Other Cricket

@mariner4life said in Other Cricket:

@KiwiPie said in Other Cricket:

Looks like all test top orders are struggling to make runs these days. To my old fart eyes, the batting techniques are hopeless, the feet go nowhere and most batsmen can't play the moving ball.

They've got more shots, but less "technique" if that makes any sense. The scourge of T20 cricket?

It makes Kohli and Williamson stand out even more (Steve Smith is the outlier there)

Smith's technique is odd but he matches KW in that he plays the ball late - too many Guptills out there, plant the feet and swing the bat at the line of the ball (before it moves off the seam or swings late).

But someone like Moeen Ali ends up as a test batsmen (was batting at 3 until recently) who basically plants his feet and hits through the line. He made 50 today but that's purely due to luck - he gives the bowling side so many chances that he is never in or out of form - it just comes down to chance. He has a great eye, and can score fast .. Bairstow and Buttler are similar in that English side.

@KiwiPie Trescothick defied all technical logic for a fine record too

@KiwiPie said in Other Cricket:

@mariner4life said in Other Cricket:

@KiwiPie said in Other Cricket:

Looks like all test top orders are struggling to make runs these days. To my old fart eyes, the batting techniques are hopeless, the feet go nowhere and most batsmen can't play the moving ball.

They've got more shots, but less "technique" if that makes any sense. The scourge of T20 cricket?

It makes Kohli and Williamson stand out even more (Steve Smith is the outlier there)

Smith's technique is odd but he matches KW in that he plays the ball late - too many Guptills out there, plant the feet and swing the bat at the line of the ball (before it moves off the seam or swings late).

But someone like Moeen Ali ends up as a test batsmen (was batting at 3 until recently) who basically plants his feet and hits through the line. He made 50 today but that's purely due to luck - he gives the bowling side so many chances that he is never in or out of form - it just comes down to chance. He has a great eye, and can score fast .. Bairstow and Buttler are similar in that English side.

I'm not sure what you're including in these day but a decade ago or maybe more we had journalists breathlessly exhorting the declining importance of footwork as Sehwag plundered triple and double tons with a stand and deliver approach. The second coming of Matthew Hayden was similar.

I feel like there was a period from the late nineties until recently where pitches got better for batting, there weren't many elite swing bowlers (as everyone chased express pace bowlers and mystery spinners) and batting averages crept up while technique declined. Perhaps that's what is causing the decline in averages now as some elite bowlers have popped up and there's a reaction to flat decks.

Windies wrap up the Poms....

Whisper it quietly but they might be on the way back.

Also Jason Holder is now test crickets number one all rounder. First time someone from the Windies has been there since Gary Sobers in 1974 which surprised me a bit. I guess all their legends are generally very much batsmen or bowlers. Not both.

Good on him though, he's come a long way since Adam Voges padded his average to ridiculous levels against a terrible WI team.

Would love to see (and be slightly scared by ) the West Indies rising again. After growing up on the 86/87 version an onwards, watching their decline was disappointing.

@Donsteppa said in Other Cricket:

Would love to see (and be slightly scared by ) the West Indies rising again. After growing up on the 86/87 version an onwards, watching their decline was disappointing.

The Holding-Ambrose-Richards WI were fearsome and the most exciting cricket team on the planet. They seemed to have a conveyor belt of quicks back then

@canefan said in Other Cricket:

@Donsteppa said in Other Cricket:

Would love to see (and be slightly scared by ) the West Indies rising again. After growing up on the 86/87 version an onwards, watching their decline was disappointing.

The Holding-Ambrose-Richards WI were fearsome and the most exciting cricket team on the planet. They seemed to have a conveyor belt of quicks back then

Pedantic alert.

Did Ambrose and Richards/Holding play together at all ? Don't think so....

Yes trying to pick their four best ever quicks would be hard work.

I'd maybe go Marshall, Ambrose, Holding, Garner.....

