littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Just 59. I know he as famously difficult to get along with, but he can probably count himself unfortunate not to have played more tests. Racist prick, though. 
International Cricket
- Thread starter planetgeli
- Start date
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
I know it's only 20/20 but this was a ridiculous game of cricket.
As well as that save...with 3 overs to go Rajhastan Royals needed 51 runs. Not only this, but at the crease was a guy called Tewatia who had come in for an absolute hammering on commentary. He'd scored 17 off 21 balls (in a 20/20 where the asking rate had always been 11 an over or more). He just couldn't hit the ball. He'd been slogging at and missing everything.
Out of nowhere he then hit 5 sixes in one over off Cottrell.
With 11 balls to go they still needed 20 runs. Archer was promoted to come in and promptly hit his first two balls for sixes. They won easily with 3 balls to spare. It was possibly the maddest 30 minutes (which included that saving dive) of cricket witnessed.
The Octagon
Stop...Hammertime
Oh Dawid 
Unselfish.
Yes, we'll go with unselfish
Cracking performance though.
Unselfish.
Yes, we'll go with unselfish
Cracking performance though.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Hmm. India pulling a fast one with the concussion subs?
Batting first, with five balls to go, Jadeja (who has hit his highest 20/20 score) gets a top edge onto his helmet, is nearly caught but scrambles a single. Very much scrambles because for an over or so now he's hardly been able to walk due to twanging his hamstring.
No doctor is called onto the field. Jadeja manages to face the last three balls, hitting two of them for four (one nearly going for six).
India arguably only have five bowlers now and one of those is Hardik who isn't usually expected to bowl a full compliment.
Cue innings break and, under medical advice of the Indian doctor, they are awarded a concussion sub. Chahal. Who comes out and bowls well taking 3 wickets and winning the match.
Justin Langer not happy, so that's something.
But is it cricket?
Batting first, with five balls to go, Jadeja (who has hit his highest 20/20 score) gets a top edge onto his helmet, is nearly caught but scrambles a single. Very much scrambles because for an over or so now he's hardly been able to walk due to twanging his hamstring.
No doctor is called onto the field. Jadeja manages to face the last three balls, hitting two of them for four (one nearly going for six).
India arguably only have five bowlers now and one of those is Hardik who isn't usually expected to bowl a full compliment.
Cue innings break and, under medical advice of the Indian doctor, they are awarded a concussion sub. Chahal. Who comes out and bowls well taking 3 wickets and winning the match.
Justin Langer not happy, so that's something.
But is it cricket?
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littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Chahal got MoM 
Tricky cos Jadeja is a genuine allrounder. Chahal of course isn't, but India can argue that Jadeja was picked as a frontline bowler first, handy lower-order batsman second. I guess the other question would be whether a wrist spinner for a finger spinner is 'like for like'.
Doing his hammy first of course complicates matters, although I've always thought it can be a bit unfair when a team ends up a bowler short for a whole game due to an injury.
Langer needs to just suck it up. If Chahal had come out and bowled like a drain, he wouldn't be complaining. It can be galling when a concussion sub comes out and plays better than the players picked ahead of him - we know that well enough from Labuschagne.
I'm a bit surprised there isn't a neutral 'official' doctor. That seems the obvious solution.
Tricky cos Jadeja is a genuine allrounder. Chahal of course isn't, but India can argue that Jadeja was picked as a frontline bowler first, handy lower-order batsman second. I guess the other question would be whether a wrist spinner for a finger spinner is 'like for like'.
Doing his hammy first of course complicates matters, although I've always thought it can be a bit unfair when a team ends up a bowler short for a whole game due to an injury.
Langer needs to just suck it up. If Chahal had come out and bowled like a drain, he wouldn't be complaining. It can be galling when a concussion sub comes out and plays better than the players picked ahead of him - we know that well enough from Labuschagne.
I'm a bit surprised there isn't a neutral 'official' doctor. That seems the obvious solution.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Follow-up on Jadeja. He has subsequently been diagnosed with concussion and will miss the next two games.
I'm afraid Langer comes out of this very badly. He was apparently complaining during the innings break when the substitution was made because Jadeja hadn't gone off immediately. But it is the nature of concussions that the effects can be delayed, sometimes by many hours. Hell Langer himself allowed Steve Smith to bat on after an obviously serious hit in the head when he was obviously already feeling the effects. He needs to have a word with himself about his attitude towards this issue imo.
I've changed my position a bit on concussion subs. I think all sports need them now. We just need a simple, universal no-fault substitution policy. Yes, some teams might abuse it, although India absolutely didn't in this case, but so what?
