The official Cricket thread

[spjt07]

So I am pretty keen on what is happening in the world of cricket. For the 1st time in a while Australia is ranked as low as number 4 in tests.

What are people's thoughts on cricket, South Africa's chances against India (ranked number 1 in tests) and do you think Australia will be able to come back and beat England in the remaining ashes tests?

Would like this thread to continue like the rugby and football threads

[wisp]

Great to see another sports thread especailly with CWC in Feb,I hope England cream Australia in the ashes .SA vs india should produce some excellant cricket especially in the 20/20 and one day series ,does anyone else feel that test cricket is losing its appeal and should be scrapped .

Any way, please note that no thread fixing will be allowed on this forum ;)

[spjt07]

I love the idea of tests but the only problem I have with them is that a team can score say 20 runs when they are short by 300 on the 5th day but so long as they are not bowled out it will be a draw. I think some sort of duckworth/lewis method should be come into effect.

I see they are wanting to bring Shane Warne out of retirement to try save the test matches

[Jaded Star]

I truely hope england creams those sheep shaggers. As for SA we tend to do brilliantly untill it really matters, when it matters we choke like the england soccer team in the world cup. Lets see any other thoughts........ ye for the 20/20 bench Kallis and Smith then we stand a chance.

[Azraphael]

I will probably go to one of the days at the Newlands Test. Two words - Castle Corner. No better way to waste a day in the sun. I haven't been to a Test match since the India, Pakistan, West Indies series shortly after our re-admission so I am super keen for this.

[spjt07]

I truely hope england creams those sheep shaggers. As for SA we tend to do brilliantly untill it really matters, when it matters we choke like the england soccer team in the world cup. Lets see any other thoughts........ ye for the 20/20 bench Kallis and Smith then we stand a chance.

I actually wouldn't bench Kallis for the 20/20's, he has come a long way in improving his strike rate with batting and his bowling does add a good alternative.

I think South Africa focus too much on the fact that a tournament is a tournament and forget to take it one game at a time. I mean playing in series games they are usually pretty good so whatever they use with their mind sets they should just use in the big tourney's

[Jaded Star]

I actually wouldn't bench Kallis for the 20/20's, he has come a long way in improving his strike rate with batting and his bowling does add a good alternative.

I think South Africa focus too much on the fact that a tournament is a tournament and forget to take it one game at a time. I mean playing in series games they are usually pretty good so whatever they use with their mind sets they should just use in the big tourney's

Disagree Kallis takes way to long to do anything. Wastes way to many valuable overs with blocking. For 5 days sure keep him then he can block to his hearts content!

[spjt07]

Disagree Kallis takes way to long to do anything. Wastes way to many valuable overs with blocking. For 5 days sure keep him then he can blok to his hearts content!

Well yeah when he first started his scoring rate was around 50 - 60 %, but the past couple years he has boosted that to the 70's in odi's alone. Jacques usual role that he ends up doing is trying to stabalize the innings after a messy start or to play the careful innings while de villiers / duminy etc come in and hit the boundaries.

[CrashHelmut]

Disagree Kallis takes way to long to do anything. Wastes way to many valuable overs with blocking. For 5 days sure keep him then he can block to his hearts content!

At a strike rate of 119.90 and an average of 34.13 you would be hard pressed to have a reason not to include Kallis in a T20 tournament. (Compare this with Duminy, strike rate of 126.81 and an average of 32.40).

I will probably go to one of the days at the Newlands Test. Two words - Castle Corner. No better way to waste a day in the sun. I haven't been to a Test match since the India, Pakistan, West Indies series shortly after our re-admission so I am super keen for this.

We'll be attending the first day of the Newlands Test, however this time we've decided to take to the stands. Problem is they tend to oversell the tickets for the grassy banks, it gets rather overcrowded.

[Jaded Star]

Well yeah when he first started his scoring rate was around 50 - 60 %, but the past couple years he has boosted that to the 70's in odi's alone. Jacques usual role that he ends up doing is trying to stabalize the innings after a messy start or to play the careful innings while de villiers / duminy etc come in and hit the boundaries.

Maybe i just don't like the guy ye but everytime I watch him all he does his block. You make a good point though just don't like it ODI's and esp not in 20/20's. My opinion anyway

[spjt07]

well jacques is number 4 in odi rankings (all rounder), 4 in tests (batting), 1 in tests (all rounder) and 10 odi (batting).

So unfortunately weather you like him or not he is probably the best player we have lol

[cr@zydude]

Glad to see a cricket thread. For the Ashes, I think that this could be Punter's last series as captain. Micheal Clarke has been groomed for the job for years, and Ricky is about to lose his third Ashes!

For SA vs India, I think that it will be really close. Gary Kirsten is here already with some of the senior players, despite their ongoing ODI series with New Zealand. That shows how badly he wants to prepare. I only wish that the series was a five match series. Really, the two best teams should be playing five tests.

