The Official Cricket Thread

[Biffer]

Scotland struggle to 277.

Not sure if that will be enough to keep the Dutch out.

Netherlands will need to score faster than usual so might bring it's own pressure.

Edit - They need to knock it off in 44 or 45 overs depending how far past (1-6 runs) they go past the total by.

Thought Scotland were on to post 300, but the Dutch choked them back to 277.

So Netherlands need 278 in 44 overs to go to the World Cup. Currently 93/2 off 19, Scotland have reduced the run rate since the powerplay. 7.4 runs an over to get to the target in 44, has been slowly drifting upwards.

Squeaky bum time.

[Biffer]

Another wicket, 94/3

[Torquemada 1420]

Every sport has weird lines between what is and isn’t acceptable.
Off the top of my head:
Football - acceptable to get in the ref’s face and tell him to fuck off, unacceptable to play on if someone is down injured (rugby vice versa of course)
Rugby - acceptable to pantomime boo until the ref gives a card, unacceptable to boo the kicker, and let’s not forget traditionally acceptable to stamp/fight in a way that could grievously injure someone, so long as you didn’t gouge.
American football - acceptable to hit a player in a manner that can cause brain injury, unacceptable to ‘run up the score’.
Tennis - acceptable to deliberately exaggerate ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ after playing a shot, unacceptable for the crowd to make a sound.

I could go on.

What makes cricket’s different is that the Spirit of the Game, far from an abstract concept, is incorporated into the Laws of the Game in the preamble. Like any preamble, the Laws should be interpreted with that in mind.

I don't think we can conflate audience behaviour and that of the sporting participants and that would render some of your examples out of bounds. Anyway
1) Football. No, it's not. And anyone doing so that blatantly would be sent off. I do agree on the down injured thing which is some bizarre effort by footballers to feign some degree of morality.
2) Rugby. That's an audience thing and certainly does not apply in France and so can't be considered global regardless. Stamping was legal. It was permitted under the ruck laws. Hard to see how it wasn't sporting if it was in the laws. You might as well say a hard tackle is unsporting.
3) Yankball. On the brain injury bit: same thing as rucking. I don't know what "run up the score" means!
4) Tennis. Audience again.

Torq I don't know what football you're watching but players routinely scream fuck off to refs and sledging is endemic

Maybe it's an entitled, Prem thing? In 40 odd Championship matches last season, I saw plenty of hectoring of refs but never a "f*ck off" directed explicitly at the ref i.e. to his face. I've seen several of our players booked simply** for arguing with the ref so pretty sure anything worse would have met with greater sanctions.

I haven't watched a Prem games in many years. It's sh*te. And maybe that's why I don't hear it because it's all miked up in those games?

{EDIT}** Not meaning to trivialise by using "simply". It's unaccountable and should be booked every time.

[Biffer]

Another wicket, 94/3

And another.

NL 108/4 off 23.3

[JM2K6]

I don't think we can conflate audience behaviour and that of the sporting participants and that would render some of your examples out of bounds. Anyway
1) Football. No, it's not. And anyone doing so that blatantly would be sent off. I do agree on the down injured thing which is some bizarre effort by footballers to feign some degree of morality.
2) Rugby. That's an audience thing and certainly does not apply in France and so can't be considered global regardless. Stamping was legal. It was permitted under the ruck laws. Hard to see how it wasn't sporting if it was in the laws. You might as well say a hard tackle is unsporting.
3) Yankball. On the brain injury bit: same thing as rucking. I don't know what "run up the score" means!
4) Tennis. Audience again.

Torq I don't know what football you're watching but players routinely scream fuck off to refs and sledging is endemic

Maybe it's an entitled, Prem thing? In 40 odd Championship matches last season, I saw plenty of hectoring of refs but never a "f*ck off" directed explicitly at the ref i.e. to his face. I've seen several of our players booked simply for arguing with the ref so pretty sure anything worse would have met with greater sanctions.

I haven't watched a Prem games in many years. It's sh*te. And maybe that's why I don't hear it because it's all miked up in those games?

Watch any Champions League football? Ligue Un? La Liga? I promise you the Premiership is not some kind of outlier here.

You have to really cross the line to get a red card for yelling abuse at a ref. A "fuck off" doesn't register.

Sledging has been part of the game for a very long time. Remember Materazzi?

[Biffer]

England in this test as for the whole series, are doing their best to drop the Ashes. It's the key difference in the series for me.

[JM2K6]

Root drops a sitter at slip.

Dunno who our fielding coach is but this is a gigantic issue.

[Torquemada 1420]

Torq I don't know what football you're watching but players routinely scream fuck off to refs and sledging is endemic

Maybe it's an entitled, Prem thing? In 40 odd Championship matches last season, I saw plenty of hectoring of refs but never a "f*ck off" directed explicitly at the ref i.e. to his face. I've seen several of our players booked simply for arguing with the ref so pretty sure anything worse would have met with greater sanctions.

