The Cricket Thread

[Alex 34927]

Also if they’re that desperate to get Bairstow in (understandably after last summer) he could open on these pitches. The other thing with Foakes is he’s good enough to stand up to our quicks on this pitch. Not that he’d do it all the time but it would keep the batsmen honest now and again and brings in the possibility of a leg side stumping 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Alex

[Toonpack 9302]

Prediction for today, I'll stick with my 80/90 Convicts lead which we will either reach with no loss or be 4 down.

[Toonpack 9302]

Well fuck !!!!

[Alex 34927]

Beyond a joke now like 

[Toonpack 9302]

These are very good players, getting them out once is hard enough, two and three times is a joke !!!!

[Alex 34927]

Anderson clearly not willing to risk anyone dropping another 

[Alex 34927]

So after Bairstow’s missed chances we now have Moeen Ali looking decidedly undercooked and possibly having a finger issue. After bowling more overs yesterday than in the whole of the IPL. Totally unprofessional looking. The declaration looks ridiculously arrogant now and I thought it was stupid at the time the way Root was batting on that pitch 

[Alex 34927]

Another thing. If Australia get 400 from 130 overs after England get the same from 80 overs (for example) the former are probably better off, not just in the second innings of matches bout as a whole in a very compacted 5 match series. From the point of view of the bowling attack having to do all that extra work. I like the positive approach / attitude and Stokes is a great captain in terms of fielding positions etc. But you don’t have to do funky shite all the time in the name of entertainment. Especially against the best side in the world 

[Gemmill 44523]

Not easy this prediction business is it lads?

[Dr Gloom 21850]

And that is why test cricket is the greatest form of the game. We didn’t look like getting a wicket yesterday evening, toiling in the sun.

[Dr Gloom 21850]

Gangsta declaration vindicated? 🤪

[Toonpack 9302]

2 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

Gangsta declaration vindicated? 🤪

 

Not if they win by one wicket, way Root was playing we were good for another 30/40 minimum

[Dr Gloom 21850]

Return to form for Crawley

[Toonpack 9302]

Perfect bowling conditions to be fair, had some luck these Aussies tbh

[Alex 34927]

1 hour ago, Dr Gloom said:

Return to form for Crawley

I just can’t get my head around it with him. His first class record is shite. I mean I know he is a lower order batsman but, to put it in context, Adil Rashid has a better first class batting average. It’s not like Crawley is a raw but talented teenager either. 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Alex

[Dr Gloom 21850]

48 minutes ago, Alex said:

I just can’t get my head around it with him. His first class record is shite. I mean I know he is a lower order batsman but, to our it in context, Adil Rashid has a better first class batting average. It’s not like Crawley is a raw but talented teenager either. 

He’s had loads of chancee too. It’s a head scratcher 

[Toonpack 9302]

Shit! Covers coming off, just what we don't need, a nothing of any real benefit can happen, but a world of pain can, short session 🙄

Edited June 18, 2023 by Toonpack

[Toonpack 9302]

Thankfully too wet

[sammynb 3353]

5 hours ago, Toonpack said:

Perfect bowling conditions to be fair, had some luck these Aussies tbh

 

Everyone knows I'm not a fan of cricket, especially the current Australian cricket team and the cheating cunts that somehow have worked their way back in but the "had some luck" comment is the same boring shite that was constantly being spouted by others towards NUFC last season, it's just a lazy, lack of respect to a better team, cunts or not.

Edited June 18, 2023 by sammynb

[RobinRobin 11162]

10 hours ago, Dr Gloom said:

Return to form for Crawley

[Toonpack 9302]

9 hours ago, sammynb said:

 

Everyone knows I'm not a fan of cricket, especially the current Australian cricket team and the cheating cunts that somehow have worked their way back in but the "had some luck" comment is the same boring shite that was constantly being spouted by others towards NUFC last season, it's just a lazy, lack of respect to a better team, cunts or not.

 

It shows.

 

Brook's dismissal was a freak (to the point commentators/ex players were saying "never seen the like before") the mad bowling conditions when they came back on last night, for 20 minutes, were perfect for half decent bowlers never mind great bowlers.

 

No-one is doubting how good the Aussies are, but they have had some luck.

[Alex 34927]

The Brook dismissal was very unusual. Also Australia had the good fortune to have a bowl in that mini session in those conditions. But those two openers are likely to be in bother as soon as there’s any movement off the pitch and / or in the air. We’ve discussed Crawley but Duckett tries to get bat on ball on almost every single delivery. They don’t even try and adapt to conditions / circumstances either. Crawley got a good one but a lot of classic openers would’ve left it. The Duckett one was ridiculous in the circumstances but he’s almost pathologically incapable of leaving the ball 

Edited June 19, 2023 by Alex

[Dr Gloom 21850]

10 hours ago, sammynb said:

 

Everyone knows I'm not a fan of cricket, especially the current Australian cricket team and the cheating cunts that somehow have worked their way back in but the "had some luck" comment is the same boring shite that was constantly being spouted by others towards NUFC last season, it's just a lazy, lack of respect to a better team, cunts or not.

