The Official Cricket Thread

[Sandstorm]

48-6

Fuck-your-way-oh slogs out for nought again

[Torquemada 1420]

Michael Vaughan wasn't holding back


A bit like the backlash against Brace, eh?

[Sandstorm]

Miller fighting back

[Sandstorm]

Miller finishes on 85*, some smashing!!

[FalseBayFC]

Love Shamsi's celebrations.

[OomStruisbaai]

Great rescue knock by Miller and Filemon vokked it in one over.

[Rinkals]

48-6

Fuck-your-way-oh slogs out for nought again

Yeah, I was waiting for Handyman to tell us that Miller couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag.

[handyman]

48-6

Fuck-your-way-oh slogs out for nought again

Yeah, I was waiting for Handyman to tell us that Miller couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag.

Rancid and not good enough to get a bite from this here premier poster.

[JM2K6]

Michael Vaughan wasn't holding back


A bit like the backlash against Brace, eh?

Yes, in that Michael Vaughan is a rent-a-quote who likes being "contraversial" on twitter and changes his mind like a weather vane. Unless it's about a player who is represented by his agency, of course...

[Paddington Bear]

Vaughan going down the pound shop Piers Morgan route is really, really disappointing. He could be a valuable elder statesman for English cricket.

[Rinkals]

48-6

Fuck-your-way-oh slogs out for nought again

Yeah, I was waiting for Handyman to tell us that Miller couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag.

Rancid and not good enough to get a bite from this here premier poster.

Have you changed your mind, then?

I seem to remember you saying that Miller is a waste of a place in the team.

Somebody on here was telling us how useless he was and I was pretty sure, given your vast knowledge of the game, that it was you. I am happy to stand corrected.

[Torquemada 1420]

At a 100-6, thought England had done well to fashion an outside chance of staying in the game but this one is in the records now unless global warming alters the weather in Madras.

BTW, I missed why Anderson was not playing in this one?

[Insane_Homer]

Ashwin get his ton and pushes the lead beyond 450.

[Rinkals]

England set 482 to win.

This game was a done deal from the moment Root called incorrectly.

At least, when they did win the toss in the last game, they made it count.

[Rinkals]

At a 100-6, thought England had done well to fashion an outside chance of staying in the game but this one is in the records now unless global warming alters the weather in Madras.

BTW, I missed why Anderson was not playing in this one?

Rested, I believe.

[Torquemada 1420]

At a 100-6, thought England had done well to fashion an outside chance of staying in the game but this one is in the records now unless global warming alters the weather in Madras.

BTW, I missed why Anderson was not playing in this one?

Rested, I believe.

Cheers.

[Big D]

At a 100-6, thought England had done well to fashion an outside chance of staying in the game but this one is in the records now unless global warming alters the weather in Madras.

BTW, I missed why Anderson was not playing in this one?

Rested, I believe.

Cheers.

With the pitch being as it was and an eye on the day night game on the horizon it is a wise move..

[Gumboot]

Great knock by Ashwin on a minefield. This game could well be done and dusted by Tea tomorrow. But it's test cricket, so...

Carn, England!

[handyman]

Yeah, I was waiting for Handyman to tell us that Miller couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag.

Rancid and not good enough to get a bite from this here premier poster.

Have you changed your mind, then?

I seem to remember you saying that Miller is a waste of a place in the team.

Somebody on here was telling us how useless he was and I was pretty sure, given your vast knowledge of the game, that it was you. I am happy to stand corrected.

You seem to remember? Quote boet, or it did not happen. I'm happy to discuss my views if and when you do.

[Paddington Bear]

Can probably put the 'shit pitch' narrative to bed. English cricket has a cultural problem top to bottom where as soon as batsmen see a turning wicket they pick up their ball and go home. Stop sulking, dig in and learn to deal with it. Maybe if we stopped punishing teams for producing turning wickets we'd understand that already.

