Cricket things that annoy you

Need to dig up the photo from the 1970s when Lillee had 9 slips on the last day of a drawn test (from memory against New Zealand). Remember seeing it when I was a kid.

‘I recall Steve Waugh had 9 slips in a test vs Zimbabwe. Might have even been orchestrated for his book.
 

swingdog

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Let's not get carried away.

Australian scores in Windies tests at the WACA in the glory years:

1984: 78 & 223
1988: 395/8d & 234
1993: 119 & 178
1997: 243 & 194

They were a fantastic side but batsmen still scored runs. It's not like every series was a 5-0 whitewash. Plenty of times we scored 300 or 400 at other venues.

Not saying they didn't make runs just that it was tougher. Had to go back and look at that Perth test from 1988. Had forgotten, a century from Graeme Wood a two-inning hat trick from mere and we still lost after scoring almost 400!
 

corbies

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I like the way we think pitches are now all roads and just completely ignore the fact that a draw as a result has never been less frequent than it is right now.

As much as a lot of you don't want to admit it there is a heap of selective thinking when it comes to cricket "back in the day". Particularly in the 80s some of the pitches that were played on were similar to what Karen Rolton Oval has been like in the Shield recently. Just flat, slow nothingness.
 
May 1, 2016
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I like the way we think pitches are now all roads and just completely ignore the fact that a draw as a result has never been less frequent than it is right now.

As much as a lot of you don't want to admit it there is a heap of selective thinking when it comes to cricket "back in the day". Particularly in the 80s some of the pitches that were played on were similar to what Karen Rolton Oval has been like in the Shield recently. Just flat, slow nothingness.
Not really talking about the women's game so much, but I think we need to make a distinction between people complaining about a pitch being flat, and people complaining about a pitch being flat due to a drop-in wicket.

For the former complaint, you're absolutely right; there have been stinkers in the past due to flat surfaces, and we don't remember the bad bits as much as the good. But the latter complaint is as much taking issue with the loss of character in the wickets due to the proliferation of AFL and their preference for drop-ins, and I'd argue that a colossal part of why the Shield isn't all that and a bag of chips at the moment is due to the loss of each state's distinctive pitches. Shield bats don't have to diversify as much to make runs all over the country, where once they'd need to be able to play low and slow (Melbourne), spinning and roads (Adelaide and Sydney), bouncy and fast (Brisbane and Perth).

I'm not a groundsman so I don't know nearly enough about the evolving technology there, but they desperately need to figure out a way to produce these regional differences in wicket again. The only reason the Shield isn't considered a viable option for the broadcasters if the Ashes didn't go ahead is because the product is perceptably less of an arena, and that would change if the pitches provided the spectacle of day 1 vicious turn or the ball whistling past the grill off a length.
 

swingdog

Norm Smith Medallist
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Not really talking about the women's game so much, but I think we need to make a distinction between people complaining about a pitch being flat, and people complaining about a pitch being flat due to a drop-in wicket.

For the former complaint, you're absolutely right; there have been stinkers in the past due to flat surfaces, and we don't remember the bad bits as much as the good. But the latter complaint is as much taking issue with the loss of character in the wickets due to the proliferation of AFL and their preference for drop-ins, and I'd argue that a colossal part of why the Shield isn't all that and a bag of chips at the moment is due to the loss of each state's distinctive pitches. Shield bats don't have to diversify as much to make runs all over the country, where once they'd need to be able to play low and slow (Melbourne), spinning and roads (Adelaide and Sydney), bouncy and fast (Brisbane and Perth).

I'm not a groundsman so I don't know nearly enough about the evolving technology there, but they desperately need to figure out a way to produce these regional differences in wicket again. The only reason the Shield isn't considered a viable option for the broadcasters if the Ashes didn't go ahead is because the product is perceptably less of an arena, and that would change if the pitches provided the spectacle of day 1 vicious turn or the ball whistling past the grill off a length.

Yep, the MCG used to have (still has?) different pitches for players to test their abilities on the different Australian pitches. Probably don't need to do that anymore. Cost saving for CA!
 
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Smith must be a nightmare for coaches trying to explain to a bunch of kids that while it works for him it probably won't for them.

The slow mo of Smith playing an orthodox stroke is quite fascinating. I think Mike Atherton broke it down during the Ashes. Everything about it looks wrong, but at the point of contact his head, feet and body weight are in the right place.
 
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I like the way we think pitches are now all roads and just completely ignore the fact that a draw as a result has never been less frequent than it is right now.

As much as a lot of you don't want to admit it there is a heap of selective thinking when it comes to cricket "back in the day". Particularly in the 80s some of the pitches that were played on were similar to what Karen Rolton Oval has been like in the Shield recently. Just flat, slow nothingness.

I think the pitches are roads for the most part and I agree with you we don't see many draws. I think we don't see many draws because the players are not good enough to play out the length of the game anymore. T20 has simply made players not be able to play for long innings without taking many risks.
 
Need to dig up the photo from the 1970s when Lillee had 9 slips on the last day of a drawn test (from memory against New Zealand). Remember seeing it when I was a kid.
It was in New Zealand in 76/77, I can't recall which test though.

I've got a feeling it was done for a picture for a book.

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It doesn't "annoy" me, but I find it funny.

Radio commentator: "(Batsman) hits ball through the covers, it's heading towards the boundary".

You mean the ball didn't change direction so that it wasn't going towards the boundary?

It's a Jim Maxwell special.
 
That's the one. Think I remember reading it was the last over of a drawn test or something. Love that they did it though.
It's not really 9 slips though, is it?

The question is - where do the slips end and where do the gullies start?
 
May 1, 2016
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It doesn't "annoy" me, but I find it funny.

Radio commentator: "(Batsman) hits ball through the covers, it's heading towards the boundary".

You mean the ball didn't change direction so that it wasn't going towards the boundary?

It's a Jim Maxwell special.
On one hand, you're absolutely right. On the other, I knew exactly what he meant; it's probably got the legs to make it to the fence.

It's one of those things where a bit of contextual knowledge interferes with clear or precise language.
 
May 1, 2016
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It's not really 9 slips though, is it?

The question is - where do the slips end and where do the gullies start?
Gullys are on a slightly different angle, to take a thicker edge and are both a mite closer and on a slightly different orientation, because of the difference between a genuine edge and a half shot that flies off the bat through the gully region. You see where the second last fielder from the right is in an indented position a mite closer and on a slightly different angle? That's a gully.

The bloke a little further past him is in a slip. It's less to do with field position, and more to do with where and how you're oriented.
 

big_e

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Putting two and two together and maybe getting five, but I wonder if nobody got the photo when it happened in the first test so they set it up in the second - even using Alan Hurst just to make sure they had the shot.
 
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