Cricket

[Pakenhamtrain]

Smith and Bancroft have arrived home and have had both have had very emotional press conferences. Both you could say are well on the path for the cricketing public to forgive them.
Although in Smith's conference some flog from Sydney's KIIS FM basically used it for self promotion.

Warner on the other hand well he's only done some Iphone statement and that's it.

 

[Geezertronic]

Smith and Bancroft have arrived home and have had both have had very emotional press conferences. Both you could say are well on the path for the cricketing public to forgive them.
Although in Smith's conference some flog from Sydney's KIIS FM basically used it for self promotion.

Warner on the other hand well he's only done some Iphone statement and that's it.

Smith's press conference was very cringy. Boo, hoo - he could have stopped it but didn't, no sympathy

 

[EM2]

Lehmann is going too, even though he apparently knew nothing about it...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43584435

Darren Lehmann is to quit as head coach of Australia at the end of the current Test series against South Africa.
The 48-year-old will step down after the final Test in Johannesburg, which starts on Friday, in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal.
Lehmann, who was cleared of any wrongdoing by Cricket Australia, had said on Wednesday he would not resign.

 

[Busaholic]

Smith and Bancroft have arrived home and have had both have had very emotional press conferences. Both you could say are well on the path for the cricketing public to forgive them.
Although in Smith's conference some flog from Sydney's KIIS FM basically used it for self promotion.

Warner on the other hand well he's only done some Iphone statement and that's it.

Warner considerably less popular with the rest of the Australian test side than KP ever was with the English team, so chances of a comeback less than zero? Chris Rogers's assessment of Warner several years ago when they were forced to open together said it all to me at the time: he evidently loathed him.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Warner considerably less popular with the rest of the Australian test side than KP ever was with the English team, so chances of a comeback less than zero? Chris Rogers's assessment of Warner several years ago when they were forced to open together said it all to me at the time: he evidently loathed him.

He won't play for Australia ever again. By all accounts CA patience was getting thin with him anyway. And if we go off the reports Smith and Warner's relationship is at such a low end that they were put on different flights back to Sydney.

It will be a case of Smith or Warner when the bans are over. It's an easy choice who you pick.

 

[Busaholic]

He won't play for Australia ever again. By all accounts CA patience was getting thin with him anyway. And if we go off the reports Smith and Warner's relationship is at such a low end that they were put on different flights back to Sydney.

It will be a case of Smith or Warner when the bans are over. It's an easy choice who you pick.

I hope no media outlets give him a job either. Probably an unprincipled 20/20 outfit (if you can possibly imagine such a thing) will offer him terms, though.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Day three of the Test Match saw New Zealand gradually making a recovery from the 36-5 position they were in at one stage in their first innings before being finally dismissed for 278. Broad took 6-54 and Anderson took 4-76.

Cook had yet another failure, only making 14, when England commenced their second innings, but then Stoneman and Vince scored 50s and England finished the day on 202-3, a lead of 231 runs with seven second innings wickets still to add more runs to the lead, with two full days still to play.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

I hope no media outlets give him a job either. Probably an unprincipled 20/20 outfit (if you can possibly imagine such a thing) will offer him terms, though.

Well he did play for the Thunder.

 

[Busaholic]

One of those strange things that test cricket sometimes produces: the current NZ v England test was the first time since 1912 that a single pair of bowlers (Boult/Southee, Anderson/Broad) took all the wickets in both first innings. Having said that, the lack of support for Broad and Anderson is becoming problematic, when Stokes is injured or unable to play. Mark Wood is much touted, but can't seem to produce the goods when it matters.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Day four of the Test Match saw both Root and Malan register 50s and England finally declared near the tea interval at 359-9, to set New Zealand a total of 382 to win. The light after tea was deteriorating and New Zealand progressed to 42-0 before bad light finally caused the final session to end early.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Smith and Bancroft have decided against challenging thier bans.

 

[DarloRich]

I went on holiday and missed all the Aussie cheating news. What stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid people. Utterly pointless. Brainless.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

I went on holiday and missed all the Aussie cheating news. What stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid people. Utterly pointless. Brainless.

How did you manage that? It did, apparently, hit the headlines in non-cricket playing countries! Still so many questions left unanswered.

 

[DarloRich]

How did you manage that? It did, apparently, hit the headlines in non-cricket playing countries! Still so many questions left unanswered.

north of Scotland - no mobile, no data, no wifi, no people

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

In slightly different news I shared a train carriage with former Australia/Victorian/Melbourne Stars player Rob Quiney while heading home from the football tonight.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Pakenham Train...has Gideon Haigh written anything about the ball-tampering thing (that isn't behind a paywall?) In my opinion he is by far the best cricket writer currently - and has been for some time - would like to read his view!

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Pakenham Train...has Gideon Haigh written anything about the ball-tampering thing (that isn't behind a paywall?) In my opinion he is by far the best cricket writer currently - and has been for some time - would like to read his view!