[JM2K6]

I dunno, I don't think pitches like this - regardless of India's superiority on it - are a good thing, particularly in domestic cricket. I know the counter-whinge is about green tops, but seaming wickets often get flatter, whereas if it's turning square at the end of day one, you know it's only going to get worse from there. It's a bit too predictable.

Anyway, looks to me like India would've beaten us fairly easily batting second, so well done them!

[Paddington Bear]

Yeah I'm not suggesting they make for great cricket, but we actively punish spin bowling in England and there's an inbuilt assumption of 'nothing I could do', which leads to this.

[Rinkals]

Rancid and not good enough to get a bite from this here premier poster.

Have you changed your mind, then?

I seem to remember you saying that Miller is a waste of a place in the team.

Somebody on here was telling us how useless he was and I was pretty sure, given your vast knowledge of the game, that it was you. I am happy to stand corrected.

You seem to remember? Quote boet, or it did not happen. I'm happy to discuss my views if and when you do.

I said that I'm happy to stand corrected.

If you tell me that you've always regarded Miller as an excellent batsman, then fine. I'm certainly not going to trawl through multiple threads on two different websites to prove you wrong.

[handyman]

Have you changed your mind, then?

I seem to remember you saying that Miller is a waste of a place in the team.

Somebody on here was telling us how useless he was and I was pretty sure, given your vast knowledge of the game, that it was you. I am happy to stand corrected.

You seem to remember? Quote boet, or it did not happen. I'm happy to discuss my views if and when you do.

I said that I'm happy to stand corrected.

If you tell me that you've always regarded Miller as an excellent batsman, then fine. I'm certainly not going to trawl through multiple threads on two different websites to prove you wrong.

Then don't say I posted something if you aren't sure about it.


Simples.

[Sandstorm]

Heineken South Africa, which distributes alcohol brands such as Windhoek, Amstel, Miller and Soweto beers, has already announced that it will institute retrenchments for 7% of their workforce, while their competitors at the South ...

This is the only post about Miller that Handyman has ever made before today on NPR.

[handyman]

Heineken South Africa, which distributes alcohol brands such as Windhoek, Amstel, Miller and Soweto beers, has already announced that it will institute retrenchments for 7% of their workforce, while their competitors at the South ...

This is the only post about Miller that Handyman has ever made before today on NPR.

[Mahoney]

Can probably put the 'shit pitch' narrative to bed. English cricket has a cultural problem top to bottom where as soon as batsmen see a turning wicket they pick up their ball and go home. Stop sulking, dig in and learn to deal with it. Maybe if we stopped punishing teams for producing turning wickets we'd understand that already.

In my view the biggest factor in making the pitch seem OKish has been England's spinners have been shit. It's an odds game - put the ball in the right area often enough and the luck will even out. Instead the length control has been poor, there have been loads of easy half trackers, half volleys and full tosses, and so India have been able to score reasonable totals. When India were 86/3 with the ball exploding through the top a side with decent spinners could reasonably expect to have got them all out for 200ish. Again in the second innings, with India 106/6 all out for 150 was perfectly plausible. Taken together, and assuming England performed as they did in the real 1st innings, that would have left England chasing 220 odd and the game all over one way or another (India win by 60 or so would have been my bet) with plenty of the third day left.

Instead India have batted at least two sessions more than a good spinning team would have let them, which has pushed the length of the test into normal duration.

This may be underplaying Rohit, Rahane, Pant, Kohli & Ashwin's brilliance with the bat a bit, but I think an India v India test would have been over in very short order, which is why I think the pitch was poor for a test match. It's been perfectly reasonable for exposing a difference in quality at bowling spin and batting against spin, though - no complaints about the result!

[Insane_Homer]

cricinfo...

Is Ashwin a better allrounder than Stokes?

[Ovals]

Can probably put the 'shit pitch' narrative to bed. English cricket has a cultural problem top to bottom where as soon as batsmen see a turning wicket they pick up their ball and go home. Stop sulking, dig in and learn to deal with it. Maybe if we stopped punishing teams for producing turning wickets we'd understand that already.

