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

[dogs105]

16,259 is not a bad attendance for a Thursday,lets wait till the week end before we judge WA fans on attendance.BUT how Pakistan bat later today will be important if we want the crowds to turn up on the week end.

School holidays today in WA. Should be a lot more people there hopefully.

 

[the_interloper]

I mentioned Skull sledging Smithy yesterday, found the vid on Twitter, as good as it gets

 

[dogs105]

That's a fair point. Reminds me of an F grade game years ago, we made over 300 the week before and it was wet day 2. Comp rules meant if the start of play was delayed by more than 30 minutes you just played to 6pm not the overs.

Lo and behold they hadn't even started trying to dry the ground when we got there, no sawdust out etc. We got cracking and tried to get it playable but was 45 before we started.

You should have seen the pricks wasting time, blokes going out, forgetting the thigh pad and having to go back etc. And the central umpire was one of their spectators too and allowing it all to happen.

They finished at 4/180 or so at 6pm, their captain got a fearful spray from a lot of us, close to fisticuffs, * that campaigner, I'm still annoyed about it ha ha

Playing on matting over concrete - played a team who had brand new matting. It was spongy and slow and they racked up 300. We all thought "wow, is that how new matting plays?".

Next week they had it pulled out tightly and pegged properly, and it was like 1980s WACA!

 

[the_interloper]

Playing on matting over concrete - played a team who had brand new matting. It was spongy and slow and they racked up 300. We all thought "wow, is that how new matting plays?".

Next week they had it pulled out tightly and pegged properly, and it was like 1980s WACA!

Yeah we started on matting and went to synthetic in the mid 90s, we were all rapt to not have to carry the mats out that's for sure.

And yes loose matting could play some funny buggers. I do recall a mischievous team mate trying to sneak a peg under the mat one day (opposition were batting), the ump saw it though ha ha

 

[Hawksboy72]

More continuous lip service for Warner on Fox.

On SM-S918B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Playing on matting over concrete - played a team who had brand new matting. It was spongy and slow and they racked up 300. We all thought "wow, is that how new matting plays?".

Next week they had it pulled out tightly and pegged properly, and it was like 1980s WACA!

We still play with the matting that you roll out over the concrete each week before you play. Can make for some interesting pitches if people are useless at pegging out the mats.

 

[The 747]

More continuous lip service for Warner on Fox.

On SM-S918B using BigFooty.com mobile app

There's a brief interruption happening now where they are talking with Travis Head. Warner-centric programming to resume shortly.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Seriously, Hados must have lost a bet with that hat.

 

[danielnajdek]

Hate to break it to people but we aren't going to bat to 600. We'll get to 450-500 and declare. Not sure we can even get to 600 without being all out anyways.

 

[bh90210fan]

Must be nice having a weekend guaranteed during every test.

It’s nice if the match isn’t over before then.

 

[big_e]

In all seriousness test matches in Perth against lower drawing teams like Pakistan should be played at the WACA rather than Optus Stadium.

That was the original plan but the WACA is being redeveloped into a boutique cricket ground now so I am not sure if that is still the plan.

Optus Stadium is OK for T20 games like the Scorchers home games but test matches in WA should still be played at the WACA if possible.

The WACA was an iconic unique test ground, it had history and character and it was where WA people had a connection to as a test venue.

Optus Stadium doesn't have that which I think is one of the reasons why test crowds have dropped off since they shifted test cricket there.

I reckon crowds would have dropped off in Adelaide too if they shifted test cricket from the Adelaide Oval to a big Optus Oval like stadium.

FWIW, the last test at the WACA had a touch over 22,000 there on day 1. That was an Ashes test, and there were many - including me - who made sure they went to say farewell to the old dump. Throw in heaps of English tourists, too.

To get 16,000 to say 1 vs Pakistan is actually pretty good. It's comfortably the highest day's attendance vs Pakistan in Perth.

I looked at this last year, I think, but generally speaking, Optus crowds have been higher than comparable WACA crowds ( ie highest attendance vs India and NZ in Perth have both been at Optus).

