Cricket

Incredible turnaround by India. I think they are the best test team around right now. They have a tendency to get in their own way a bit when it comes to selections but if they can settle that down I expect them to dominate in the near future and to win next summer's series in England.

It's a bit tricky to call the rest of the series because it's hard to imagine Australia, especially Steve Smith, batting as bad as they have so far. Warner would make a big difference to them, but it's tricky coming in mid series with not much cricket under your belt.

I hope England are paying close attention to the way India are going about their business in Australia too. England can have as much pace as they want, if Australia can play them out and then get after Dom Bess they will not have a chance.
 
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Why is this being heralded as momentous comeback? It's a seperate test. These collapses tend to happen.

England were bowled out for 67 and won the same test only...... 16 months ago.
 
Amazing turnaround from India, bossed the game from start to finish. They seemed to have nailed down Smith as well which is a big help. Aussies will probably change it up for the second test with probably Burns and maybe Head giving way.
 
Great turnaround win by India, but Australia’s batting has been well below par. Even Smith is struggling for form. Both sides so far showing some great strengths and weaknesses. Australia’s batting has to improve or they’re in deep shit this series.

India’s batting has been iffy mind, with one notable exception of course.
You are always going to be vulnerable outside off stump against pace bowling when there’s a bit of movement and if you play with your hands away from your body. Most Indian batsman play with their hands away from their bodies too much, they have to learn to use their feet and body movement much better in conditions like in the UK so that they can play the pace bowlers late and with their hands close to their bodies. Get yer head over the ball when playing a shot, defensive or not.
 
Don’t get the hate Vaughan gets when he’s talking about cricket. Is he not allowed to have an opinion? Would it be okay if he’d said india will win 3-1? Or Australia win 2-1?

Sometimes he trolls the fans, which is quite obvious when he’s doing so, but when he’s serious about cricket, he’s one of the best summarisers going around. I find him excellent on commentary.

I don’t think 3-1 loss for us beyond the realms of a realistic result. Four/five test series are gruelling(see England 2012 when we won at lords and capitulated to 3-1). This is a less experienced team, due to injuries, that is not used to the rigours of that. I will be rooting for us to win but I don’t think it’s preposterous to say india can lose 3-1.
 
zing said:
Don’t get the hate Vaughan gets when he’s talking about cricket. Is he not allowed to have an opinion? Would it be okay if he’d said india will win 3-1? Or Australia win 2-1?

Sometimes he trolls the fans, which is quite obvious when he’s doing so, but when he’s serious about cricket, he’s one of the best summarisers going around. I find him excellent on commentary.
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Yeah, it seems pretty uncontroversial to me. He thinks Australia will still win. So what?

Think it's an interesting point about the Ashes too from an English point of view. We usually get roads that only Australia's stupidly quick bowling attack can get anything out of, but from what I've seen there has been a bit more in them this series and might suit our seamers a bit better.
 
zing said:
Don’t get the hate Vaughan gets when he’s talking about cricket. Is he not allowed to have an opinion? Would it be okay if he’d said india will win 3-1? Or Australia win 2-1?

Sometimes he trolls the fans, which is quite obvious when he’s doing so, but when he’s serious about cricket, he’s one of the best summarisers going around. I find him excellent on commentary.
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I actually rate him as a pundit. But he always gets trolled when talking about pitches. Ofcourse if you predict a team to lose all the matches in a series and you are proven wrong and instead of admitting you are wrong you change the goal post, you will be trolled. I think he has a love hate relationship with Indian fans and both love to troll each other. I don't think many indian fans hate him or anything.
 
NinjaFletch said:
Yeah, it seems pretty uncontroversial to me. He thinks Australia will still win. So what?

