Cricket

Discussion in 'General Football & Other Sport' started by wfc4ever, Jul 25, 2011.

  1. KelsoOrn

    KelsoOrn Squad Player

    And highgrade's great grand-dad had just started his first job at a rubbish dump adjacent to some allotments in west Watford.
     
    RookeryDad likes this.
  2. KelsoOrn

    KelsoOrn Squad Player

    I have to say that I have some sympathy with Smith. Nobody breaks down like that unless they're really contrite. It wasn't just to do with being self-pitying. He was genuinely contrite for the pain he'd caused his team, country, friends and family and the wider cricketing and sporting community.

    He may have carried on the recent Aussie tradition of pushing the boundaries (no pun intended) and being oh so keen to dish it out but also pathetically unable to take it. But he wasn't the instigator of that tradition and it was Lehmann and his henchman Warner who were keenest to carry it on.

    Smith was probably promoted to the captaincy on the grounds that he was the Aussie's best batsmen/player and for his tactical acumen. But what he didn't have was the strength of character to stand up to a bully (Warner). So he 'turned a blind eye'. That's not a derogatory comment on him as a human being. It's simply pointing out that he might be lacking in one aspect of captaincy. Can you imagine Mike Brearley putting up with that? So anyway, I hope that he come's back and leads his team again, older and wiser and having gained some extra savvy and sooner rather than later.

    Bancroft's punishment is about right. Lehmann's gone. As for Warner (the man who Michael Vaughan couldn't care less about) - well we haven't heard anything proper from him yet have we? Probably putting his feet up for the Easter weekend and not giving a f.ck.

    Well I think he's a complete c.nt and hope he takes a trip down to Botany Bay tomorrow and falls into the sea and drowns.

    As for the long-term? Well I hope it might bring an end to 'sledging'. Play the game with your hands rather than your mouths Aussies. Get back to a proper competition between bat and ball. Quit all the character assassination and mental intimidation b.llocks. It ain't allowed in football, neither should it be allowed in cricket and the umpires are perfectly placed to stop it.

    Chance may be a fine thing though ...
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2018
  3. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    During Warner's press conference, his tears actually looked more genuine than Smith's - but whether that was over the whole incident or just at the loss of his place in the team, only he knows. With the way he's played the game though, he painted a target on his own back should he ever slip up - and slip up he has done, big time.

    Agree regarding the sledging - but if it does continue, maybe they should make it more like the psyche-outs in BASEketball!

     
    KelsoOrn likes this.
  4. KelsoOrn

    KelsoOrn Squad Player

    OK. I haven't seen Warner's effort yet.
     
  5. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    Here it is, Kelso:


    He's since been criticised for dodging questions about how much of a part he played in the whole incident - and whether it's gone on before - but has responded on Twitter that due to the ongoing investigation by Cricket Australia, he's not allowed to go in to too much detail.

    I still think that more revelations will come out, and that the Aussies will do whatever it takes to see Smith back in the team with his reputation repaired (as much as it can be) and Warner being made the scapegoat. I'm not a fan of Warner or defending him, I just don't like to see it all blamed on one guy when I believe the whole team knew about it - if, of course, that's the route they go down.
     
    iamofwfc and KelsoOrn like this.
  6. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    Not the smartest move to dangle Warner in front of the press & allow him to say only Sorry & No Comment.

    Oddly, he comes out of this as the most genuine of this squalid trio although still monumentally dislikeable.

    Their batting does look thin now. Getting absolutely steamrollered by the Saffers.
     
  7. oxhey67

    oxhey67 Squad Player

    Well done to Smith and Bancroft for not appealing their bans.

    The Australian players union came out in the last day or two saying how harsh the bans were, not in line with ICC punishment etc., and I thought that was a precursor to appeals by all three players.

    It remains to be seen what Warner will do.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43638316
     
  8. oxhey67

    oxhey67 Squad Player

    Now Warner has accepted the ban/sanctions placed before him.

    I must admit to being surprised so fair play (ha! so out of context!!) to all three of them for not trying to get any part of the bans reduced.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43652249
     
  9. KelsoOrn

    KelsoOrn Squad Player

    I'm not sure at all how Warner's contrition comes across as any more genuine than the other two. I would have thought rather the other way around.

    Everyone deserves a second chance so Smith and Bancroft should get theirs. Warner's had loads of chances already. Chuck him to the Great Whites cruising offshore.
     
  10. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    Trescothick, aged 42, playing for Somerset today.

    Scored 1.
     
  11. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    :(
     
  12. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Keeps him in contention with the form of our openers over the last 5 years.
     
  13. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    With the exodus to white ball only careers, Tres might have to be brought back.
     
  14. oxhey67

    oxhey67 Squad Player

    So far it's only Hales and Rashid who are doing that isn't it or have I forgotten others?
     
  15. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    Strictly speaking, I believe that's it so far although Buttler & Willey may be de facto white only.

