The Cricket Thread

[.V.]

Ryan Harris has retired. Thought this would be his last series, so a small shock.

 

[Baz]

Cummins brought in as a replacement, more injury proneness there then.

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

So which of the Aussie fast bowlers will start....

Johnson, Starc and Hazlewood?

With Harris now retired, I should imagine it will be all three.

 

[Matt_]

Ryan Harris has retired.

 

[DarkSithLord]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/33425867

Tragic. RIP

 

[Super_horns]

What sort of captain are you?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/33383299

Got 88 (Michael Vaughan)

 

[Magic]

80. Straussy.

 

[Hooray]

77. Strauss.

 

[EricSabin]

85. Vaughan

 

[Robert Molenaar]

95 Brearley.

 

[Pyeman]

79 Strauss.

 

[Skinner]

Kohli, Root, Smith & Williamson

Best in order? It's the next decade

 

[Aber gas]

Kohli, Root, Smith & Williamson

Best in order? It's the next decade

In terms of test cricket I'd have root ahead of kohli . I reckon you could add angelo Matthews , du plessis and pujara to that list .

 

[Saddlerrad]

Oops wrong thread.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Impressive - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/33677604

 

[EricSabin]

Impressive - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/33677604

That's my club. Watched the first few overs of the match before we set off for our 2's match.

 

[Matt_]

RIP Clive Rice

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/33688075

One of the great all-rounders, but one who never had the chance to show it at the highest level.

 

[Saddlerrad]

AB De Villiers the quickest player to 8,000 ODI runs. South Africa 200-3 after 39 overs in the deciding 3rd ODI vs New Zealand.

Mays well get a bit of scouting under the belt for the winter. The SA ODI side is 50% unrecognisable to the one from a few years back.

 

[RavenBish]

Horrible stuff from Steve Smith. What a dreadful character. I always empathise with captains on-field as the temptation to win over acting 'the right way' would cause me to make some shoddy decisions but the words he's used post-match merely show he's a proper shit bloke. Unlike Collingwood in 08 who was at least good enough to apologise for his actions concerning Elliott's dismissal.

Smith and Starc aside though. The umpire is a fucking moron giving that out.

 

[Abertawe]

I've seen the replay and can't understand the controversy. Ball was never gonna hit him and his hand stopped it from hitting the wicket. Doesn't matter how close he was, it's a skill issue if he seriously thought the ball was gonna hit him. Go to specsavers etc.

 

[Ciderhead]

I've seen the replay and can't understand the controversy. Ball was never gonna hit him and his hand stopped it from hitting the wicket. Doesn't matter how close he was, it's a skill issue if he seriously thought the ball was gonna hit him. Go to specsavers etc.

Irrelevant though. He's clearly thought the ball's gonna hit him, he's nigh on done a flip trying to get out the way. It's got to be deliberate to be given out and he's not even looking at the ball. Terrible decision.

But the decision making process was just idiotic. Trying to ascertain whether it was instinctive or not by watching ultra slow motion replays... Third umpire's clearly not an intelligent man

 

[RavenBish]

I've seen the replay and can't understand the controversy. Ball was never gonna hit him and his hand stopped it from hitting the wicket. Doesn't matter how close he was, it's a skill issue if he seriously thought the ball was gonna hit him. Go to specsavers etc.

That's not the rule though. He has to have wilfully stopped the ball from hitting the stumps...the idea that the ball was nowhere near him is laughable too. Mitchell Starc's hurling the ball back at him from 10 yards, I doubt he even sees the fucking ball at any stage, just throws up an arm and turns his back. I don't think he really even thinks there's a chance of a run-out either as he's barely out of his crease. There's about 4 elements that have gone seriously wrong - Australia appealing. On-field umpires referring it, TMO umpire giving it, Australia maintaining their appeal. The idea that common sense didn't prevail in any of those stages individually let alone all 4 is farcical.

 

[Matt_]

A collectively shocking decision from the umpires and appalling from Smith not to withdraw the appeal at the time and then to defend his actions afterwards when one would have hoped with time and the benefit of hindsight he would have seen his error and apologised.

He's gone down massively in my estimation and, I suspect privately, in the estimation of a good many around the cricketing world too. He'll be remembered far more for this than for any of his fine innings this summer that's for sure.

Jonathan Agnew also made a very good point regarding the general modern trend for bowlers to hurl the ball back at the batter, i.e. this will only encourage this ridiculous trend to become more prevalent.

There are far too many occasions when a bowler hurls the ball back at a batter who is not only standing in his crease but has never actually left his crease. This is just blatant intimidation in my opinion and it's long since overdue that bowlers received official warnings for this.

All in all a sad day for cricket, but this is Australia so why should anyone expect any better.

 

[Abertawe]

That's not the rule though. He has to have wilfully stopped the ball from hitting the stumps...the idea that the ball was nowhere near him is laughable too. Mitchell Starc's hurling the ball back at him from 10 yards, I doubt he even sees the fucking ball at any stage, just throws up an arm and turns his back. I don't think he really even thinks there's a chance of a run-out either as he's barely out of his crease. There's about 4 elements that have gone seriously wrong - Australia appealing. On-field umpires referring it, TMO umpire giving it, Australia maintaining their appeal. The idea that common sense didn't prevail in any of those stages individually let alone all 4 is farcical.

He moved his hand to stop the ball, end of. No controversy, just England looking to deflect attention from defeat. 4 elements kinda proves it was the correct call.

 

[RavenBish]

He raised his hand to stop the ball hitting him in the fucking face. End of. Read the rules.

 

[Abertawe]

He raised his hand to stop the ball hitting him in the fucking face. End of. Read the rules.

Not really much you can say in response to that. Must have missed the bit where he put his hands in front of his face. I only saw him stretch his arm out and divert the ball with his hand when it was a good two foot away from his face. Double contact ting?

 

[RavenBish]

Yeah, fair enough, he's like a superhuman version of Lev Yashin. That seems far more plausible than my little silly argument that he was flinging an arm up to protect himself from a ball being thrown from 10 yards away by an international fast bowler.

 

[JJH]

TomPNE94 are you there today witnessing Roy bat like Tendulkar on steroids?

 

[JJH]

Doesn't turn his start into a big score - shock.

 

[hodge]

Taylor could get stranded here if we're not careful.