Think it's an interesting point about the Ashes too from an English point of view. We usually get roads that only Australia's stupidly quick bowling attack can get anything out of, but from what I've seen there has been a bit more in them this series and might suit our seamers a bit better.
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But any team can complain like that. I feel in Cwc 2019 there was road like pitches which suited English batsmen the most. I didn't see Michael Vaughan crying then. Imagine if sehwag predicts england to lose 4-0 to india in india amd then you guys win one match and he says it is because of pitch. I bet most English fans will brutally roast him.

What I find funny is whenever India wins there is talk about pitches. When we win in India people dismiss by saying it's a turning pitches and now the excuse is it supports seamers.

Might be controversial but I think this Indian test side are the best touring side in comparison to other nation. Apart from our NZ series debacle, we have performed much better.
 
Good win for the Proteas fielding some players I'd honestly never heard of. Rabada back for the rest of the series.
 
AshRK said:
But any team can complain like that. I feel in Cwc 2019 there was road like pitches which suited English batsmen the most. I didn't see Michael Vaughan crying then. Imagine if sehwag predicts england to lose 4-0 to india in india amd then you guys win one match and he says it is because of pitch. I bet most English fans will brutally roast him.

What I find funny is whenever India wins there is talk about pitches. When we win in India people dismiss by saying it's a turning pitches and now the excuse is it supports seamers.

Might be controversial but I think this Indian test side are the best touring side in comparison to other nation. Apart from our NZ series debacle, we have performed much better.
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Pitches do matter though, it's silly to suggest otherwise. I just don't think there's any need to treat it as criticism or as an attempt to take anything away from the India performance.
 
Don't think there is much debate that India are the best Test team currently. That being said they don't have any signature wins away from home in recent years and got pummeled in NZ just last year. Need wins in England, Oz and/or SA to be considered a truly great side imo.
 
NinjaFletch said:
Yeah, it seems pretty uncontroversial to me. He thinks Australia will still win. So what?

Think it's an interesting point about the Ashes too from an English point of view. We usually get roads that only Australia's stupidly quick bowling attack can get anything out of, but from what I've seen there has been a bit more in them this series and might suit our seamers a bit better.
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We'll need a spinner to back them up though. The selection of Jadeja for this test was pretty inspired in the end with Yadav's injury.
 
NinjaFletch said:
Pitches do matter though, it's silly to suggest otherwise. I just don't think there's any need to treat it as criticism or as an attempt to take anything away from the India performance.
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And that's why I said anyone can bring that complain. I don't see him moaning when pitches favour english side. There is a reason Vaughan's tweet is trolled is because he put his neck out before the series started that India will lose all the matches in all the formats and he has been proven wrong and now by bringing this pitch argument he is just making a fool out of himself.

Like I said imagine sehwag or some other indian player doing the same , he will be trolled by english supporters. It's not a strange thing.
 
AshRK said:
And that's why I said anyone can bring that complain. I don't see him moaning when pitches favour english side. There is a reason Vaughan's tweet is trolled is because he put his neck out before the series started that India will lose all the matches in all the formats and he has been proven wrong and now by bringing this pitch argument he is just making a fool out of himself.

Like I said imagine sehwag or some other indian player doing the same , he will be trolled by english supporters. It's not a strange thing.
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Well 1) everyone moans all the time about English greentops and 2) I think most England fans would think Sehwag would be insane if he predicted anything other than a 4-0 India win next time we tour there.

That said, I have now seen Vaughn's comments before the series and I can see why he's riled people up, but I still do think it's an interesting point about the pitches for the next Ashes, and the pitches this series have been played on which have been a bit livelier than Aussie pitches often are (and generally better for it, too).
 
AshRK said:
But any team can complain like that. I feel in Cwc 2019 there was road like pitches which suited English batsmen the most. I didn't see Michael Vaughan crying then. Imagine if sehwag predicts england to lose 4-0 to india in india amd then you guys win one match and he says it is because of pitch. I bet most English fans will brutally roast him.

What I find funny is whenever India wins there is talk about pitches. When we win in India people dismiss by saying it's a turning pitches and now the excuse is it supports seamers.

