What an innings by Travis Head.
Cricket
- Thread starter EdWeatherall
- Start date
How long will captains continue to falsely believe a green wicket = a swinging wicket?
Have I missed something obvious, but is there a reason it's 6 days?
Tough day for India, thought the pace attack didn’t create enough opportunities, batting wasn’t easy for a while. But the Aussies are a tough side to beat in most conditions and they batted very well.
Steve Smith. Has there ever been a world class cricketer that's less enjoyable to watch? 
Steve WaughSteve Smith. Has there ever been a world class cricketer that's less enjoyable to watch?
Steve Smith. Has there ever been a world class cricketer that's less enjoyable to watch?
Geoff Boycott
It's funny you say that because currently he is my favorite player to watch. I love seeing the best players and Steven Smith is exactly that. Virat Kohli said a couple of days ago that Smith was the best Test batsman of this generation. I would go further than that and say he's the best Test batsman I have ever seen and I've been watching cricket for over 50 years.Steve Smith. Has there ever been a world class cricketer that's less enjoyable to watch?
I agree that he's the best test batsman currently playing in an effective/immovable sense. The manner in which he can do it pretty much anywhere too is immense. I just find him a difficult watch - he doesn't seem to match the fluidity and ease other top batters have in their arsenal. This is by no means a disservice. He is insanely good.
He was a world class twat. Botham deliberately ran him out once (NZ, I think) because during a run chase he cared more about his personal score than the teams.
.....and he was from Yorkshire.
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He was a world class twat. Botham deliberately ran him out once (NZ, I think) because during a run chase he cared more about his personal score than the teams.
.....and he was from Yorkshire.
Any excuse to post this gem
This is 100% true. He is a great batsman but he is not pleasing to the eye at all. Great for stats & making loads of runs but he doesn’t make me turn the tele on when he is batting
It depends what you find pleasing to the eye. I love watching Steven Smith bat because I admire the mental fortitude that he brings to the game. Test cricket for me is about attrition, mental toughness and grinding the opponent down. It's not the wham bam of T20 cricket. It's literally about whether you can overcome your opponent in that 5 day window. What Smith does may not be pretty but that in itself is part of what I find attractive. He often plays the same shot over and over again which must be incredibly frustrating to the opposition. His mental toughness is extraordinary. For me he is the best I've ever seen.
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Agreed.
Smith and Head have put Australia in such a dominant position. If Australia win this morning session, they win the match.
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Smith is a strange one isn’t he; doesn’t really always look technically great but he must be so frustrating to bowl to - always fidgeting and moving around the crease. He’s obviously got and amazing eye and ability to judge any surface.
Guessing to give it more chance of getting a result and incase of any rain days.
Head has been superb in the last couple of years. For all the talk of Bazball, he's been batting like that for a while now and getting runs when Australia are in a bit of trouble.
In big trouble already. This isn't going to end well.
gill is just a hyped crawley.
I hope there is a turnaround but this whole rahul dravid-rohit sharma tenure has been a farce. Shastri and Kohli got stick for far less and here we are almost 2 years to their tenure and I don't know what they are doing with the team. No plan, no strategy just making mindless decisions.
Pujara fails once again in English conditions
Just saw the replay of that dopey leave from Pujara. What a freebie for the Aussies.
Even the game plans have looked suspect. Australia get all 3 wickets bowling onto the stumps, while our bowlers bowled only 9% targeting the stumps.
Australia taking control now and looking ominous not only for this match but the Ashes as well.
FAO Indian fans, is there not a better bowler around than a 35 year old Yadav? I appreciate Bumrah is out but thought there would have been better options.
FAO Indian fans, is there not a better bowler around than a 35 year old Yadav? I appreciate Bumrah is out but thought there would have been better options.
India look totally unprepared to be honest. They are a much better side then what they’ve shown so far in this match. The Aussie bowling looks outstanding mind, how will Bazball stand up to that I wonder.
Forgotten man Rahane playing the lone hand after yet another top order failure.
He reminds me a bit of Ian Bell. Under-achieves generally (Rahane's only averaging 38) but then pulls out an important innings against a really good attack.
Well, we're just going to try and belt them aren't we. Hopefully it disrupts them a bit.
My feeling is that we'll need to get lucky with the weather (i.e. swinging conditions) in at least two of the five matches and hope our batting brilliance gets us through the other one. We're not going to out-bowl them on flat pitches, so we'll have to out-bat them.
Big claim, but this Aussie side is shaping up to the best team since the Aussies of the 90s and early 00s.
Yup, no question in my mind that he's underachieved, even with circumstances against him (batting at 5/6, usually having to shepherd the lower order). His talent is not too far below the likes of Rohit or Kohli.
I think England have to continue smashing it really. It will come off sometimes, even against Aus (hopefully). Pitch dependent probably. And a bit of luck.
We don't have the technique to block it up and play a traditional innings. Fact is if we give these Aus bowlers a target just poking and prodding, they hit such a good hard length consistently at pace, we will nick off constantly. For not many runs. Better a quick 30 or 40 and hope someone comes off.
We don't have the technique to block it up and play a traditional innings. Fact is if we give these Aus bowlers a target just poking and prodding, they hit such a good hard length consistently at pace, we will nick off constantly. For not many runs. Better a quick 30 or 40 and hope someone comes off.
Nice to see India showing some fight.
Is it just me or Australia look unusually flat and dull on field?
No balls galore, languid fielding, a dropped catch
No balls galore, languid fielding, a dropped catch
Impressive courage and fight from Lord Thakur and Rahane in that session. Hopefully they keep it going after lunch.
Aussies walking off before the review now have to walk back all the way
now have to walk back all the wayBeen waiting for this test match for the past month, and then completely forgotten this week that it started as i've been out with the flu
Very impressed with India's start to the 2nd Australian innings. Hope Khawaja and Labuschagne can get set and accelerate, giving Australia at least 4 or 5 sessions to bowl out India.
Definitely. No other option but to attack, particularly given our bowlers will concede plenty.
It'll be a bit like Newcastle '96, but should be entertaining!
This 3 and 4 partnership is horrible for opposing teams. Knowing it's coming sort of takes the shine off any early breakthrough.
Solid, top class, old-school test batting. A rarity nowadays.
Solid, top class, old-school test batting. A rarity nowadays.
Love watching it. You can't beat test cricket.