Opinion Cricket thread

[Nate7]

Shield final today QLD v Tas from AB Field.
Anyone know if it's on Fox?

 

[North Viking]

Good comeback by the Aussies at Newlands...

3-220 to 8-257

Wow. I went to bed pretty much writing us off in this test.
Gotta love test match cricket.

 

[darko]

Wow. I went to bed pretty much writing us off in this test.
Gotta love test match cricket.

Same lol.

 

[Mav]

Shield final today QLD v Tas from AB Field.
Anyone know if it's on Fox?

there's normally a live stream on cricket.com.au

 

[KiwiRoo]

Got home and saw the score 8/25. Had to do a double take.

How good was Williamson's catch off Broad?

absolute Jaffa . he's taken some screamers over the years.. getting near Mark Waugh level I reckon

Just got his hundred too.....and its raining . Mind you, its Auckland....Get 4 seasons in an hour there

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Good days cricket all round !
Jeez some pretty inept batting from the poms. Ball did a bit but not unplayable

Dunno mate, was some killer swing! Boult is a magician.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Steve Smith failed again. Are teams starting to work him out by bowling short of a length, a foot wide of off stump?

 

[muttley45]

Hope this don't mozz him, but Bancroft is batting beautifully

 

[North Viking]

Steve Smith failed again. Are teams starting to work him out by bowling short of a length, a foot wide of off stump?

Hope not.
A 4 year run of with no real bad patches. 3 test (5 innings) matches is hardly being worked out.
I’ll back him to work on his deficiencies has he has proven many a time before.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more determined head strong cricketer like Steve Smith.

 

[Groucho]

Hope this don't mozz him, but Bancroft is batting beautifully

Seems you mozzed someone! Bancroft still going ok though. OMG is that a mozz?!!

 

[Groucho]

Seems you mozzed someone! Bancroft still going ok though. OMG is that a mozz?!!

Yep it was. Sorry all.

 

[big_e]

Hope this don't mozz him, but Bancroft is batting beautifully

Bancroft is Australia's highest scorer for this series so far.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Hope not.
A 4 year run of with no real bad patches. 3 test (5 innings) matches is hardly being worked out.
I’ll back him to work on his deficiencies has he has proven many a time before.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more determined head strong cricketer like Steve Smith.

True. I've just seen some little signs in this series and the last one day series that he's struggling.

He is normally a free flowing batsman with shots all round the wicket, lately it has been 4 or nothing. His anxiety levels when he's at the crease are normally high but watching this series they are now off the chart. I think he has a problem and South Africa are in his head.

 

[Hojuman]

Kawhaja just to play at Etihad under the roof.

 

[Samsquanch]

Kawhaja just to play at Etihad under the roof.

Was smacking it out of the ground in the Rexona ad.

 

[muttley45]

Seems you mozzed someone! Bancroft still going ok though. OMG is that a mozz?!!

You and me both, how many bloody wickets do we lose just before a break ? it seems to be a trend lately, akin to constantly letting opposition score red time goals, which drives me mad.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Really feel it's wrong how the south African players keep playing down the stuff that's being directed at Warner.

Likening a spectator approaching warner after he was dismissed and making comments about his family to the jeers they get at the mcg

 

[gokangas]

Khawaja drops a tough one - having a crap series. Needed one like that but not good enough.

 

[Hojuman]

Shield final today QLD v Tas from AB Field.
Anyone know if it's on Fox?

Tassie batted well today.

 

[Nate7]

Tassie batted well today.

Shit, there was play today?

 

[Hojuman]

Shit, there was play today?

Yeh. 6/360

 

[Nate7]

Tassie batted well today.

Indeed - Silk, Wade and Milenko.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Cam Bancroft's in deep poo. #sandpapergate

 

[archereleven]

Cam Bancroft's in deep poo. #sandpapergate

Piss poor from the aussies and whoever is responsible needs to fall on their sword.

Very bad look for the game and for aussie sportsmanship in general.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[giantroo]

And Smith knew as well. Not just Bancroft but Aus cricket is in deep poo as well.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...t/news-story/78d386492bda42a8c269e270abe9da37


Red handed: Cameron Bancroft charged with ball tampering, Steve Smith admits complicity
Australia

• March 25, 2018 5:17am
• Jacob Kuriype@jacobkuriype
• Source: FOX SPORTS

Cameron Bancroft is spoken to by umpires.Source: AP
AUSTRALIAN opener Cameron Bancroft has been charged for ball tampering after being caught red handed using a foreign object to alter the state of the ball before attempting to hide the evidence.

In further bad news for Cricket Australia, captain Steve Smith confessed to being complicit in the tampering in an explosive post-match press conference that he fronted alongside the embattled opener.

Bancroft was shown rubbing his hands over the ball with a concealed yellow object shortly before tea on Saturday.

Soon after umpires Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth met mid-pitch. As this was happening Bancroft took the yellow object, which he later stated was tape he was using to collect dirt to deposit on the ball in an effort to encourage reverse swing, and hid it down his pants.

This happened after a conversation between Bancroft and 12th man Peter Handscomb who had entered the field of play. When questioned by the umpires, Bancroft satisfied them that nothing suspicious was going on by showing them his sunglasses case.

The ruse did not last long however, with Bancroft charged with ball tampering shortly after the close of play — a level two breach of the ICC’s code of conduct which could land him a Test ban.

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Bancroft's suss pocket play

“I saw an opportunity to potentially use some tape to get some granules from the rough patches on the wicket and try to change the ball condition,” Bancroft said. “It didn’t work. Once cited on the screens and having done that I panicked quite a lot and that obviously resulted in me shoving it down my trousers.”


Smith revealed that the notion of tampering with the ball was first raised at lunch and concocted by an unnamed leadership group. He insisted that Darren Lehmann and the coaching staff were completely unaware of the plan.

“It’s not what we want to see in the game, it’s not what the Australian cricket team is about, and being the leader of the team I’m incredibly sorry for trying to bring he game into disrepute the way that we did today” Smith said.

“I’m not proud of what’s happened. It’s not within the spirit of the game. My integrity, the team’s integrity, the leadership group’s integrity has come into question and rightly so.

“It’s not on. It’s certainly not on and it won’t happen again under my leadership, I can promise you that.”



On the topic of his leadership, Smith said he would not be stepping down.

“I won’t be considering stepping down. I still think I’m the right person for the job.

“Today was a big mistake on my behalf and on the leadership group’s behalf as well but I take responsibility as the captain.

“I need to take control of the ship but this is certainly something I’m not proud of and something that I can hopefully learn from and come back strong from.”

The 28-year-old denied suggestions Friday’s actions should sully the impressive record Australia’s attack has had with the old ball this series. He maintains this is the first time it has happened under his captaincy, and was the result of the team’s desperation to win the decisive third Test in what has been a hotly contested series.

“You can ask questions as much as you like but I can promise you that this is the first time that it’s happened.

“This game was such an important game...we saw an opportunity obviously seeing the ball reversing quite a lot throughout this series and our ball just didn’t look like it was going to go. It’s such poor actions and deeply regrettable and it certainly won’t happen again under my leadership.”


Like his captain, Bancroft was left deeply embarrassed by his actions.

The 25-year-old cut a markedly different figure to the one who left the gallery in stitches just four months earlier with his recount of a peculiar greeting from Jonny Bairstow.

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I want to be here because I’m accountable for my actions as well,” he said.

“I’m not proud of what’s happened and I’ve got to live with the consequences, live with the damage to my own reputation that comes with it and do my best to move forward and play cricket.

“I sit before you today and I’m not proud of what’s happened at all.”