Great to see another sports thread especailly with CWC in Feb,I hope England cream Australia in the ashes .SA vs india should produce some excellant cricket especially in the 20/20 and one day series ,does anyone else feel that test cricket is losing its appeal and should be scrapped .

Any way, please note that no thread fixing will be allowed on this forum ;)

I save that test cricket should never go. I say that we should have better tour planing. Like I said, the SA vs India series should be five tests, as should SA vs Aus, and SA vs England. When we play weaker teams like NZ and the West Indies, we should only play two tests.

I love the idea of tests but the only problem I have with them is that a team can score say 20 runs when they are short by 300 on the 5th day but so long as they are not bowled out it will be a draw. I think some sort of duckworth/lewis method should be come into effect.

I see they are wanting to bring Shane Warne out of retirement to try save the test matches

I love that fight on the last day. Batting for a draw on day five is not always as easy as it seems. Sometimes a number six batsman's 45 from 200 on day five is worth a lot more than an openers 200 on the first day.

[CrashHelmut]

I only wish that the series was a five match series. Really, the two best teams should be playing five tests.

Agreed. Although, perhaps with the ODI WC being only a few months away, it might give some of the players a bit more rest.

They should really try and institutionalise a SA vs India test series. A kind of mini-ashes. We play each other often enough.

[spjt07]

They should really try and institutionalise a SA vs India test series. A kind of mini-ashes. We play each other often enough.

Weren't they wanting to do that with SA vs Aus?

[cr@zydude]

Agreed. Although, perhaps with the ODI WC being only a few months away, it might give some of the players a bit more rest.

They should really try and institutionalise a SA vs India test series. A kind of mini-ashes. We play each other often enough.

Weren't they wanting to do that with SA vs Aus?

SA vs India is doable, but we won't play Aus in a 5 match series for years. CSA have set it up so that the Proteas will now play a boxing and new years test every year, so we can't play Aus in a full tour for a while.

[TiNRiB]

SA vs India is doable, but we won't play Aus in a 5 match series for years. CSA have set it up so that the Proteas will now play a boxing and new years test every year, so we can't play Aus in a full tour for a while.

Wasn't the deal scrapped because of the Aus broadcasters not wanting to give broadcast rights to SA companies?

I'm not sure, but I heard we won't be playing Aus till something like 2016!?
I'll try and find more info

[cr@zydude]

Wasn't the deal scrapped because of the Aus broadcasters not wanting to give broadcast rights to SA companies?

I'm not sure, but I heard we won't be playing Aus till something like 2016!?
I'll try and find more info

No, the problem is that Aus always play a home series over Christmas. CSA want to cash in on this time too, thus we can't play them in a full tour.

[Garson007]

NID (Never in doubt). A thread on SA Cricket starts with Kallis bashing and the proclamation that the fall of Test cricket is nigh. The reason I never created this thread.

Australia looks absolutely horrible. Taking away Ponting's captain responsibilities won't change that. The only possible solution is in finding a bowler of some kind that can be relied on to take on average 7 to 8 wickets a test. They should try and get Lee (apparently he is fit) and Clark into the next test line-up; younger guys have proven unreliable. Try out Copeland as well, he's been having a ball in 1st class cricket. Please just drop North at the South pole.

England on the other hand are doing extremely well. Anderson has really become a good swing bowler; I've always rated him. The one unlikeable cricketer in Broad is now out of the side, so it will be even more pleasant to see Australis get raped. Amazingly enough Trott is now the highest averaging England batsman ever. Too bad we missed the beat on him, he could have been our next Kallis; no risk, play the bad ball type cricketer. Bowlers hate batsmen like that, but they are extremely effective at both run scoring and taking the will out of the bowlers.

I'm skeptical about our chances. Apart from Steyn and on occasion Morkel, our attack is pretty toothless. Yes we can take 20 wickets a match, but this is India we're talking about. Steyn is also shockingly out of of form; a bad first test for him and we're screwed. I'd give Prince the first match to prove something, before reverting back to Duminy - although I used to be a big fan of Prince.

Apparently the first pitch isn't going to have much in it apart from the first day. I don't like it. Bowling first is always a dodgy option.

[spjt07]

Well Kallis is my favourite cricketer at the moment. For some reason when the top order fails and Kallis is still there you kinda get the feeling that it isn't all doom and gloom.

I think Australia will come right soon, they just need to play a few games against some weaker teams again and get their moral up again. Once that happens and they learn how to play to each person's strengths again what with all the newbie blood coming in then it should start looking up.

Harris sometimes also bowls well and Johan Botha has been very impressive. Right now it seems Duminy is in the team because of his above average fielding.

[vii]

You people sicken me. Pretending cricket is just some kind of harmless game.

You bastards!