Random Cricket Thread (International Cricket)

[Durhamfootman]

I agree entirely with Wisden over the WTC. It's a complete nonsense

[alfie]

The WTC was always a bit of an over-ambitious idea. Tests take up a lot of time and are often difficult to justify economically for the smaller nations. Trying to arrange any meaningful qualification system among all Test playing teams is all but impossible - and trying to shoehorn it into every two years is frankly daft.

You could argue it gives some extra meaning to some otherwise relatively unimportant matches. But to be honest I don't think it adds enough to justify the messing around it is causing with programming. I won't be sorry if it dies completely.

[Durhamfootman]

SA have shown what a nonsense it is. Play hardly any tests and those that you do play, you do so mostly against the smaller test nations (especially for the away tests) that you know you can beat with a second string squad, while your best players play T20. Only play a couple of series against the better nations and play those at home in as short a series as you can get away with. Avoid Australia and England like the plague, because they rather like playing in SA conditions........ go straight to WTC final, do not pass go, do not collect £200...... which is daft, because they really need the £200

Wisden argue for a 4 year cycle where all the top 6 (I think it was 6) nations play each other at least once home and away and no series can be less than 3 tests. It's still a stupid idea, but at least a nations chances of reaching the final won't be helped by playing as few test matches as possible

[Durhamfootman]

Rohit to retire from tests

daft barmpot should also retire from the IPL..... he couldn't hit a beachball even one thrown by a three year old this season

[sussexpob]

I get a lot of cricket stuff come up on my social media feeds, and yesterday I got a video with highlights from an Ashes test from 1982 that I ended up watching. The main thing that sticks out is how utterly rubbish Bob Taylor was behind the stumps. Pretty much every single ball that beat the bat or was too wide to hit ends up with Taylor either completely missing it, or dropping it. One particular Botham ball that he sends wide of leg stump ends with Taylor goalkeeper diving at a ball that would hit his palm if he didn't move, and deflects the ball towards third man for runs.

Taylor is often considered the best out and out keeper to have played the game by many people, and one old timer comment you get a lot in the era of Keeper batters is that the higher batting averages came at the cost of brilliant fielding...... if this was a generationally brilliant wicket keeper, then I have to conclude most keepers in the golden age of the art form wouldnt get near a modern day side.

[sussexpob]

In contrast, I seen a video of Joel Garner bowling the other day too, and would probably have probably preferred to retire than have to face that. Balls not that short of a length flying over batsman's head.....

[Durhamfootman]

South Africa busy murdering Zimbabwe for the 2nd time

if they don't play anyone else for a while, they'll be half way to reaching a consecutive WTC final

[sussexpob]

South Africa busy murdering Zimbabwe for the 2nd time

if they don't play anyone else for a while, they'll be half way to reaching a consecutive WTC final

The most depressing thing is, its almost an entire South African C team save for Mulder and Beddo

[Arthur Crabtree]

Taylor is often considered the best out and out keeper to have played the game by many people, and one old timer comment you get a lot in the era of Keeper batters is that the higher batting averages came at the cost of brilliant fielding......

He was in his 40s then, and probably not at his best. He didn't get a chance at all until he was at an age when most players retired, in those days.

Alan Knott was a much better keeper and batter. But ex-players at that time were emotionally attached to picking non-batting keepers. I'm not sure why. It's true that picking someone just because they can bat well might mean that you are compromising on the keeping. But it doesn't mean you definitely are.

Same thing happened with Russell and Stewart. Stewart was by far the better keeper. And very good to the spinners. But commentators seemed to think that was impossible.

In my opinion, Matt Prior is the best keeper I've seen for England standing back. But many wanted Chris Read still, who dropped loads standing back. Admittedly, Prior was hopeless to the spinners, but Read was no Alan Knott either.

Must have banged on about this before... Excuse me!

[GarlicJam]

Watching the England/India 5th test just now, I see that Jaiswal has a one-piece neck protector, which I had not noticed before. So, I go to look at Akash Deep's protector - and his helmet does not have one.

I thought that was mandatory for a batter for over 5 years now.

??

[sussexpob]

Watching the England/India 5th test just now, I see that Jaiswal has a one-piece neck protector, which I had not noticed before. So, I go to look at Akash Deep's protector - and his helmet does not have one.

I thought that was mandatory for a batter for over 5 years now

They changed it in the latest playing conditions to be optional.