 

34 minutes ago, Toonpack said:

 

It shows.

 

Brook's dismissal was a freak (to the point commentators/ex players were saying "never seen the like before") the mad bowling conditions when they came back on last night, for 20 minutes, were perfect for half decent bowlers never mind great bowlers.

 

No-one is doubting how good the Aussies are, but they have had some luck.

it’s one of those games where stuff has gone in their favour. Hopefully they will even itself out across the series but I doubt that old cliche is that reliable. 

 

However, we can’t blame the Aussies for our missed stumping/dropped catches.

 

The reason we aren’t further ahead in the game against a v good Australia side (jury is still out on whether they’re ”the better side” away from home against bazball), is a combination of our slopping fielding, their good fortune and stokes’ ultra aggressive declaration 
 

[Toonpack 9302]

22 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

 

it’s one of those games where stuff has gone in their favour. Hopefully they will even itself out across the series but I doubt that old cliche is that reliable. 

 

However, we can’t blame the Aussies for our missed stumping/dropped catches.

 

The reason we aren’t further ahead in the game against a v good Australia side (jury is still out on whether they’re ”the better side” away from home against bazball), is a combination of our slopping fielding, their good fortune and stokes’ ultra aggressive declaration 
 

 

Absolutely don't disagree, your second sentence is bang on as well and I was simply opining that they'd had the rub of the green at certain points, not that they were "just lucky".

 

To take Alex's point re Ducket and Crawley (which I agree with btw) Even Root was struggling in that mini-session but he was good enough to miss the ball.

 

I really want to see Foakes in, one of the openers needs to drop (Crawley IMO - not only because I have no idea why/how he continues to get picked, but also to preserve the LH/RH situation). I'd just move whole order up one (Pope is invariably in early against the new ball anyway). Foakes is a competent bat and at #8 would provide a platform to rotate the strike if you've got one of the more expansive players still around, he's also capable of accelerating with the tail. (catches win matches etc.)

 

Think Moeen will struggle having seen a pic of his blisters, weather tomorrow seems very patchy so a draw is most likely, unless of course we get another gangsta declaration to force a result - which worries me tbh - before the Series the question was put to Stokes, "you're 2-1 up and at end of day 4 of the final test and you are 300 ahead with 3 wickets down, what would you do? bat on, or declare", without hesitation he said "I'd declare". 

 

There's a time and place for a declaration, like if you are trying to force a result because you need one, day one of a test match is never that time and place, and neither is day 4/5 of a test you can't lose (unless you declare prematurely). I also have an aversion to enforcing follow on's, unless the weather is iffy.

 

Hopefully we can bat through today and in between the weather tomorrow unleash Jimmy in conditions like last night. But I'd bet he'll declare with an hour at least at them tonight or with a lead of around 300, unless they skittle us and take it out of his hands.

[Dr Gloom 21850]

2 minutes ago, Toonpack said:

 

Absolutely don't disagree, your second sentence is bang on as well and I was simply opining that they'd had the rub of the green at certain points, not that they were "just lucky".

 

To take Alex's point re Ducket and Crawley (which I agree with btw) Even Root was struggling in that mini-session but he was good enough to miss the ball.

 

I really want to see Foakes in, one of the openers needs to drop (Crawley IMO - not only because I have no idea why/how he continues to get picked, but also to preserve the LH/RH situation). I'd just move whole order up one (Pope is invariably in early against the new ball anyway). Foakes is a competent bat and at #8 would provide a platform to rotate the strike if you've got one of the more expansive players still around, he's also capable of accelerating with the tail. (catches win matches etc.)

 

Think Moeen will struggle having seen a pic of his blisters, weather tomorrow seems very patchy so a draw is most likely, unless of course we get another gangsta declaration to force a result - which worries me tbh - before the Series the question was put to Stokes, "you're 2-1 up and at end of day 4 of the final test and you are 300 ahead with 3 wickets down, what would you do? bat on, or declare", without hesitation he said "I'd declare". 

 

There's a time and place for a declaration, like if you are trying to force a result because you need one, day one of a test match is never that time and place, and neither is day 4/5 of a test you can't lose (unless you declare prematurely). I also have an aversion to enforcing follow on's, unless the weather is iffy.

 

Hopefully we can bat through today and in between the weather tomorrow unleash Jimmy in conditions like last night. But I'd bet he'll declare with an hour at least at them tonight or with a lead of around 300, unless they skittle us and take it out of his hands.

Agree with all of this, including the criticisms of bazball. But it’s working so far and isn’t it refreshing that after years of negative captaincy that the whole mindset is now geared towards forcing a positive result?

 

It will backfire sometimes, I’m sure stokes will end up looking silly after one of these gangsta declarations and they will be accused of being naive or arrogant but I’d much rather continue this way, as long as it forces more wins than losses. It’s good craic