4th Test Border Gavaskar Trophy December 26-30 1000hrs @ the MCG

[greatwhiteshark]

What, that not one single player has been suspended for inappropriate contact since the rule change, and somehow everyone calls Kohli the bully and we start playing the victim and should be suspended and we would have been.

He made contact, copped the penalty. Konstas didn’t care, he went on to hit a bunch more boundaries straight after. Why are we all so offended?

I personally reckon we’re all collectively crying because it’s not us doing it.

Maybe we’d all be happy if Kohli had just come up to the stump mike and told Konstas that he was going to break his f**king arm. Because that’s ok.

Cmon mate, he deliberately beelined him to walk into him. It wasn’t an accident it was an intentional act by him.
Not the end of the world, but he should have been penalised and he wasn’t. He got a slap on he wrist.

 

[SC_Power]

Nonsense, corruption is still corruption regardless of how directly the individuals it benefits were involved in creating the system…that’s why its called systemic corruption

is it still systemic corruption when we are the ones benefitting? And do we care as much at that stage?

 

[The hands of stone]

Might be on the outer here but Alyssa Healy is great on commentary.
Very knowledgeable but can explain things simply ( which sometimes isn't easy) and just seems a real natural in front of the camera.

 

[Ohitsthatguy]

Might be on the outer here but Alyssa Healy is great on commentary.
Very knowledgeable but can explain things simply ( which sometimes isn't easy) and just seems a real natural in front of the camera.

She's really good. Doesn't have the greatest voice but you can get over that

 

[FreoRicci]

Be interesting to see if Australia waited to see if Kohli would step off then break the wickets. Probably against the spirit of the sport.

 

[Mick F]

is it still systemic corruption when we are the ones benefitting? And do we care as much at that stage?

For people of character it is. He clearly is, and does.

Leadership, like honesty, is an all the time thing, Not just when it is convenient - the avaricious aren’t leaders, quite the opposite.

 

[Golumless]

Australia lead by FLOOR(PI*100)

 

[beatnik]

What, that not one single player has been suspended for inappropriate contact since the rule change, and somehow everyone calls Kohli the bully and we start playing the victim and should be suspended and we would have been.

He made contact, copped the penalty. Konstas didn’t care, he went on to hit a bunch more boundaries straight after. Why are we all so offended?

I personally reckon we’re all collectively crying because it’s not us doing it.

Maybe we’d all be happy if Kohli had just come up to the stump mike and told Konstas that he was going to break his f**king arm. Because that’s ok.

If I have to explain to you why going out of your way to hip-check a 19yo debutante between overs is a significantly worse crime against the ‘spirit of cricket’ than verbally sledging someone then you’re either being obtuse or are incapable of nuance…perhaps both

 

[Iceman!]

Might be on the outer here but Alyssa Healy is great on commentary.
Very knowledgeable but can explain things simply ( which sometimes isn't easy) and just seems a real natural in front of the camera.

I have enjoyed her so far, reckon she will be a good chance to take up the role full time post playing career. Better than 99% of the other options around.

 

[Westend]

And I get it.....i totally get the love for Jacques Kallis (All Time Great by the way) and Steve Smith (All Time Great too), but Lara was just something else.

Maybe Smith's peak was as good or close to Lara's? But like i said, Lara's ability to score big..not many could do that.

Kumar Sangakarra (All Time Great) could do the same (score big) but he played 15 Test matches against minnows Bangladesh (three 200+ scores) and 5 against Zimbabwe (one 200+ score). He scored in total eleven 200+ scores.

Sangakarra: Vs Bangladesh

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

Sangakarra: Vs Zimbabwe

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

I have, in my opinion, Lara as the best batsman I've seen and Tendulkar is at number 2 but I'll say this....there isn't very much between them at all in my opinion.

Recency bias will have a lot of people say Steve Smith is the best but perhaps one knock is that he doesn't score big often enough - 34 Test hundreds (so far) and "only" nine 150+ scores. Consisteny is his strength.

Anyway as you said it's subjective and it's probably worth it's own thread actually for a good discussion/debate.