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...s/news-story/4dcd196f00248e5178a0f3cd6c0b234e

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Smith and Bancroft have decided against challenging their bans.

Warner belatedly did the same.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...s/news-story/4dcd196f00248e5178a0f3cd6c0b234e

Thanks for that, but it's still behind a paywall. Never mind.

 

[Howardh]

Hope everyone has calmed down from the excitement of hearing the news that the ECB want their new franchise 20/20 competition to be 100 balls per side. So fans pay the same/more for less.

At least a farcical competition will have farcical rules. Don't think we even know the team names yet?

 

[Busaholic]

Hope everyone has calmed down from the excitement of hearing the news that the ECB want their new franchise 20/20 competition to be 100 balls per side. So fans pay the same/more for less.

At least a farcical competition will have farcical rules. Don't think we even know the team names yet?

I've got at least two team names in mind, namely Sodom and Gomorrah.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I really can't see any merit in this, to be honest.

I'm not a great fan of T20, even though I've scored in club competitions for over 30 years. However, it's what we have, and sometimes it's quite enjoyable.

This, though .... well, what is it? It's a hybrid, and hybrids often don't work! I haven't seen any explanation of how this will work yet ... and the question is "Do the ECB actually know?" Just two examples:
1. does the 10 ball final over form part of a bowler's maximum allocation or nor? By this I mean if they have a maximum of four overs, will they have to bowl three of six balls and one of ten, or can they bowl four of six and then an extra one of ten?
2. can the ten ball over be bowled by a completely new bowler, or does he have to have already bowled a six ball over earlier in the match?

There's probably more questions, but do the ECB have the answer to them? Somehow, I doubt if they do ....!

 

[Howardh]

I really can't see any merit in this, to be honest.

I'm not a great fan of T20, even though I've scored in club competitions for over 30 years. However, it's what we have, and sometimes it's quite enjoyable.

This, though .... well, what is it? It's a hybrid, and hybrids often don't work! I haven't seen any explanation of how this will work yet ... and the question is "Do the ECB actually know?" Just two examples:
1. does the 10 ball final over form part of a bowler's maximum allocation or nor? By this I mean if they have a maximum of four overs, will they have to bowl three of six balls and one of ten, or can they bowl four of six and then an extra one of ten?
2. can the ten ball over be bowled by a completely new bowler, or does he have to have already bowled a six ball over earlier in the match?

There's probably more questions, but do the ECB have the answer to them? Somehow, I doubt if they do ....!

More problematic is rain and Duckworth-Lewis trying to work out targets and different-sized overs. Example, you play the 100 balls, and then it rains, so what would the minimum be to complete the game? 5 overs plus 10 balls? 4??
Of course the shorter format means if it rains there's less chance, time-wise, of getting back on.

Personally if you are going to tear up the game they might as well do it properly.
100 balls - first 50 all from one end. Bowler 1 bowls the first 20, Bowler 2 the second etc (so Bowler 3 has to "change ends", an interesting skill/tactic)
Teams are all-out after 6 wickets, meaning an early collapse means more steady batting (a tiny nod to the first-class/longer game) which could mean closer, more dramatic finishes (5 to win/3 balls/one wicket remaining) and it means specialist bowlers would have to be picked as they wouldn't bat.

 

[EM2]

Just go for a timed game. An hour per side, bowl as many balls as you can. Thirty minutes for tea/dinner, all done in 150 minutes

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Whatever has happened to the Lancashire team's batting ability this new season?

 

[Howardh]

Whatever has happened to the Lancashire team's batting ability this new season?

What, you mean the team with two England openers, England one-day international, major world batsman and England's possible next keeper/batsman? It's been awful watching them - typical that every game's been live streamed and we've hardly seen them bat as they've not been in long enough.

They'd better sort themselves out today.

 

[Howardh]

In the end they got darned close to the target, however it was through the efforts of the middle-lower order rather than the specialised batsmen (Davies apart) and if 10 and 11 knew how to hold a bat we might have got there! Parky at 11 can hang around, but the days of the Lancs 9/10/11 being able to add fifty have now gone. But it shouldn't be up to them, 1 -6 should be putting on 300.

 

[EM2]

But it shouldn't be up to them, 1 -6 should be putting on 300.

The same could have been said for Essex in the same game. It was clearly a bowler's wicket.

 

[Busaholic]

Hard to believe that Hameed, Duckett and Jennings were so prolific for one season, that being 2016. Just goes to show that consistency over two or three seasons should be a preliminary requirement to entering the test team. although even that can still go wrong, as in the case of Stoneman. Once again Sam Northeast showed the way, now in a First Division side (Hampshire) and this man scores big hundreds, just as Jonathan Trott once did. Notheast for Vince, for a start!

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Hope everyone has calmed down from the excitement of hearing the news that the ECB want their new franchise 20/20 competition to be 100 balls per side. So fans pay the same/more for less.

At least a farcical competition will have farcical rules. Don't think we even know the team names yet?

It seems like a solution trying to find a problem.