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International Cricket - Winter 2005-6

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12:24 / 25.11.05

What an extraordinary performer. 202 not out with the next highest score being 34. I just hope he manages to get 12 more runs tomorrow. It somehow seems fitting that he should become the highest scorer in test cricket in the course of single-handedly taking on the world's best bowling attack.

12:35 / 25.11.05

The crowd will erupt for sure if he does it. The aussies love him and will be right behind him I'm sure. In fact we always love series against the windies. It's a real shame that we had to cut it down to only three test matches. And once Lara gets the record it brings his inevitable retirement closer, and what will they do next time? I shudder to think.

21:45 / 26.11.05

he did, they did and we do!

he's a legend, no risk... retirement, lara? he may be batting til he's sixty if the windies don't get players capable of scoring with him..!!

poor old langer, first knock back after an injury and he gets caught behind down the leg side on 99!! what a day it would have been, lara's record, the windie's 400 and that...

ausssies look set to get beyond the windies total and set them a chase. mebbe 530 would be a good score if hodge and hussey can light up a century or two, with gilly to come.

when does the third test start in pakistan?

08:13 / 27.11.05

I heart Mike Hussey. Have I said that yet?

12:26 / 27.11.05

What a disappointing show from the Windies bowlers after an almost there session headed by Bravo. I've long questioned the absence of Mike Hussey in the test squad and am thankful he got a second test to prove his selection and hopefully this will cement his position in the test squad for some time. Hussey effortlessly took Australia out of the woods and lead them to what seemed like an impossible total at one point. Full marks to him but the bowling was pretty poor by everyone else.

I think Windies suffers from too many problems. Pathetic fast bowlers, lack of quality spinners but the real problem that sinks their ship is probably the management and the strife within the team. I think they have some very good batsman but who seem to underperform (excluding Lara obviously).

Great tribute to Lara on cricinfo only depressing stats about Lara's heroics often ending with Windies losing.

3rd Test in Lahore starts at Tuesday morning 05:00 GMT.

19:29 / 27.11.05

great saving knock from hussey... i lost contact w/ coverage at tea and we were lots for not enough but i heard hussey was still in... must say i was shocked this morning to see what transpired - i didn't conceive of an aussie lead.. now the windies look fragile at the top again - if we can get three wickets in the morning session we'll prob'ly win the match (unless one of them isn't lara!)

intriguing at the moment though...

11:12 / 28.11.05

Fantastic effort of Hussey's to shepherd the tail and coax 130 runs out of the last 2 wickets. Australia should wrap this up comfortably.

Goodness Gracious Meme

11:45 / 28.11.05

Ashley Giles looking doubtful for final Test

Big problems for England if they can't get him fit in time...

Goodness Gracious Meme

11:52 / 28.11.05

Oh, and late to this, but *wonderful* to see Lara passing Border's total. For more than a decade he's been knocking up the high scores(again, as someone said wrt Pakistan, the Windies are happy to start players young). If I were a bowler, I think I'd rather face anyone but him.

Goodness Gracious Meme

11:59 / 28.11.05

Also: anyone got any thoughts on the Ganguly/Chappell row/the 'gesturing', what's going on there?

Chappell was apparently surprised by the abuse he got at Kolkata, which I can imagine but doesn't surprise me. Indian cricket is fiercely partisan along state/local lines*, and Bengali probably more than anyone else.

*to the point where internal politics often get in the way of the best team being selected. gah.

Goodness Gracious Meme

12:02 / 28.11.05

he should become the highest scorer in test cricket in the course of single-handedly taking on the world's best bowling attack.

Which according to the Wisden chap at cricinfo, hasn't happened since 1886-87, in the first Test at Sydney, when Arthur Shrewsbury of England faced up to the Aussie "Demon", Fred Spofforth

13:19 / 28.11.05

Excellent! Cricket really is one of the most Statto-friendly sport there is.

Haven't really been following the Chappell/Ganguly saga, which has been rumbling for some time now, but apparently tv footage show Chappell putting his hand out of a bus window and then extending his middle finger towards a crowd. According to a team spokesman "Chappell had injured his finger during practice and he said he was just attending to it. He did not gesture at anybody." That sounds like a bit of a sheep-backed-onto-me excuse to me. I always used to think of him as the sensible Chappell brother.

13:41 / 28.11.05

I always used to think of him as the sensible Chappell brother.

I think he still has a way to go to outdo Ian.

