. Utterly insipid in UAE. Not the first team to have a shitty tour there, but this was a *really* shitty tour.

Pakistan continue to bat amazingly well in the UAE.

And 265 from Rohit Sharma in an ODI.

Bowlers are up against it.

So apparently Australia are #1 in the ODI rankings. What is wrong with the rest of the world?

Just devastating news.

Yeah, saw that on Twitter tonight. Terrible news.

Awful. Just bloody awful =(

RIP Phillip Hughes. A dreadful accident, and good to see some calls to remember Sean Abbott, the unfortunate bowler.

It's just the most horrible feeling. Such a tragic loss.

RIP Phillip Hughes - also I really hope that Sean Abbott gets all the support he needs right now

Instead, it is a time for mourning, for crying, for dwelling, for sighing, for holding hands and holding memories and holding up, and taking nothing in sport and in life for granted, not even that there will be a tomorrow, let alone another cricket match.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/rip-phillip-hughes-crickets-saddest-day-20141127-11vj4r.html

Some of the most powerful words I've ever read.

Horrible.

Anyone see Michael Clarks press conference just then? Pretty amazing, don't see professional sportsman showing raw emotion like that very much.

AP Erebus wrote:
Instead, it is a time for mourning, for crying, for dwelling, for sighing, for holding hands and holding memories and holding up, and taking nothing in sport and in life for granted, not even that there will be a tomorrow, let alone another cricket match.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/rip-phillip-hughes-crickets-saddest-day-20141127-11vj4r.html

Some of the most powerful words I've ever read.

Wow what an article

Abbott bowled it to ruffle him, to distract him, to break his concentration, to manoeuvre him out of position, to provoke him to play a false shot, to that ball or one soon after. This was a game. Abbott did not bowl it to harm. Feel for him; he has a life sentence.

We will always remember this. People have died on the sports field before and never was it the fault of those involved in the tackle, bowling, throw or punch ect I just know that Abbot will get the support he needs, far more than those in the past if he needs it.

Finally the summer can start.

India will never have a better chance to win a series with dressing room still healing and our main spinner in terrible form.

But who knows what the next 5 days will bring.

God, I love test cricket.

f*cking pissed I can't get the live radio streaming working through the Cricket Aus website. f*cking infuriating

I love that they were directing everyone around their bullshit gatekeeping layer to access the service they insist only they may provide.

Is there anything more depressing in the world of cricket than the fall of the West Indies? Maybe the hijacking of the ICC by the big 3 and SA's capitulation, but that's more infuriating than depressing.

WI is the team I've always had a big soft spot for.

They've always been fractured. It has taken amazingly strong captains like Worrell or Lloyd to get them to play well together.

And they've always been broke. They came to Australia every second year because Packer paid them well.

20 years ago I played alongside this guy: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/conte...
Who came to a country town in the middle of nowhere because we paid for a flight and got him a job over the summer while he played cricket. He played in the U/19 World Cup that we hosted and he was paired up with Brian Lara when players were being billeted out among cricket families in the region. (We were unable to secure Brian's services )

Now with IPL etc. there is no benefit to them under the maroon cap.

Which is a real shame as it is overshadowing how incredible Shiv Chanderpaul is.

There are 7 batsmen over 1000 runs for 2014 and may get to as many as 9. There were only 2 in 2013. 5 in 2012. 2 in 2011. 6 in 2010. Must be an even numbered year thing.

What the hell is AB de Villiers on?!

16 ball 50
31 ball 100...

Madness, I need to see the game/highlights

It was genuinely outrageous batting. Taking balls on a good length outside off stump and shuffling across, dropping to one knee and flicking them over fine leg for 6.

Holy hell, I wasn't paying any attention until I saw posts in this thread. Amazing work, but the opening stand must get some credit too. Hopefully our openers can carry some of that form into the WC.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

Holy hell, I wasn't paying any attention until I saw posts in this thread. Amazing work, but the opening stand must get some credit too. Hopefully our openers can carry some of that form into the WC.

A 250 run opening stand is not to be sneezed at. But AB was just ridiculous. Just crazy how good he is at pretty much everything.

AB's main ability is to play the exact game that is in front of him. The openers gave him the freedom to go nuts, so he did. When the team is under the hammer he can buckle down and grind out the runs, then go up a gear and take control.

Our main problem is that on the day he and Hash slip we are in deep crap.

I think that seagull has a better understanding of the inner workings of cricket than I do.

That's more like it!

I love that the crowd is going nuts over the bird.

Just had a near-coronary.

"Lancs agree to sign batsman Petersen".

Actually reading the article reveals that Lancs have secured the services of ex-international Alviro Petersen for next season, rather than FIGJAM. I should have thought on really, it's unlikely he'd join a Div 2 outfit.

World Cup commence!

As I write this NZ has just posted 331 for SL to chase to open the proceedings. Looking forward to this competition. I think we have a good shot to be in the final four, though realistically you'd have to back SA or Aus to take it.

Australia and NZ certainly made it look very easy today. Personally I think it's between those two and SA.

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9y5_3LCIAAx8dF.jpg)

And that's our Captain! Get a feeling that this will be an embarrassing World Cup for us

Clusks wrote:

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9y5_3LCIAAx8dF.jpg)

And that's our Captain! Get a feeling that this will be an embarrassing World Cup for us :(

Man, I didn't realize it was that bad :/