Border Gavaskar Trophy, India v Australia, 3rd Test 1-5 March, 1430hrs at Indore

[Silver Tongue]

Just because a fire is already burning doesn't mean you should throw more petrol on it.

Putting the cart before the horse.

Warner has a long term commentary deal with Fox because CA don't want him going public with what he knows immediately, wants leverage over him equal to prevent him going public for as long as possible. There's still a chance he decides to hell with all of them; money doesn't talk to everyone equally, and hanging out in a job you hate around people you hate mightn't be the allure some here think it is.

Hmmm...

That's a good deal more likely than not. It plays into everything that's happened, up to and including the last player contracts disputes of which Warner played a major role IIRC. I still maintain that there's an element of seeking to control Warner's narrative over the immediate future, but I don't disagree that CA have been poor at telling players their time is up.

Spot on. I don't see Warner revealing too much as his Fox contract would preclude any unsavory revelations. He is on the inside, and no doubt wish to remain in commentary. That said, he will be crap!

It really doesn't matter who knew what this many years after the event of sandpaper-gate as the entire thing was an overreaction. I am all for the bowling side being able to do whatever they want to the ball. Who cares. It's been going on for years. It's still a ball.

The Indians prepare a wicket unsporting to left handers ... deliberate. It is blatant cheating. If they sandpapered a good length for a left hander is it any different?

Surely that is a larger crime than Bancroft attempting to apply sandpaper to a ball.

The ICC gave them a one match suspension. CA went berserk on the wave of Media pressure.

 

[Outshined]

cant see him playing in england, he was a horses for courses pick good against spin and great close in fielder.

I'm having nightmares about him sitting on his backfoot getting hit on the pads every 5th ball.

He's absolutely put his hand up being consistently one of the best batsmen in the Shield across the last three seasons but at the same time, his stint at Middlesex wasn't great iirc. Hard to judge how much he's been able to modify his technique on these burners where he's faced exclusively spin and whether he'd have a better chance of standing up to English conditions. In saying that, I'd still be more comfortable with him at 5 and Head opening than having Warner back in the side.

Realistically, our best side in England is probably Bancroft/Khawaja with Head back down at 5. Something tells me that won't happen though.

 

[Around the Wicket]

Wait... Warner is upset because he got kicked from a group chat?

Is he a professional cricketer, or a 16 year old high-schooler?

I wouldn't have a clue if he is upset or not, I don't know him but they definitely threw him under the bus, who can forget that pic of Warner sitting at the bar by himself the following day?

Regardless I think Warner will let loose just for the money, set him and he's young family up for life.

 

[sosos]

I’m not expecting every test to be like NZ v england style thrillers, but you need the game to have more jeopardy than it currently does. I love test cricket and want it to survive and we have seen some great test cricket the last month around the world. I just want to ensure it can get stronger and thrive in the years to come.

No you don't. Sometimes boring, sometimes exciting, it's just the way the text cricket cookie crumbles.

 

[largebus]

I wouldn't have a clue if he is upset or not, I don't know him but they definitely threw him under the bus, who can forget that pic of Warner sitting at the bar by himself the following day?

Regardless I think Warner will let loose just for the money, set him and he's young family up for life.

Thank what you want about him but to say that he, Bancroft and Smith were the only ones involved, and that none of the bowlers who would benefit knew nothing about it, is laughable. He took one for the rest of team and that's a pretty poor way to repay him

 

[BStaff17]

That’s why we need to play a 1 off test against Afghanistan in India prior to the series starting

Likewise I think we should play a 1 off test against Ireland prior to each away Ashes.

I agree unfortunately CA treat anyone outside India and England like shit.

 

[spike101]

By far

Why does someone have to do it?
He is a genuine great of the game.

View attachment 1619788

Should go past Walsh this year and end his career inside the top 7 wicket takers of all time.

By far has the highest average, great of the game?