Yup Lara for me too

 

[Golumless]

Root > Smith > Williamson > Kohli

Root and Kohli has swapped spots within 3 years. Crazy

It's a really hard sell to not have Smith as no
1 of that cartel. After all, there are 5 years where he's averaging >70.

 

[beatnik]

is it still systemic corruption when we are the ones benefitting? And do we care as much at that stage?

Now you’re just hiding in semantic gibberish…in no way have we benefitted from the BCCI’s corruption of world cricket

 

[JimmyBC]

 

[beatnik]

It's a really hard sell to not have Smith as no
1 of that cartel. After all, there are 5 years where he's averaging >70.

Correct, Smith is the best of those 4…period

 

[Ohitsthatguy]

I hope there was nothing awful said

Because we'll never hear the end of it

 

[Iceman!]

 

[Iceman!]

It's a really hard sell to not have Smith as no
1 of that cartel. After all, there are 5 years where he's averaging >70.

Oh that is without doubt, Smith is inarguably the best of this era.

 

[beatnik]

And I get it.....i totally get the love for Jacques Kallis (All Time Great by the way) and Steve Smith (All Time Great too), but Lara was just something else.

Maybe Smith's peak was as good or close to Lara's? But like i said, Lara's ability to score big..not many could do that.

Kumar Sangakarra (All Time Great) could do the same (score big) but he played 15 Test matches against minnows Bangladesh (three 200+ scores) and 5 against Zimbabwe (one 200+ score). He scored in total eleven 200+ scores.

Sangakarra: Vs Bangladesh

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

Sangakarra: Vs Zimbabwe

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

I have, in my opinion, Lara as the best batsman I've seen and Tendulkar is at number 2 but I'll say this....there isn't very much between them at all in my opinion.

Recency bias will have a lot of people say Steve Smith is the best but perhaps one knock is that he doesn't score big often enough - 34 Test hundreds (so far) and "only" nine 150+ scores. Consisteny is his strength.

Anyway as you said it's subjective and it's probably worth it's own thread actually for a good discussion/debate.

Rubbish logic…consistency is a far better batting attribute than beating up on a poor attack on a flat track (or a raging turner when your team have the best two spinners in a match/series)

Smith is better than both Lara and Tendulkar

 

[Ohitsthatguy]

Smith is better than both Lara and Tendulkar

I think they're all in the same tier

 

[1990crow]

Rubbish logic…consistency is a far better batting attribute than beating up on a poor attack on a flat track (or a raging turner when your team have the best two spinners in a match/series)

Smith is better than both Lara and Tendulkar

At one point England actually gave up bowling to him. Never seen that happen before.

 

[Mr Meow]

Still think people shouldn't lose sight of the fact that this is the cripple fight version of India vs Australia.

The Kiwi series wasn't an aberration, this Indian side just sucks at the moment. And they are making us look better than we are.

What happens if we lose sight of that? Does it change the nature of what we think we are seeing? Will they throw the trophy in the bin and maybe not even count the results towards the World Test Championship? Maybe we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that everyone involved in that are cripples too, so none of it should be cared about.

 

[Ohitsthatguy]

Graeme Pollock could have been a great but apartheid South Africa robbed us of that

 

[010203]

For clarity and any thoughts that this is “corruption”…..

The secret post-sandpaper-gate change that saved Virat Kohli from suspension

Andy Pycroft – who also presided over the Cape Town Test in 2018 – charged Kohli with a level-one offence for “inappropriate physical contact”, the most lenient grade of the ICC’s code of conduct.

www.smh.com.au

In the fair dinkum department, Rabada's contact with Smith was negligent, instead of deliberate and Kohli's contact with Konstas was deliberate rather than negligent. Even though Rabada was lucky his 2 match ban was overturned.

 

[010203]

Graeme Pollock could have been a great but apartheid South Africa robbed us of that

And Barry Richards

 

[Neese]

Might be on the outer here but Alyssa Healy is great on commentary.
Very knowledgeable but can explain things simply ( which sometimes isn't easy) and just seems a real natural in front of the camera.

Agree and I said Thursday that I enjoyed her commentating with Junior.