[Archived] Cricket (tests, Odi's And 20/20)

[dave birch]

Wow, just wow. Awesome performace, bring on the Ashes.

Not wrong, Neekoy, but let the Aussies seal a 3-0 series win first. Not something they usually do as they take the foot off the pedal.

Punter looked and sounded a bit pleased, didn't he. As someone on 606 said, this is his team, his reputation is going to live or die by how it performs over the next few years.

[T4E]

Tense finish to a dull series and Strauss might have declared earlier but good effort by the Angle-terras in almost pulling off an improbable victory.

Probably the best way to look at it Jim. Unfortunately though it will have to go down as a series of mis-calculations and missed opportunities.

[MCMC1875]

where is the suicide emo grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

An earlier declaration by the inexperienced Strauss would have saved the series.

[Flopsy]

no, the windies would have had 70 overs to score 220, on a dead pitch against a team conceeding 400+ against India and losing to South Africa at edgbaston when the saffers chased down the highest 4th inning score ever at edgbaston

Declaration was at the right time, if but for a little bit of luck then we'd have drawn the series.

Dont listen to Botham, ###### commentator, and a disaster as captain.

Bob willis wouldnt know sense if it smacked him between the ehes.

We needed to play 5 bowlers in barbados. Still, roll on may

[T4E]

The declaration was at the right time in terms of score, but not in terms of time remaining. We could have set that target quicker - infact it possibly even goes back to the declaration in the first innings.

[Flopsy]

Strauss made one mistake, and that was Anderson as nightwatchman in Antigua

[ABBEY]

no, the windies would have had 70 overs to score 220, on a dead pitch against a team conceeding 400+ against India and losing to South Africa at edgbaston when the saffers chased down the highest 4th inning score ever at edgbaston

Declaration was at the right time, if but for a little bit of luck then we'd have drawn the series.

Dont listen to Botham, ###### commentator, and a disaster as captain.

Bob willis wouldnt know sense if it smacked him between the ehes.

We needed to play 5 bowlers in barbados. Still, roll on may

listen to flopsy he knows more than 2 of englands greatest ...laugh ive wet myself ....cheers flops you made me smile again.

[Flopsy]

Abbey, Botham was a great cricketer, and a shockingly bad captain and commentator, Willis is a great pundit, like Sir Geoffrey Boycott because they speak there minds and dont fall back on platitudes. Doesnt make either of them right though. And I'll state again after having some knowledge after watching the games in question, Botham said we should have declared for 300+ as that was enough at Chenai, India chased down 400+, its a lot easier declaring when you're commentating than it is as captain. Especially when you've just set up the declaration by scoring at over 6 an over and you're bowlers are yet to take 20 wickets in the whole match.

But I'll bow down to your superior knowledge of Sir Beefy's extrodianrily good knowledge, especially when it comes to pitch inspections and how they're going to play (guess what, Botham's got them wrong everytime this series).

If you want knowledgeble commentary (Bar Sir Geoffrey and Viv Richards), listen to TMS, if you want middle of the road, stating the bleeding obvious, tub thumping mindless patrotism, listen to Beefy.

[ABBEY]

I do listen to tms...but cmon flops you cant say the sir ian knows nowt.

[Flopsy]

I can when it comes to declaring and Botham's knowledge about Captancy, or his ability to see that Fred is shot as a test bowler

can I direct you to this?

The Spin

For an intelligent and actually well reasoned disection of the series.

[jim mk2]

I do listen to tms...but cmon flops you cant say the sir ian knows nowt.

Great cricketer who ate Australians for breakfast but he's talking through his arse here. Imagine the furore if Strauss had declared early and Windies had won easily ?

[T4E]

Great cricketer who ate Australians for breakfast but he's talking through his arse here. Imagine the furore if Strauss had declared early and Windies had won easily ?

At 1-0 down in the series, last day of the 5th test and the game heading for a draw, what did he have to lose?

[Flopsy]

the game, but I agree with Hindsight, he could have declared 130 ahead, but but really, he was as agressive as he could have been, want to see cowardly declarations, look at Punters one against South Africa, they were 500 behind with their captain and best batsman out injured, but still he went on.

Congrats to Phil Hughes btw, played a blinder

[neekoy]

the game, but I agree with Hindsight, he could have declared 130 ahead, but but really, he was as agressive as he could have been, want to see cowardly declarations, look at Punters one against South Africa, they were 500 behind with their captain and best batsman out injured, but still he went on.