Might be controversial but I think this Indian test side are the best touring side in comparison to other nation. Apart from our NZ series debacle, we have performed much better.
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It’s certainly India’s best pace bowling attack I can remember, which ironically goes a long way to prove just how important the pitches are in test cricket!
Although it’s not unrealistic to claim India are currently the best touring side in cricket, this series is far from over. India also have to bat better on pitches helpful for pace bowling.
 
freeurmind said:
Don't think there is much debate that India are the best Test team currently. That being said they don't have any signature wins away from home in recent years and got pummeled in NZ just last year. Need wins in England, Oz and/or SA to be considered a truly great side imo.
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They won in Oz just two years back. Would have won the series 3-1 points without rain.
 
NinjaFletch said:
Think it's an interesting point about the Ashes too from an English point of view. We usually get roads that only Australia's stupidly quick bowling attack can get anything out of, but from what I've seen there has been a bit more in them this series and might suit our seamers a bit better.
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With the players not being able to shine the ball normally due to covid the pitches have more green on them to protect the ball.
 
Cooksen said:
With the players not being able to shine the ball normally due to covid the pitches have more green on them to protect the ball.
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Didn't realise they cared about the ball down under!

That's a good point though, and hopefully a summer of much more watchable cricket will encourage them to give a bit more to the bowlers going forward.
 
Pakistan have made a brilliant comeback in the NZ test!
 
Btw anyone checking what USA Cricket Association is doing. They're now offering contracts to players who are out of favor with some other country and offering them citizenship within three years in order to play cricket for them in three years.

Corey Anderson and Sami Aslam have already been signed up. Loads of Saffers are also taking up this option due to Kolpak route in UK being closed off.
 
KM said:
Btw anyone checking what USA Cricket Association is doing. They're now offering contracts to players who are out of favor with some other country and offering them citizenship within three years in order to play cricket for them in three years.

Corey Anderson and Sami Aslam have already been signed up. Loads of Saffers are also taking up this option due to Kolpak route in UK being closed off.
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Yep I know of Corey and Sami, Sami being especially painful because he was doing really well domestically but still not being given a chance in the national team.

Wonder what the ICC will make of this, maybe they'll be forced to make a similar law to Fifa in that you can't represent more than one country.
 
hasanejaz88 said:
Yep I know of Corey and Sami, Sami being especially painful because he was doing really well domestically but still not being given a chance in the national team.

Wonder what the ICC will make of this, maybe they'll be forced to make a similar law to Fifa in that you can't represent more than one country.
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That's not a rule of Fifa though? You can still represent two countries.

Hypothetically they can bring a lot of indian domestic players who haven't represented us and make a very good team, which won't be again the rules.

Satya Nadella is one of their investor!
 
KM said:
Btw anyone checking what USA Cricket Association is doing. They're now offering contracts to players who are out of favor with some other country and offering them citizenship within three years in order to play cricket for them in three years.

Corey Anderson and Sami Aslam have already been signed up. Loads of Saffers are also taking up this option due to Kolpak route in UK being closed off.
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Qatar reached a handball World Cup final by picking up ‘best of the rest’ players from Europe who hadn’t represented their countries in the past 3 years. They were hosting that tournament and also hired about 100 paid fans from Europe to cheer on them during games. They were widely ridiculed at the time and I don’t see how this is any different. But since this is the US they will probably get a pat on the back and encouraged to keep doing it.
 
KM said:
That's not a rule of Fifa though? You can still represent two countries.

Hypothetically they can bring a lot of indian domestic players who haven't represented us and make a very good team, which won't be again the rules.

Satya Nadella is one of their investor!
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I don't think you can now, previously the rule was that you could change if you only played friendlies but now I think it's changed that any match played with the senior team will mean you can't change.

I can imagine they can find lots of talented Indian players who aren't making the team. Let's see if they do target them.
 
