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

[nobbyiscool]

All of l4 is GA, and $30. Easy to find shade.

Why would anyone watch cricket from level 4?

Couldn't even buy tix for it before, do they only sell walk ups for level 4?

 

[philreich]

Kind of glad the bad light call came,
Imagine Australia batting in dull and gloomy conditions for 6 odd overs.

Plus we can make up for time lost over the next 2 days. Rain for the rest of the game should be about as rare as a NZ World Cup win .

 

[eltrain]

Why would anyone watch cricket from level 4?

Couldn't even buy tix for it before, do they only sell walk ups for level 4?

The front few rows of level 4 aren’t bad if you can try and get as close to behind the pitch as possible. Get in early and you should be right.

 

[philreich]

Hmmm. How many days do we really have left with Sydney to come though?

The first 2 days are looking OK at this stage.

 

[Lunchtime]

I agree but I also reckon too much is pre organised.

I’m not a huge fan of Ian Chappell…but I think he’s right when he says that all the “coaches” have too much say on planning and tactics and a bit of instinct and sense is lost

I remember when Mark Taylor took over the captaincy from Alan Border. The coach was Bob Simpson. Simpson still wanted a big say in things and Taylor told him to back off a bit. Right call in my opinion.

Taylor still is (in my opinion), Australia's best Captain in the last 30 to 40 years. Really good decision maker, good cricket brain, great tactician, managed the players well too. He'd always be at first slip chewing his gum and you could see his mind was ticking away about his next move. He also knew when to bowl the part-timers too, something that Cummins needs to learn. Head, Smith, Warner (when he was playing), Marnus....they are not too bad with the ball in my opinion.

 

[philreich]

India are paying 8s to win. I don't think 'complete long shot' = realistically in play. It's extremely unlikely India could win from here.

After Adelaide in the 2006 Ashes, nothing is impossible.

 

[hawkman]

I’m not convinced it’s not going to be a result pitch - some balls were jagging a long way even late in the day with an oldish ball. I sat behind the bowlers arm for the majority of the day.

Australia’s tactics were at times confusing and I could not understand some of Cummins fields. When Pant was dismissed they were one wicket away from opening it right up but he sort of just let the game drift and in the end allowed India back into the contest. Reddy’s knock was fantastic to watch live, he is a seriously good player and I underestimated him big time, but Cummins was content to let him cruise along without actually trying anything out of the ordinary and they just bowled to some stupid plans. Sundar just played a very disciplined role - faced the same amount of balls but refused to get sucked in - his innings deserves to be rated highly.

I still think the ball will duck around and the pitch will keep lower and have more variable bounce as it goes on. Starc was bowling 140 clicks and some weren’t getting to Carey. Bowled and LBW in play along with bat pad

In every spell, Boland got the ball to do something off the pitch, amazing there was a 30 over patch from 6/191 to 7/290 where he didn't get the ball. I think Bumrah will be able to do that tomorrow as well and the Indian spinners will find more turn than Lyon today

 

[western royboy]

I remember when Mark Taylor took over the captaincy from Alan Border. The coach was Bob Simpson. Simpson still wanted a big say in things and Taylor told him to back off a bit. Right call in my opinion.

Taylor still is (in my opinion), Australia's best Captain in the last 30 to 40 years. Really good decision maker, good cricket brain, great tactician, managed the players well too. He'd always be at first slip chewing his gum and you could see his mind was ticking away about his next move. He also knew when to bowl the part-timers too, something that Cummins needs to learn. Head, Smith, Warner (when he was playing), Marnus....they are not too bad with the ball in my opinion.

At least it’s something different, Lyon was disappointing…he just bowled darts it just lacked any feel for the game. It looked as if they’d mapped it all out and just followed it religiously without any reference whatsoever to what was actually happening out in the middle

 

[nobbyiscool]

At least it’s something different, Lyon was disappointing…he just bowled darts it just lacked any feel for the game. It looked as if they’d mapped it all out and just followed it religiously without any reference whatsoever to what was actually happening out in the middle

Lyon just seems to be aimlessly bowling overs to tie up an end. I think he thinks his best weapon against the Indian batters accustomed to spin bowling is his bounce, but he doesn't appear to have much of a plan b.

Given how gash Marsh has been it might be worth replacing him with an all-rounder who can bowl some off-spin and also extract some bounce out of the Sydney pitch.

 

[PhatBoy]

Lyon just seems to be aimlessly bowling overs to tie up an end. I think he thinks his best weapon against the Indian batters accustomed to spin bowling is his bounce, but he doesn't appear to have much of a plan b.

Given how gash Marsh has been it might be worth replacing him with an all-rounder who can bowl some off-spin and also extract some bounce out of the Sydney pitch.

It’s probably also a lot to do with indias ability against generic spin

In recent years India’s ability against spin in tough conditions has dropped off exponentially as T20 has created all these flash in the pan players; Rohit Sharma’s knock against Australia last year is one of the only ‘great’ innings I can think of in the recent past from an Indian on a genuinely tricky pitch from an Indian batsman. Kohli was a great player of spin, Sharma was. Pujara had his moments. Back 15-20 years ago Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly in particular, Tendulkar obviously, these guys could all play spin on a proper spinning pitch (not talking ultra-doctored but a difficult one) where you might only get 1 opposition batsman who could truly handle it.