 

[Blue1980]

No sorry .. the quality of spinners and even fast bowling is not as good as compared to 15-20 yrs back

Compare the best spin bowlers of 15-20 yrs back Warne Murali Kumble. Saqlain , MushtaqAhmed Ajmal Vettori Swann vs T20 style spinners Rashid Ashwin Jadeja etc
Main weapon for spinners are drift loop speed accuracy and then the tricks/ variations .. Nowadays spinners are more defensive because of T20

You are combining the elite from 1990-2015 and saying they are better than guys currently. Focus on 2000-10 period.

Of course there were elite bowlers, but I think there are more ok spinners. We were playing Gavin Robertson back then when we wanted an extra spinner back then.

 

[010203]

The pitches for the first two tests weren't great but they weren't hideous either. India proved you could get a very good score batting in Nagpur and both sides scored more than 250 in their first dig in the Delhi test. Australian collapses meant both tests were done and dusted inside 3 days. As for the pitch in Indore, I'm glad it got a rating of 'poor'. No pitch should look like a day 4 pitch on day 1.

As for a sandpaper related bomb being dropped before the Ashes, David Warner's wife has an autobiography out in early April. No doubt there'll be something sandpaper related in there. It'd be great to move on from events in Cape Town in 2018 but it feels like the story in Aussie cricket that won't die of a natural death.

 

[big_e]

Brisbane was more circumstantial as that pitch suited SA more than any other they played on.

India have taken it to new extremes. I’d agree it’s happened to some extent everywhere in the past, I do think that the World test championship has made it more prevalent as it makes every test more vital, which is a good thing that sides want to win, ICC need to organise independent curators or something.

The home ground advantages will still exist as the natural characteristics of the pitch will still be there.

How exactly do "independent curators" work?

Does some bloke turn up at the MCG on December 1 and say "I'm from the ICC and I'm here to prepare the pitch for Boxing Day"?

 

[western royboy]

Brisbane was more circumstantial as that pitch suited SA more than any other they played on.

India have taken it to new extremes. I’d agree it’s happened to some extent everywhere in the past, I do think that the World test championship has made it more prevalent as it makes every test more vital, which is a good thing that sides want to win, ICC need to organise independent curators or something.

The home ground advantages will still exist as the natural characteristics of the pitch will still be there.

The ICC is now beholden to the BCCI, that’s why we have a gap in the International Schedule fir the IPL. India has more Test Venues than any other nation, there is no comeback if Indore don’t get another game for 5 years. The BCCI won’t care one jot and nor will the ICC.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Surprised Ashwin was not sanctioned by the match referee.

 

[Ginnieboy]

One glaring issue is the state of our tail, we’re pretty much playing with 7 when it comes to batting, the new spin twins probably ask what end of the bat to hold as their walking out, just terrible, Lyon hasn’t been much better either, if it wasn’t for Cummins 40 knock in test 2 I would hate to see the average of our bowlers, as a unit it would be probably less that 10.

 

[The 747]

One glaring issue is the state of our tail, we’re pretty much playing with 7 when it comes to batting, the new spin twins probably ask what end of the bat to hold as their walking out, just terrible, Lyon hasn’t been much better either, if it wasn’t for Cummins 40 knock in test 2 I would hate to see the average of our bowlers, as a unit it would be probably less that 10.

These are tough pitches but yes - the Indian tail is so strong though so it makes our tail look very poor in comparison. Patel is averaging 90 for the series.

 

[swingdog]

And traditionally, the batting strength of the tail has been a strong advantage. Think Waugh or Gilchrist batting with the lower order. They didn't need to make big runs themselves, but could at least hang around.

 

[Ephemeral Hope]

And traditionally, the batting strength of the tail has been a strong advantage. Think Waugh or Gilchrist batting with the lower order. They didn't need to make big runs themselves, but could at least hang around.

Cummins used to be reliable with the bat. Between his brain fade duck and his gritty 40 I can’t tell what his form is like right now. Hope the latter and not the former.

The rest of the tail are useless though

 

[Around the Wicket]

On Day 1, it didn't take long for Aussie great Hayden to blast the condition of the pitch with another Test match looking like it won't go past Day 3. “This is why I’ve got a problem with these conditions. There’s no way in the world that a spin bowler should come on in the sixth over," Hayden said on Fox Sports commentary.

