3rd Test Border Gavaskar Trophy December 14-18 1050hrs @ The Gabba

[sosos]

I'm a test cricket tragic. But a good ball, a good shot or a good catch are still good in t20s.

Just watched Behrendorf bowl the first over. Immaculate line and length, some swing and it's a maiden over.

For me, it's still enjoyable watching class play.

 

[Jimthegreat]

Head is the most dynamic game changer in world cricket atm .
He most likely will finish with an average a fair way below his actually impact to the team and game .

Top order still a real worry .
Khawaja - 38 was never quick on his feet but slower now . Good if he gets back of length to swivel hook/pull or real full on the drive . Otherwise struggling .

Mcsweeney - feel for him . Solid player but just doesn't look up to the level . Bumrah is a tough audition but it's test cricket.

Labs innings last game masked his issues . If he keeps playing he will make his 50 odd every 3-4th dig . Not convinced it's only form . I think he has been worked out by test level bowling

Just on McSweeney, he's just not up to opening t this level. No.4 at some stage could well be different.

 

[grumbleguts]

Am I the only one that finds Kerry O'Keefe annoying?

No, no you are not.

 

[grumbleguts]

Daughter Chewbacca. Lol

Everyone wants to Leia.

 

[Redline]

I'm a test cricket tragic. But a good ball, a good shot or a good catch are still good in t20s.

Just watched Behrendorf bowl the first over. Immaculate line and length, some swing and it's a maiden over.

For me, it's still enjoyable watching class play.

We were just saying the same thing. It was a great over.

 

[getthefooty]

Lots of people saying Smith dug himself out of a hole, turned his form around, had to grind it out etc etc. Yeah there was undoubtedly a bit of that but also I think people just forget that that is what a test match innings is supposed to look like. You do the hard work early then you cash in later once the ball is old, the bowlers are tired and the pitch is flat. It’s never easy strolling out at 2/ not much against the best bowler in the world with the ball doing a bit. Most of the time you can’t just start stroking it to the boundary from ball 1. Bazball and Travis Head have given us a warped view on things. What they do is not normal. Smith has never been a hugely fast starter.

 

[HugeJohnson]

Interesting choice of words from Isa Guha

 

[Borisdog]

Have India bowled slow enough today to lose points in the WTC?


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Considering they were supposed to bowl 98 in 6.5 I’d say they might get docked a bit.

88 in 7 might be a bit light.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

India lost the plot after the first test Bumrah looks to be a much better captain than Rohit

 

[jannissary]

pretty solid day. well bowled by bumrah once again. he really might be the most complete modern bowler.

 

[Bedi]

What an effort by Steve Smith. That had to be the pluckiest innings i've ever seen. He must take immense satisfaction in proving so many doubters wrong. I'm thrilled to be one of them with egg on my face

 

[chriso11]

India lost the plot after the first test Bumrah looks to be a much better captain than Rohit

Yep Rohit needs a big score this test else the knives will be out before Melbourne

 

[JimmyBC]

Interesting choice of words from Isa Guha

View attachment 2188158

It'll be ok a woman said it.

 

[PhatBoy]

It'll be ok a woman said it.

I dare say the fact that her parents are both Indian will probably be more likely to help her explain it somehow as a slip of the tongue rather than something genuinely meant with any intentional offence

And yes I’m across the fact that being of a certain heritage doesn’t preclude you from racially vilifying that race especially within India itself but she clearly loves the Indian players and has always embraced her own lineage.

I would guess there will be a pretty quick and ‘I don’t know what I was thinking’ apology, though.

 

[Grumpyshades]

It'll be ok a woman said it.

the audio already deleted

 

[Young Redleg]

You'll never convince me otherwise that no pro Aussie athlete has brought shame and embarrassment to our country over the last 20-30 years than Smith.

There have literally been sportsmen who have been accused of racism and rape. I'd say those two things are way more shameful and embarrassing than putting ****ing sandpaper on a cricket ball.

 

[PhatBoy]

Lots of people saying Smith dug himself out of a hole, turned his form around, had to grind it out etc etc. Yeah there was undoubtedly a bit of that but also I think people just forget that that is what a test match innings is supposed to look like. You do the hard work early then you cash in later once the ball is old, the bowlers are tired and the pitch is flat. It’s never easy strolling out at 2/ not much against the best bowler in the world with the ball doing a bit. Most of the time you can’t just start stroking it to the boundary from ball 1. Bazball and Travis Head have given us a warped view on things. What they do is not normal. Smith has never been a hugely fast starter.

All of that is true, a ‘normal’ hundred is usually constructed by the old mantra of doing the hard work and then it gets easier but this wasn’t from that manual.