I haven't watched a Prem games in many years. It's sh*te. And maybe that's why I don't hear it because it's all miked up in those games?

Watch any Champions League football? Ligue Un? La Liga? I promise you the Premiership is not some kind of outlier here.

You have to really cross the line to get a red card for yelling abuse at a ref. A "fuck off" doesn't register.

Sledging has been part of the game for a very long time. Remember Materazzi?

No. Hence my point about being miked up. I honestly haven't seen it at live games although it's hard to hear what is been said. But not on transmitted ones either. TBC, I am talking about explicitly to the ref's face. I'm sure the waving arm in air and muttering/shouting "F*ck off" is commonplace and whilst that's clear dissent, it's not what I am referring to. Accept that is absolutely falls under the wider "unsporting" tag of Paddington's.

Materazzi/sledging in football. It really isn't the same thing. It's done (unless you are dim) out of ref's sight/ears. That's the whole point: to provoke a retaliatory reaction. Cricket is several blokes huddled around a batter (usually) giving continuous gip right under the eyes and ears of both officials and not designed to provoke retaliation but to put the player off into making an error. It's intimidation rather than provocation.

Personally, I think the football comparison is apples and pears. Football really makes little pretence, on and off the field, about being sporting whereas cricket makes a huge noise about it. That, for me, is part of the weird relationship with "sporting behaviour".

[Sandstorm]

England in this test as for the whole series, are doing their best to drop the Ashes. It's the key difference in the series for me.

Yup. Really don't deserve to win if they shell everything that comes their way behind the stumps.

[Thor Sedan]

Another wicket, 94/3

And another.

NL 108/4 off 23.3

These two at the crease seem to understand the equation. Scotland need to break this partnership.

[Torquemada 1420]

England in this test as for the whole series, are doing their best to drop the Ashes. It's the key difference in the series for me.

Yup. Really don't deserve to win if they shell everything that comes their way behind the stumps.

It has been shocking. Windies' level of sh*tness. Bairstow must cost them 50-100 a game!

[Sandstorm]

Marsh playing Bazball here, knocking boundaries T20 stylee.

[Biffer]

Another wicket, 94/3

And another.

NL 108/4 off 23.3

These two at the crease seem to understand the equation. Scotland need to break this partnership.

Some loose stuff in the last few overs. 142/4 off 22 to win, off 16 ish to qualify (still more than 8 an over). But yes, need a wicket.

[Paddington Bear]

Maybe it's an entitled, Prem thing? In 40 odd Championship matches last season, I saw plenty of hectoring of refs but never a "f*ck off" directed explicitly at the ref i.e. to his face. I've seen several of our players booked simply for arguing with the ref so pretty sure anything worse would have met with greater sanctions.

I haven't watched a Prem games in many years. It's sh*te. And maybe that's why I don't hear it because it's all miked up in those games?

Watch any Champions League football? Ligue Un? La Liga? I promise you the Premiership is not some kind of outlier here.

You have to really cross the line to get a red card for yelling abuse at a ref. A "fuck off" doesn't register.

Sledging has been part of the game for a very long time. Remember Materazzi?

No. Hence my point about being miked up. I honestly haven't seen it at live games although it's hard to hear what is been said. But not on transmitted ones either. TBC, I am talking about explicitly to the ref's face. I'm sure the waving arm in air and muttering/shouting "F*ck off" is commonplace and whilst that's clear dissent, it's not what I am referring to. Accept that is absolutely falls under the wider "unsporting" tag of Paddington's.

Materazzi/sledging in football. It really isn't the same thing. It's done (unless you are dim) out of ref's sight/ears. That's the whole point: to provoke a retaliatory reaction. Cricket is several blokes huddled around a batter (usually) giving continuous gip right under the eyes and ears of both officials and not designed to provoke retaliation but to put the player off into making an error. It's intimidation rather than provocation.

Personally, I think the football comparison is apples and pears. Football really makes little pretence, on and off the field, about being sporting whereas cricket makes a huge noise about it. That, for me, is part of the weird relationship with "sporting behaviour".

Except I gave an example of how football professes to have sporting values, which you agree with. There’s also a stigma against even great players like say Drogba who were pretty notorious cheats.
Basically every sport has weird codes as to what is and is ‘t acceptable that don’t necessarily make sense from an objective point of view, cricket is no outlier in this. Tbh the one in cricket that has always struck me as really odd is how in a friendly played in the ‘spirit of the game’ it is totally unacceptable to stand your ground having nicked off but appealing for an LBW you know isn’t out is fine and dandy.

[Biffer]

Wicket in Zimbabwe - Scotland break the partnership!

