PaoloSanchez
Well-Known Member
Tense finale to the second test. Can the Kiwis hold out?
International Cricket
- Thread starter planetgeli
- Start date
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Well played kiwis. Catches win matches. Four put down in this innings.
Great finish and a great example of why test cricket matches need to last five days.
Sodhi and Wagner batted 30 overs. They can dine out on that for oh a few decades.
Great finish and a great example of why test cricket matches need to last five days.
Sodhi and Wagner batted 30 overs. They can dine out on that for oh a few decades.
OzT
Online early mornings when at work ....
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Questions have to be asked. Why such a long tour. Why one coach for all three formats. And when the fuck are they going to put Cook and Moeen out to pasture. I'm sure they'll do better in the summer at home but apparently this is the worst overseas run since WW2. There have to be better options than Stoneman, Vince and Leach. Malan looked a better spinner than him ffs.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Why not such a long tour? It's culminated with a terrific match.
Why so few properly competitive warm-up matches on such a long tour? Is perhaps a better question. The death of the meaningful tour match is a thing that needs addressing.
Why so few properly competitive warm-up matches on such a long tour? Is perhaps a better question. The death of the meaningful tour match is a thing that needs addressing.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Oh and moeen was excellent as recently as last summer. He had a stinker of a tour but I think it's disingenuous to pretend he started the tour with questions being asked of him.
England looked exhausted. It's the longest tour for decades.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Did they? Stuart Broad looked like he's finally woken up. If they looked exhausted at the end of a day when they bowled 100 overs in a desperate attempt to win a match, well that's not so surprising.
Broad did look much better, agreed. Root not so much. I know we all enjoyed 5 months straight of cricket on the box but it's really not fair on young lads with young families imo. I start to fret if I'm away for work for two weeks. Can't imagine what it's like for some of these guys.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
I’m glad they lost, victory would have (sand)papered over the cracks that are obvious to see now.
I certainly don’t know the selection answers, don’t even know why some of the problems are occurring (Moeen). As pointed out, Moeen was brilliant last summer. I don’t think you lose class overnight. I’d persevere. But do we have a coach even qualified to do that? My suspicions still lay with Moeen being fucked around as the utility man too much. But like I said, I don’t really know.
Do we write Leach off in one test, a test played on a non-spinner friendly pitch? Who is the alternative there? I’ve always had my doubts over Stoneman, you can’t have all those innings and not pass 60. Vince I said flattered to deceive in Adelaide. I’d love him to turn into Gower. He’s not going to.
And yes the tour was too long, elongated by money. And without Bairstow and Wood, at 162-7, we could have been talking another battering, not a great match at the end of a tour.
England cricket is not in a great place, white ball aside. I predict famine.
I certainly don’t know the selection answers, don’t even know why some of the problems are occurring (Moeen). As pointed out, Moeen was brilliant last summer. I don’t think you lose class overnight. I’d persevere. But do we have a coach even qualified to do that? My suspicions still lay with Moeen being fucked around as the utility man too much. But like I said, I don’t really know.
Do we write Leach off in one test, a test played on a non-spinner friendly pitch? Who is the alternative there? I’ve always had my doubts over Stoneman, you can’t have all those innings and not pass 60. Vince I said flattered to deceive in Adelaide. I’d love him to turn into Gower. He’s not going to.
And yes the tour was too long, elongated by money. And without Bairstow and Wood, at 162-7, we could have been talking another battering, not a great match at the end of a tour.
England cricket is not in a great place, white ball aside. I predict famine.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
NZ have a good team at the moment. Not humiliating to lose to them. Disappointing certainly but not humiliating.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
This'll be a function of the ranking system. It works on series won or lost, not matches. IIRC winning a two-match series is worth as much in terms of rankings as a five-match series.
Not that I'd dispute that NZ are currently a better side than England. But the rankings system is a load of bollocks. And the kiwis get fewer fixtures so England could overtake them again before they've had the chance to play another test.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Hmm. We're going to play five tests against them (cos money) and two against you (cos no money) and so we can get more points than you and rank higher (cos money).
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
Quite so, see the edit to my post.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Different countries have different busy times of the year. In rolling rankings there will always be movement up and down at different times for different teams. I think the tour programme does okay in terms of getting the top eight at least playing everywhere (India v Pakistan excepted). And Bangladesh have been getting a better crack at it recently. But England play five test series v India and aus and nobody else cos money and that does distort things.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
India, England and Australia have vastly more money than anyone else. You really don't have to look further than that for the explanation.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
More touring fans with Aus vs England. And I'm sure a test match ticket in Sydney or London costs more than one in Mumbai.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Tickets in aus are very cheap by our standards. Day at the test costs under 20 quid. Big bash is very cheap indeed. The TV deals are the big money now.
Casual Observer
enough
Big Vern ripping through the Aussies in the 4th innings. 6 for 16 at the moment. There was me thinking the big target (600+) was because three SA bowlers were too injured to bowl properly.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Avoided the 500 run defeat. Shame.
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
What did you expect Leach to actually do in this test given the conditions and wide context? Malan looked a better spinner than leach? I wonder why there's ex-test spinners or players lining up to say he had an excellent game and was unlucky to come away with so few wickets, but he did provide many overs of accurate clever penetrating spin that built up pressure and forced batsmen into shots they may not have played otherwise. This is test cricket - not superhero cricket.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Sounds like it was one of those weird NZ wickets that improve for batting as the game goes on. NZ have held out for a draw on a weirdly improving home wicket against more illustrious spinning names than Leach in recent times.
Case in point: second test against India 2014 at Canterbury. Same situation: NZ leading a 2-match series 1-0. After conceding a big 1st innings lead, NZ grind their way to 680-8 in more than 200 overs. Left-arm spinner Ravi Jadeja takes 1-115.
Case in point: second test against India 2014 at Canterbury. Same situation: NZ leading a 2-match series 1-0. After conceding a big 1st innings lead, NZ grind their way to 680-8 in more than 200 overs. Left-arm spinner Ravi Jadeja takes 1-115.
PaoloSanchez
Well-Known Member
Indeed well done Kiwis. I'm happy with the result and that they won the series. Bit of squeaky bum time at the end and a nice tense finish. Sodhi held his nerve well and also had a bit of luck.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Actually I got this slightly wrong. In the case of this winter's tours by England, it's:
We're going to lose a five-test series against them and then lose a two-test series against you, cos money.
Not giving equal weight to series of different length is patently unfair on teams like New Zealand. I have much to criticise over the way the game is run, but the ranking system isn't one of them.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Flintoff has a massive dig at Vaughan.
Some ball-tampering critics are chucking stones in glass houses - Andrew Flintoff
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43703977
Doesn't want to bag them? Only talking about one person.
Some ball-tampering critics are chucking stones in glass houses - Andrew Flintoff
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43703977
Doesn't want to bag them? Only talking about one person.
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
Flintoff has a massive dig at Vaughan.
Some ball-tampering critics are chucking stones in glass houses - Andrew Flintoff
Doesn't want to bag them? Only talking about one person.
Also making the point again that any of the bowlers or fielders who handled the ball would have know it had been fucked about with just by looking at it.