I'm afraid Langer comes out of this very badly. He was apparently complaining during the innings break when the substitution was made because Jadeja hadn't gone off immediately. But it is the nature of concussions that the effects can be delayed, sometimes by many hours. Hell Langer himself allowed Steve Smith to bat on after an obviously serious hit in the head when he was obviously already feeling the effects. He needs to have a word with himself about his attitude towards this issue imo.
I've changed my position a bit on concussion subs. I think all sports need them now. We just need a simple, universal no-fault substitution policy. Yes, some teams might abuse it, although India absolutely didn't in this case, but so what?
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
By rights Australia should still be less than halfway through a ten year ban on accusing anyone else of unsporting conduct.
souljacker
innit
I was gutted that the SA England tour has been cancelled but I am thoroughly enjoying watching India in Aus. 28,000 at the SCG all going bonkers and some wild batting from Aus this morning. Great fun.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Decent, if slow, first day in Adelaide. Unfortunately it's one of those pink ball affairs which I'm not a massive fan of, conditions in mid to late evening always giving the bowlers a bit too much. Aussie quicks bowled well by the look of it and they're slightly ahead, but that owes as much to the stupid run out of Kohli as much as anything else. Next few days well set up if India can wag a bit and deal with Smith and Labuschagne. Worth keeping an eye on as long as Aus don't dominate too much on day two.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Great low-scoring test match. India 53 ahead on 1st innings + 9/1. Smith failed, Labuschange got 47 but captain Paine almost saved the day with a fast scoring 73 not out. Ashwin proved his brilliance wiping out the middle order, Cummings continues to prove he's the world's best fast bowler (despite being dropped to first change in the 1st innings).
Set up nicely for another interesting day. And if it continues this way, Australia will be starting their second innings under lights with the pink ball.
Set up nicely for another interesting day. And if it continues this way, Australia will be starting their second innings under lights with the pink ball.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Not totally convinced about the fairness of pink ball cricket. It's turned Adelaide from a batting paradise into a minefield. That said, it produces results.
That said, I watched a tiny bit this morning and the pitch was up and down. Probably not due to the ball/time of day.
India should be a lot further ahead. Dropped a bunch of chances.
It's a big series for Ashwin, funnily enough. He has a brilliant Warne-esque overall record - five wickets a match at 25 each - but his away record is ordinary and his record in Aus is poor.
For the series, I think India really need to win this one. No Kohli after this match. That's a massive hole.
That said, I watched a tiny bit this morning and the pitch was up and down. Probably not due to the ball/time of day.
India should be a lot further ahead. Dropped a bunch of chances.
It's a big series for Ashwin, funnily enough. He has a brilliant Warne-esque overall record - five wickets a match at 25 each - but his away record is ordinary and his record in Aus is poor.
For the series, I think India really need to win this one. No Kohli after this match. That's a massive hole.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
| Prithvi Shaw | b Cummins | 4 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Mayank Agarwal | c †Paine b Hazlewood | 9 | 40 | 57 | 1 | 0 | 22.50 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | c & b Cummins | 2 | 17 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 11.76 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | c †Paine b Cummins | 0 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Virat Kohli (c) | c Green b Cummins | 4 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | c †Paine b Hazlewood | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Hanuma Vihari | c †Paine b Hazlewood | 8 | 22 | 44 | 1 | 0 | 36.36 |
| Wriddhiman Saha † | c Labuschagne b Hazlewood | 4 | 15 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 26.67 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | c †Paine b Hazlewood | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Umesh Yadav | not out | 4 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Mohammed Shami | retired not out | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| TOTAL | (21.2 Ov, RR: 1.69) | 36 |
Wow.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Hit on his bowling arm by Cummins, couldn't continue.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
UKC Cricket: Format, Players, Fixtures and Streaming – All you need to know
The new format of indoor cricket called the Ultimate Kricket Challenge (UKC) will have its inagural edition, starting on December 24 – here’s everything you need to know about it.
wisden.com
WTF is this shit?
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
He scored some great left-handed runs. But when you think of Edrich, the first thing that comes to mind is 'brave'. He took some batterings.
RIP.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Ashwin to Smith so far in this series.
5 balls, no runs, 2 wickets.
All set up for another spectacular collapse tomorrow then.
5 balls, no runs, 2 wickets.
All set up for another spectacular collapse tomorrow then.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
It's a Test Cricket bonanza atm. You could watch almost around the clock last few days. I've been doing a midnight shift flitting between Aus and NZ.
Sri Lanka sadly fell apart rather against SA, following a good start. Mid-match injuries not helping. Injuries to touring players following their enforced quarantine are definitely a thing in Covid Cricket, so odds are stacked even further against them.