Samid said:
Qatar reached a handball World Cup final by picking up ‘best of the rest’ players from Europe who hadn’t represented their countries in the past 3 years. They were hosting that tournament and also hired about 100 paid fans from Europe to cheer on them during games. They were widely ridiculed at the time and I don’t see how this is any different. But since this is the US they will probably get a pat on the back and encouraged to keep doing it.
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To be honest, England and NZ have been doing a similar thing for a long period of time in Cricket too.
 
hasanejaz88 said:
I don't think you can now, previously the rule was that you could change if you only played friendlies but now I think it's changed that any match played with the senior team will mean you can't change.

I can imagine they can find lots of talented Indian players who aren't making the team. Let's see if they do target them.
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I won't be surprised if Amir is the next one. Indian players might not go to due to IPL etc

I don't have a problem with it tbh, Cricket needs to be more globalized.
 
NinjaFletch said:
Didn't realise they cared about the ball down under!

That's a good point though, and hopefully a summer of much more watchable cricket will encourage them to give a bit more to the bowlers going forward.
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The ground curators care but cricket Australia wants roads for 5 day tests for money.

Now it has changed, SA will be the Day/Night test so they need a green pitch, Perth Stadium uses hard and fast Waca style ones, The Gabba will change depending on how wet it is up there, the only real crap pitches here would be the MCG and SCG
 
Stack said:
What have they been doing??
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Taking players from other countries(usually Saffers).

Wagner,Munro are two most prominent. Recently Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips. Don't particularly have a problem with it.
 
KM said:
To be honest, England and NZ have been doing a similar thing for a long period of time in Cricket too.
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Can’t comment on NZ but don’t agree regarding England. Their primary aim isn’t to make players represent them but to beef up the domestic game. I think it’s obvious that USA’s main goal is to sign players that will represent them.
 
Samid said:
Can’t comment on NZ but don’t agree regarding England. Their primary aim isn’t to make players represent them but to beef up the domestic game. I think it’s obvious that USA’s main goal is to sign players that will represent them.
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C'mon man. Jofra wasn't added to beef up the domestic game. Neither was Eoin Morgan.
 
KM said:
Taking players from other countries(usually Saffers).

Wagner,Munro are two most prominent. Recently Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips. Don't particularly have a problem with it.
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I think there are currently 9 in the extended squad? I think a few of them have been here since they were kids, we have a fair few Saffers who have moved to NZ over the last 25 years
 
KM said:
Pakistan have made a brilliant comeback in the NZ test!
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Managed to make a game of it, but just came a bit short. Hope Babar is back next game, without him our top order is pathetic. The way we started the first innings is still confusing as to what we were trying to do.

Happy for Fawad to get a century. His stance still is a “wtf is this shit” reaction every time I see it, but he’s deserved his shot in Test cricket for a while & this was a good knock in the circumstances.
 
KM said:
C'mon man. Jofra wasn't added to beef up the domestic game. Neither was Eoin Morgan.
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England don’t actively recruit foreign players to play for England, in the contrary.
In the case of Archer, he already held a British passport because his Dad’s English and he made a decision to settle in the UK for cricketing reasons. As for Morgan, Ireland is seen as part of the UK from a cricket perspective (there is no distinction between NI and the republic as is the case with golf or rugby) so all Irish cricket players choose England if they have aspirations to play international cricket at the highest level.
 
KM said:
C'mon man. Jofra wasn't added to beef up the domestic game. Neither was Eoin Morgan.
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He literally was though. Sussex, thanks to some scouting by Chris Jordan, realised he was good and eligible to play as he had a British passport so brought him over. At that stage, there was literally no thought whatsoever about England.

Lots of those deals have happened without the player going on to play for England. Essex for example have Matt Quinn from New Zealand for exactly the same reason, and the counties look out for themselves above all else.

Obviously, when the ECB realised Archer was good too they then changed the residency requirements to get him in, but it wasn't a master plan to get him in the England side from the get go.
 
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