Unpopular Cricket Opinions

[Damon_3388]

First Symonds bowls "handy off spin" that Hodge also does, now Symonds is an all-rounder? Make up your mind.

It's not matter of me making up my mind, as far as what type of player they are. Symonds was always an all-rounder. Hodge was never selected in any team for his bowling or fielding value. He was a batsman who bowled a couple of overs here and there.

Hodge was a better player and should have been playing ahead of Symonds

Better batsman? Yeah. Better all-rounder, and more suitable for the Australian side at the time? No.

 

[eth-dog]

Hodge is criminally under-rated because he's Victorian.

Fixed. FC average of 48, over 17 thousand runs, and didn't play more test cricket because Ponting didn't like him.

It's not matter of me making up my mind, as far as what type of player they are. Symonds was always an all-rounder. Hodge was never selected in any team for his bowling or fielding value. He was a batsman who bowled a couple of overs here and there.



Better batsman? Yeah. Better all-rounder, and more suitable for the Australian side at the time? No.

If you started a test team from ground up Hodge would be selected comfortably before Symonds. Comfortably.

 

[Richard Pryor]

Ball-tampering should be legalised to a greater extent

 

[Damon_3388]

Ball-tampering should be legalised to a greater extent

Why?

Can't think of any other sport that allows doctoring of the match ball or the "shared" equipment as the game is going on, and for good reason, too.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

I'm all in favour of raising money for the Jane McGrath foundation but I think they've gone a bit overboard with the whole pink thing for the Sydney test.

 

[peternorth]

I'm all in favour of raising money for the Jane McGrath foundation but I think they've gone a bit overboard with the whole pink thing for the Sydney test.

so long as test cricket is around it will always be there. much like the good friday appeal, which happens on good friday.

but just like all those coloured ribbons representing something or another, it has the potential to lose all meaning - but only if other days of the cricket calendar adopt a similar theme (colour etc). if something is overdone it will lose all meaning, for example just after 9-11, some indigenous folk here were calling our govenment terrorists.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

so long as test cricket is around it will always be there. much like the good friday appeal, which happens on good friday.

but just like all those coloured ribbons representing something or another, it has the potential to lose all meaning - but only if other days of the cricket calendar adopt a similar theme (colour etc). if something is overdone it will lose all meaning, for example just after 9-11, some indigenous folk here were calling our govenment terrorists.

And I don't have a problem with it as such, just think having everything pink is bordering on being a bit silly.

 

[Scotland]

Ball-tampering should be legalised to a greater extent

Give the fielding captain a roll of electrical tape?

 

[Richard Pryor]

Why?

Can't think of any other sport that allows doctoring of the match ball or the "shared" equipment as the game is going on, and for good reason, too.

Game favours batsman too much, and batsman have been able to use bigger and better bats over the years. I don't personally see a problem with allowing scuffing up the ball a bit, with 'approved' techniques/materials. Wouldn't be different to shining the ball if regulated.

 

[peternorth]

Give the fielding captain a roll of electrical tape?

and rubber bands for seam

 

[Beutbrute]

Game favours batsman too much, and batsman have been able to use bigger and better bats over the years. I don't personally see a problem with allowing scuffing up the ball a bit, with 'approved' techniques/materials. Wouldn't be different to shining the ball if regulated.

I agree to a certain extent.

Better batting wickets/covered pitches, smaller grounds, better bats, better protective equipment, closer monitoring of no-balls. Why not make some changes that will suit the bowlers, such as better balls (ones that will swing for longer/stay harder for longer/grip better etc)

 

[Ashton Agar]

I'm all in favour of raising money for the Jane McGrath foundation but I think they've gone a bit overboard with the whole pink thing for the Sydney test.

It looks great. Day 3 looks brilliant.

 

[Cleavy]

Ball-tampering should be legalised to a greater extent

more mints!

 

[Hellgood]

If Kane Williamson was Australian he'd be our best bat.

I wouldn't be so definitive given how well Warner and Smith have been traveling, but would be a bloody nice conundrum to have. He is going to make a hell of a lot of runs in the next decade or so.

 

[The Speaker]

NZ's best since Crowe. Really taken off in 2014 - started the year with an average of about 32 IIRC.

 

[eth-dog]

If we made an Oceanic test side I'd put the order as:

Warner
McCullum
Williamson
Clarke
Smith
Watling
Johnson
Southee
Harris
Lyon
Boult

 

[The_Reaper]

Fixed. FC average of 48, over 17 thousand runs, and didn't play more test cricket because Ponting didn't like him.

If you started a test team from ground up Hodge would be selected comfortably before Symonds. Comfortably.

This is bloody stupid and you're a better poster than that.

Hodge was dropped to bring back Martyn (who on return won us a test in South Africa).
The selectors elected to keep Hussey over keeping Hodge.

Later they decided to bring back Clarke.

So essentially Hodge was overlooked because the selectors opted for Hussey and Clarke- which has to be considered a good call.

And then when Martyn retired the selectors decided to opt for the allrounder (Symonds). This move is debatable and Hodge can feel quite unfortunate.

But it was a selection policy and not because Ponting disliked Hodge

 

[The_Reaper]

If we made an Oceanic test side I'd put the order as:

Warner
McCullum
Williamson
Clarke
Smith
Watling
Johnson
Southee
Harris
Lyon
Boult

Just call it Antipodean - it doesn't sound as shit as Oceanic. Also Taylor would have to be in ahead of Clarke given Clarke's current issues

 

[western royboy]

The MCC should set a limit on the width that the edge of a bat can have - it's gotten out of hand.

 

[Kram]

Hodge is criminally over-rated because he's Victorian.

Not really unpopular with anyone that isn't a drooling Victorian fanboy and actually has a brain.

 

[Messenger]

NZ's best since Crowe. Really taken off in 2014 - started the year with an average of about 32 IIRC.

Up to 41 now. Not sure he's passed Ross Taylor just yet, but he's well on the way.

 

[Aussie_boy]

The current test series has been ordinary, almost no contest between bat and ball.

Agree that the bats are getting too big and get rid of the ropes. Another one that I don't know would work (in fact I doubt it would) but possibly having a new ball at both ends, or 2 new balls available at the start of an innings and then from there the fielding team could decide whether to just use one new one and rough it up or to use both new balls together.

 

[Buzzasto DaSilva]

I'd be happy for Australia to forgo a Boxing-Day/New-Years test one season, if it meant getting South Africa over for a five-test series that included the MCG and Sydney. By forgo, I mean the trade off would be to play in against South Africa in Durban for their Boxing Day Test which has become a tradition over the past couple of years, but I think a five-test series at the moment would be one of the most highly anticipated contest's ever (alongside the 05 Ashes).

 

[The Passenger]

If Kane Williamson was Australian he'd be our best bat.

He is an excellent batsmen. A kiwi averaging 45 is equivalent of an Australian averaging 50 such is the difficulty of having the kiwi grounds as your home tracks.

 

[The Passenger]

The current test series has been ordinary, almost no contest between bat and ball.

Agreed.

Got a bit lucky that the tests have had reasonably closes finishes, particularly Adelaide though that was helped by declerations. But the first three or so days have been very one way traffic to the batsmen.