In my view the biggest factor in making the pitch seem OKish has been England's spinners have been shit. It's an odds game - put the ball in the right area often enough and the luck will even out. Instead the length control has been poor, there have been loads of easy half trackers, half volleys and full tosses, and so India have been able to score reasonable totals. When India were 86/3 with the ball exploding through the top a side with decent spinners could reasonably expect to have got them all out for 200ish. Again in the second innings, with India 106/6 all out for 150 was perfectly plausible. Taken together, and assuming England performed as they did in the real 1st innings, that would have left England chasing 220 odd and the game all over one way or another (India win by 60 or so would have been my bet) with plenty of the third day left.

Instead India have batted at least two sessions more than a good spinning team would have let them, which has pushed the length of the test into normal duration.

This may be underplaying Rohit, Rahane, Pant, Kohli & Ashwin's brilliance with the bat a bit, but I think an India v India test would have been over in very short order, which is why I think the pitch was poor for a test match. It's been perfectly reasonable for exposing a difference in quality at bowling spin and batting against spin, though - no complaints about the result!

Agreed - our spinners just haven't been consistent enough to keep the pressure on - against players that are used to turning pitches. They'e also bowled a bit too slowly for this surface. When it is really turning, you can afford to push it through a bit more - it'll still turn, when it hits the rights bits - and it makes it much harder for the batsman to play off the back foot or make adjustments in flight.

Our players will have to learn quickly, there's going to be two more of these dust bowls. Kohli had the curator, for the 1st test, 'relieved of his duties', because the pitch didn't suit his bowlers enough. https://www.insidesport.co/ind-vs-eng-b ... nai-pitch/

[Mahoney]

https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/me ... kings/test

[Mahoney]

Incidentally - Foakes now averages 47, after 11 innings. Which is about 10 more than any other bat in England's top 7 other than Root. Including Buttler & Bairstow.

[Ovals]

Incidentally - Foakes now averages 47, after 11 innings. Which is about 10 more than any other bat in England's top 7 other than Root. Including Buttler & Bairstow.

He also has a better technique than all those (excl Root).

If he can get 24+ not out, in the 2nd innings, he can push that up to 50 With the bats coming after him, a not out is a decent chance - getting the 24 might be more of a challenge.

[Certain Navigator]

I dunno, I don't think pitches like this - regardless of India's superiority on it - are a good thing, particularly in domestic cricket. I know the counter-whinge is about green tops, but seaming wickets often get flatter, whereas if it's turning square at the end of day one, you know it's only going to get worse from there. It's a bit too predictable.

Anyway, looks to me like India would've beaten us fairly easily batting second, so well done them!

The trouble with the greentops-get-flatter argument is that the match is often already over, or at least already decided, by the time they do. Given all the advantages seamers are given (new ball, covers), pitches like this that redress the balance a bit are no bad thing.

[Certain Navigator]

cricinfo...

Is Ashwin a better allrounder than Stokes?

Well, Ashwin's certainly a better bowler.

[Ovals]

I dunno, I don't think pitches like this - regardless of India's superiority on it - are a good thing, particularly in domestic cricket. I know the counter-whinge is about green tops, but seaming wickets often get flatter, whereas if it's turning square at the end of day one, you know it's only going to get worse from there. It's a bit too predictable.

Anyway, looks to me like India would've beaten us fairly easily batting second, so well done them!

The trouble with the greentops-get-flatter argument is that the match is often already over, or at least already decided, by the time they do. Given all the advantages seamers are given (new ball, covers), pitches like this that redress the balance a bit are no bad thing.

You really don't get 'green tops' prepared for Tests in the UK. Early season, when the water table is often high, you will get more seam movement - but the pitch really won't look 'green'. As the summer progresses, the pitches tend to change in nature. Most pitches will be prepared with some moisture in them, so that they last for 5 days without becoming shockers. That might give seamers a bit of help on the 1st morning, which can offset, to small extent, the advantage of winning the toss. I don't think this Indian pitch was ever designed to last 5 days.