19:52 / 28.11.05

or trevor!

hayden and hodge might bunker in in adelaide and get the last hundred odd the aussies need, but it would be fitting for a wicket or two to fall to bring hussey in to hit the winning run.

00:09 / 29.11.05

news: michael clarke hit a double ton, unbeaten, to take his state team to a declaration and chance of an innings win. he's back!

09:22 / 29.11.05

it would be fitting for a wicket or two to fall to bring hussey in to hit the winning run.

Astrojax scripting the 3rd test.

What the hell is happening in Lahore? England currently 245/6 with batsmen getting in then getting out - Shoaib Malik, an occasional offspinner has taken 3 of the wickets. Dreadful stuff, but Collingwood is solid on 68.

14:20 / 29.11.05

Darrell Hair continues to be a horrid little umpire with his dreadful not out for Collingwood's obvious caught behind.

Have been following the Ganguly/Chappell saga as much as cricinfo has covered it and while the journalism seems to have a bias going its hard not to side with Chappell in every instance. Disputed facts aside its hard to disagree that without Ganguly India have done much better and look like a winning combination. The middle finger spin was hilarious and I wonder who believes it. I'm thinking it might turn into a race issue as everything does in the subcontinent in many circles.

Ganguly's selection for the test squad does seem meaningless because I cant see any room for him with people like Gambhir, Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Kaif, Yuvraj available. He's picked as a "batting allrounder" which is a load of bollocks.

Till lunch England couldn't have hoped for a better session and then it all came tumbling down courtesy of a few daft dismissals with Geraint Jones being the champ of the day. I wonder how many nonpakistanis believed that Pakistan could be in the position they are in now.

GGM: If I may ask, are you indian chum?

Goodness Gracious Meme

17:23 / 30.11.05

Yup. Bengali, as it happens.

But not so much that I don't agree, the form does speak for itself. Ganguly's batting, always his main strand, has been wobbly recently. I guess I find this kind of thing interesting because it highlights the naer-sectarian nature of Indian cricketing culture.

According to Bajan neighbour, a similar thing happens with the Windies, in that Antuigan/St.Lucian players are percieved to be favoured....

Goodness Gracious Meme

17:26 / 30.11.05

Doesn't excuse Chappell's gesture though. In a rush, but the interviews I read suggest the he wasn't prepared for the pressure on the Indian coach to pick the favourites/was surprised by the response of the crowd after the Kolkata test. It ties into something wider I'm interested in regarding overseas coaches/differences in cricketing culture.

12:49 / 01.12.05

Well, that's this series down the shitter. Magnificent batting by Mohammad Yousef and Kamran Akmal who no doubt will carry on and bat England out of sight tomorrow.

Preliminary thoughts about what this series have shown: England are not the best side in the world, their back-up players are not world class, they have not lost their tendency to shit it when it gets tough (last day at Multan), Pakistan are looking a decent side and have played some excellent cricket, Inzi is world class.

GGM - I imagine any differences in cricketing culture can be swiftly bridged by results. Chappell is having a hard time of it, but if he gets on a roll then things will work out for him.

19:03 / 01.12.05

was travelling this week and hotel had foxsport so watched a bit of day two highlights - the england attack looked good for a minute, then seemed to go flat. the new kid looks to have some potential - 2nd over wicket! - but it seems the pakistanis have taken the attack to pieces, ball by ball, and it doesn't look much but one result now...

that said, seems a batting wicket so england could get a draw if they bat and bat. i saw inzi get hit; he was on course for a bagful. will he come back? what was his injury??

& as i said, was travelling - did hussey hit the winner?? go me! [cue twilight zone theme]

Goodness Gracious Meme

20:54 / 01.12.05

GGM - I imagine any differences in cricketing culture can be swiftly bridged by results.

Oh, absolutely, it was the dropping of Ganguly followed by the trouncing in Kolkata that caused the ire.

07:23 / 02.12.05

Fair enough GGM, but what the mentality in the subcontinent that's put as "passionate" politely is simply unforgivable. Death threats, getting your house stoned, your dad kidnapped (Wasim Akram) is just some of the stories you hear after a team loses. I'm not sure whats wrong with someone saying fuck you to an annoying bunch of immature retards after your side had a really awful match. I'd side with Chappell in this one, Ganguly's immature behaviour and mentality was obviously damaging the side. I will say that I dont watch any other sport really and havent watched much cricket in the past five years so I could be wrong here. I'm not sure if this goes for all sports fans of all sports but I do know pak/indian fans cannot process defeat and go in fits of rage over a pathetic show or three.

