Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Thu, 13 Aug '26
1st Test • Darwin, August 13 - 17, 2026, Bangladesh tour of Australia
Australia
Bangladesh

Sat, 22 Aug '26
2nd Test • Mackay, August 22 - 26, 2026, Bangladesh tour of Australia
Australia
Bangladesh

Real shame quick bowler Nahid Rana is ruled out with injury...Aussies have named a full strength squad

Brilliant first day for BD! Well done Hasan Mahmud on the 6-fer.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Brilliant first day for BD! Well done Hasan Mahmud on the 6-fer.

and it continues. Bangers close on 100 ahead with 7 wickets in hand.

Australia will do well to not lose from here. I expect that they will get zero help from the weather.

An embarrassing loss it will be, should it happen - but something of interest will occur, should Aus lose: we will see the media launch into the senior players (they are all seniors..) and selectors, all the while they will manage to still ignore cricket, because it is A. Footy Season; B. In Darwin; and C. against Bangladesh.

Smith is the most senior player and the only one to go past 25.

Maybe this restates how badly England did last year. And the Aussies now have a full strength attack.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Smith is the most senior player and the only one to go past 25

Aided by a drop in the slips on 2, then an inexplicable technology error a couple of runs later where he quite clearly edged the ball behind to the keeper, but snicko registered no sound. Smith seemed to instantly call for a review on reflex to being given out, but knowing he had got a clear thick edge, didn't then even bother to wait for DRS to judge him out, and he turned and started walking back to the Pavilion before being called back when Snicko buggered up. After the end of play, Smith said he knew he hit it, and acknowledged he had been lucky

Seem to remember a time not that long ago where all of Australia were outraged about fair play and spirit of cricket, blah blah. I found it funny to see the man who triggered that outpouring of cultural exceptionalism standing in a press conference smiling while saying he hit a ball and didn't walk. What happened to all of that "we play hard, but we play fair" rubbish?

Of course, I have no issues with Smith standing his ground and not walking. I had no issues with Alex Carey stumping Bairstow. This is the reality of the modern game, but the whole pretence a few years back that this wasnt a reality did annoy me. And considering the furore, has been forgotten almost instantly.

Maybe we can replay this non-dismissal everytime an Aussie mentions Stuart Broad.

Smith did that in the same series as the Broad incident. The hypocrisy is off the chart...

Let's not forget, Broad merely didn't walk for a fine edge. It went to slip because it then deflected off the pad. Smith referred an ostentatiously correct decision.

I'd like it if all players walked, but in the spirit of consistency, a lot of people owe SB an apology.

GarlicJam wrote:An embarrassing loss it will be, should it happen - but something of interest will occur, should Aus lose: we will see the media launch into the senior players (they are all seniors..) and selectors, all the while they will manage to still ignore cricket, because it is A. Footy Season; B. In Darwin; and C. against Bangladesh.

Very hard to understand what George Bailey's long term plan is for the team, at the moment he just seems to be pretending that all of the proven quality players in the side will play forever, when people the bowlers are now starting to breakdown a lot, and the form of some of the batters is becoming an acute concern.

I am not sure at this point what Marnus needs to do to be dropped? His stats for the last 4 odd years are not only unacceptable, but tragic. Cameron Green is similarly being trotted out consistently on the basis of perceived potential , but his batting record is rubbish, and his bowling is now so poor I wouldn't even consider him to be a batter that bowls, averaging 70 odd a wicket over 4 years is what I'd expect handing the ball to the wicket keeper for a few throw me downs. And Jake Weatherald has almost zero technique, even watching him in county cricket this year you get the sense he has to be very aggressive because even he knows he can't survive long.

Australia desperately need a couple of new batters and a couple of bowlers under 35 to bring some new life to the team.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Smith did that in the same series as the Broad incident. The hypocrisy is off the chart...

It goes both ways though, because 90% of England fans arguing Broad was right to stand his ground because of the rules will also argue it was outrageous for Carey to stump Bairstow on the basis of the spirit of the game. I am more inclined to follow the rules than the nebulous ideas of spirit of cricket, and have no idealistic expectation that any players across the cricketing world do anything different. Its this actual cultural reality of wanting to win v the post sandpapergate outcry in Australia I am comparing, which tried to pretend the pursuit of winning was meaningless in comparison to the Australian's inherent "play fair" culture, and that Australian's were horrified by the toxicity that resulted in being confronted by the extreme part of the spectrum where the pursuit of winning at all costs drifted to cheating.

Merely a handful of years later, its all disappeared and we are back to not pretending about that, and that is ok. I'd rather Smith not walk and everyone laughs about how mentally bad the decision was, than people pretending they care about being honest and arguing about faux moral outrage. Australia is a powerhouse of sporting over-achievement, and its not because they walk when they edge it, it because they play to win at all costs. The reaction is now a lot more honest!

I think Broad should have walked and Bairstow shouldn't have been run out. That's consistent.

But anyone who has ever not walked or ever shrugged when their own players stood their ground- which is almost everyone- shouldn't have criticised Stu.

sussexpob wrote: And Jake Weatherald has almost zero technique, even watching him in county cricket this year you get the sense he has to be very aggressive because even he knows he can't survive long.

more of the same. First ball was short and wide, perfect to leave alone - but Weatherald has a wild slash and misses. 2nd ball defended, and 3rd is chopped onto the stumps.

Marnus lucky not to be LBW first delivery...

Arthur Crabtree wrote:I think Broad should have walked and Bairstow shouldn't have been run out. That's consistent.

The hoo-har about Broad is a bit embarrassing to be honest.

He wasn't given out, so he was not out. Poor umpiring, but we can't blame Broad for that.

If I was English, I would be embarrassed about the carry-on regarding Bairstow (who was stumped, not run out). Regardless if he shouldn't have been dismissed, the prolonged reaction was ridiculous, imo.

Maybe a concern the top three are all bowled...

Now Smith goes to spin. Aussies running out of heroes...

This would be huge is Bangladesh could get this over the line would love to see it...superb effort from them

Australia 198 all out

Smith 71

Mahmud 6-55

Bangladesh 426 all out

Tanzid 101
Shanto 84
Miraz 65
Mominul 49

Hazelwood 6-89