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The Cricket Thread

Wouldn't be shocked if Flower called it a day. Looks like Cook will carry on as captain though. Can we please make it our first order of business to start batting with some positivity and intent? Just hanging around and looking to survive whilst scoring 2 runs in an over is not going to cut it against the top 3 sides in world cricket. It barely worked in the summer as strange as that sounds as we won 3-0, but that it was an unconvincing 3-0. Aussies could have easily won 3 of those tests if not for the weather.

P.s. can someone please tell me why Joe Root seems to be untouchable according to some pundits and journalists? He only had one good innings last summer in England but I keep hearing how he's "one for the future" and the selectors are going to stick with him for the long term regardless of form.
 
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Jurgen the German said:
Wouldn't be shocked if Flower called it a day. Looks like Cook will carry on as captain though. Can we please make it our first order of business to start batting with some positivity and intent? Just hanging around and looking to survive whilst scoring 2 runs in an over is not going to cut it against the top 3 sides in world cricket. It barely worked in the summer as strange as that sounds as we won 3-0, but that it was an unconvincing 3-0. Aussies could have easily won 3 of those tests if not for the weather.

P.s. can someone please tell me why Joe Root seems to be untouchable according to some pundits and journalists? He only had one good innings last summer in England but I keep hearing how he's "one for the future" and the selectors are going to stick with him for the long term regardless of form.
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Eventually you need to stick with a young player. He was in ahead of players like Taylor, Ballance and Bairstow for a reason. You can't keep bringing in young players and dropping them too quickly, especially when the supposed senior players aren't doing any better. Not to mention the way he has yo-yo'd up and down the order.
 
Richie said:
While I might not describe him as being carried, Warner was poor in the first innings through the whole series.

1st Innings: 49, 29, 60, 9, 16
2nd Innings: 124, 83*, 112, 25, 16

The same for Shane Watson
1st Innings: 22, 51, 18, 10, 43
2nd Innings: 6, 0 , 103, 83*, 0

Watson and Warner are one day players and it showed in this series IMO. Excellent one day players, don't get me wrong, but with the freedom of a 200 run lead they smashed it around the park but first innings where they were trying to build the lead they were nowhere.

The Australian batting from 1-6 was actually pretty poor this whole series. Outrageous that Haddin didn't get Man of the Series, he literally carried their first innings in every test. Every first innings we had them 5 or 6 down on a low score and Haddin walks to the crease and puts on a 100+ partnership or two to rescue them.

Haddin gave Australia the lead (with the help of some good bowling and simply pathetic batting) and players like Warner merely extended it. Put him in a position to bat like a test opener and not a one day player and he's average at best.
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This entirely. Maybe I'm old fashioned, or I've been spoiled by having the likes of Taylor, Slater, Hayden and Langer opening all these years, but a proper opener's job is to basically not get out at the start and build the foundation for the innings. With Warner I feel you either get a brilliant innings (usually when the pressure is off) or a poor one. Rogers fills me with more confidence and against SA, I have my doubts as to whether Warner will have the maturity and patience to fend off their attack.
 
Richie said:
While I might not describe him as being carried, Warner was poor in the first innings through the whole series.

1st Innings: 49, 29, 60, 9, 16
2nd Innings: 124, 83*, 112, 25, 16

The same for Shane Watson
1st Innings: 22, 51, 18, 10, 43
2nd Innings: 6, 0 , 103, 83*, 0

Watson and Warner are one day players and it showed in this series IMO. Excellent one day players, don't get me wrong, but with the freedom of a 200 run lead they smashed it around the park but first innings where they were trying to build the lead they were nowhere.

The Australian batting from 1-6 was actually pretty poor this whole series. Outrageous that Haddin didn't get Man of the Series, he literally carried their first innings in every test. Every first innings we had them 5 or 6 down on a low score and Haddin walks to the crease and puts on a 100+ partnership or two to rescue them.

Haddin gave Australia the lead (with the help of some good bowling and simply pathetic batting) and players like Warner merely extended it. Put him in a position to bat like a test opener and not a one day player and he's average at best.
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Totally agree. Johnson was good, but a lot of his wickets were down to ludicrously bad shots from the batsman. Haddin dragged Australia back so many times that he pretty much won the games himself.
 