This was playing and missing, mis timing everything: that on-drive he hit to go to about 34 was his third boundary, it came off roughly his 95th ball, and his only other boundaries were an inside edge over the stumps past the keeper, and an outside edge through third slip. He REALLY had to battle himself to get to 40 or so and none of it was clicking. No fluency or anything like that. Not the traditional hundred where those 40 runs might be sedate but the ball is still largely coming from close to the middle of the bat. It was a fight, and he won it and then it was like the lights came back on

 

[PhatBoy]

Oh please.
Domestic Sports League Salary Cap Rorting is nowhere near as severe/embarrassing to our country from an international Sports community perspective.

I still get crap from a couple of my English mates about the disgraceful acts Warner and Smith did.

What's worse, esp as captain, I don't think Smudger was actually generally remorseful at all for what he did (I do feel like Warner was genuinely contrite for his part in it)

You'll never convince me otherwise that no pro Aussie athlete has brought shame and embarrassment to our country over the last 20-30 years than Smith.

Yeah probably the two grown adults that were actually responsible for doing the act in the first place who shared a dressing room with him would be a good starting point.


Then there’s, oh I don’t know, the Olympic medalist cyclist who’s been in court recently for running over and killing his wife, the Olympic medalist kayaker who has tried to import enough ecstasy into Australia to get the entire audience at the Byron Bay Blues Festival higher than Willie Nelson, the ex-rugby league player who served a decade for manslaughter recently.

Nah they’re nothing on the guy who’s biggest crime is, at worst, saying ‘whatever is going on here I don’t want to know about it.’

 

[Pancakes]

Great to see Smith fight back with a very gutsy knock.
No surprise to see McShithouse fail again, hopefully he will go back to shield after this test and never disgarce the baggy green again.

 

[hawkman]

With the potential for more time being lost, I would have no issue if they declared at 320-350 and backed themselves to knock over a few bats. At best it’s a 4 day test, 350 is a big score.

With the potential of weather I think the better option is to bat big in the 1st innings and try and enforce the follow on. If it does rain for any length of time it will see the bowlers get decent breaks. If it doesn't rain you can have a shorter 2nd innings to push the lead out and the greater the 1st innings lead is the more freedom to smash the ball around if they have to bat again

 

[The hands of stone]

Just on McSweeney, he's just not up to opening t this level. No.4 at some stage could well be different.

I think he will struggle to get a spot there

He certainly isn't an opener . Looks a puller/hooker/cutter who can punch off the front foot .

It's a small sample size but his lack of front foot play would be a concern especially OS .

 

[Silly Mid On]

With the potential of weather I think the better option is to bat big in the 1st innings and try and enforce the follow on. If it does rain for any length of time it will see the bowlers get decent breaks. If it doesn't rain you can have a shorter 2nd innings to push the lead out and the greater the 1st innings lead is the more freedom to smash the ball around if they have to bat again

I agree

There is a 7 day turn around to the next test, and I seriously think Boland should play over Hazlewood at the MCG as he knows how to bowl at that ground above any other.

If we are in a position to, we should enforce the follow on

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[Leap of Faith]

I realise I'm 15 pages late, but just want to say, Mitch f****** Marsh P*** off. How the f*** is he still in the team? Average of 29.67 for a number 6. Testament really to the dearth of quality batsmen pushing for a test spot. Which in turn is testament to the gutting of the first class game in Australia in favour of the Fried Chicken franchise fest.

The young fellas coming through today are the first generation who have grown up on the game as a smash and giggle fest. The current senior guys born around 1990 grew up idolising Steve Waugh, Warne, Ponting, Gilchrist et al, that awesome Aus team of the late nineties and early naughties. And test / first class cricket was still the pinnacle.

The current generation of young players grew up with the smash up derby fried chicken fest as something to aspire to. Why build a test career when you can play T20's all over the world for big bucks. And surprise surprise surprise we have sfa young fellas coming through pushing for a place in the test team through weight of first class runs, except perhaps Konstas, and who can put together a test level first class innings.

I blame Cricket Australia - Sutherland, Wally Edwards et al were the crew that really gutted first class cricket in Australia. Cricket Australia is about to reap what they have sown. Once Kawaja, Smith and Labuschagne are gone, who's going to take their spot? The cupboard is bare. Not that they will care. So long as they can promote the Fried Chicken Festival and generate advertising revenue from it - that's all they care about.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

the audio already deleted

WTF why would you call him a primate? serious brainfade from Isha and so out of character.

None the less many others have been sacked/stood down for less

 

[adogsfan5]

Sorry for the left field off topic question - but does anyone still see a future test spot for Jyhe Richardson?