Loads of fucken good others miss out.

@MN5 said in Other Cricket:

@canefan said in Other Cricket:

@Donsteppa said in Other Cricket:

Would love to see (and be slightly scared by ) the West Indies rising again. After growing up on the 86/87 version an onwards, watching their decline was disappointing.

The Holding-Ambrose-Richards WI were fearsome and the most exciting cricket team on the planet. They seemed to have a conveyor belt of quicks back then

Pedantic alert.

Did Ambrose and Richards/Holding play together at all ? Don't think so....

Yes trying to pick their four best ever quicks would be hard work.

I'd maybe go Marshall, Ambrose, Holding, Garner.....

Loads of fucken good others miss out.

Holdng played form 1975 - 1987
Ambrose from 1988-2000
Garner from 1977-1987
Marshall 1978-1991

for me the windies from 1975 - 1983 were lethal:

Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall plus the real nasties like Croft, Clarke, Patterson and the rest of the conveyor belt
Then the batting - Greenidge, Haynes, Kallicharan, Richards, Lloyd - 3 of those 5 could tear the game away from you on their own.

The second phase of WI team is awesome yet not as explosive in batting or bowling

English batting looks incredibly weak. If Root isn't scoring runs, who can they rely on. Ashes will be interesting.

@hydro11 said in Other Cricket:

English batting looks incredibly weak. If Root isn't scoring runs, who can they rely on. Ashes will be interesting.

Saw a stat that England have averaged losing a wicket every 32 balls in this series - 32? So the Windies quicks don't even have to bowl long spells and the wickets keep falling.

Watch Holding bowling to Brian Close - especially the bouncer that nearly takes his head off at 1.30.

I think I'd rather be Brian O'Driscoll!

@Chris-B said in Other Cricket:

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Watch Holding bowling to Brian Close - especially the bouncer that nearly takes his head off at 1.30.

I think I'd rather be Brian O'Driscoll!

Haha. Fucken hell Tony Grieg....bit of a brain explosion there pal.

I recall watching Canterbury at the Rangiora Domain many years ago. Canterbury's opening bowlers? Holding and Hadlee. Pretty sure Hick was in the opposition that day too.

@MN5 said in Other Cricket:

@Godder said in Other Cricket:

@Virgil said in Other Cricket:

@booboo said in Other Cricket:

Legend.

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He’ll be gutted he never got the ton
Great cricketer, perfect foil for paddles.
Not many sportsmen nearly die on their debuts.

And, like Sir Don, he was out for a golden duck in his last innings!

Ha. An average NZ player compared to Bradman. Only on the fern.

A classy humble NZer compared to an arrogant grumpy Aussie. No comparison really

Typical poms. Mouth off, then run to the authorities when it comes with consequences.

And what is it with England sport trying to get rules changed when something goes against them? Arrogant bastards

Michael Holding is the coolest sounding motherfucker of all time.

"Reechie, put me in mon. The Aussies love me. Because i sound so cool"

For blokes our age, the Windies cricketers of that golden period (right through to the mid-90s really) just hold a fucking special place in our hearts.

@Chris-B Ridiculous lack of body protection for an old man! Should have been at home with his pipe and slippers

@KiwiPie At a minimum he should have been taking guard somewhere behind the square leg umpire!

A bit more of the story included here...

@Chris-B Confession - I remember it well as I watched it at the time! He was famous for ignoring physical pain and fielding ridiculously close at short leg.

Batting in those days without a helmet, they were remarkably good at not getting hit on the head - today a bash on the helmet happens with regularity.

@KiwiPie I knew you'd know all about it. I've read about it in various places - some parallels with them parachuting Cowdrey in to face Lillee and Thomson.

My cricket career ended about the time that helmets were coming in. Like Viv Richards I never wore one...and never wore one.

Unlike Viv, I didn't play many hook shots - I gracefully swayed to leg and let it pass by!