    Of the 12 English in the IPL, I suspect most will drift to white ball if they don't get called up for tests fairly soon.

    Don't blame them.

    Who wouldn't rather make $1-2m a year from T20 than slog up & down motorways to play county matches in the rain in Derby?
     
  16. oxhey67

    oxhey67 Squad Player

    It's funny you mentioned Buttler (Somerset to Lancs) and Willey (Northants to Yorks) because both moved counties to play more red ball cricket in the hope of breaking into the test match side.

    I think you're correct though, more specialist players (and coaches) will appear in the near future unless test cricket undergoes a renaissance worldwide. If only there was some kind of scandal to get people talking about it again!

    And with the ECB looking to introduce #The100, another limited overs format, it could hasten your point further.
     
  17. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    Good point.

    Wasn't Willey talking a big game about his red ball future with Yorks when someone dropped out of the IPL & DW was contacted?

    On the first plane to Chennai.

    Fair enough.

    The two countries who seem to take red ball most seriously at the mo are Bangladesh & Afghanistan. Decent 1st class set ups.
     
  18. oxhey67

    oxhey67 Squad Player

    I've no idea with regards to Willey flip-flopping like that (unfortunate phrasing I admit) but as you alluded to before, who wouldn't go for the money?

    You've more idea about Bangladesh & Afghanistan than me with their domestic set ups too.
    Bangladesh seem to have a good squad of players right now in both red & white ball cricket, albeit primarily when playing at home, while the Afghanistans also seem to be very competitive with the white ball.
    It'll be interesting to see how Ireland cope initially with test cricket this year as well.

    I wonder if the often staid nature of test cricket, other than ultra slow over rates and home team domination, is the lack of fresh faces?

    Forget about divisions or league tables, have a main touring team with an Ireland, Afghanistan etc providing an early 3-match series.
    Scrap international T20s (as Bayliss suggested earlier in the year, leave that format to the franchise leagues) and play 3 and 5 match series against two touring sides, none of this 2 game nonsense.
    Add to that 3 and 5 match 50 over series against the same sides and that's a maximum of 48 days of international cricket per summer.
    If the County Championship can set aside 56 (I think) days per season for 4-day cricket I reckon the international calendar can cope with 48 all in.

    Now, where did I put that Andrew Strauss e-mail address?!
     
  19. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    No wonder we aren't that great at Test cricket when the ECB seem only interested in making money from these T20 type competitions.
     
  20. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    Ox, please hand Strauss his P45 on your way in.
     
    oxhey67 likes this.
  21. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Hm..

    Nothing has changed then !

    Bad toss call and more ropey batting.

    Maybe we can make use of home advantage..
     
  22. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Dismal effort.
     
  23. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    Lords in May, slightly green track, overcast and two of the best swing and seam bowlers in the world so win the toss and bowl. A staggering decision to bat and one that will lose us the test, that and some awful batting. We look a very poor test team currently
     
    oxhey67 likes this.
  24. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    Root's captaincy is already seriously under the spotlight. He deserves time to sort things out but if we limp through next year's Ashes at home he'll surely have to be binned? His own form seems to be suffering too.
     
  25. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    He's just not captain material. Too nice. Too quiet. It's destroying his batting. Trouble is who else could you give it to ? Broad or Anderson but would be very short term. The rest are fighting for their place. Bairstow?
     
    RookeryDad likes this.
  26. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Well the ECB are more worried about introducing small forms of cricket to get ladies and kids involved rather than worrying about the Test team it seems so clearly somebody has lost focus on the long form of the game and its showing.
     
  27. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Well credit to Buttler and Bees for putting up a real fight and making Pakistan bat again .
     
  28. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Yes a psychological victory in making our opponents have to use their second innings.
     
  29. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Clearly ours lads have somewhere else to be later on !

    New ball made a difference.

    Meanwhile sounds like there will be some more corruption allegations being broadcasted tonight ..
     
  30. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    "England 11 paid handsomely to thrown test match" shocker ?
     
    Keighley likes this.
  31. Yup - another expenses scandal about to break...

    expenses.JPG
     
  32. GoingDown

    GoingDown "The Stability"

    Root is out of his depth, the entire coaching staff are clueless, Cook is the Wayne Rooney of the England Cricket team and the rest of the team (except Anderson and Broad) would rather be playing 20 overs and getting paid handsomely for it then toiling around for 5 days for Crickets version of the minimum wage.
     
  33. StuBoy

    StuBoy Forum Cad and Bounder

    We are almost back to 1990's England cricket levels now. The worse thing is our players are probably better now, which makes it all the more surprising.
     
  34. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    She has the intuition of a plank.

    When you’re struggling, associate with success.
     
  35. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    Not a fibre of captaincy in him.

    His first pick for the Ashes tour was his wife.

    His second pick was Fatty Balance who, to his credit, told everyone he would not be picked & was only there as moral support.
     

Share This Page