 

[Andronicus]

6 overs short and they start play so late each day. Every summer reminds us of how archaic the the old customs and traditions are.

 

[Borisdog]

That's a fair point. Reminds me of an F grade game years ago, we made over 300 the week before and it was wet day 2. Comp rules meant if the start of play was delayed by more than 30 minutes you just played to 6pm not the overs.

Lo and behold they hadn't even started trying to dry the ground when we got there, no sawdust out etc. We got cracking and tried to get it playable but was 45 before we started.

You should have seen the pricks wasting time, blokes going out, forgetting the thigh pad and having to go back etc. And the central umpire was one of their spectators too and allowing it all to happen.

They finished at 4/180 or so at 6pm, their captain got a fearful spray from a lot of us, close to fisticuffs, * that campaigner, I'm still annoyed about it ha ha

Yeah, we've all seen it or done it!!!

But when the general public are paying money then they should get what they pay for.

Either that or just extend the day to 90 overs and 7 hours and be done with it. They'll still find a way to not get it done even in 7 hours is my suspicion.

 

[The 747]

FWIW, the last test at the WACA had a touch over 22,000 there on day 1. That was an Ashes test, and there were many - including me - who made sure they went to say farewell to the old dump. Throw in heaps of English tourists, too.

To get 16,000 to say 1 vs Pakistan is actually pretty good. It's comfortably the highest day's attendance vs Pakistan in Perth.

I looked at this last year, I think, but generally speaking, Optus crowds have been higher than comparable WACA crowds ( ie highest attendance vs India and NZ in Perth have both been at Optus).

16k yesterday is OK IMO. Not amazing but it's WA, it's Thursday and the opposition have historically been trash in Australia.

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Shot

 

[SC_Power]

More continuous lip service for Warner on Fox.

On SM-S918B using BigFooty.com mobile app

Apart from wanting to win, would be good if Warner got out for a duck 2nd dig and the camera shows Mitch put his finger to his lips.

 

[Underarm]

FWIW, the last test at the WACA had a touch over 22,000 there on day 1. That was an Ashes test, and there were many - including me - who made sure they went to say farewell to the old dump. Throw in heaps of English tourists, too.

To get 16,000 to say 1 vs Pakistan is actually pretty good. It's comfortably the highest day's attendance vs Pakistan in Perth.

I looked at this last year, I think, but generally speaking, Optus crowds have been higher than comparable WACA crowds ( ie highest attendance vs India and NZ in Perth have both been at Optus).

Perth just doesn't have the history of big test crowds. Partly due to size,Facilties and location of the WACA

I think losing the Ashes test in 2021 cost alot of momentum. If 50k showed you day 1 and had a good time , it might have had a flow on affect to future non ashes tests.

 

[Ohitsthatguy]

Important knock this for Carey, need him back in the runs, will help his confidence with the gloves too

 

[NSWCROW]

tripe on the menu so far

 

[Golumless]

Important knock this for Carey, need him back in the runs, will help his confidence with the gloves too

Marsh as well just to keep Green away from the test team for a bit longer.

Certainly is the two players who could do with getting their summer off on the right foot.

 

[PhatBoy]

Seriously, Hados must have lost a bet with that hat.

Mate they’re rampant.

I play and sing a bit as a side hustle at local pubs - nothing special, just me, an acoustic guitar and CCR’s greatest hits on repeat basically but you get to know all the other people on the ‘circuit’ and it is utterly bizarre how many a) other ‘musicians’ (I use the term extremely loosely) have adopted this schtick of wearing a f**king abysmal massive brimmed hat to all their gigs even though they’re in a dingy local pub and b) how many patrons are doing the same

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Shaheen is getting a heap of bend, can’t get the length right.

 

[dumb]

Nice to have mitch marsh, the batsman, in solid form

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Bison decides to light it up.

 

[Gavin Excell]

"Haydos" seems like such a newly manufactured nickname