That said, injuries didn't stop India. Yadav broke down, but they still had more than enough to win comfortably. Got to be a worry for Aus that they seem to be visibly deflated once Labuschagne and Smith are out. No belief in that batting unit atm. And Smith looking frail. Finally got out bowled behind his legs, as he looks like he always will be but never is. Got to concern him. Good Good.
As of yesterday, they still didn't know where the third test would be played. With Shami and Yadav now out, should India be hoping for spin-friendly Sydney or Bumrah-friendly Melbourne? New boy Siraj very impressive, also. Their pace stocks are impressively deep when you think that Sharma and Kumar are also missing.
NZ on course to beat Pakistan. Love Mt Maunganui as a venue, but the pudding of a pitch does produce turgid cricket. That said, a desperate final day struggle for survival is always compelling, and it's the only game of the three to go to day five. This is clearly the best NZ team of all time. Top five batsmen all average over 40. Three main seamers all average under 30 with more than 200 wickets each. Top keeper. New boys are producing. It's an unbeatable unit at home atm. Neil Wagner playing on with a broken toe!
Sri Lanka sadly fell apart rather against SA, following a good start. Mid-match injuries not helping. Injuries to touring players following their enforced quarantine are definitely a thing in Covid Cricket, so odds are stacked even further against them.
That said, injuries didn't stop India. Yadav broke down, but they still had more than enough to win comfortably. Got to be a worry for Aus that they seem to be visibly deflated once Labuschagne and Smith are out. No belief in that batting unit atm. And Smith looking frail. Finally got out bowled behind his legs, as he looks like he always will be but never is. Got to concern him. Good Good.
As of yesterday, they still didn't know where the third test would be played. With Shami and Yadav now out, should India be hoping for spin-friendly Sydney or Bumrah-friendly Melbourne? New boy Siraj very impressive, also. Their pace stocks are impressively deep when you think that Sharma and Kumar are also missing.
NZ on course to beat Pakistan. Love Mt Maunganui as a venue, but the pudding of a pitch does produce turgid cricket. That said, a desperate final day struggle for survival is always compelling, and it's the only game of the three to go to day five. This is clearly the best NZ team of all time. Top five batsmen all average over 40. Three main seamers all average under 30 with more than 200 wickets each. Top keeper. New boys are producing. It's an unbeatable unit at home atm. Neil Wagner playing on with a broken toe!
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Pakistan fighting. 4 down at tea as I go to bed. Good fighting effort. The one thing NZ don't have is a good spinner.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
They only had four and a half overs to go! So close. Didn't see it but surely another advert for 5 day Test matches. And Test matches in general. Agree it appears to be the best NZ team ever. Are they number 1 yet?
Edit - I think they must be if it's done test by test. They were all but level with Aus on Dec 14th. Since then Aus have won and lost and NZ have won.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
ICC Men's Test Team Rankings | ICC
Official International Cricket Council rankings for test match cricket teams. Discover latest ICC rankings table, predict upcoming matches, see points and ratings for all teams.
They look to be level on points - not sure if Australia are top there due to some tiebreaker stat or if they're joint top though. Iirc NZ will go top soon anyway due to old results falling off.
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
I reckon the Kiwis are comfortably the best test team in the world at the moment. Williamson probably has the best batting technique, throw in Taylor and co, and 3 of their bowlers average 28 or less. They'll be up there until they tour Australia or play at Lords!
Smith and Williamson are better test batters than Kohli at the moment, although Kohli's the only player currently averaging 50 in all 3 formats.
Smith and Williamson are better test batters than Kohli at the moment, although Kohli's the only player currently averaging 50 in all 3 formats.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Lord's should suit the Kiwis, especially if it's cloudy. The big disappointment for NZ last year was not competing in Australia. On that India still have an edge. Highlight for NZ was winning in UAE, outstanding given the lack of opportunities for spinners at home.
But looking at the various tables, there's a strong chance NZ could be the number 1 test team and not in the test championship final. They need to beat Pakistan next week to stay in the mix.
But looking at the various tables, there's a strong chance NZ could be the number 1 test team and not in the test championship final. They need to beat Pakistan next week to stay in the mix.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
NZ look to have found a gem in Kyle Jamieson, who's got off to a ridiculously good start in test cricket. Another fivefer yesterday, and he was unplayable at times. Dismissal of Fawad Alam was a brute. He's billed as a medium pacer, but he's not. He's fast-medium, regularly up in the high 130s, occasionally touching 140 k. Strong and wide, and standing 6 foot 8, producing disconcerting bounce off a full length, superb control of line and length, probing and testing every ball, and occasionally producing a snorter.
He reminds me of Joel Garner.
He reminds me of Joel Garner.
