England and the Spirit of the Game
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Stan_Darsh72
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2 years ago they doctored the s**t out of their pitches.
No problem with the pitches as far as I'm concerned - if anything I'd only complain that the first two didn't have much life in them.
I mean, I'd prefer to see matches go at least into day 4, but I don't think the pitches have been the main culprits in ensuring the last two didn't.
I mean, I'd prefer to see matches go at least into day 4, but I don't think the pitches have been the main culprits in ensuring the last two didn't.
Courier mail having a whinge after Australia lose, what a surprise!
If a team leads the series and then prepares an absolute road for the final tests then maybe you have a point...
Preparing a pitch that could see either side get rolled cheaply isn't exactly doctoring...
But its funny, I and plenty of others were getting sick of these roads where whoever won the toss always makes 450+ and really can't lose which means the team batting 2nd is playing catch up. Its basically win the toss and win the game or draw at worst.
The pitches the last 2 matches have been great cricket wickets, a team got rolled for 60 then the team batting 2nd made 391. Now that says there was nothing wrong with the pitch otherwise surely the team batting 2nd would have been rolled cheaply as well? Or did the pitch change dramatically in the 10 minutes between innings? Now that is some amazing doctoring!
If a team leads the series and then prepares an absolute road for the final tests then maybe you have a point...
Preparing a pitch that could see either side get rolled cheaply isn't exactly doctoring...
But its funny, I and plenty of others were getting sick of these roads where whoever won the toss always makes 450+ and really can't lose which means the team batting 2nd is playing catch up. Its basically win the toss and win the game or draw at worst.
The pitches the last 2 matches have been great cricket wickets, a team got rolled for 60 then the team batting 2nd made 391. Now that says there was nothing wrong with the pitch otherwise surely the team batting 2nd would have been rolled cheaply as well? Or did the pitch change dramatically in the 10 minutes between innings? Now that is some amazing doctoring!
Aussie would still be very firm favourites. Don't think we'll have Boult unfortunately as he's hurt his back, which is a crying shame as he's become a very fine bowler. Milne is back and he's seriously quick, but had lots of injury problems. But not sure we have the necessary experience on the bouncier Australian tracks to take a series.
Good to see Australia put their heads down in this test. You know give the bowlers the first hour or even session, then prosper the last 2 sessions
But where was this 2 tests ago ?
Been happening since time immemorial. Pitches are prepared to whatever the local Board wants, which is usually to give their own side the best chance of winning or to blunt the opposition's strengths. English pitches are usually green and seaming, except when they've got a top class spinner like Swann or Underwood, in which case they flat out poison the strip. In the first two Tests they prepared flat decks to blunt our Mitchells.
(The recent exception is Cricket Australia who've ordered flat pitches so the Test goes five days and they can rake in as much cash as possible to the detriment of their own national side. But hey, that's what makes CA roll.)
Where it gets farcical is when cricket administrators pretend it doesn't happen.
Great bowlers should be able to bowl on any deck. Great batsmen should be able to bat on any deck.
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LukeParkerno1
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NZ will belt us if we go back to S.Marsh, Watson or any other average at best test cricketers. It is time to find the better test players, not stick with the average ones. Shame about Boult I love watching him play.
Agreed about the batting this test, and it isn't as if the pitch is a road...where was the application 3 weeks ago?
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Gee, the pitch was a real minefield! All that whinging was certainly justified.
LukeParkerno1
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The last 2 pitches were not minefields either...batsmen have to show application for a session and a half...
Especially Trent Bridge. I could have picked up a lazy 6-fer if I was bowling to an Aussie batting lineup swinging at everything that went past.
It wasn't so much the swinging that did for them, it was the hanging the bat out in a lame manner.
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It's funny how as soon as everyone in England started calling for greener wickets after the 2nd test, it suddenly it started to rain more leading to green pitches!
to1994
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Clarke and Lehmann both whinged after Cardiff about not getting a green wickets help their bowlers. Suddenly they get one and the team fell to pieces. Careful what you wish for.
Sour grapes also, before play started people were very pleased about a green wicket instead of a road for a change. Some people just don't seem to want to blame our batsman at any cost.
Sour grapes also, before play started people were very pleased about a green wicket instead of a road for a change. Some people just don't seem to want to blame our batsman at any cost.
Initially, I disagreed with the OP. But I then saw he goes for the Carolina Panthers. So now I have no doubt he is right!
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Sour grapes from a newspaper who doesn't want to admit that we were flogged by a England side that played 10 times better than us.
Correct, the pitch we got skittles for 60 on was not that bad, we batted horribly.
Don't know about 10 times, I think both sides have been pretty ordinary this series. Our worst has been far more spectacular than theirs, however.
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The batting stats sum up our problem, the top 3 have performed, with each of Warner, Rogers and Smith having scored over 400 runs in the series. Beyond that though it drops off massively. When you can only get 557 runs from the rest of your top 7 combined it is no wonder we are 3-1 down
Mitch Marsh at 6 is a problem, there's definitely a spot for him but no higher than 7 imo, maybe Nevill will be good enough for 6.
Demosthenes
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Mitch Marsh is not going to bat at 7. Faulkner is not going to bat at 7. Our bowling is not that weak. People need to get it into their heads that this team is only going to play an allrounder if they can bat top 6.
Marsh is in the team because there is a belief he can be a Test quality bat. Either he will prove to be that, or he will no longer be in the side. Simple.
Marsh is in the team because there is a belief he can be a Test quality bat. Either he will prove to be that, or he will no longer be in the side. Simple.
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Marsh must bat at 6 and must be able to have a batting average of over 40, otherwise he need to be picked as a front line bowler. Remember Starc, Cummins, Pattinson and Johnson all have FC batting averages over 20, why would we pick Marsh if he can't score over 40.
As others have said marsh simply has to score enough runs to hold his spot at 6, we don't need a 5th bowler who averages 30 or less with the bat.
He needs more than one or two tests to prove himself though, watto got plenty of chances over the years so they need to back marsh at 6 for a while.
He needs more than one or two tests to prove himself though, watto got plenty of chances over the years so they need to back marsh at 6 for a while.
Both sides have been pretty bloody ordinary.
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