The Cricket Thread

[Maple]

Yeah, Warner.

It is all a little weird though. Everyone is slavishly sycophantic over him. Even Slater was interviewing him with tongue lolling about like a starving dog faced with a steak. I mean sure, he is really good, but he is kind of new.

I think Australia is suffering the retirement of Gilchrist. Its like the demise of Buffy and all the vampire stories that came in its wake.

Anyway he hit some big hits and was out quick smart.

India are getting the crap beaten out of them.

[Maple]

So great to see Brad Hogg back in the side at 41, and getting wickets. He is having fun and that fun is crossing the stage.

[Moon-Crane]

11 wickets in 40-odd overs, so far, on day one of the 3rd Test between Pakistan and England. This could be one short test match

Edit: Make that 12 wickets.

[Maple]

WTF?????

[Moon-Crane]

WTF?????

Pakistan bowled out for 99. England are now 7-2 in reply.

[Maple]

How is the pitch?

[Moon-Crane]

How is the pitch?

Haven't been watching it, just following the commentary on TMS. But, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat, and England would have batted first had they won, so it can't be as difficult as both teams are making out.

[Maple]

It seems a bit like the recent series in Australia. India did not bat for long, then Aus lost quick wickets.

[Moon-Crane]

It seems a bit like the recent series in Australia. India did not bat for long, then Aus lost quick wickets.

We've survived to 19-2 at tea.

How's the T20 going on over there? You caning them again? I haven't looked for it yet.

[Maple]

India are 1/64. India need 67 from 67.

I did not know the game was on until you mentioned it. I have become a little bored. I hope India win this game.

[Maple]

I did watch the womens T20, Aus vs NZ this qfternoon. Aus won in an empty stadium. I enjoyed the game. I may go see a female game. They could use the support.

[Maple]

Attendance 60.275.

I am a little concerned by this. I must be old fashioned.

[Maple]

I am a bit sus... Australia is bleeding overthrows.

I am such a cynic.



But then money is king, right?

India won and it is good, but the short period of the game I watched did not look right. And I do not care for t20 at all. But it looked wrong in many areas.

[Moon-Crane]

T20 is generally more of a craps shoot when it comes to results between two half-decent to good teams. Even India in this poor form are good enough to turn it on on any given day.

We've got a slender lead at the end of day one. In reply to Pakistan's 99, we've ended up on 104-6. Mental day. Strauss hanging in with 41 not out.

[Mr Blue Sky]

How is the pitch?

Haven't been watching it, just following the commentary on TMS. But, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat, and England would have batted first had they won, so it can't be as difficult as both teams are making out.

Insane day's play. 16 wickets in the day. This is reminding me of the Headingly test in 2000 againt the West Indies which I actually managed to get to. It was all over by tea on the second day - looks like this is heading the same way.

[Moon-Crane]

I'd forgotten about that Windies game in Leeds. Crazy

[Mr Blue Sky]

Heh, Strauss's 41no looks like a true Captain's innings right now Terrible batting from both sides really it has to be said. Even if our lower order pulls out a decent lead tomorrow it won't paper over the massive cracks in our top order batting.

[Moon-Crane]

Heh, Strauss's 41no looks like a true Captain's innings right now Terrible batting from both sides really it has to be said. Even if our lower order pulls out a decent lead tomorrow it won't paper over the massive cracks in our top order batting.

We're a mess in the batting department. I'm with Michael Vaughan on his comments. If it wasn't for having a good bowling attack, we'd be getting battered even worse than we have been in this series. Like he also says, though, if others can stick around long enough tomorrow and Strauss can reach a hundred, i reckon we've won the game. (Don't think Boycott will be betting anything on the result like )

[Mr Blue Sky]

England contnue to disappoint. Azhar Ali and Younis Khan are showing just how easy it is to bat on this wicket if you apply yourself. I reckon they could probably declare now with a 100 lead and still bowl us out quite comfortably in the second innings.

Perhaps they need to review how they play spin with the advent of the DRS.

[Moon-Crane]

Those two guys have showed that pitch playing to par. It's all about, surprise surprise, Test Match concentration. Don't know what the hell all the other players have found so difficult about it so far. England have lost this match now.

[Maple]

Warner out cheaply, again. He is no Gilchrist. We won the game. I felt no joy. As I age I only care about test matches.

[Moon-Crane]

We're petering out into a 3-0 defeat. I can't remember a series where a whole order of decent 40+ averaging batsmen failed in six consecutive innings.

[Mr Blue Sky]

We're petering out into a 3-0 defeat. I can't remember a series where a whole order of decent 40+ averaging batsmen failed in six consecutive innings.

That was quite annoying in the end. Our middle order chucked their bats at the spinners but we only lost by 70 odd runs - if they'd applied themselves more we may have had a chance, or at least provided a tense finish.

A tour to forget, definitely.

[Moon-Crane]

Some very disappointing shots once again. Prior, Swann, Broad, Anderson and Panesar are the people to come out of this series with any credit, which tells you everything.

What's Joe Root like at Yorkshire, BS? I saw a quote from Boycott about him on the TMS live text. Is he another promising prospect? I don't know much about him.

[Mr Blue Sky]

Some very disappointing shots once again. Prior, Swann, Broad, Anderson and Panesar are the people to come out of this series with any credit, which tells you everything.

What's Joe Root like at Yorkshire, BS? I saw a quote from Boycott about him on the TMS live text. Is he another promising prospect? I don't know much about him.

He's ok, nothing amazing though from what I can see. Tendulkar made his debut for India at 16 but this lad's 21 now and isn't exactly pulling trees up. Just one first class hundred and a clutch of 50s. Mind you Vaughan (who coaches Joe) was similarly unimpressive for Yorkshire stats-wise before his England debut so you never know. So-so batting averages at Headingly are worth more than at many other grounds due to the difficult nature of the pitch.

I'm no good at judging youngsters anyway. I remember when Houllier gave Gerrard his debut back in 98/99 I thought he was nothing special either