As a general rule they struggle to do that now. But put them on a pitch that isn’t offering a lot, they’re going to handle Lyon pretty easily no matter what he’s bowling because let’s be honest, he doesn’t bowl hand grenades at the best of times, he relies on accuracy and subtlety and these guys are still practiced just enough against spin to deal with that.

 

[greening22]

Lyon just seems to be aimlessly bowling overs to tie up an end. I think he thinks his best weapon against the Indian batters accustomed to spin bowling is his bounce, but he doesn't appear to have much of a plan b.

Given how gash Marsh has been it might be worth replacing him with an all-rounder who can bowl some off-spin and also extract some bounce out of the Sydney pitch.

Yes; I would give Beau Webster a game in Sydney & so leave out Mitch Marsh who is no longer a real & damaging all-rounder & especially with the ball in his hands. In addition, Webster topped the averages last summer with a batting average exceeding 58. OK. We desperately need another injection into our current bowling stocks. Goodnight & good luck.

 

[Richard Pryor]

At least it’s something different, Lyon was disappointing…he just bowled darts it just lacked any feel for the game. It looked as if they’d mapped it all out and just followed it religiously without any reference whatsoever to what was actually happening out in the middle

Agree. Captaincy by committee with a team of coaching staff cooking stuff up seems to have been Australia's approach in recent years.

 

[Borisdog]

I reckon he struggles with his tactics when he gets tired

He must be tired the moment he wakes up.

 

[Borisdog]

Agree. Captaincy by committee with a team of coaching staff cooking stuff up seems to have been Australia's approach in recent years.

I really think that's a cop out.

Honestly, I'd throw the ball back to him if he tried to get me to bowl to some of those fields. When 300 in front.

I said it further upthread but I think we're running out of interest and ideas too quickly, and it seems to be that the whole side is doing it. Surely there's ONE player in that 11 with SOME attacking instincts?

It's like a collective meandering of lemmings over a cliff far too frequently.

We are the epitome of downhill skiers in the last few years.

 

[peternorth]

There will be weather around today

 

[Gough]

I was told Old Don was in it up to his eyeballs wasn’t he but Harry took all the rap.

You can see why John Howard was such a fan.

 

[Whiskers]

Plus we can make up for time lost over the next 2 days. Rain for the rest of the game should be about as rare as a NZ World Cup win .

I’m looking at cricinfo and it says play starts at 10.30……,
Why aren’t we starting earlier?

 

[chickenonachain]

There will be weather around today

Sensational morning here

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Yes; I would give Beau Webster a game in Sydney & so leave out Mitch Marsh who is no longer a real & damaging all-rounder & especially with the ball in his hands. In addition, Webster topped the averages last summer with a batting average exceeding 58. OK. We desperately need another injection into our current bowling stocks. Goodnight & good luck.

Has he had a period where he was that? He had his purple patch with the bat last summer and in the preceding Ashes, which given the lack of First Class form to pick from made him the default choice to start this series. Prior to that a few sporadic innings with the bat, and mostly serviceable but not often much more with the ball (don't get me wrong, serviceable is more than enough with the ball, batting is much more important for someone in the top six - I'm no fan of picking a no-rounder because you8 want an all-rounder).
Needs big runs, and to not rely on luck doing it, in the second innings imo. But he will be picked for Sydney regardless.

 

[getthefooty]

I think we’re still a good chance of getting a win here. I’d have the odds of that lower than a draw if I was setting them. Ideally I think we bat until just before close with a lead of 400+ and then hope to nip put a couple in the last half hour. Hopefully a classic unfolds in the last session on day 5. I reckon it’s been a decent pitch if it starts to break up on day 5.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

The weather is perfect today no excuse to not bat and set a challenging total for them to chase down if they want. Benign conditions, pitch not deteriorating etc.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Bowl Australia out for 200. It's not that long of a shot.

If Australia bowl India out early and than make 200 they would still need over 300 to win. They would definitely try and chase it down. The more runs we set the less likely they will try and win the game. They don't have to win their the ones holding the trophy. I would think 350-360 is about where it needs to be at for us to get a genuine contest with both sides trying to win.

 

[ManOfClay]

Huge tall poppy syndrome with the way people try to tear Bradman down. "So you were elite in every sport you ever tried? Well how about your personality shortcomings?"

Nobody ever takes this approach with Shane Warne for example.

I find it all quite distasteful.

Agreed. Don was a bit of an arseh*le, but you know what? A lot of successful people are.

And generally his world views are likely shared by the majority of the dear old grandmothers and grandfathers (rest their souls if applicable) of everyone posting here.

Yes folks, your sweet nanna might have made great roasts on a Sunday but she probably regularly went to Church and was also a bit further to the right of the political spectrum than you.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

He set a good field to Pant.
Made a smart call at the end to bail.
In between those 2 smart things his Captaincy was the usual bog ordinary, unimaginative mess it normally is.

I've seen enough of Reddy and so has Cummins to have some sort of plan with how to get him out. Outside of Jaiswal and at times Rahul he's been their best batsmen in the series and it's time they take him seriously as a player. We let them game drift because we didn't have a proper plan to get him out, just hope he made a mistake.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Plus we can make up for time lost over the next 2 days. Rain for the rest of the game should be about as rare as a NZ World Cup win .

No rain till next weekend so that will be it for the delays. Should get a result 1 way or another.