Official Cricket 12/13 Thread

[Axver]

Poms all over Australia this afternoon, and this time Clarke and Watson are in the team too. Why didn't England show this sort of pressure until the last fucking ODI?

 

[Axver]

My god what an ending to today's game. This is why I love ODI cricket.

 

[cobl04]

Some interesting results I see. England finally moved Stokes up the order... can't fathom why Buttler is batting so low though. Lol at Mitch taking 0/72.

In WTF news... The Ashes 2013-14 : Australia to deport Ashes journalists | Cricket News | Australia v England | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Axver]

Three less tabloid journalists in the country can only be a boon.

Still blown away that England lost 7/58 last night to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

[cobl04]

Bangladesh all out 232
Sri Lanka 6/730 declared... Karunaratne, Sangakkara, Mathews 50s, Silva 139, Vithanage 103* and Jayawardene 203*

NZ win ODI series v India, huge result

Hodge FINALLY recalled to the Aus side for the T20s.

 

[Axver]

NZ win ODI series v India, huge result

Stoked about this. Great cricket from New Zealand. Wonder how we'll fare in the Tests though...

Hodge FINALLY recalled to the Aus side for the T20s.

Meanwhile, the ICC is getting closer to passing reforms that will totally fuck up the future of cricket...

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Hodge might be one of the unluckiest guys in Australian cricket.

 

[Axver]

New Zealand's knocked off India 4-0!

Meanwhile, any of you watching this ludicrous display by England tonight? Fuck a flying fucking duck. Love that Hodgey's opened the bowling, taken a blinder of a catch, and participated in a run-out.

 

[cobl04]

My mate Trent Lawford had a reasonable day with the bat for Adelaide in SA grade cricket today... http://mycricket.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=1528917

 

[Axver]

Come off it, Clarke:

"I think it's going to be a tough tour for the batsmen," Clarke said. "You have two very good bowling attacks. I don't know what the wickets are going to be like, but generally there is a bit in the wickets in South Africa."

Clarke, though, tipped his bowlers as the better unit: "I'm a little bit biased, but in my opinion, this Australian attack is the best in the world. What I've seen from the Australian fast bowlers over a long period of time, I feel we have the best attack in the world."

Australia in South Africa 2013-14 : Michael Clarke accepts SA favourites at home | Cricket News | South Africa v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo

Uhh... let's have a look at the world Test bowling rankings. Who's got #1 and #2 right now? That's right, Philander and Steyn. Good luck with that misplaced confidence, Pup.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Clarke is just so easy to hate. He doesn't even have to try.

 

[cobl04]

Don't overreact. Harris deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as them, as does Johnson on his Ashes form. Siddle is a workhouse, Lyon is miles better than any of their spinners, and we've got Pattinson as well. Steyn was getting carted by India in SA at one stage. It's not outlandish.

 

[Axver]

In the T20 tonight, Jade Dernbach just went from a fairly decent 0/23 off 3 overs to 0/49 off 4!

Bailey just went nuts, 4 6 6 4 4 2, and that final two was soooo close to a four as well.

 

[cobl04]

Absolutely ridiculous that final over.

Dernbach is the worst international cricketer I've ever seen.

 

[cobl04]

Ouch - one of my colleagues just wrote an article on The Age saying Trevor Chappell's underarm delivery is "still considered a glorious day in Australian cricket". Admittedly she is not a sports person at all, but still...

 

[Axver]

...oh dear.

 

[cobl04]

Pathetic as usual.

Hodgey is a fucking legend.

 

[cobl04]

Sorry Ax, I'm gonna complain again.

This is absolutely atrocious stuff. Sure, the Aussies played a pretty entertaining innings but this game was over 30 minutes ago and now it's just petering out to a very boring win. Being played on what is unequivocally the worst surface in Australia and THERE ARE FUCKING PEOPLE IN MORPHSUITS DOING JUMPS ON TRAMPOLINES. I mean for fuck's sake.

 

[cobl04]

It is however awesome watching Muirhead play for Australia. Great bloke who I've watched and chatted with at St Kilda. Got some cheek about him and bowls wicket-taking deliveries. Got the likes of Cook, Bell and Pietersen out in tour games this summer.

 

[Axver]

This is fucking appalling, and it's all because England are a broken team who don't even have enough spirit or fight to try to seek a win for pride any more. By this stage of such a long, torturous tour, this game would be petering out into an unwatchable heap whether it were T20, ODI, Test, or beach cricket.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Speaking of beach cricket, does anybody remember that televised beach cricket series from a few years ago with all those retired players?

 

[Axver]

And there we go. Ghastly end to a ghastly tour by a ghastly team.

Speaking of beach cricket, does anybody remember that televised beach cricket series from a few years ago with all those retired players?

That was fucking hilarious, in an absurd kind of way.

 

[cobl04]

England shouldn't bother coming back next time if they're going to serve up that tripe.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Who could possibly expect this after the first day of the Gabba test?

 

[Axver]

The one problem with cricket is that when you try to schedule a big, lengthy showpiece tour and one side proves to be utter shite, there's not much you can do. In other sports, even the lengthiest lopsided tour will be over within a month. This farce has dragged from November 2013 to February 2014, and the worst part is that THERE IS NO MORE INTERNATIONAL CRICKET ON AUSTRALIAN SOIL FOR THE SEASON. That's all we fucking got, one insipid game against England after another. What I wouldn't give for the South African series to be on telly (or to have Foxtel so that I could've watched New Zealand wipe the floor with India, give the finger to the ICC's foolish reforms, and prove that minnows have something to offer). I just want to see a different opponent, and preferably one that doesn't completely blow. Apart from the first two days of the Boxing Day Test and the second ODI in Brisbane, this has been totally predictable ever since England capitulated in the first Test. I don't even count the one ODI that England actually won, because Australia sent in their second stringers and were just taking the piss (and then went on to win with that team the next fucking game anyway, just to rub it in!).

 

[bono_man2002]

They really needed to bring back the Tri-Series to liven things up a little. Go back to each team plays six ODI's and maybe between Australia-England-New Zealand/Whoever is Free or something. Don't get me wrong, 12-1 or 11-1 or whatever, it was great wiping the floor with England....but by the third one dayer I was over cricket for the summer.

 

[Axver]

Seriously, there was nothing I used to look forward to more in summer than the tri-series. I think that's what cemented ODI as my favourite form of cricket. Some of those tri-series in the late nineties/early 2000s were absolute classics - especially the Australia/South Africa/New Zealand one where Australia failed to make the finals!

 

[bono_man2002]

I guess because its so much ratings driven these days, Channel 9 would hate to end up with final series not involving Australia.

 

[cobl04]

That and the fact that the tri-series did end up losing its popularity with the general public.

 

[intedomine]

Cram all the tests and one-dayers as much as possible! Gotta keep April and May free for the all-important IPL!