As much as I hate to admit it, Johnson's wickets were the decisive factor. Haddin saved innings with his lower order runs but Johnson had our entire batting line up shaking in their boots. Hardly anyone could cope with his 150 km/h which I find strange as surely these guys must come up against fast bowling throughout their careers. If not then crank up the bowling machine to 150 km/h and get used to it.

Pathetic performance over the course of the five tests. Cost me a fortune in bets and pride. A miserable time to be a Spurs/England cricket fan.
 
Richie said:
While I might not describe him as being carried, Warner was poor in the first innings through the whole series.

1st Innings: 49, 29, 60, 9, 16
2nd Innings: 124, 83*, 112, 25, 16

The same for Shane Watson
1st Innings: 22, 51, 18, 10, 43
2nd Innings: 6, 0 , 103, 83*, 0

Watson and Warner are one day players and it showed in this series IMO. Excellent one day players, don't get me wrong, but with the freedom of a 200 run lead they smashed it around the park but first innings where they were trying to build the lead they were nowhere.

The Australian batting from 1-6 was actually pretty poor this whole series. Outrageous that Haddin didn't get Man of the Series, he literally carried their first innings in every test. Every first innings we had them 5 or 6 down on a low score and Haddin walks to the crease and puts on a 100+ partnership or two to rescue them.

Haddin gave Australia the lead (with the help of some good bowling and simply pathetic batting) and players like Warner merely extended it. Put him in a position to bat like a test opener and not a one day player and he's average at best.
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Richie, thanks for illustrating my point perfectly. It's easy to go out and smash the ball around the park when you already have a big lead and the pressure is off. For me Warner is not a test match batsmen, and I don't rate Watson much either. Smith, whilst he scored runs this series, is not top class either. I liken him to a Defoe, decent player who occasionally has a purple patch, but at the very highest level is repeatedly found out. Unfortunately for us he hit a bit of a purple patch this series and scored a lot of runs, but in the long term I can't see him repeating this kind of performance very often at all. My terming those three as being carried was perhaps a bit harsh as they have all contributed at one time or another, but what I was trying to say is that they are three average players and Australia have been able to have three such average players in their team and still dominate, and that is the most disappointing thing.
 
The verdict on sky sports 2 was the best bit of the ashes,the way bob willis tells it like it is, was quite brilliant and the other three made the programme too.

Can't wait what they are going to say about the one dayers,can't see england doing much in those either. Peterson should be told to stay in the squad not bugger off on holiday.
 
a spur from swansea said:
The verdict on sky sports 2 was the best bit of the ashes,the way bob willis tells it like it is, was quite brilliant and the other three made the programme too.

Can't wait what they are going to say about the one dayers,can't see england doing much in those either. Peterson should be told to stay in the squad not bugger off on holiday.
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Yeah Bob Willis is brilliant, I know some of the players in the past haven't liked it when he's been critical of them but that's what a pundit should be, far too many football pundits are too pally with the current players and are afraid to be critical of them, especially the ones who play for England. It's one of the reasons I also like American sports, they don't sugarcoat anything.
 
Smith is still young and improving. His big innings were important ones for us. Warner's from memory were 2nd innings digs when we had already built up tasty leads.

I was always a fan of Hayden's style. Big and scary who could punish any sloppy bowling, but against good bowling would put up the blockers and just not get out (when on form anyway).
 
This is great, man claims a one handed catch in the crowd and everyone goes wild. Wins $100,000 NZ dollars for it as well.

[video=youtube;ieQx8qJpaUs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieQx8qJpaUs[/video]
 
Just home from my Oz adventure, incredible 3 weeks had the best time, ill post some piccies later..

Cricket was perfection
 
Some pics from Sydney and Melbourne

KP was in front of me at Sydney, so I got a piccy

1503847_10153668028945475_204417689_n.jpg
 
Jet lag means I get to watch Eng vs Aus in the ODI series and shock horror England are struggling, a top 3 of Cook, Bell & Root just isnt the way forward, Bell aside the other 2 are not upto it..

Look at their top 4 Warner, Finch, Watson, Clarke, thats powerful and attacking, ours is Cook, Bell, Root, Ballance....WTF

Im getting annoyed with Root, is too negative and far too selfish with reviews even though on snicko he did actually get a faint edge on his today
 
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