167/5 off 32.

111 off 18 to win the game, but need to do it in 12 to qualify for the CWC.

[Torquemada 1420]

Except I gave an example of how football professes to have sporting values, which you agree with. There’s also a stigma against even great players like say Drogba who were pretty notorious cheats.
Basically every sport has weird codes as to what is and is ‘t acceptable that don’t necessarily make sense from an objective point of view, cricket is no outlier in this. Tbh the one in cricket that has always struck me as really odd is how in a friendly played in the ‘spirit of the game’ it is totally unacceptable to stand your ground having nicked off but appealing for an LBW you know isn’t out is fine and dandy.

You will think this is hair splitting but that trend in football is new and I'm sure many would like to portray it as the first in a reversal of the game's decline into zero sportsmanship and over the edge, deep into outright cheating and corruption. In reality, nobody believes it's anything more that fake PR stunting and so it's entirely consistent with football i.e. cynical behaviour.

The whole nature of cricket from it's roots of gentlemen batters/working class bowlers (which possibly explains more why so few bowlers have made captains than any tactical rationale for exclusion) to colonial masters showing the natives who their betters were make it odder than any other sport I can imagine. On your point, one of the game's greatest icons played in what cricket would regard as a truly sporting era, and yet was an acknowledged bad sportsman/cheat i.e. Grace!

[Torquemada 1420]

Smith is hilarious, he's always so aggreived at really obvious decisions made against him.

Listen all you had to do was edge it a yard either side of the useless Yorkshire fuck, it's your own fault for nicking it straight into his ginger gut.

Is that considered racist these days?

[clydecloggie]

Looks like a fairly straightforward win for the Dutch unless there is a late collapse. But doing it in time for qualification...it will be very close.

[Biffer]

Fuck it. A magnificent knock from de Leede, takes it home for the Dutch. I'm absolutely fucking gutted.

[clydecloggie]

Looks like a fairly straightforward win for the Dutch unless there is a late collapse. But doing it in time for qualification...it will be very close.

Forget that. 5 6's in 10 balls make it a walk in the park for the Dutch. Just 5 runs needed now in ~2 overs.

5 wickets and a ton for Bas de Leede. What a player.

It's a travesty, this 10-team World Cup. Which I would have said regardless of who came out on top today.

[Biffer]

Looks like a fairly straightforward win for the Dutch unless there is a late collapse. But doing it in time for qualification...it will be very close.

Forget that. 5 6's in 10 balls make it a walk in the park for the Dutch. Just 5 runs needed now in ~2 overs.

5 wickets and a ton for Bas de Leede. What a player.

It's a travesty, this 10-team World Cup. Which I would have said regardless of who came out on top today.

Only the fourth or fifth player to take 5 wickets and score a ton in ODIs.

Well done the Dutch, and it is a massive fuck you to the BCCI and ICC in their World Cup that was specifically designed to keep the Associate teams out.

One of the differences today was probably experience - the Dutch were in the World League for the last few years so had ODI series vs England, Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland, Afghanistan, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Scotland were in World League 2 playing Oman, UAE, Nepal, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and USA. Scotland winning World League 2 should have meant they were promoted to the Superleague for the next cycle, but oh look, the BCCI and ICC have decided they don't want to do that anymore so there are no associate v full member ODIs scheduled at all.

[Paddington Bear]

This is becoming incredibly hard to watch

[clydecloggie]

Looks like a fairly straightforward win for the Dutch unless there is a late collapse. But doing it in time for qualification...it will be very close.

Forget that. 5 6's in 10 balls make it a walk in the park for the Dutch. Just 5 runs needed now in ~2 overs.

5 wickets and a ton for Bas de Leede. What a player.

It's a travesty, this 10-team World Cup. Which I would have said regardless of who came out on top today.

Only the fourth or fifth player to take 5 wickets and score a ton in ODIs.

Well done the Dutch, and it is a massive fuck you to the BCCI and ICC in their World Cup that was specifically designed to keep the Associate teams out.

One of the differences today was probably experience - the Dutch were in the World League for the last few years so had ODI series vs England, Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland, Afghanistan, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Scotland were in World League 2 playing Oman, UAE, Nepal, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and USA. Scotland winning World League 2 should have meant they were promoted to the Superleague for the next cycle, but oh look, the BCCI and ICC have decided they don't want to do that anymore so there are no associate v full member ODIs scheduled at all.

Yes, the Dutch have had lots of high-level cricket over the last few years, including T20WC and memorable wins over full members. They seem to know exactly how far they can press the accelerator, they've got batting quality throughout with always one player at least standing up and delivering a big innings, and their bowling is nagging and miserly. A pretty good white ball team that fully deserves to be at the World Cup.

But Scotland beat 3 full members in this tournament and it still wasn't enough. Which is beyond shit.

