Cricket- the sport not the insect

[42x16ss]

Just Watson mate

No Watson was the only one who lost his wicket to a poor shot.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Even though Watson looked solid and set, he played a very unconventional defensive innings. I think he would be better off just going after it a little bit more but from the stands I couldn't really see that he could.

The Australian players need to learn they're not playing baseball.

Half of them bat like they'll be out after 3 leaves.

 

[42x16ss]

Exactly. Too much limited over cricket, they don't know how to leave the ball

Warner, Rogers and Watson need to take a good long look at Cook and Trott in particular. Two of the better leavers of the ball getting around ATM.

Edit: Cook gone! Caught Haddin, bowled Harris for 13. Harris needs to stay fit this summer or it's not going to go well at all.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Exactly. Too much limited over cricket, they don't know how to leave the ball

Warner, Rogers and Watson need to take a good long look at Cook and Trott in particular. Two of the better leavers of the ball getting around ATM.

Edit: Cook gone! Caught Haddin, bowled Harris for 13. Harris needs to stay fit this summer or it's not going to go well at all.

Could be a key innings. On this pitch England must be looking to bat very long and put miles on the clock for all the Aussie bowlers. He never had a particularly long or unpleasant day in the last series as both teams batted like nobs.

 

[darwin553]

The Australian players need to learn they're not playing baseball.

Half of them bat like they'll be out after 3 leaves.

Yeah at least it doesn't turn the homes crowds of our batting like England did to its own crowds last series with its incredibly slow run rate

 

[darwin553]

Exactly. Too much limited over cricket, they don't know how to leave the ball

If there is any argument to be made it is that they don't know how to leave the right ball - they can leave them, in fact Watson did a lot of that

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

They're coming quickly enough now.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Poor time wasting there, hope it doesn't cost us.


And it does, the ******* tool.

 

[darwin553]

Yes the arrogant Trott is out!!!

 

[42x16ss]

If there is any argument to be made it is that they don't know how to leave the right ball - they can leave them, in fact Watson did a lot of that

Yep, and it all comes under the banner of knowing how to leave the ball. Justin Langer was quite good at it, having cut his teeth playing stacks and stack of domestic cricket at the WACA, so I'm thinking he's either not earning his paycheck as batting coach or the top order aren't listening to him.

Apart from Clarke the Aus batsmen have been poor with their restraint for a while. The last batsman who truly knew when not to play at the ball was Hussey. Watson is getting slightly better but still not great, Rogers and Smith can be very poor and don't start me on Warner - a pure eye player squandering immense talent

 

[42x16ss]

Eng 6/87, Lyon on a hattrick!!! Game on.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Great spell from the Aussies. What is it with England in the 1st innings of a series away from home recently? In New Zealand - 167, In India - 191, In Sri Lanka 193, in p.akistan - 192 and now worst of all 100/8.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Great spell from the Aussies. What is it with England in the 1st innings of a series away from home recently? In New Zealand - 167, In India - 191, In Sri Lanka 193, in p.akistan - 192 and now worst of all 100/8.

Haven't won the first test away for 9 years now.

Going to have to repeat the India trick now, what a bloody mess. Most of those wickets were just gifts; so many pointless tickles down leg.

 

[darwin553]

firstly lol England - secondly great job Johnson - proved all his knockers wrong and lastly Lyon was very impressive on what is really a pace friendly surface.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

firstly lol England - secondly great job Johnson - proved all his knockers wrong and lastly Lyon was very impressive on what is really a pace friendly surface.

Johnson's knockers say he's completely inconsistent. He's constantly proving them right, and it will take 2 or 3 series in a row to prove them wrong.

 

[Alphabet]

I'm thinking he's either not earning his paycheck as batting coach or the top order aren't listening to him.

Nobody is going to learn how to leave the ball in modern cricket. Why would you, when you can fling your bat at everything, in the hope of a 20 ball 60 that can land you a fat 20 over contract somewhere on the subcontinent?

The only way it'll happen is if somebody takes guard outside the off stump, like what Carberry was doing. Other than that, see-ball hit-ball ****ers like Warner are pretty much the future of cricket. Not leaving the ball isn't too much of a problem, as long as you aren't just hanging the bat out there waiting for the edge. You can get away with an inability to leave if you play like Sehwag and try and middle everything; if you're decisive and don't fish around all the time, with how things are stacked against bowlers these days, you should still be able to grind out an average in the low 40s.

Of greater concern is the modern batsman's complete inability to play the short ball. Despite all that protective equipment, despite a lack of pitches where head height bounce is common, and despite the fact that Mitchell Johnson, who can't even bowl 150km/hr, is the fastest bowler in the world at the moment. If Curtly Ambrose had been playing today, he would probably have 1800 test wickets to his name.

 

[Alphabet]

As for the match: Alastair Cook is the sort of person who would pop out the door, notice a cloud in the sky, run back inside, pick up an umbrella, gumboots, and a raincoat for a walk to his neighbour's house. Andy Flower, with his Zimbabwean attitude of avoiding defeat at all costs, only exacerbates the problem.

If they manage to dig their way out of this, it'll have come down to individual brilliance on the part of Anderson or somebody else. The coaching staff and Cook (as a captain, rather than a player) can claim no credit.

