1st Test Australia v Pakistan Dec 14-18 1250hrs @ Perth Stadium

[RAPPA]

India is probably the only team that would give australia a run for their money touring down here. The rest of the test teams are all far too flaky.

 

[Foucault1989]

Old mate was struggling well before his stroke, which was back in 2016 IIRC.

As is the case with Maxwell, longevity does not necessarily translate to quality.

Maxwell embarrasses himself with his misguided nostalgia for the WACA and laughable suggestions that it should be used to host internationals in Perth against the lower profile countries. There are some other BF threads that eloquently covered the shortcomings of the WACA as a venue for watching cricket. Like Maxwell, the WACA was never all that good and is well past the time that it could have been considered fit-for-purpose.

It's no accident that defenders of the WACA tend to be broadcasters and other folk who sat in air-conditioned comfort and enjoyed the best vantage points, and not the plebs who had to endure practically zero shade, uncomfortable seats and poor quality sight lines.

WA fans don't rock up to tests at their brand new stadium so what does it matter if it's at the WACA or not?

Seriously troubling crowd numbers. It's actually making me fear for the future of cricket in Australia.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Maybe because people actually turn up in Adelaide and it’s one of the best supported test venues in Australia. Adelaide loves test match cricket.
Only 9k on a Sunday in Perth, not sure what else CA can do, they already gave them a leg up with the scheduling and still didn’t get what they would’ve hoped for

That's it in a nutshell
Adelaide people genuinely support Test cricket, Perth people don't. It is what it is.

 

[Cuzz09]

Give Hobart Perths test next year

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Give Hobart Perths test next year

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Na bigger series next year thankfully Perth’s pitch was fantastic this year.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Im assuming at the Junction oval.Vic bat for one day and then Pakistan for a day.In a two day match.
See what changes Pakistan make . Will they be competive on Boxing Day.

What day does that start? Might go have a look

 

[LukeParkerno1]

What day does that start? Might go have a look

Friday and Saturday this week

 

[JimmyBC]

Maybe because people actually turn up in Adelaide and it’s one of the best supported test venues in Australia. Adelaide loves test match cricket.
Only 9k on a Sunday in Perth, not sure what else CA can do, they already gave them a leg up with the scheduling and still didn’t get what they would’ve hoped for

Well they've shafted Adelaide with another West Indies test, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a drop off.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Friday and Saturday this week

Lovely, picking up prawns in South Melbourne on Saturday, will get them in the fridge and head down.

 

[MisterMarcus]

And 3 of those 6 losses have been in just last 7 years this is really our least dominate stretch at home since maybe mid 1980's yet people are acting like we have a record comparable to india at home.

I wonder if it's because we tend to piggyback home series now. Only England and (sometimes) India get the summer to themselves.

So if we lose a 3 test series to South Africa, there'll be a 3-0 pummeling of WI or NZ the same summer. So fans still get their 'winning summer' and can gloss over any losses.

 

[Cuzz09]

This year was set up for a replay of the 92/93 epic summer

ODI Tri Series: Aus, Pak, WI

5 Tests v WI

(or 3 tests v both)

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[MarcMaverick]

Usman Khawaja 2nd inns 90
Pakistan 2nd inns 89.

 

[Great8]

Well they've shafted Adelaide with another West Indies test, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a drop off.

I reckon we will get 20-25k on Wednesday, low 20k on Thursday and push high 20k on Friday. Who knows if we get to the weekend or not but expect us to exceed Perth’s crowds by day 3

 

[PhatBoy]

Well they've shafted Adelaide with another West Indies test, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a drop off.

The West Indies last summer made 320 batting fourth at Perth in the corresponding test to this one that just finished and generally scrapped pretty hard before the actual Adelaide test finished much the same as this one just did. I’d say right at the moment it’s much of a muchness as to who goes where

 

[Jamurp]

Problem with cricket in Australian, more so test cricket, is that there's barely any close contests. The only matches I seem to remember are the ones we lose, or when they roll out a green seamer like at the Gabba last year or some of the Hobart tests.

Cricket in England always has the bowlers in the game, cricket in India for all it's faults can be exciting due to the crapshoot nature of the pitches.

Test cricket here is just watching a side slowly win, almost always the result in the bag by the end of Day 1.

No wonder there was nobody there yesterday.

 

[Gough]

Problem with cricket in Australian, more so test cricket, is that there's barely any close contests. The only matches I seem to remember are the ones we lose, or when they roll out a green seamer like at the Gabba last year or some of the Hobart tests.

Cricket in England always has the bowlers in the game, cricket in India for all it's faults can be exciting due to the crapshoot nature of the pitches.

