Cricket Thread: Twenty20 World Cup

[Interloperer]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-warm-up-matches-2025-26-1521126/match-schedule-fixtures-and-results

The official world cup warmups are starting tonight. They don't count as official internationals, but will be good to see where some teams are at.

Geez we played more batsman, with Connolly batting #8 & still couldn't make 100.

Need to have a serious rethink of our batting for subcontinent conditions.

Marsh's press conference was pure delusion living off past performances which are completely irrelevant. Should he even be captain?

I think Marsh should still be in the side (comfortably), But I don't think he should be captain. The non-appeal non-run out happened under his watch. And he triggered a restructure of the WC2024 squad after being selected as an allrounder, then asserting at the last minute that he wasn't going to bowl. Not the actions of a good captain.

People are rightfully critical of the players who missed out (Short, Owen, even Smith) for having poor international T20 records. But their replacements aren't any better, and utterly useless against spin.

Cooper Connolly made 13 not out in his 3rd T20I, which was the first time he was required to bat. Since then he has one career run and averages 2.8 overall (he averaged 0.33 for the Pakistan tour). It's not good news that his bowling is lacking at international level as well.

 

[BRL121]

Geez we played more batsman, with Connolly batting #8 & still couldn't make 100.

Need to have a serious rethink of our batting for subcontinent conditions.

Marsh's press conference was pure delusion living off past performances which are completely irrelevant. Should he even be captain?

Rethinking won't achieve anything. Australian batsmen just can't play spin, especially when they have to attack.
We just have to hope that we get much more "normal" T20 wickets in the real comp.

This was a pathetic warm-up series. The Aussies had already given up before the last match and couldn't have cared less. Did you see Renshaw's dismissal? The guy should be immediately dropped with no possibility of recall. He even laughed about it.

A gun fast bowler would help also. All of ours seem to be missing or retired.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Rethinking won't achieve anything. Australian batsmen just can't play spin, especially when they have to attack.
We just have to hope that we get much more "normal" T20 wickets in the real comp.

This was a pathetic warm-up series. The Aussies had already given up before the last match and couldn't have cared less. Did you see Renshaw's dismissal? The guy should be immediately dropped with no possibility of recall. He even laughed about it.

A gun fast bowler would help also. All of ours seem to be missing or retired.

So you are saying the likes of Smith & Maxwell can't play spin better than most?

I disagree, horses of courses based on conditions.

Similarly with the bowlers, we only need 2 pacemen.. particularly with no Starc or Cummins.

 

[Mostyn]

I would give the captaincy to Head.

Smith needs to be in the side. Can build a side around him, opening with Head.

Marsh can return to #3.
Green #4.
Inglis #5.

I agree, except I'd do

MARSH
SMITH
HEAD
INGLIS
GREEN
CONNOLLY/MAXI/STOINIS
DAVID

 

[BRL121]

So you are saying the likes of Smith & Maxwell can't play spin better than most?

I disagree, horses of courses based on conditions.

Similarly with the bowlers, we only need 2 pacemen.

Maxwell is cooked. Smith should be in.

My point is that we need some gun wicket-taking bowlers. Filling up with anodyne, "management" types would end badly.

 

[Vader]

The ICC are just realising how badly they have screwed up the bowling/chucking laws, with this Pakistan bowler who wouldn't be out of place on a baseball pitching mound.

20 years ago (?) they re-wrote the laws, defining what was a legal delivery, in order to legalise the blatant chucking action of Muralitharan. Murali was massively popular, particularly on the sub-continent, and they were willing to do almost anything to avoid banning him - despite him blatantly throwing every single delivery he "bowled". Murali holds the world record for most Test wickets, none of which were taken with legally bowled deliveries.

The rule they came up with had to be incredibly lax, in order to legalise Murali's action. What they came up with legalised pretty much everything - up to and including the actions of baseball pitchers. With rules/laws that are so open, it's no surprise that Usman Tariq's action has been tested (twice) in a lab and passed with flying colours - it's literally impossible to fail, given the rules/laws as they currently stand, no matter how obviously a bowler is chucking.

 

[Interloperer]

The ICC are just realising how badly they have screwed up the bowling/chucking laws, with this Pakistan bowler who wouldn't be out of place on a baseball pitching mound.

20 years ago (?) they re-wrote the laws, defining what was a legal delivery, in order to legalise the blatant chucking action of Muralitharan. Murali was massively popular, particularly on the sub-continent, and they were willing to do almost anything to avoid banning him - despite him blatantly throwing every single delivery he "bowled". Murali holds the world record for most Test wickets, none of which were taken with legally bowled deliveries.

