Cricket- the sport not the insect

[craig1985]

As a cricketer, I make a fantastic cyclist Chris Martin is Bradman compared to me, for the first 13 minutes I'm out batting for some reason I struggle to pick up the line of the ball, but after that I can see the ball easily.

 

[El Imbatido]

Looks like a complete road for a pitch........i don't know why i am saying that with surprise as Adelaide has generally always been a road. I guess we can't complain too much as 5 of the 6 tests this year had pitches that had something in it for the bowlers (maybe too much in one or two of the tests).

 

[craig1985]

Hey, a wicket. Clarke out for 210.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

tail exposed. They will still make 600+ probably

I'd expect declaration around 600.

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

Double centuries for Ponting or Clarke??

well called!

 

[Ferminal]

Monty is back!

He's got a wicket too, him and Swann one each, bowled 16 overs between them in the first session.

 

[dlwssonic]

well called!

haha it was an easy one they looked pretty unbeatable.

 

[ramjambunath]

India's gashness is numbing and are cheaping test cricket now. Time for Laxman to go, Dravid could consider his retirement as well. Sharma and Rahane have to play cricket now.

I don't believe Australia are as good as they seem now just as England weren't in July. India are just so sh!te now. Also, Shaun Marsh has to go when Watto gets back.

Word out to Rajasthan, the champions of the Ranji trophy again after a truly gash performance by Tamil Nadu (it has been a tough couple of weeks as a cricket fan). A brilliant effort by a team that was sh!te for most of the early season. Rituraj Singh of Rajasthan deserves a special mention as he has taken 4,5,6 and 7 wickets in his last four innings (not in order).

Spinning pitch in Abu Dhabi, we'll just have to hope against hope England bat better in this test. The theory that Swann can't bowl to right handers is just a*se logic and Trott should not have bowled today. That said, Swann was rubbish compared to Monty but he's having the luck and Broad bowled a brilliant spell. Missssbah is a top man, deserves credit for his captaincy and the stability that he's brought to the team. Flat tracks? Certainly not in Abu Dhabi.

Gashness aside, Craig- New Zealand Zimbots tomorrow.

Green pitch, let me clarify, greener than normal pitch (is there any other type of pitch there, like the flat tracks in India) in Napier. Watling confirmed as keeper and Vettori is likely to bat at 6 with four seamers picked.

Ray Price and Keegan Meth are injured. Shingi Masakadza should make his debut and Cremer will come in as the spinner. Meth is the unlucky bowler who lost his teeth after a shot struck his mouth in his follow through in an ODI.

Likely Zimbot line up
Mawoyo
H Masakadza
Taylor
Taibu
Chakabva
Waller
Chigumbura
Cremer
S Masakadza
Vitori
Jarvis

The bowling line up seems a bit raw but got some exciting fast bowlers there and Shingi has been in very good form.

NZ are playing four bowlers and Vettori's supposedly at 6. The only logical conclusion that I can draw is that Kane Williamson should be dropped and BJ Watling to bat at 7 instead of the top order as is usually the case. Dean Brownlie surely cannot be dropped due to his consistency.

Possible New Zealand team
McCullum
Guptill
Williamson
Taylor
Brownlie
Vettori
Watling
Southee
Bracewell
Boult
Martin

New Zealand are definite favourites, but it definitely shouldn't be a walk in the park.

 

[craig1985]

Brian Taylor wins the toss and elects to bowl, the problem is that Vitori is leaking runs at an alarming rate in the 6th over.

 

[ramjambunath]

Apparently no swing and it is a flattie. Already a defensive field.

 

[craig1985]

Apparently no swing and it is a flattie. Already a defensive field.

Mind you when you bowl at the pads of most Test batsmen on a consistent basis, you deserve to go for runs.

 

[greenedge]

4-0 Whitewash coming Indias' way. Some of their players heads deserve to roll ( Laxman ) is the first that springs to mind.

 

[ramjambunath]

Mind you when you bowl at the pads of most Test batsmen on a consistent basis, you deserve to go for runs.

I'm tuning into radiosport again and Bryan Waddle has told more than a couple of times that it is a state highway. Hope not.

Match not being telecast live. Slack

 

[ramjambunath]

I just noticed that I said Williamson should be dropped and picked him in the eleven. Not a bad choice in the end.

 

[craig1985]

Shingi Masakadza has been impressive thus far on debut.

 

[ramjambunath]

Hopefully, last time he played for Zim, he took a pasting in South Africa.

At least the run rate has dropped.

I heard that the Northern districts are 6/36. Will confirm next I hear the Ford cup scores.

 

[ramjambunath]

Good innings by Taylor and McCullum today, Vettori's change of pace in the innings was brilliant and wrested the initiative. Good day for New Zealand on what looks like a flat pitch. The over-rate maintained by Zim was disgraceful.

Northerns got bowled out for 99 and lost by eight wickets to Auckland.

Morgan is inept against spin, he's inept against pace, he's inept. Drop him for Bopara or even Samit Patel for goodness sake. He looks like a ginger Indian at the moment.

