IMO Smith will retire in the next two years. I don't believe he will stick around like Ponting and see his batting average go from touching 60 to retiring with it touching 50.
English cricket thread
- Thread starter Samid
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IMO Smith will retire in the next two years. I don't believe he will stick around like Ponting and see his batting average go from touching 60 to retiring with it touching 50.
agree. i think the way he bats also means he’ll fall off a cliff. his reactions and eyesight are only getting worse as he gets older and he’ll struggle to bat in such an unorthodox manner, that relies heavily on both.
Smith's decline has already started, he's barely averaging 20 in the 2nd innings of tests since the last Ashes series. Would be delighted if he's still around in 4 years time because that suggests they'll have a weak batting line-up.
There were murmurs last year about him retiring. We’re seeing quite the generational shift in Ashes cricket, I have no idea and who is coming through to fill in all these slots.
I dont understand why they can’t play until 9.30pm in the summer months. It’s daylight till then. Might not help if the rain continues but should definitely be an option.
Go to the nearest indoor sport centre and play a couple of hours of one hand one bounce
It’s madness they don’t play until all the overs are bowled on days that are perfectly good enough for them to do so.
Wouldn't it be class if australia just declared ha
Match over
Exactly. Most matches would be finished with a result and much fewer draws. The only reason I can think of is they need to sell more tickets/revenue by ensuring it goes as many days as possible.
Ashes retained. Rubbish ending.
Final musing for the day, how is ‘retaining’ the Ashes a thing? Either you win it, lose it or share it. It was definitely and Englishman who came up with the idea of retaining the Ashes in the case of a drawn series.
Still fuming over the idiotic declaration on day 1 first test 
“Sharing” would be fine, or alternatively the away side should arguably have advantage given how tough it is to win an away series.
I find that exciting. It's a step into the unknown and I think it's overdue. Cricket's the only sport I follow where players over 33 are actively allowed and even encouraged to keep sticking around. I don't know if it was always like this or whether in the past selectors were more willing in telling a player who thinks they have 3 or 4 more years left in him that their time is up.
I reckon there’s a good chance they play him in the last one now. I know we can still draw and he’s not great at the Oval, but I just have a feeling they will.
It's just been one series too many for him unfortunately
Yeah I agree. It'll be his farewell Ashes test and I think he'll be picked one more time next year at Old Trafford vs Sri Lanka for his farewell test on his home turf.
Yeah, pretty much always going to be the way though. Although, the general lack of swing in England this summer must be taking away his wicket threat quite massively. He’s still been the most economical of our bowlers I reckon.
Still blows my mind that Anderson made his debut with the likes of Hussain, Alec Stewart and butcher in the team. Names that I associate with my childhood.
I always remember the exact day of his debut because it’s the same day my younger sisters we born. They’re in their final year of university next year
.Makes test cricket look amateurish this being called off. Whole series ruined because of rain which wouldn’t have happened with a few safeguards such as reserve days.
pathetic from ecb
pathetic from ecb
Yeah ICC fecked up massively hosting it there,probably due to the fact it had a result 4 years ago. Should have been either Trent Bridge,Cardiff or Ageas Bowl.
Having said that England have paid the heaviest price for waking up when 2-0 down and hoping to turn it around at a place known for iffy weather.
Such a sad way to end an incredible series. Really does feel like we’ve been robbed of potentially one of the great deciding matches. Going into The Oval at 2-2 would have been spectacular.
At some stage surely cricket needs to drag itself into the 21st century though? It’s 2023 and matches are still being decided by the weather. It’s all a bit ridiculous.
At some stage surely cricket needs to drag itself into the 21st century though? It’s 2023 and matches are still being decided by the weather. It’s all a bit ridiculous.
Yeah they are absolute laughing stock
Still fuming over the idiotic declaration on day 1 first test
Blame the fact we couldn't knock over 9 and 10 when they wanted over 50 runs to win
Would defo have done it with wood if he was fit unfortunately
Is it the ECB or ICC? Surely the latter?