Congrats to Phil Hughes btw, played a blinder

Get out Flops, we were leading the series and had a great chance to heap more misery and pschological damage on the Saffers heading into the third. It is mind games and an opportunity for some of the out of form players to get a chance for some runs. The greatest strength of SA is in the bowling attack, destroy that and the rest will follow i.e 2 - 0

Australia may switch off

Normally I would agree Dave but we are coming back from a horrible summer in OZ against the same opposition who we couldn't seem to get on top of, a number of players coming back from injury or form who want their spots back, a number of current players who are lacking form and a couple of bowling options who want to stay in the setup.

They ALL want to go to England.

The only reason we have done so well is excellent captaincy and a desire to stay in the team. I expect the foot will be pressed even tighter on the SA throat for the third.

[blue phil]

At 1-0 down in the series, last day of the 5th test and the game heading for a draw, what did he have to lose?

Absolutely nothing . 1-0 , 2-0 - the series was still lost . When we wanted decisiveness we didn't get it .

As it transpired Strauss confirmed the suspicions of those who think he's a little too negative as captain .

Strauss is a great player but it doesn't bode well for the Ashes if he continues his dithering .

Not that it matters much with our bowling line up .

......and does anyone have the suspicion that the umpires are so sick of Monty's appealing antics that they don't give him anything just for the hell of it ? I don't blame them .

[ABBEY]

Great cricketer who ate Australians for breakfast but he's talking through his arse here. Imagine the furore if Strauss had declared early and Windies had won easily ?

must be great you and flops having greater knowledge than beefy and willis .YOU COULDNT MAKE IT UP.

[Flopsy]

Abbey, when it comes to knowing about that kind of stuff, I'd suggest we do. Do you remember what happened at Chenni? Botham said we should have declared at 330, because that would be enough.

Listen to Botham's commentary, unless knowing stuff is stating the bleeding obvious, ala Beefy, then he knows a lot of stuff, if you think listening to lots of sage reporters, such as CMJ, Aggers, even Boycott (and that hurts), is knowing stuff thats better and more knowledgable than Beefy then fine, I'll go for the more intelligent ones cheers.

Would you say a footballer knows more about Rovers than you do? Would you say Paul Ince knows how to run a football club, or who to pick better than you? No, so why should Beefy be any better?

[ABBEY]

.a footballer yes i would .no names who ive had long chats with.

ince no

beefy because hes argubly the best cricketer weve EVER produced.

[AussieinUk]

Nielsen confirms that Lee will be back in the baggygreen.. Update from Nielsen

"Binga [Lee] is a 300 Test wicket bowler. We've only got four of them in Australian history. You don't throw the baby out with the bathwater," Nielsen said. "He had a pretty bad foot and ankle injury and has taken a fair while to get over it. To have Binga back in the mix bowling 150kph outswingers, any team is going to take that

"As long as they [Lee and Clark] are fit and can bowl at their optimum they have deserved their opportunity. There will be times in the future when this bowling group will be sore or tired and needs to miss a game through injury. When they go out through injury, and are playing well at the time they are injured, they are going to come back in."

[T4E]

Apologies if I have missed this being posted or discussed earlier, but on SSN yesterday they were talking about Voges pulling out of the tour so he can get married, and they showed a clip of this catch -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f9dkzdZSH0

Many times when I've seen fielders make a catch and stumble over the boundary I've wonder if what he pulls off there was possible, and guessed probably not. Pretty amazing.

[Flopsy]

.a footballer yes i would .no names who ive had long chats with.

ince no

beefy because hes argubly the best cricketer weve EVER produced.

But that doesnt mean he's a good commentator or Pundit. Look at Gazza or Shearer hardly a shining beacon of punditry in the Footballing world are they?

[ABBEY]

bugger me ! tell me you dont more about football than gazza or shearer? so gazza is a basket case and shearer is boring but for one second dont tell me you know more than them.

[Flopsy]

Doesnt make them good pundits or right though, does it?

Paul Ince was a very good footballer, how's he doing?

[ABBEY]

nah they know nowt and as for ince he might have been pants but id guess very logically that he knows a damn sight more than thee and me.

[Flopsy]

I think we could argue the point in court with a good chance of winning

Still, shall we agree to disagree