Just flicked on to the SA V PAK test.
An hour and a half into day 1 and Pakistan are fucked. 54 for 5.
But crikey Newlands is a beautiful ground.
Cape Town is definitely on my bucket list.
Meanwhile Stanlake pretty quick in the T20 Ozzie Bash Bash. Is he the new Shaun Tait?
21 days later
Not sure where to put this - but the WIndies are smoking England at the moment. Lead by 339 with 4 wickets left, after rolling England for 77.
I kept half an eye on it yesterday morning, and the Windies threw away a really good start ... or so I thought 
Continuing the fine tradition the poms have of being rolled for sub 100 scores in the Caribbean.
Least it’s better then 46 and 51...
@booboo said in Other Cricket:
Legend.
He’ll be gutted he never got the ton
Great cricketer, perfect foil for paddles.
Not many sportsmen nearly die on their debuts..
@Virgil said in Other Cricket:
@booboo said in Other Cricket:
Legend.
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!
@Godder said in Other Cricket:
@Virgil said in Other Cricket:
@booboo said in Other Cricket:
Legend.
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.
@Godder said in Other Cricket:
@Virgil said in Other Cricket:
@booboo said in Other Cricket:
Legend.
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!
I hate to be that person, but I will. Actually, who am I kidding - I love being that guy.
The Don was out for a second-ball duck...
Bradman needed only four runs from his final innings to have a Test batting average of exactly 100, but he failed to score, bowled second ball for a duck by leg spinner Eric Hollies.[1]```@Duluth said in Other Cricket:
Mark Waugh calling McCullum a lucky fluffybunny
..and an older Waugh accidental swear
Ha. Fuck that is class comedy from Junior/Afghanistan/Audi......
@Crazy-Horse said in Other Cricket:
I am probably going to feel stupid, but how/why is Audi a nickname for Waugh?
He got four ducks in a row vs Sri Lanka.
@MN5 said in Other Cricket:
@Crazy-Horse said in Other Cricket:
I am probably going to feel stupid, but how/why is Audi a nickname for Waugh?
He got four ducks in a row vs Sri Lanka.
Thanks. Between you and me, saying it's because he got four ducks didn't help me one bit. I couldn't work out what ducks had to do with Audi! Then google came to the rescue.
I am from Christchurch.
@Crazy-Horse said in Other Cricket:
@MN5 said in Other Cricket:
@Crazy-Horse said in Other Cricket:
I am probably going to feel stupid, but how/why is Audi a nickname for Waugh?
He got four ducks in a row vs Sri Lanka.
Thanks. Between you and me, saying it's because he got four ducks didn't help me one bit. I couldn't work out what ducks had to do with Audi! Then google came to the rescue.
I am from Christchurch.
So am I, but even I managed to work that one out... (unlike the above golden duck mistake - will just have to settle with sharing a duck in the last innings).
England rolled by the Windies again on a pretty green deck.
The ball that got Root was a beauty, as was the team catch in the slips.
@mariner4life said in Other Cricket:
England rolled by the Windies again on a pretty green deck.
The ball that got Root was a beauty, as was the team catch in the slips.
Windies at 30 without loss at stumps. Looks a tough pitch to bat on so England aren't out of it.
I've been enjoying this series, nice see West Indian quicks with their tails up. England played 3 wicket keepers and just as well because one has already been injured.
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.
@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)
@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 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 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 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 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
@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:
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.
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!