The rule they came up with had to be incredibly lax, in order to legalise Murali's action. What they came up with legalised pretty much everything - up to and including the actions of baseball pitchers. With rules/laws that are so open, it's no surprise that Usman Tariq's action has been tested (twice) in a lab and passed with flying colours - it's literally impossible to fail, given the rules/laws as they currently stand, no matter how obviously a bowler is chucking.

Surely you of all people would be able to recognise a Cameron Green brain fade when it happens.

 

[Vader]

Surely you of all people would be able to recognise a Cameron Green brain fade when it happens.

Don't conflate 2 separate issues.

Usman Tariq has already been referred twice because of his actions, and had it approved twice (both times by labs in Pakistan). His action is even more dubious than Murali's - and Murali never bowled a legal delivery in his entire career.

Green's brain fart is another matter entirely. I'm in no way defending Green, or even on his side. Right now, I view Green as the Great White Hoax of Australian cricket.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I agree, except I'd do

MARSH
SMITH
HEAD
INGLIS
GREEN
CONNOLLY/MAXI/STOINIS
DAVID

Yeah, that looks about right for me.

Thought we at our best when Marsh was batting #3 & Head opening, but no big difference.

My full team would be

1 Head
2 Smith
3 Marsh
4 Inglis
5 Green
6 Maxwell (if fit)
7 David
8 Bartlett
9 Zampa
10 Kuhnemann
11 Hazelwood

Edit - Ellis for Hazelwood for the early games he likely will miss.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Re chucking

 

[Interloperer]

Someone at the MCC has a sense of humour

Law 41.17.2 – a couple of slight changes to the Law on Penalty runs at the end of the
match. Firstly, if a side offends after a result has been reached but before the umpires
leave the field, Penalty runs can be awarded. So, for example, if a batter were to celebrate
the winning hit from the last ball of the match by punching the bowler in the face, they
would subsequently lose the match.
There is also clarification that if Penalty runs after a result has been reached undo that
result, play should continue if possible, and that umpires should award Penalty runs, if
there are multiple offences, in the order the actions took place

Source: https://www.lords.org/getmedia/0855...33c4b9/Changes-to-Laws-for-2026-edition_1.pdf


Note: There have actually been some meaningful changes to the laws too https://www.lords.org/lords/news-stories/mcc-announces-new-edition-of-laws-from-1-october-2026

 

[Scorpus]

There's whispers that the next lot of broadcast rights for cricket in Australia (and for AFL for that matter) won't be as keenly sought after. Potentially $$$ will come down.

Not sure why. Viewership seems up overall...? Though maybe it gets split over various platforms now and it's exclusivity that the networks want

Enshittification is the reason

Sports rights were bid up because streaming platforms were borrowing bulk money to grow their platforms and spending it to outbid others on rights.

That stage of investment has passed, future growth is limited and now the streamers are looking to actually become profitable. Without the investment cash they are forced to make their product more expensive and worse to chase revenue. That includes not paying as much for the rights.

Whoever secures the rights next will likely be paying less for it while charging the consumer more.

There's also the possibility of the government finally banning gambling advertising (something the vast majority of Australians support) which would further cripple the revenue streams and rights deals

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Interesting rule change for the final over of play...

'Significant change': Cricket lawmakers scrap 'unfair' rule that was ruining Tests

The MCC's Laws sub-committee has announced a number of changes. Read more here.

au.news.yahoo.com

 

[skam85]

Interesting rule change for the final over of play...

'Significant change': Cricket lawmakers scrap 'unfair' rule that was ruining Tests

The MCC's Laws sub-committee has announced a number of changes. Read more here.

au.news.yahoo.com

I like it

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I like it

Could make for some entertaining last overs of the day.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Pop quiz, hot shots

And no peaking or googling

Who are the 13 Australian Test cricket left hand batters whose batting average is in the 40s? Men's cricket

And because I'm such a swell guy I'll give you Warren Bardsley whoever the heck that is (debuted in 1909, average 40.48). So just 12 to go.

Those who averaged 50+ not included

 

[Daniel6]

Pop quiz, hot shots

And no peaking or googling

Who are the 13 Australian Test cricket left hand batters whose batting average is in the 40s? Men's cricket

And because I'm such a swell guy I'll give you Warren Bardsley whoever the heck that is (debuted in 1909, average 40.48). So just 12 to go.

Those who averaged 50+ not included

I’ve got 4.

Justin Langer
Adam Gilchrist
Arthur Morris
Bill Lawry

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I’ve got 4.

Justin Langer
Adam Gilchrist
Arthur Morris
Bill Lawry

Tubby Taylor too.
Our Wayne Phillips.

What was Yallop's average?
Same with Greg Matthews.

Edit - Warner
Lehman's
Bevan
Katich