I can see all of the issues with reserve days and think we are probably just clutching at that because the WTC had one recently, but it does feel like there are more practical things that could be done (extending playing windows on good days, using the pink ball to allow unrestricted play in less light etc). Having two days completely washed out is bad luck and doesn’t happen that much anymore, but it’s a terrible fan experience and does provide a threat to the game when it happens because it looks so mental to people.
Going to take me a while to get over the disappointment of this. Epic series that deserved a final showdown and now the Oval feels like a total damp squib. Gutted for all of the players in their last series as well.
I can see all of the issues with reserve days and think we are probably just clutching at that because the WTC had one recently, but it does feel like there are more practical things that could be done (extending playing windows on good days, using the pink ball to allow unrestricted play in less light etc). Having two days completely washed out is bad luck and doesn’t happen that much anymore, but it’s a terrible fan experience and does provide a threat to the game when it happens because it looks so mental to people.
Going to take me a while to get over the disappointment of this. Epic series that deserved a final showdown and now the Oval feels like a total damp squib. Gutted for all of the players in their last series as well.
I think over rates and bad light look bad to people who are trying to get into the game but rain is rain, it’s always been the same and I don’t see any value in building roofs over stadiums, they’ve already butchered some of these grounds enough. There’s been 6 draws out of 35 tests here in the last 5 years and most of them were impacted by weather. Weather impacting a result once every 6 tests which isn’t that bad and the whole point of a series is that you have multiple tests to drive to a definitive conclusion on who the better team is.
Yeah they should have had provisions already in place for this sort of thing no matter who is playing but are so out of touch. Yet again just like 2019 Ashes GONE before the last test and that's hard to take. Jeez it's a long time until we play for this again and sick it's ended on a default.
I overall agree with you that it is what it is and works out over the course of a series, but I do think not doing everything you can to minimise the impact is damaging to the format of the game. The length of time to get back out in dry spells for example often feels too long, as does the total inflexibility on timings and lack of in game penalty on slow over rates. The bad light issue is part and parcel of it given it tends to happen on days where there’s bad weather about. Surely there are some better solutions to that these days than spin only (like the option to switch to a different colour ball).
Yeah why on earth weren't the ICC and ECB ever thinking about these things earlier. They are just so out of touch with things that could speed up the game. Yet another Ashes 5th test with nothing to play for as in 2019
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I wonder how this series would have gone without that Carey moment. Australia were more than likely going to win that test anyway, but it feels like that moment really galvanized England and they got much stronger for it.
Or maybe that’s just me looking for a narrative where one does not exist
Or maybe that’s just me looking for a narrative where one does not exist
Should finally be over it by 2025 but certainly can't stomach the last test. I have huge amounts of admiration for people who can though
I’ve sat and thought about it a bit more and one of the things ‘the game’ doesn’t talk about near enough is climate change. More volatile weather patterns including extreme heat are going to make it difficult for the game to exist in it’s current setup too.
How exactly do you extend playing window on good days? Is a team just run their bowlers into the ground on particular days because sun light is good or are they just supposes to write off those overs and let part timers bowl them.
Same for pink ball, pink ball works only in specific conditions, you take away a grass coated pitch and you get ahemdabad where game finished in 2 days thanks to the pink ball.
Realistically there is nothing you can do if rain decides a game, and you shouldn't. Today England are pissed at rain because it screwed them over yet how many times has it saved them, I have never seen nature play favorites in any other country as it does in England, that's just how it works there.
England screwed up hosting it at Old Trafford
In the end weather issues are a part of cricket and you just have to take it & move on. England had some good luck with weather and now got done by the weather this time
One famous cricketing figure has spoken about it and you may be surprised who
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/...climate-change-seriously-1202073?platform=amp
So hold it in venues where the record is better