[Deepsouth]

Marsh you little beauty

[Biffer]

Forget that. 5 6's in 10 balls make it a walk in the park for the Dutch. Just 5 runs needed now in ~2 overs.

5 wickets and a ton for Bas de Leede. What a player.

It's a travesty, this 10-team World Cup. Which I would have said regardless of who came out on top today.

Only the fourth or fifth player to take 5 wickets and score a ton in ODIs.

Well done the Dutch, and it is a massive fuck you to the BCCI and ICC in their World Cup that was specifically designed to keep the Associate teams out.

One of the differences today was probably experience - the Dutch were in the World League for the last few years so had ODI series vs England, Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland, Afghanistan, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Scotland were in World League 2 playing Oman, UAE, Nepal, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and USA. Scotland winning World League 2 should have meant they were promoted to the Superleague for the next cycle, but oh look, the BCCI and ICC have decided they don't want to do that anymore so there are no associate v full member ODIs scheduled at all.

Yes, the Dutch have had lots of high-level cricket over the last few years, including T20WC and memorable wins over full members. They seem to know exactly how far they can press the accelerator, they've got batting quality throughout with always one player at least standing up and delivering a big innings, and their bowling is nagging and miserly. A pretty good white ball team that fully deserves to be at the World Cup.

But Scotland beat 3 full members in this tournament and it still wasn't enough. Which is beyond shit.

Let's not forget the Dutch are missing eight players who stayed with their counties in England.

The way these tournaments are set up to handicap associates is beyond a fucking joke.

[Torquemada 1420]

This is becoming incredibly hard to watch

Big problems for Eng now with Robinson off and Moeen getting slaughtered. Root on next over?

[Torquemada 1420]

Only the fourth or fifth player to take 5 wickets and score a ton in ODIs.

Well done the Dutch, and it is a massive fuck you to the BCCI and ICC in their World Cup that was specifically designed to keep the Associate teams out.

One of the differences today was probably experience - the Dutch were in the World League for the last few years so had ODI series vs England, Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland, Afghanistan, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Scotland were in World League 2 playing Oman, UAE, Nepal, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and USA. Scotland winning World League 2 should have meant they were promoted to the Superleague for the next cycle, but oh look, the BCCI and ICC have decided they don't want to do that anymore so there are no associate v full member ODIs scheduled at all.

Yes, the Dutch have had lots of high-level cricket over the last few years, including T20WC and memorable wins over full members. They seem to know exactly how far they can press the accelerator, they've got batting quality throughout with always one player at least standing up and delivering a big innings, and their bowling is nagging and miserly. A pretty good white ball team that fully deserves to be at the World Cup.

But Scotland beat 3 full members in this tournament and it still wasn't enough. Which is beyond shit.

Let's not forget the Dutch are missing eight players who stayed with their counties in England.

The way these tournaments are set up to handicap associates is beyond a fucking joke.

It's the modern way. Pay lip service to widening a game to developing nations but
- restrict their abilities to compete fairly
- whilst trousering the lion's share of any additional revenue they generate

See SANZAAR/6N carve up with their new "global" tournie.

[Paddington Bear]

This is becoming incredibly hard to watch

Big problems for Eng now with Robinson off and Moeen getting slaughtered. Root on next over?

Ali is an absolute liability, as is Bairstow’s keeping. Looks ominous

[Thor Sedan]

Timely wicket - even with Marsh's stunning innings - Aussie scorecard still pretty lite. They need at least a minimum 100 more to even start looking competitive.

[tabascoboy]

Just caught up with the test, Bairstow dropped 2 again today?!

[Sandstorm]

Timely wicket - even with Marsh's stunning innings - Aussie scorecard still pretty lite.

At last someone in the slips caught one!

[Biffer]

Fucking hell, dropped another one.

[JM2K6]

Just caught up with the test, Bairstow dropped 2 again today?!

Yes. Slightly overshadowed by Root dropping two sitters. Happily he's finally caught one.

[Sandstorm]

Fucking hell, dropped another one.

Root finally caught the 3rd catch that came his way. Head out. 6 down

[Hal Jordan]

Four drops!

But Root finally wipes the butter off and pouches Head off Woakes, who seems to pick up wickets without you teally noticing.

​​​​​​​Carey getting absolute dog's abuse.

[Insane_Homer]

249/7

[JM2K6]

I don't think I've ever seen Wood bowl this well. That is an absolute thunderbolt to get rid of Cummins. Not a prayer.

[Insane_Homer]

253/8

[JM2K6]

Carey wears one on the head, next ball he leaps out of the way and swings the bat. Easy catch. Boland now the rabbit in the headlights.

[Thor Sedan]

Who knew that pace was the thing to go with?

Imagine if England had caught like a top tier team - Aussie would be all out for probably less than 150.