5th Test Border Gavaskar Trophy January 3-7 1000hrs @ the SCG

[PhatBoy]

Sam Konstas anecdote 3:

St George Cricket Club president Kevin Greene said at the time that Sam was always viewed as "a prodigious talent" as he worked his way through the Saints junior grades from the age of eight.

"He lived just down the road from Hurstville Oval and he and his twin brother Johnny, who was also a very good player, were often at the ground watching first grade, or in the nets at the adjoining Timothy Reserve.

"They were always first to training and putting in an exceptional amount of effort.
"When the Norm O'Neill Centre opened in Penshurst Park, Sam and Johnny were also regulars there, developing their skills"

This is like a cross between the two great interviews on Bill Lawry: This Is Your Life

1. Ian Chappell telling the ‘funny’ story of how they found Phantom comics in Bill’s kit bag and called him Phanto

2. Bill’s former club mate Kevin ‘Droppa’ Grogan:
“Any good stories Droppa?’
“Hahaha, oh yeah, lots of great stories Mike. Too many!”
“Haha yeah too many!”
“Yeah.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, Droppa Grogan.”

 

[the_interloper]

I too found the cricket captivating, but agree with the sentiment that the pitches favoured the bowlers just a little too much, and we were therefore deprived of 5 day contests.

Sure, chaos over 3 days is exciting, but a contest that is a little more even over 5 days can be just as tense and exciting.

Yeah I guess Boxing Day was so epic partly because it went the full stretch. Personally I do enjoy the odd test where the ball dominates, I know you end up with a shorter game but some of those 3 day tests are action aplenty.

 

[BGman]

let the kid be a kid for now. In time he will learn to value his wicket more

His attitude inspired us to the G win, the words of Marnus, Smithy and one or two others. He values his wicket, just take a gander at his dual 100s. It was those that catapulted him into a Baggy Green.

Personally I do enjoy the odd test where the ball dominates

They challenge a technique and sort the fair dinkum from the pretenders.

 

[grumbleguts]

I've been following cricket for over 20 years

It's good to see a newb come to the table Welcome.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Has to be one of the worst summers of cricket I can remember.

Obviously Australia winning is a big positive. However the fact that 3/5 games were essentially done and dusted by day 3, 1 was a washout and we were left with just 1 quality game that went the length.

The pitches in Australia need some serious work. This summer was far to much in the bowlers favour and very few batsman could get on top.

Can’t have pitches that favour the bowling conditions to that degree. If this was in India and we had the same results on spinning pitches we’d be up in arms.

Found it a very disappointing series in the end and not up to the hype which was a shame.

I'm not so sure the pitches were that difficult overall. A bit of help for bowlers at times, but mostly nothing over the top.

Both sides came into the series with top sixes with zero in form players, and either good bowling line-ups or one or two utter stars. On the form lines coming in, these games could have been played on complete roads and not have been expected to make it deep into day four.
As it turned out a few players found some form, or at least had a couple of good innings, along the way.

 

[Outtatym]

So....what's the chance of rain today?

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

So....what's the chance of rain today?

Possible late shower, and don't expect any play tomorrow.

 

[grumbleguts]

Has to be one of the worst summers of cricket I can remember.

Obviously Australia winning is a big positive. However the fact that 3/5 games were essentially done and dusted by day 3, 1 was a washout and we were left with just 1 quality game that went the length.

The pitches in Australia need some serious work. This summer was far to much in the bowlers favour and very few batsman could get on top.

Can’t have pitches that favour the bowling conditions to that degree. If this was in India and we had the same results on spinning pitches we’d be up in arms.

Found it a very disappointing series in the end and not up to the hype which was a shame.

Quest: Tell me you have no clue what you are talking about without telling me you have no clue what you are talking about.
Status: Achieved.

 

[PhatBoy]

Quest: Tell me you have no clue what you are talking about without telling me you have no clue what you are talking about.
Status: Achieved.

Well done. You looked on track from ball one and never really deviated from the path, realistically.

 

[Bletch]

He got out of his form slump if you remember: final 40 innings of his career brought 1719 runs @ 47.75 and he was pushed into retirement - he retired by choice and on his terms aged only 34.

Sort of... that average very much boosted by his 334* Tubby was an excellent opening bat, and a better captain, but his time was up. Quick look at his last 5 years:



Can see with this that he was underperforming for quite some time, though had that happy knack of pulling out a ton at the right time. Reckon he was still doing enough throughout this time to justify his spot (along with his captaincy), but was cooked by end of the 98/99 Ashes.

 

[Big Bryza]

Harry Brook V Sammy Konstas is going to be absolute main event in a years time.

Hope SK matures over the next year though. Needs to value his wicket more.

Brook is light years in front of SK.

 

[Voice of the G]

So....what's the chance of rain today?