[JM2K6]

I dunno, I don't think pitches like this - regardless of India's superiority on it - are a good thing, particularly in domestic cricket. I know the counter-whinge is about green tops, but seaming wickets often get flatter, whereas if it's turning square at the end of day one, you know it's only going to get worse from there. It's a bit too predictable.

Anyway, looks to me like India would've beaten us fairly easily batting second, so well done them!

The trouble with the greentops-get-flatter argument is that the match is often already over, or at least already decided, by the time they do. Given all the advantages seamers are given (new ball, covers), pitches like this that redress the balance a bit are no bad thing.

This seems like a false balance to me. If there is a problem with pitches that seam too much, why is it a good thing to then have the equivalent for spin? Two wrongs don't make a right.

Anyway, I'm far from convinced by the idea that match is already over that often with "green tops".

[Rinkals]

Heineken South Africa, which distributes alcohol brands such as Windhoek, Amstel, Miller and Soweto beers, has already announced that it will institute retrenchments for 7% of their workforce, while their competitors at the South ...

This is the only post about Miller that Handyman has ever made before today on NPR.

Fine.

The bottom line is that Miller is still worth his place in the side, even if Handyman won't admit it.

I notice that you qualified it as "on NPR".

I specifically included PR when I made comment.

[Kiwias]

Lawrence can hardly blame the pitch for his dismissal.

[Certain Navigator]

I dunno, I don't think pitches like this - regardless of India's superiority on it - are a good thing, particularly in domestic cricket. I know the counter-whinge is about green tops, but seaming wickets often get flatter, whereas if it's turning square at the end of day one, you know it's only going to get worse from there. It's a bit too predictable.

Anyway, looks to me like India would've beaten us fairly easily batting second, so well done them!

The trouble with the greentops-get-flatter argument is that the match is often already over, or at least already decided, by the time they do. Given all the advantages seamers are given (new ball, covers), pitches like this that redress the balance a bit are no bad thing.

You really don't get 'green tops' prepared for Tests in the UK. Early season, when the water table is often high, you will get more seam movement - but the pitch really won't look 'green'. As the summer progresses, the pitches tend to change in nature. Most pitches will be prepared with some moisture in them, so that they last for 5 days without becoming shockers. That might give seamers a bit of help on the 1st morning, which can offset, to small extent, the advantage of winning the toss. I don't think this Indian pitch was ever designed to last 5 days.

But India scored 600-plus runs on it, so it clearly wasn't that bad. And watching it now, it's still not anything close to a minefield (even if England's batsmen seem to treating it as such). The odd one is taking off, but usually by too much to get anybody out; certainly the wickets I've seen today had nothing to do with the pitch doing anything particularly untoward. I'd expect (hope being probably more accurate) that all test tracks got to something like this by day 5.

[Certain Navigator]

I dunno, I don't think pitches like this - regardless of India's superiority on it - are a good thing, particularly in domestic cricket. I know the counter-whinge is about green tops, but seaming wickets often get flatter, whereas if it's turning square at the end of day one, you know it's only going to get worse from there. It's a bit too predictable.

Anyway, looks to me like India would've beaten us fairly easily batting second, so well done them!

The trouble with the greentops-get-flatter argument is that the match is often already over, or at least already decided, by the time they do. Given all the advantages seamers are given (new ball, covers), pitches like this that redress the balance a bit are no bad thing.

This seems like a false balance to me. If there is a problem with pitches that seam too much, why is it a good thing to then have the equivalent for spin? Two wrongs don't make a right.

If things were otherwise evenly balanced, I'd agree, but the huge imbalance in favour of seamers alters the calculus. Spinners haven't had the advantage of uncovered pitches for decades, covers and ground condition regulations are all designed to make it possible for seamers to bowl, seamers get the head start of a new ball — that the typical ratio of seamers to spinners is around 4 to 1 must tell you something. Some teams (like mine — NZ) go the whole hog and don't bother playing a spinner at all (certainly not one worthy of the name), which is astoundingly boring. So anything that goes the other way and encourages spinners is just alright with me.