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

Morgan is inept against spin, he's inept against pace, he's inept. Drop him for Bopara or even Samit Patel for goodness sake. He looks like a ginger Indian at the moment.

Come the summer, I expect (and hope) James Taylor to take his place, as he just isn't good enough at Test level - brilliant ODI batsman, but the further he is away from the test side, the better.

Interestingly, they were saying on TMS that it was really noticeable how the England batsmen were incredibly defensive in the last 30-45 mins of the day as they played for stumps, meaning the ****stani's were able to get loads of men round the bat, and all the batsmen get a bit nervous. Compared to Misbah on day 1 who played each ball on its merits and put consecutive deliveries back over Monty's head for 6.

Well played also to Kohli who has developed and grown up as a batsmen during an otherwise terrible tour for the Indians. All he needs to do now is cut out the attitude towards the oppo...

 

[craig1985]

Come the summer, I expect (and hope) James Taylor to take his place, as he just isn't good enough at Test level - brilliant ODI batsman, but the further he is away from the test side, the better.

Interestingly, they were saying on TMS that it was really noticeable how the England batsmen were incredibly defensive in the last 30-45 mins of the day as they played for stumps, meaning the ****stani's were able to get loads of men round the bat, and all the batsmen get a bit nervous. Compared to Misbah on day 1 who played each ball on its merits and put consecutive deliveries back over Monty's head for 6.

Well played also to Kohli who has developed and grown up as a batsmen during an otherwise terrible tour for the Indians. All he needs to do now is cut out the attitude towards the oppo...

And to the opposition fans. I also saw the end of play yesterday and the assessment is correct by TMS, Ajmal made the English batsmen look like idiots. Nice cricket ground in Dubai, too bad there is nobody there, but apparently it isn't that easy to get to the ground as public transport links are almost non existent.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I wonder how long clarke will wanna stay out. Surely no later then the 2nd session, I'd expect earlier tho.

Would be great (not gonna happen) to see india some how hold out for the draw. Of course if sehwag egts going they'd probably chase whatever score

either way you'd expect aggresive cricket from the aussie batters.

 

[ramjambunath]

Come the summer, I expect (and hope) James Taylor to take his place, as he just isn't good enough at Test level - brilliant ODI batsman, but the further he is away from the test side, the better.

Interestingly, they were saying on TMS that it was really noticeable how the England batsmen were incredibly defensive in the last 30-45 mins of the day as they played for stumps, meaning the ****stani's were able to get loads of men round the bat, and all the batsmen get a bit nervous. Compared to Misbah on day 1 who played each ball on its merits and put consecutive deliveries back over Monty's head for 6.

Well played also to Kohli who has developed and grown up as a batsmen during an otherwise terrible tour for the Indians. All he needs to do now is cut out the attitude towards the oppo...

I don't think Jim Taylor would do very well with spin either. He was rubbish in the recent Lions tour to Bangladesh, versus Bangles A. In fact, I'm not being fair, the whole team were rubbish against spin there and lost the OD series after failing to get 200 four times (or 3) out of five matches.

At the moment, Samit and Ravi Bopara are being cruelly overlooked. Jos Buttler, Jimmy Taylor and Bairstow would do well to get off their high horses and follow the likes of Mustard, Adam Wheater, Pettini and Horton (who are in Zimbabwe) and get a subcontinental FC gig.

What was clear from yesterday's play is that the pitch isn't a devilish turner and a player willing to play himself in (not do an E-i-E-i-o-n Morgan, I know it's Eoin) and use the two things called feet, even Cook feet, can play for some time. It's time for England to ban the sweep, it's a lazy man's shot against spin bowling and I, as a chinaman bowler, would rather see the batsman playing silly sweep shots rather than driving or cutting me for runs.

All that said, I don't think there are many teams that can play high class spin bowling anymore.

Is Gary Ballance English or Zimbabwean? Zimbots could do with his batting instead of the useless sh!te known as Regis Chakabva.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-26/kohli-accuses-hilfenhaus-of-offensive-sledge/3795402

Kohli is a tw@t. He may well be telling the truth, but he's a tw@t to take it to the media. While he's at his complaining, maybe his nan could change his diapers.

Dhoni out, please Dhoni out. Saha is a far far better keeper and also showed more gumption than the square root of fark all that we've seen from Dhoni.

 

[greenedge]

And Saha was a good batter. However i doubt Dhoni will be dropped after this series.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

that is poor by sehwag. While getting some runs on the bored is fine, the captain really needed set the right tone.

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

Sounds like there is a far better crowd at Dubai today, where England lead, Broad going well.

I think the ECB would be far better served by sending all their promising batsmen to a spin academy sort of thing in the subcontinent for a few months over the winter (I know they have sent the quick bowlers to the Lillee academy in the past) so that England start to improve against subcontinental opposition in subcontinental conditions. I don't see the point in the Lions going on tour every year like the senior team.

 

[greenedge]

that is poor by sehwag. While getting some runs on the bored is fine, the captain really needed set the right tone.

Yeah but he shall get the highest score for them. Besides he has probably succumbed to the one day format of the game when he is not on Indian pitches.