 

[42x16ss]

Nobody is going to learn how to leave the ball in modern cricket. Why would you, when you can fling your bat at everything, in the hope of a 20 ball 60 that can land you a fat 20 over contract somewhere on the subcontinent?

The only way it'll happen is if somebody takes guard outside the off stump, like what Carberry was doing. Other than that, see-ball hit-ball ****ers like Warner are pretty much the future of cricket. Not leaving the ball isn't too much of a problem, as long as you aren't just hanging the bat out there waiting for the edge. You can get away with an inability to leave if you play like Sehwag and try and middle everything; if you're decisive and don't fish around all the time, with how things are stacked against bowlers these days, you should still be able to grind out an average in the low 40s.

Of greater concern is the modern batsman's complete inability to play the short ball. Despite all that protective equipment, despite a lack of pitches where head height bounce is common, and despite the fact that Mitchell Johnson, who can't even bowl 150km/hr, is the fastest bowler in the world at the moment. If Curtly Ambrose had been playing today, he would probably have 1800 test wickets to his name.

Very true! I can only imagine how Jeff Thomson, Dennis Lillee and Michael Holding must feel

 

[42x16ss]

Johnson's knockers say he's completely inconsistent. He's constantly proving them right, and it will take 2 or 3 series in a row to prove them wrong.

Got it in one. I've never seen somebody go from best new ball bowler in the world to grade form and back like Johnson. When he's good, he can be the equal of Dennis Lillee, when he's bad, he should be carrying the drinks for 3rd grade

Unrelated topic, Clarke really looking settled, hopefully a sign of things to come

 

[movingtarget]

Got it in one. I've never seen somebody go from best new ball bowler in the world to grade form and back like Johnson. When he's good, he can be the equal of Dennis Lillee, when he's bad, he should be carrying the drinks for 3rd grade

Unrelated topic, Clarke really looking settled, hopefully a sign of things to come

I am glad Johnson is back in form and his confidence is back but he is no Lillee and never will be. Lillee had so much variation in his bowling and also had a great average. Harris has been the real backbone for our bowling attack and was the best bowler for either side in the previous Ashes series. It's great to see him combining so well with Johnson. Clarke is looking good as is Haddin. Watson is like the Johnson of our batsmen. He's either on or off.

 

[Pricey_sky]

If they manage to dig their way out of this, it'll have come down to individual brilliance on the part of Anderson or somebody else. The coaching staff and Cook (as a captain, rather than a player) can claim no credit.

Well If Cook bats and remains not out he can take all the credit as both a player and leading from the front as captain. It's not Cook's fault that Trott ect have lost their head and forget to do the simple things.

Should England lose this match, and they probably will unless we have a couple more of these storms tomorrow then I still expect them to come back strong. This England side usually respond well to a defeat and are extremely difficult to beat twice.

 

[Alphabet]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/nov/25/jonathan-trott-leaves-england-ashes-tour

Jonathan Trott has gone home, withdrawing from the tour, citing 'stress related illness' as to why he won't play again in Australia this summer. Lol. Johnson wasn't that fast

In all seriousness though, I feel for him, it's apparently been a problem for a while, and the ECB have ignored that and thrown him into the cauldron that is an away Ashes tour and all the hostility that goes with it.

 

[movingtarget]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/nov/25/jonathan-trott-leaves-england-ashes-tour

Jonathan Trott has gone home, withdrawing from the tour, citing 'stress related illness' as to why he won't play again in Australia this summer. Lol. Johnson wasn't that fast

In all seriousness though, I feel for him, it's apparently been a problem for a while, and the ECB have ignored that and thrown him into the cauldron that is an away Ashes tour and all the hostility that goes with it.

Sounds like similar issues to Marcus Trescothick had in the past. Warner should keep his idiot comments to himself even though Trott's issues have been building up over a period of time according to the English coach. Trott never looked right in the previous series and seems to have lost his confidence compared to the Trott of old. We will see how the Aussie bowlers go at Adelaide on a very different pitch.

 

[darwin553]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/nov/25/jonathan-trott-leaves-england-ashes-tour

Jonathan Trott has gone home, withdrawing from the tour, citing 'stress related illness' as to why he won't play again in Australia this summer. Lol. Johnson wasn't that fast

In all seriousness though, I feel for him, it's apparently been a problem for a while, and the ECB have ignored that and thrown him into the cauldron that is an away Ashes tour and all the hostility that goes with it.

I don't have as much sympathy as you do as I quite dislike him as a cricketer but if this illness that he is suffering from is genuine then I wish him all the best in his recovery.

 

[darwin553]

The other news story of the day is of course Clarke set to be reprimanded from the ICC for his sledging of Anderson - something along the lines of 'your ****ing arm is about to be broken'.

Clear as day a violation of the code of conduct for players if referred to the ICC - my only problem is the actual referral in that there has usually been an unwritten code between the teams that whatever is said on the field stays on the field (barring some racist exceptions) and by citing Clarke this has been broken.

And of course based on precedents set and examples over the years, is it really all that bad? Probably not

Was there history that caused Clarke to say this? Probably

Would there have been a big outcry from England had they won? Probably not

Move on England - focus on trying to stop Johnson.