Missed play last night since I went straight to bed and barely saw a ball. But Pakistan seem to have comprehensively wrapped up this series. 42/2 with the openers removed right now and it look as if Pakistan will win this tomorrow.

I'm expecting a pretty comprehensive series win in the pajama series. Paksitan will be hurting without Afridi and I hope Hasan Raza is put away for good this time. He looked promising for all of three balls and kept pushing his luck with a slanted bat on balls that would've done him in if they had swung and seems technically unequipped for the international scene. I hope England do better in India, a little disappointed by their performance by they were outplayed by Pakistan at home. I mentioned that England dont have anyone in the class of Inzi and I didn't think that would be the major difference between the two sides through out the series. Inzi running himself out was incredibly stupid. He's the worst judge of a run I have ever seen. Not to take anything away from the man who for me is right up there with Lara and Tendulkar. Salman Butt's caught behind dismissals are a little worrying and I wonder if he'll be surviving for as long outside Pakistan and India.

A little disappointed by England, I had higher hopes from the side that shook the beast this summer. Next summer Pakistan come to England and I'm quite sure the roles could easily be reversed over there.

07:49 / 02.12.05

I'm not sure if this goes for all sports fans of all sports but I do know pak/indian fans cannot process defeat

Well there was a Columbian footballer who was shot dead after scoring an own goal ...

Goodness Gracious Meme

10:52 / 02.12.05

Oh, absolutely, I'm not saying that kind of behaviour is justifiable in any context. If I gave that impression, that's not the case.

07:00 / 03.12.05

2-0 which would've been 3-0 if the start of play had been scheduled by thinking brains. I cant remember the last time Pakistan recorded such a resounding win.

19:38 / 04.12.05

the guardian was wont to liken the solidity of england's middle order to that of a blancmange. after a 92 & an 80, scores of 25, 5, 1 & four zeros pretty well stand the scrutiny of this remark...

whence the ashes-winning fight in the england side?

and on collapses, the nz coach has suggested there is a superfluity of psychic incapacity throughout his side when it comes to facing brett lee. means 'we're scared!'

02:47 / 06.12.05

the australian cricinfo site posted this, the australian team of the decade, that i thought might amuse some posters here...

be interesting to posit a world team of the decade to play them - who was on fire in 1995 again? several of the world team picked for coming to australia would still get a guernsey, esp lara, tendulkar & murali.

who is your team?

13:53 / 07.12.05

England's winter of discontent doesn't seem to end as they lost to the A team. Admittedly there was no Flintoff or Trescothick (their best batsman) or Steve Harmisson who was the most penetrative bowler in the natwest series the A team shouldn't have posed any problems.

I'll get back to you on that one Astro.

I didn't get to see Aus vs NZ but I was listening to the radio last night and after hearing of Symond's 156 I didn't think New Zealand had a chance. Sadly despite a tremendous fightback they fell short and lost the match and the series.

16:09 / 10.12.05

It was a tight contest until pakistan caved in the murky darkness. Notable performances from Blackwell, Flintoff, Strauss, and Collingwood. This should be a good series.

nedrichards is confused

16:40 / 11.12.05

Well, that was the best I've ever seen England bat in a one day game. They were very, very good and ruthless throughout where previously they've settled for a 280-type total by just miling the runs in the middle overs. Consider me officialy heartened. Also, Plunkett, best early promise of any England bowler since Jimmy Anderson.

That's not a terribly comforting precendent really is it.

18:56 / 11.12.05

did anyone else catch nz's last two run chases? missed 322 by three runs then overhauled 33x [forget, damn...] with six balls to spare - that's after hussey slammed 88 off about 45 balls at the death of australia's innings.

i only heard parts of each chase on radio - would have been a blast to watch.

does anyone else feel like i do now, that the australian dominance of the past few years has accelerated the rise of several other teams and cricket is become much more competetive and conjunctively much more skillful and professional all at once? look at the leading wicket takers, run scorers, all that; many are playing right now and contests have been pretty tight between nearly all combatants (even the windies had patches of brilliance against a rampant australian team). cricket is very healthy, i rekkun. and good upon it.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

09:32 / 12.12.05

There seems to be a lack of interest in the Winter Tour. Do people think that's because England are losing, it's in foreign parts or it's not on terrestrial TV?

nedrichards is confused

09:41 / 13.12.05

Foreign parts and starts at 4am I'd say. To me, there seems traditional levels of interest. By and large most people don't care all that much. It's not a bad thing, it's just a thing.

10:01 / 13.12.05

SHUT UP ICC!

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