The Cricket Thread

[capriccioso 2,545]

One day cricket is dying. There was a stage when 300 was a realistic target. 250 was average and 340 was very getable. Now it's amost being played like test cricket this ODI match i'm watching atm has been awful. Hardly any boundaries, no 6's, going at around 4 per over.... And there are powerplays. The lack of ambition is embarrassing.

First 10 overs should get you around 65 - 70 runs, not fucking 40!

Then the other powerplays should get you at least 30 a piece.

Where have the scores of 300+ and the big hitting gone? I wanna see some excitement, this is plain shit. And some of the wickets that have gone down really leave a lot to be desired.

No way England can win now. 2-2, move onto the T20's.

Join the club.

There are two reasons for this. First, we have been spoiled by the likes of Gilchrist, Sehwag, Gibbs, Afridi, Jayasuriya and Gayle blasting bowlers as openers. That was probably the most talented generation of aggressive openers we will ever see, they had the skills to score 70+ in the first 10 overs regularly. You can't really expect that to be sustained for decades because players like that are freakish one-offs. It was bad luck that they all play(ed) around the same time.

Also the new rule of a new ball from either end makes it far tougher to score early on. Its shit, its made it possible for batting teams to be defensive for the first 40 overs and then smash 100 off the last 10, as you can't get reverse swing going with a 25 over ball (one of the main reasons for the alarming decline of Lasith Malinga). I'd rather see a high tempo sustained throughout the innings. These days 240 is a good total...

Of course if you want to watch 600 run games you could watch as many games as you can of the West Indies or New Zealand home matches, Caribbean and Kiwi grounds are tiny. Also when you've got the likes of Gayle, Sammy, Pollard, Russell, etc. to call upon, you can pile on a mountain of runs.

[Ollie 4,400]

I get your point but i believe every international side have batsmen capable of being deadly in the powerplays even with 2 new balls . I remember Sri Lanka in the world cup, constantly smashing 60-70 runs off the powerplay setting themselves up. They'd use Dilshan, a genuine hitter with a sensible batsmen and if he was out cheaply, they'd be a bit more steady but if not, 300+ was on the way, you have to take that chance. Throw 1 wicket away, it won't kill you. Sometimes the results will be amazing. West Indies do it with Gayle. The new ball should come off the bat better and there's no reverse swing so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

The powerplays need to change. The first 10 overs should be powerplay and the last 5, that's it. Or maybe it should be cut to 40 overs? I get the feeling now that 50 is too many overs, if you play aggressively how they want you to and you lose wickets, you have a tough time rebuilding as another wicket and you're fucked.

And also England need to bring Luke Wright back. One of my favourite one day cricketers and one of the best in the business. Sure, he'll have his first ball ducks but he'll get you boundaries, 100 from 100 balls and he'll be aggressive, hitting bowlers all over the place. He's also a bloody good bowler. Why Wright and Prior aren't in this team beats me. I saw them both smash Kent all over the place the other week. First time i've seen some real hitting in cricket for a long time, it was like watching a different sport.

So many people say cricket is boring. At the moment, i can't prove them wrong.

[capriccioso 2,545]

You're overlooking a couple of things with the Sri Lankan example. The World Cup was hosted in Asia, quick bowlers rarely do well there in ODIs. The pitches and weather are far too advantageous to the batsmen. Also that was before they introduced the new ball at either end rule, which has changed the dynamics. Dilshan isn't really a slogger, you can't count on him to hit a 70 ball hundred, that is more in the Gilchrist-Sehwag etc. range. In a way though he's almost the perfect ODI opener. He can stick around through the tough periods and he can take the bowling apart in the early overs if the conditions are right for it. That's probably the short to medium term future for ODI openers, they will be in the Dilshan/Amla/Smith mould.

The problem is that keeping wickets in hand are much too important now, with the new ball at both ends. Even if they had bought this rule in 5-10 years ago when those names I mentioned were in their best years, I think teams would eventually open with more conservative partners.

Anyone who says cricket is boring is a charlatan!

[capriccioso 2,545]

Who else thinks Andre Russell looks a bit like Mario Balotelli?

[capriccioso 2,545]

@Ankit, were you old enough to see this live?

It didn't work out too well for Aamir but it takes a lot of guts to taunt an Indian bowler in his home stadium. It was utter idiocy from Aamir's part though, he should have either kept his mouth shut or blocked that ball instead of trying to smash him. When you're 1/113 and scoring at 7 runs per over and only need 288 to win, you can't do things like that.

[Ollie 4,400]

I just wish Batsmen would really have a go in the powerplay. New ball, old ball, rain, sun, wind, swing, reverse swing, cross seam, up seam, shiny whatever. It's a ball, the field is up, hit it!! It was a shame Morgan did what he did tho, he tried it and miss hit it to Amla but at least he tried. At least the T20 WC is soon, looking forward to some excitement there in Asian Conditions.

[Ankit 3,176]

@Ankit, were you old enough to see this live?

It didn't work out too well for Aamir but it takes a lot of guts to taunt an Indian bowler in his home stadium. It was utter idiocy from Aamir's part though, he should have either kept his mouth shut or blocked that ball instead of trying to smash him. When you're 1/113 and scoring at 7 runs per over and only need 288 to win, you can't do things like that.