Brisbane heat just cleaned up 157 in ten overs no wickets lost. Baz is retiring from BBL apprently still gonna play some other T20s. Didnt get to bat in his last home game. Could be outside chance of a semifinal spot based on tomorrows games.

Gabriel gets 4 match suspension for something no one heard. Sandpaper scandal recommendation from ICC was about 2 matches if I recall...

Wow - this would be one of the best/most successful last wicket partnerships ever!

Plenty bigger, but not many that have taken their team to a win. In fact - none!

@Chris-B what??!!
I turned that off last night when SL were 9 down needing 69
Bugger!

@Chris-B Love a 10th wicket partnership to win a game especially when the batsman goes 6 hitting crazy

That is awesome, massive result for Sri Lanka after they've had a tough run. Test cricket is the best.

Amazing result. Didn't look like SL had any fight in them, then injuries to follow big losses... Amazing

BBL08 ends with the Stars choking on Dan Christian's gigantic, titanium ballsack.

West Indies v England: Gayle hits four sixes out of ground

@MN5 is going to wake up to this and not get out of bed.

@Crucial said in Other Cricket:

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West Indies v England: Gayle hits four sixes out of ground

@MN5 is going to wake up to this and not get out of bed.

bloody hell. talk about an innings for the wank bank.

stuff.co.nz had the headline he hit a 'garage' ( as opposed to barrage ) of sixes haha....the editor is phoning his job in even worse these days.

@Crucial Gayle is now so lazy, he can't even be bothered to hit 4s ....

Chasing 360 England are 100-1 after only 12 overs!

@Crucial Did that at a canter really.

Gayle scored 135 off 129 deliveries. Included 12 sixes and 3 fours. In other words, he scored 84 off 15 balls, and 51 off the other 114 at a strike rate well under 50.

Judging by the ease England ran down the total I'm going to say Gayle is lazy as fuck and cost the Windies that game.

Cracking last day set up in Port Elizabeth. SA need 8 wickets to save face and draw their series at home.
Sri Lanka need 137 to sweep the series 2 nil, after been sent on an arduous 3 tour quest to earn some money for the cricket board to further embezzle and squander.

Only England and Australia have ever won a test series in South Africa. Would be quite a feat for a team that got put through the ringer in NZ and Aus this summer.

Lots of wickets on this pitch so it'll be 3 hours or enthralling test cricket

@Siam will have to check that out! Hope Sri Lanka can get over the line

@Cyclops said in Other Cricket:

Gayle scored 135 off 129 deliveries. Included 12 sixes and 3 fours. In other words, he scored 84 off 15 balls, and 51 off the other 114 at a strike rate well under 50.

Judging by the ease England ran down the total I'm going to say Gayle is lazy as fuck and cost the Windies that game.

Agree Gayle is a bit of a plodder when he is not hitting boundaries, would be interested to see how many dot balls he uses up or how many singles he bothers to run. Looks like he has done it again in tonights match.

Aussie girls managed to somehow pull victory from the jaws of defeat against NZ in Perth yesterday.

@Siam If Sri Lanka win, pretty sure NZ go up to second in the test rankings.

However, if SA win, we need to beat the Bangles 3-0 to get to second.

@Nevorian said in Other Cricket:

@Cyclops said in Other Cricket:

Gayle scored 135 off 129 deliveries. Included 12 sixes and 3 fours. In other words, he scored 84 off 15 balls, and 51 off the other 114 at a strike rate well under 50.

Judging by the ease England ran down the total I'm going to say Gayle is lazy as fuck and cost the Windies that game.

Agree Gayle is a bit of a plodder when he is not hitting boundaries, would be interested to see how many dot balls he uses up or how many singles he bothers to run. Looks like he has done it again in tonights match.

he's way too cool to get stressed and try and run quick singles.

Sri Lankans 94/2 chasing 197. Outstanding stuff.