2nd Test Australia v Pakistan Dec 26--30 1000hrs @ the MCG

[4Seasons]

The usual suspects.

Surprised EddieSmith hasn't come in to talk about Simon Jones taking wickets against Australia in the 2005 ashes.

He’s been to busy rabbiting on about WA crowds across all formats.

 

[philreich]

Just arrived back in Adelaide on a flight from Sydney - as I was collecting my luggage, who should I see but the West Indian cricket team. I didn't recognise too many faces.........

 

[PhatBoy]

Just arrived back in Adelaide on a flight from Sydney - as I was collecting my luggage, who should I see but the West Indian cricket team. I didn't recognise too many faces.........

Tell Kraigg I said hi and tell Alick Athanaze I want to make children with the follow through on his cover drive

Pretty sure you could have recognised Josh da Silva, at least

 

[FreoRicci]

Rain forecasted for first three days of Sydney test
If only Fremantle were as consistent as Sydney tests being rained out with no result. Goddamn

 

[Fudge Nuggets]

There’s just so many little things that other countries don’t do that the best teams do, that are IN their control, that they overlook and it is mind blowing that they don’t.

West Indies when they dominated: they were tough and they imbued their cricket with a particular attitude and once Australia ‘got’ that and replicated it they too matched them. SA were Australia’s closest competition for most of the 90s and it was because they fielded well and they weren’t profligate with things like extras and they were fit and ready made like Australia’s players. England finally got competitive when they started to play attacking cricket and field well and get in Australia’s face and bowl fast and India have started to win abroad (not right now admittedly) once they realised they HAD to field better, bat better and develop more fast bowlers to match the teams ahead of them.

It isn’t rocket science yet sides still don’t seem to take those simple steps that they have some control over. It doesn’t have to be ALL of them - you can’t just manufacture great attacks, 10 great fielders, 6 batsmen that can handle foreign conditions, a squad of hardened tough as nails cricketers etc etc but you can control a few of those things at a time

Batting and bowling take some God given natural ability to start with. Fielding is the one phase of the game a player can make huge improvements if he’s willing to put in the work.

 

[DaRick]

You know, I think we can all sympathise with PAK.

We've witnessed many tests, especially overseas, when we've gotten ourselves to level pegging or even wrested the advantage, only to be denied in the end because we made a mistake at a crucial moment or an opposition player stepped up.

Delhi, Headingly and The Oval are three examples from this year alone. Trent Bridge and Durham 2013, as well.

They fought well; far better than most expected them to coming into this series with their depleted bowling lineup.

As with the modern WI, their failings involve professionalism. PAK cricket has long struggled with this, so players are constantly at loggerheads with the board. That means they're not properly trained or managed (apparently the PCB treated Saqlain's knee injury with a traditional healer + they let Naseem Shah play some meaningless T20 tournament despite still recovering from injury), which leads to inconsistency and mistakes doing the basics (fielding, slip catching) which you wouldn't see from a better-drilled side.

Until they fix that problem, they're not returning to their 1990s heyday, when their brilliant talent (Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Saqlain, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saeed Anwar, Salim Malik, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam) basically guaranteed their Top 3 status despite their lack of professionalism.

 

[Cuzz09]

Don't think I could name 1 West Indies player.

Chanderpaul still playing?

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[FredLeDeux]

Don't think I could name 1 West Indies player.

Chanderpaul still playing?

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

No, but his son is

 

[Cuzz09]

No, but his son is

oh yeah how old is he? he seemed youngish last year or whatever when they came here

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Silver Tongue]

Don't think I could name 1 West Indies player.

Chanderpaul still playing?

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Kemar Roach. Hit Ricky Ponting in the head!!
Ps. Unless he has a son.

 

[Cleavy]

oh yeah how old is he? he seemed youngish last year or whatever when they came here

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

27

 

[PhatBoy]

Don't think I could name 1 West Indies player.

Chanderpaul still playing?

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

You couldn’t name Kraigg Braithwaite?

 

[JimmyBC]

You couldn’t name Kraigg Braithwaite?

Does he sing The Horses ?

 

[Gough]

Does he sing The Horses ?

Braithwaite is notable for never having played a single senior T20 match.

 

[JimmyBC]

Braithwaite is notable for never having played a single senior T20 match.

I'm wondering whether a player from a minnow team with a test average of 34 would be recognisable to anbody outside of PhatBoy

 

[Borisdog]

Braithwaite is notable for never having played a single senior T20 match.

I'd almost call that an honour.

 

[PhatBoy]

I'm wondering whether a player from a minnow team with a test average of 34 would be recognisable to anbody outside of PhatBoy

Whoever he plays for and whatever he scores, he made a test century here 12 months ago and has been touring here for nearly a decade. And he actually does well when he plays here.

I’d have thought most cricket fans would have some awareness

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Whoever he plays for and whatever he scores, he made a test century here 12 months ago and has been touring here for nearly a decade. And he actually does well when he plays here.

I’d have thought most cricket fans would have some awareness

He was good here last time Phat, hopefully he continues that form. How are the bowlers looking with so many unavailable? Joseph replacing Joseph makes names easy at least.

 

[Cuzz09]

I take no notice of what other countries are doing other than Australia really.

Teams seem to Totally change from 1 tour to another

Australia team is generally settled most tours

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[PhatBoy]

He was good here last time Phat, hopefully he continues that form. How are the bowlers looking with so many unavailable? Joseph replacing Joseph makes names easy at least.

Concerning is something of an understatement: not so much the figures but the lack of experience for most of them. It will be a big shock to the system

 

[Conscience]

Concerning is something of an understatement: not so much the figures but the lack of experience for most of them. It will be a big shock to the system

I would have thought that the bowling is just ok? Alzarri Joseph and Roach have plenty of experience. It’s a shame that Seales is injured, but it sounds like Shamar Joseph has some talent. Kevin Sinclair also should be a capable international cricketer.

 

[Duck Farmer]

Pakistan can feel justifiably disappointed in the DRS for losing this test.

Spoiler

Dropping Real Sitters

 

[Cuzz09]

PHD

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Concerning is something of an understatement: not so much the figures but the lack of experience for most of them. It will be a big shock to the system

Hopefully they’re able to play beyond their collective experience. Will help if the batters can give them something to bowl at.

 

[PhatBoy]

I would have thought that the bowling is just ok? Alzarri Joseph and Roach have plenty of experience. It’s a shame that Seales is injured, but it sounds like Shamar Joseph has some talent. Kevin Sinclair also should be a capable international cricketer.

The bowling is never short of ability but discipline is always the concern and Joseph himself is really emblematic of that, he has a horrible knack of getting hit for a few runs and completely lacking the fortitude to getting back to just bowling an over of deliveries in the channel to settle things down.

It’s a shame that age and a few injuries have seen Gabriel’s career peter out a bit as he had finally gotten the knack of test bowling and become a good honest performer and he brought some real pace and aggression to the attack.