Oh yes i was old enough to be alive in 1996 and understand cricket, probably witnessed one of the most amazing cricketing duels in the history of the ODIs. Aamir sohail was in top form along with Saed Anwar and the two had put in close to 100 runs for a second wicket partnership. Sohail took off on Prasad and clobbered him for a four. And then pointedly suggested to him ” Dude, this is where i will hit the ball” . My blood was boiling. Really boiling. I so wanted Prasad to bowl him but never ever expected him to do just that. and then he gave him a send-off ("Go home, you f****** bastard"). Ah there was an eruption of joy everywhere around my neighborhood. To be honest, it was quite stupid of Aamir to do that. They were well on course to beating us and then he got just a bit over excited and you don't do that when you are playing your Arch rival in his home ground. The best part about it is even today if somebody's mentions that incident to Sohail, he just looses it. He doesn't like it one bit.

[Ankit 3,176]

I just wish Batsmen would really have a go in the powerplay. New ball, old ball, rain, sun, wind, swing, reverse swing, cross seam, up seam, shiny whatever. It's a ball, the field is up, hit it!! .

I would like to differ with you on that point. You are just disregarding bowlers as if they are here just to concede runs. They are not. The bowlers have become very intelligent now. Most of them now know how to bowl to their respective Field settings. They mix it up brilliantly which didn't happen about 3 years back. Its not that easy to hit them even if the field is up.

Also it all depends on the Batsman, if both of them are well settled they will definately score in the Powerplay but if they are new to crease , it is better to resist the temptations in Power play. A team would look really stupid if they were ,say 187-3 in 34 overs when Fielding captain takes the PP. Now If there is a new pair batting, and you ask them to slog, they will get out trying that and at the end of the PP the team score would be something like 200-6 at the end of 40 overs with tail enders battiing. And a team which was looking to get something like 280 before the PP would finish at 240 something.

[Ollie 4,400]

If the bowlers are bowling well then fair enough but we didn't even put the bad balls away, we were putting full tosses into the fielders hands and leaving far too many deliveries that could've been scored off. I'm not disregarding the bowlers but when the pitch is good and the bowler is bowling a bad ball or 2, you have to smack him. Even if a bowler is bowling well, there will always still be deliveries to score. I just dislike the lack of tempo. Batsmen are there to get as many runs as possible.

[Ankit 3,176]

Yes, if the Batsman are wasting loose deliveries, then you have every right to question them. I think you should take into consideration the pitch as well. Sometime's it's a flat track and even if the bowler bends his back to the fullest, the ball gets smacked all over the park. I don't think there are many flat tracks in England(I could be wrong).It's more of a seamer friendly tracks so batsmen have to be little cautious with their approach. I hope Sri Lankan board produces some flat tracks fot the T20 WC and not the drab slow pitches that we usually see in lanka.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Oh yes i was old enough to be alive in 1996 and understand cricket, probably witnessed one of the most amazing cricketing duels in the history of the ODIs. Aamir sohail was in top form along with Saed Anwar and the two had put in close to 100 runs for a second wicket partnership. Sohail took off on Prasad and clobbered him for a four. And then pointedly suggested to him ” Dude, this is where i will hit the ball” . My blood was boiling. Really boiling. I so wanted Prasad to bowl him but never ever expected him to do just that. and then he gave him a send-off ("Go home, you f****** bastard"). Ah there was an eruption of joy everywhere around my neighborhood. To be honest, it was quite stupid of Aamir to do that. They were well on course to beating us and then he got just a bit over excited and you don't do that when you are playing your Arch rival in his home ground. The best part about it is even today if somebody's mentions that incident to Sohail, he just looses it. He doesn't like it one bit.

He was apparently a very aggressive/brave batsman who didn't care who was bowling to him. He probably would have done the same even if he was facing Curtley Ambrose

This has to be one of the greatest World Cup moments, up there with the Donald-Klusner run out and Ponting's century in the 2003 final.

[Ankit 3,176]

He was apparently a very aggressive/brave batsman who didn't care who was bowling to him. He probably would have done the same even if he was facing Curtley Ambrose

This has to be one of the greatest World Cup moments, up there with the Donald-Klusner run out and Ponting's century in the 2003 final.

There is a ver fine line between aggresion and stupidity. Aamir Sohail was always on the wrong side of that line. Although had a brilliant opening pair with Saed Anwar but never became an integral part of it because of his nature.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Australia have slumped below the likes of Ireland and Bangladesh to 2nd last place in the T20 rankings.

They really need to start taking it seriously, and play a proper team instead of idiots like Doherty and White who are so badly out of form that they shouldn't be anywhere near even first class or list a cricket.

[capriccioso 2,545]

94 run win against Pakistan or not, Australia are still woeful at T20s.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

94 run win against Pakistan or not, Australia are still woeful at T20s.

T20's are the Cricket equivalent of Carling Cup/Mickey Mouse games. Good fun but no one gives a fuck who wins what. As long as Australia is climbing up the test rankings it's all good.