Cricket Thread 303*

[Axver]

Don't you dare cancel the Bledisloe, I like watching Australia lose year after year!

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Everything but the Bledisloe is cancelled. No other sporting event exists involving Australia.

 

[Axver]

Now that I can get behind.

 

[coolian2]

Reckon that's the last Chappell-Hadlee series for a long time.

This is a bad post. One of many, but still bad.

 

[Axver]

Any of you watching the first day of the WBBL?

I had plans for a productive weekend. Had. Not now!

 

[Axver]

Oh my god the Renegades just keep taking suicidal runs. Strikers might have this, even though the Renegades should have had it in the bag.

 

[cobl04]

Virat Kohli now averages 50 in every form of the game. Remarkable.

He's 203* in a partnership of 202 for the eighth wicket with bowler Jayant Yadav, who's 89* and currently holding a career Test batting average of 103.

 

[Axver]

That's insane.

And today's match between the Sixers and Heat in the WBBL is surely one of the best games of cricket I'll watch all summer. Deandra Dottin is an absolute star, what superb hitting.

 

[Axver]

Holy shit, you guys seen this screamer? It's from much earlier in the year but I'd somehow missed it until now.

Zeeshan Maqsood takes incredible catch in World T20

 

[coolian2]

That's astonishing.

 

[Axver]

Remember all those Australians who bagged out New Zealand and were looking forward to Pakistan?

Now you understand how New Zealand rolled Pakistan.

 

[Axver]

Slats and Warnie commentating together! Do Channel 9 want me to have an aneurysm?

 

[cobl04]

Click on this scorecard, immediately.

 

[Axver]

Click on this scorecard, immediately.

So funny. I'm just impressed anybody can hog the strike that much without ever needing any of their batting partners to score a single.

 

[coolian2]

Remember all those Australians who bagged out New Zealand and were looking forward to Pakistan?

Now you understand how New Zealand rolled Pakistan.

Yeah like fuck, who saw this coming? If you missed it, you're an idiot

 

[cobl04]

Terrific fourth innings by Pakistan. A record at the Gabba. Asad Shafiq might be the most boring batsman in the world to watch but damn he is effective. Now holds the world record for most Test centuries at six with eight, one more than Sobers.

And over in India KL Rahul played a horrific shot to get out on 199.

 

[Axver]

It's been one hell of a turnaround. I can't see the last two wickets staying together for 108 runs, but overnight I actually had a dream that they did and I want to see those celebrations happen for real.

 

[coolian2]

Well Pakistan have produced a miracle once this summer, maybe this could go in their favour.

 

[coolian2]

I also think they're guilty in this of only really getting pink ball/night experience in the actual match. Second go around at it, and they did alright.

I mean, I would rather take one to the Sourav Gangulys than a Starc yorker on a good day.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

India 7/759 declared after England made 477. It's the end of the fourth day more or less. This is just breaking down the English spirit now surely.

 

[cobl04]

Oh man, so bummed I miss the cricket over here

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Another wonderful article by Russell Jackson posted today. Urge you all to read it.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-independent-cricket-bat-maker-closes-up-shop

 

[Axver]

Younis Khan just scored his first century on Australian soil. This means that he is now the first batsman to score centuries in all countries where Test cricket has been played - the ten Test nations plus the UAE. He surpasses Rahul Dravid, who never scored a century in the UAE.

(Of course, this requires you to follow the cricket convention of counting the West Indies as a single country. He has not scored a century in all Caribbean countries that have hosted Test cricket.)

 

[cobl04]

How awesome was that Renegades/Hurricanes game..! Cannot believe the Renegades managed to lose that.

Squad for India has been announced, 16 players. No Cartwright (no idea why he was picked in the first place), no Jon Holland, no Fawad Ahmed, those two not being selected makes me very angry.

My first Test XI would be

Warner
Renshaw
Khawaja
Smith
Handscomb
Wade
Agar
Starc
O'Keefe
Lyon
Hazlewood

Taking 20 wickets is the most vital part. This way we've got five bowlers plus a top six.

 

[Axver]

Wade? I think they're mad not picking Nevill. Much better gloveman, and apart from Friday's ODI century Wade has done nothing lately to suggest he's better with the bat.

And there's no doubt that the Renegades vs Hobart game will be the best of this Big Bash. Not just for the fireworks involved in reaching those mad scores, or the fact it got chased down, but for the crazy swings in momentum. When McDermott got out that should've been lights out. Hell, with 16 to get off 6 and no recognised batsman at the crease, that definitely should've been lights out.

I love that it was Stuart Broad who won it too.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I'm fairly sure Wade is statistically a better bat than Nevill, which isn't particularly difficult at Test level anyway. Might need more 'noooice Gary!' when you're facing India in India, too.

 

[Axver]

Why on earth you'd be selecting a keeper based on their batting average rather than their glovework is beyond me anyway. Australia really hasn't got used to the fact that not every keeper can be Gilchrist.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Gilchrist was a luxury. Australia look over to South Africa and feel jealousy over the fact that they have de Kock.

 

[cobl04]

Silence from you Axver on the Test currently taking place in New Zealand..?

Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib al Hasan put on 359 for the fifth wicket, the highest partnership in Bangladesh's history. They declared just short of 600. It is so, so heartening watching Bangladesh have success. They're going to end up with a first innings lead too. Here's hoping they don't get rolled for 100 in the second innings and give NZ a comfortable chase for victory.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Discussed in the Superthread.