Agree.

“4.8 degrees, that’s massive turn. That’s the sort of turn you’d expect day three. You’ve got to give batters a chance... Day one, day two should be about batting...It shouldn’t be a spin bowler’s paradise necessarily, it shouldn’t be keeping low and turning a mile on day one,” he added.

Again Agree.

'Poor': Indian pitch drama takes new twist amid 'shambolic' scenes

The ICC have made a statement regarding the controversial Indore pitch. Find out more here.

au.sports.yahoo.com

 

[Syd_Bombay]

You are combining the elite from 1990-2015 and saying they are better than guys currently. Focus on 2000-10 period.

Of course there were elite bowlers, but I think there are more ok spinners. We were playing Gavin Robertson back then when we wanted an extra spinner back then.

Most of the guys i mentioned were playing in 2000-10 period they retired around 2007-08 i think
and i was just comparing those elite names to the current top spin bowlers .. there is a vast difference in quality
Top 5 of those times vs Top 5 of current time ..

Since advent of t20 and franchisee league .. spin bowling has become more defensive .
Only in India / SL/ Bangladesh can a spinner get 5/7/8fer regularly , its only because of the pitches they play on


The quality of spin bowling hasn't improved much they have gotten defensive infact since they play lots of T20 matches now.
Its only the batsmen s technique of playing spin bowling in Tests that has gone downhill & again i blame it on T20 style batting.

 

[katana]

I’d agree it’s happened to some extent everywhere in the past

i dunno about this. yeah there's low totals in england. but they tend to flatten out. nottingham 2015 australia were rolled for 60, england made almost 400.. when was the last match in australia without a score above 200? south africa? pakistan? new zealand? this only happens in india. and its because they've become insecure.

 

[swingdog]

i dunno about this. yeah there's low totals in england. but they tend to flatten out. nottingham 2015 australia were rolled for 60, england made almost 400.. when was the last match in australia without a score above 200? south africa? pakistan? new zealand? this only happens in india. and its because they've become insecure.

India are the Richmond fans of world cricket.

 

[western royboy]

These are tough pitches but yes - the Indian tail is so strong though so it makes our tail look very poor in comparison. Patel is averaging 90 for the series.

Big difference between growing up batting on dust bowls / turning tracks and getting your first look at one in a Test Match with limited experience as a FC Bat. Ashwin / Jadeja / Patel could all legitimately bat at 6 or 7, our three musketeers are genuine 11’s.

 

[The 747]

Big difference between growing up batting on dust bowls / turning tracks and getting your first look at one in a Test Match with limited experience as a FC Bat. Ashwin / Jadeja / Patel could all legitimately bat at 6 or 7, our three musketeers are genuine 11’s.

Murphy has a nice technique when he gets bowled though.

 

[western royboy]

Murphy has a nice technique when he gets bowled though.

A wise old cricketer told me many years ago when I was just a lad “good bats don’t get bowled”

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

A wise old cricketer told me many years ago when I was just a lad “good bats don’t get bowled”

Confident Murphy will improve because he will make it his business to.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

A wise old cricketer told me many years ago when I was just a lad “good bats don’t get bowled”

I've followed the game for half a century, and in all that time, Australian spinners had generally been very handy with the bat. Players ranging from Richie Benaud, Peter Philpott, Tom Veivers, Johnny Martin, David Sincock, Keith Stackpole, Ian Chappell, Bob Simpson, Ashley Mallett, Kerry O'Keeffe, Terry Jenner, Ray Bright, Tony Mann, Bruce Yardley, Peter Sleep, Tom Hogan, Murray Bennett, Peter Taylor, Greg Matthews, Tim May, Trevor Hohns, Shane Warne, Michael Bevan, Brad Hogg, Nathan Hauritz, Nathan Lyon.

You get the point, although there were rare exceptions, spinners weren't bunnies. You had the odd quick who was useless, but generally not spinners. They could offer plenty in the lower order. However, of late, there has been a rash of spinners who can't bat an eyelid. I'm wondering why this has come about. Is it lack of batting in T20 cricket perhaps?