Test cricket here is just watching a side slowly win, almost always the result in the bag by the end of Day 1.

No wonder there was nobody there yesterday.

With the odd exception most summers since Warne debuted have been like that and we used to celebrate smashing hapless tourists. Typically an Australian summer will contain individual feats of brilliance scattered between a lot of one sided cricket.

 

[RookiePick]

I would have loved to go yesterday but one week out from Chrissy made it pretty hard for a range of reasons but mostly opportunity cost of all the other tasks that have to get done before Santa comes and cost - particularly given we are already booked for the Scorchers on Wednesday. I reckon Optus would be packed the first 3 days if we got a lick of the Boxing Day or New Years icecream.

There was a really good interview with Christina Matthews on the ABC at the lunch break around the attendance, WACA vs Optus etc. Quite insightful from someone right at the epicentre of these issues.

I took my boys to the nets for an hour as a compromise and they got to hear Lyon's 500th on the wireless whilst having a bat and a bowl. They were up and about and suddenly everyone wanted to be an offie! I reckon it's still the kind of experience that will steep cricket into their little monkey brains.

 

[gtrxuone]

What day does that start? Might go have a look

Im not sure Jim the fixture was just added ,yesterday afternoon.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Perth isn't the problem. Pakistan and other such minnows don't deserve to play on the big grounds in the premium Aus summer window. The Test schedule for December-January in the major capital cities from now on should be...

Year 1: England men
Year 2: England women
Year 3: India men
Year 4: India women

Anybody else who wants to come here and play Test cricket, it's either two July matches up north, or a couple fixtures on the fringe of summer in Hobart and Canberra.

 

[Juddernaut08]

clinical win.

how blessed are we at the moment from a bowling perspective with a healthy cummins, hazelwood, starc, lyon and an inform marsh.

If I was the selectors I'd consider picking both Green and Marsh...Marsh to replace Warner as an opener.

Marsh
Khawaja (replaced by Banfield when Khawaja retires)
Lab
Smith
Head
Green
Carey
Starc
Cummins
Lyon
Hazelwood

Still looks excellent. Lab and Smith are struggling for form atm, but on paper what a ridiculous 3,4,5 we have.

 

[RookiePick]

Reading back through it seems like some had an issue with the pitch. I thought it was a quite fine test strip. Quite reminiscent of all the good parts we like to remember about the WACA with very few of the foibles.

Something there the whole time for bowlers who bent their backs, runs on offer for well struck shots. Bounce was getting a bit too variable perhaps but Marsh and Ussie showed it was still very playable imo and we were well into day 4.

I'm not sure what would please some people tbh.

 

[JimmyBC]

The West Indies last summer made 320 batting fourth at Perth in the corresponding test to this one that just finished and generally scrapped pretty hard before the actual Adelaide test finished much the same as this one just did. I’d say right at the moment it’s much of a muchness as to who goes where

They were here last year, they suck, it's groundhog day bullshit. I know you like the opposing view to everything it's as tiresome as all fukc.

The West Indies suck so hard all their matches here should be on the minnow circuit grounds until they improve.

 

[Voice of the G]

Pakistan have squeezed in a two day tour match,before boxing day.
Vs Victoria at the Junction Oval.Need another quick in the line up and a genuine spinner ,also.Without weakening the batting line up.Lots of work to do for Pakistan.

Why not play Boland in this game,unlikely to play 2nd test.

 

[frankrizzo]

Problem with cricket in Australian, more so test cricket, is that there's barely any close contests. The only matches I seem to remember are the ones we lose, or when they roll out a green seamer like at the Gabba last year or some of the Hobart tests.

Cricket in England always has the bowlers in the game, cricket in India for all it's faults can be exciting due to the crapshoot nature of the pitches.

Test cricket here is just watching a side slowly win, almost always the result in the bag by the end of Day 1.

No wonder there was nobody there yesterday.

Really strange examples india crush everybody at home they have very few close contests and england for most part are very hard to beat at home as well, difference is indians and english enjoy their sides winning but more and more aussie cricket fans seemingly hate our test side hate test cricket and hate us winning its truly bizarre.

 

[Redline]

I reckon we will get 20-25k on Wednesday, low 20k on Thursday and push high 20k on Friday. Who knows if we get to the weekend or not but expect us to exceed Perth’s crowds by day 3

Hopefully but given its a day test if we hit 40 degrees I expect crowds to be down.

I also think pre-Christmas works better especially with a Wednesday start. Can be hard to take a few weeks off around Christmas and then go back to work and take more time off.