Heavy rain in Melbourne today.

 

[Zouz Kitty]

 

[Coops93]

Test cricket for me is always far better when bowlers dominate

I don't think test cricket is better when either side is dominant due to conditions.

I'd probably prefer a slight favour to the bowlers, test cricket shouldn't be easy for batting, but not a dominant sway to the bowlers.

If it's a fairly balanced pitch but one bowler is ridiculous dominant that's one thing, as can be the same when a batter puts together a brilliantly dominant innings, but as a broad stroke bowlers being dominant, no that's too much.

 

[grumbleguts]

Blokes through the generations I have grown up and continued to watch;

Richardson
Azharuddin
Vengsarkar
Jones
Martyn
Aravinda
Boon
Cullinan
Robin Smith
Ganguly
Laxman
Sarwan
Bell
Mark Waugh
Malik

Etc etc etc

Good, world class players who made dozens and dozens of centuries, match winning knocks across all countries in all circumstances. None of them averaged more than 45 (Laxman with 45.7 is the highest).

I love how you just make sh!t up. It's cute.

Martyn averaged 46.37
Jones averaged 46.55

But yeah Laxman averaged more than them.

 

[grumbleguts]

View attachment 2198421

Pity he was using a forklift and not actually lifting them legitimately.

 

[Big Bryza]

Grade cricket podcast said the crowd had been chanting at him for about 30 minutes before he responded.

All fun and games.

The Konstas shoulder charge will hurt his legacy though, that will circulate on the internet forever.

On another note TGC poddy has become Captain Serious all of a sudden. Don't want to upset the Indians it seems.

 

[SSSSSS]

Has to be one of the worst summers of cricket I can remember.

Obviously Australia winning is a big positive. However the fact that 3/5 games were essentially done and dusted by day 3, 1 was a washout and we were left with just 1 quality game that went the length.

The pitches in Australia need some serious work. This summer was far to much in the bowlers favour and very few batsman could get on top.

Can’t have pitches that favour the bowling conditions to that degree. If this was in India and we had the same results on spinning pitches we’d be up in arms.

Found it a very disappointing series in the end and not up to the hype which was a shame.

One of the most enjoyable series I've watched in a long time IMO.

 

[grumbleguts]

Heavy rain in Melbourne today.

Haha! I'm down in Melbourne today. This isn't even remotely heavy.

 

[Cataholic]

Heavy rain in Melbourne today.

They're predicting heavy and salty dissipation on a flight to India I hear.

 

[Big Bryza]

Has to be one of the worst summers of cricket I can remember.

Obviously Australia winning is a big positive. However the fact that 3/5 games were essentially done and dusted by day 3, 1 was a washout and we were left with just 1 quality game that went the length.

The pitches in Australia need some serious work. This summer was far to much in the bowlers favour and very few batsman could get on top.

Can’t have pitches that favour the bowling conditions to that degree. If this was in India and we had the same results on spinning pitches we’d be up in arms.

Found it a very disappointing series in the end and not up to the hype which was a shame.

Yeah let's produce roads where both sides make 500+. Great stuff to watch.

 

[Coops93]

I think broadly the that the pitches were a little (and I mean just a little) too spicy, 3 day tests aren't ideal imo. Would like most to at least make the 4th day, but that's just me.

This Sydney pitch was way too much. A 2.5 day test isn't great. If the same were to happen in India the pitch would be ripped to shreds.

 

[PhatBoy]

I love how you just make sh!t up. It's cute.

Martyn averaged 46.37

Hahahahaha after the shit you’ve spouted this summer, THAT’S your ‘gotcha’ moment? Damien Martyn averaging 0.6 more than a parameter I stipulated? How’d you work that out by the way, with your protractor?

Oh sorry my bad, off a list of 15 players, one of whom I checked because I wasn’t sure if he was 45 or 47, the other 14 I thought off the top of my head were 45 or lower, ONE didn’t fit my criteria

I could just make up the laws of cricket and spend 5 weeks pretending I know what they are instead.

How about I do that? That would be good hey? Good for a bit of a giggle, anyway

 

[Big Bryza]

Yeah I know that my tactic to do that if I had 31 wickets at 12 in a series would be to bail on arguably the most bowler friendly wicket in the series just as the top order had been removed in the first innings.

Regardless, if Boland was rightfully selected for the entire series, he would have been the MOTS.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I think broadly the that the pitches were a little (and I mean just a little) too spicey, 3 day tests aren't ideal imo. Would like most to at least make the 4th day, but that's just me.

This Sydney pitch was way too much. A 2.5 day test isn't great. If the same were to happen in India the pitch would be ripped to shreds.

Sydney did seem under-prepared. Or maybe prepared for the usual rain, three days play out of five seems about Sydney average.