Impressive crowd, they apparently were queuing at 4.30am to get in.
Cricket
- Thread starter EdWeatherall
- Start date
An absolute battering for India with Australia taking just 11 overs to reach their target of 118
Starc seems to be in good form.
World Cup year Starc is just something else.
3 golden ducks in a row for SKY
No IPL love on the cafe? Starting tomorrow!
Still no Pakistani players allowed? Booooo
Pakistan still have a ban on the IPL too right? Sad state of affairs. I had to google it for background.
No formal ban, more a policy that's maintained by all the team owners I think. Sad.
Come on you Royals!! Although the English players are spread more evenly now. Hope Punjab do well with Curran and Livingstone too.
In terms of broadcasting? The IPL is being broadcast by Geo Super and TapMad in Pakistan this season I think. Previous years as well it's been shown by cable providers.
If you mean in terms of players being available, I'm sure Pakistan would allow their players to play it they were allowed to be selected.
Wondering how Bairstow does post injury, and obviously Brook is intriguing! I like the look of Delhi at 13/2 (Nortje Ngidi Marsh are exciting) as they could really turn it on. Not sure who I'm backing yet; I'll probably be a glory seeker!
Kinda crazy how sport can't cut through it all and the teams are self policing an unofficial ban.
I'm not working today so I'm going to watch the opening game of IPL today. Who are the favourites to win this again? I know CSK are the most successful franchise overall but they had a core group of senior players in the 2010s who played for years together. I looked at their squad page and 41 year old MS Dhoni is still captain which took me by surprise.
So this is how Cricinfo thinks they'll line up today:
Chennai Super Kings
Possible bat-first XI: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Ben Stokes, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Shivam Dube, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Mitchell Santner, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Simarjeet Singh/Tushar Deshpande
The batting is stacked (and I agree with Stokes at 3 or 4) but the bowling looks super-weak. There are Hundred sides with stronger bowling attacks than that.
Don't think Pakistan players will be featuring anytime soon. There's even been reports this week that they will play their ODI World Cup games in Bangladesh instead. And India won't go to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, so they'll be playing their matches elsewhere too.
Madness really when you think how that could impact a tournament, might not know which country the final is in until a couple of days before.
Madness really when you think how that could impact a tournament, might not know which country the final is in until a couple of days before.
Can kind of see Chennai's logic though tbh.
Home-and-away fixtures are back this year, so they'll be playing half their games in Chennai, which is the biggest turner in India. Hence they've packed their side with finger spinners (finger spin better than wrist spin on turning pitches as it's more accurate).
Plus they've got arguably the two best fielders in the world in Stokes and Jadeja, and you'd imagine they'll be in the slog positions off the spinners (when Jadeja's not bowling himself). So the spin tactic becomes even more effective.
If they win most of their home games they'll be in the play-offs and they've got loads of big-game experience in the team, which might see them over the line in clutch situations.
Will be interesting to see how it pans out though!
Home-and-away fixtures are back this year, so they'll be playing half their games in Chennai, which is the biggest turner in India. Hence they've packed their side with finger spinners (finger spin better than wrist spin on turning pitches as it's more accurate).
Plus they've got arguably the two best fielders in the world in Stokes and Jadeja, and you'd imagine they'll be in the slog positions off the spinners (when Jadeja's not bowling himself). So the spin tactic becomes even more effective.
If they win most of their home games they'll be in the play-offs and they've got loads of big-game experience in the team, which might see them over the line in clutch situations.
Will be interesting to see how it pans out though!
Stokes knee is fecked. He won't be running about at long on.
You don't need to.
Plus he's had an injection which you'd assume has papered over the cracks at least for now.
I do worry about Stokes. I know he just wants to play but surely a Bairstow like approach would have been smarter. Unless his knee is actually so fecked that he knows he won't be bowling again anyway.
He has sacked off the ODIs in fairness so he is getting a bit of rest there. He's pretty much just playing Tests for England and IPL for money.
Babar 
Happy birthday to greatest ever.
It’s going exactly how I expected it would.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...ntracts-full-time-ipl-deals-cricket-ns2mhpp3f
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...w-t20-format-on-table-and-hundred-on-the-rack
Looks like Hundred going to be replaced by 18 city-based teams to mirror the county championship. What a farce.
Looks like Hundred going to be replaced by 18 city-based teams to mirror the county championship. What a farce.
It's determined by the market though, right? Money is flowing towards T20 so that's where the players are going too.
Cricket has been wrapped in an existential crisis since the sport was invented, so maybe we should be happy they've hit upon a commercially successful format?
Plus the players want to keep playing test cricket, at least for now. The franchises can't force them to give that up, just as the Premier League clubs can't force the players to give up international football.
It’s good cricket makes money and top players get their worth but I think we’re sleep walking into the Big 3 being the only test playing nations because those are the only series that make administrators money.
The focus should be on the game being sustainable and balanced. I think everyone’s currently more pre-occupied with how much more money they can make when there’s already plenty in it. We’re on the cusp on losing the uniqueness of the game for greed.
Test championship final. Strong start for India!
I am sensing that this summer is not going to be a fun one for Warner.
Finally seeing some proper cricket between India & Australia. What a difference a pitch makes.
Yeah I mean India having to leave out the best spinner in the world makes this "proper cricket" and a good pitch. Bullshit.
Should really be a 3 match series to decide the winner, rather than a one-off game.
Bollocks, India still have a world class spinner in the side, now we’re seeing what their pace bowlers can do and it makes for much more watchable cricket.
Not that draws happen in England anymore but Australia win if it's a draw?
No, they'll share it if it's a draw.
That's a bit shite. The onus should be on 2nd place to force a result.
Apparently they have a 2nd pitch prepared in case of a Just Stop Oil protest 
Interesting to see if they do that for the rest of the summer!
Interesting to see if they do that for the rest of the summer!Great first morning. There are runs out there, but there’s enough out there for the pace bowlers to keep them interested. India bowling a little too inconsistent but they will also feel unfortunate not have got a couple more wickets. Warner & Labuschagne batted excellently, all be it with some new bruising. Great stuff.
It's been a good pitch + conditions. Good test cricket.
Good test match cricket right now,
Although as an Aussie still not sure why India did not pick Ashwin, If it seams it spins and he is the best spinner in the world.
Although as an Aussie still not sure why India did not pick Ashwin, If it seams it spins and he is the best spinner in the world.
smith getting a 50 from 150 balls, what a scrub.