Comments on: Test cricket’s demise has been greatly exaggerated

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 06:31:45 +0000

Bond and Flintoff dont play tests because of injury problems.

Flintoff hasnt manged to play a ODI since his test retiremnt because of injury

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 06:03:55 +0000

And beat the Proteas in South Africa

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 06:00:56 +0000

Was Pat Richards that good of a cricketer?

I cant remember any talk about him when he was a junior

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:52:58 +0000

India packed ground tfor the world Cahmpionship test game between Sri Lanka and India. Packed grounds in India last year for the England series.

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:51:33 +0000

NSW players go straight into the side under the ‘brown paper bag’ rule its like comparing the opportunities had to the opportunities ‘Boof’ Lehman had.

Its last year when bracken has the one of the worst strike rates in shield cricket in NSW he should be in the test side. Stuart Clarke has the worst average in the Ashes but in NSW he should be in the test side.

Drop North and bring in Cosgrove.

By: ian

ian — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:44:53 +0000

umm its michael hussey not david hussey.

By: bever fever

bever fever — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:59:48 +0000

Have to agree Ken, great hands like Taylor but getting up a gallop might have become a issue.

Also far easier to SMS in the outfield than during a footy match.

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:30:34 +0000

I suspect Warnies athleticism might have stopped him making top grade too, also I don’t think those little AFL shorts would have fit his durries

By: vinay verma

vinay verma — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:23:03 +0000

Spiro,this is an important piece in the current context of where Test Cricket is positioned. I wish more journalists would highlight the pre eminence of Tests. Everything flows from this. The other shorter forms could not exist without the grounding in the first class game. Many young journalists are seduced by the bright lights and discount the traditions and history of this great game. I do not decry Twenty20 or the 50 overs mutant. I would like to see a balance and it is encouraging that james Sutherland accepts the scheduling of the Big Bash is “not ideal”.

Test Cricket needs its own window,a bigger one,than Twenty20,and this is the scheduling jigsaw that should be sorted ot.

When is an onion not a turnip? When England hold out for a thrilling draw!

By: Dogz R Barkn

Dogz R Barkn — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:55:47 +0000

There does seem to be a bit of a trend in that direction – but at the same time, let’s not kid ourselves that every test match is a cliffhanger.

By: Brett McKay

Brett McKay — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:55:05 +0000

Jay, exactly my thoughts in Sep last year – http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/09/01/ecb-forces-one-day-cricket-rethink/

By: Lazza

Lazza — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:53:22 +0000

That’s why I find T20 a bit tedious, very few games are tight, absorbing contests. With only 20 overs you need to take risks and the further you fall behind the more risks you have to take. The result is usually one team collapsing in a heap and the game finishes with an anti-climax.

I’m not sure what the answer is but I don’t think this format is going to appeal to your general sports fan. It’s more for cricket fans who have become bored with the traditional, and much better, forms of the game.

By: Spiro Zavos

Spiro Zavos — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:37:27 +0000

I have just watched replay of the last hour of play of the South Africa-England Test. A more thrilling finish is harder to imagine. With 70 balls left, England had five wickets in hand and Geoffrey Boycott in his commentary was rather condescendingly counting down the balls. Then the wicket began to fall. And with the last couple of overs, England had one wicket to fall to lose the Test. Each ball had spectators biting their finger nails. England supporters cheered each delivery that was surivived. South African supporters lept to their feet when appeals were made. In the end Graeme Onions, as he has in the first Test of the series, played out the last over and England escaped the defeat that would have squared the series.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:17:14 +0000

A better comparision would have been Rugby and Rugby 7′s. League and Union run for the the same time, same field, different rules and are different games in their own respect.

By: vinay verma

vinay verma — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:01:04 +0000

FP,you can seeit .I can see it. Are the administrators blind?

By: Fisher Price

Fisher Price — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:31:07 +0000

I hope so Brett. But I fear 20-20 is cannibalising first-class cricket.

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:32:18 +0000

If you want to talk about lucky then look no further than M Hussey. 3 absolute sitters go down and then he only had 7 on the boundary for most of day 4 when he was facing.

Cheap wickets? Hauritz got plenty of those when Pak bats just tried to slog to victory. Yet to see him get a bag against a decent lineup.

North should go, he was fortunate to get in to start with but he has got worse and worse. If Katich is not fit then Hughes stays. On a green top
first innings and then facing a 200 run deficit in 2nd no easy task. Played the foil role while Watson asserted himself.

D Hussey should almost be dropped from Victoria in 4 day cricket he is battling that much.

By: vinay verma

vinay verma — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:38:19 +0000

Jay,I followed the India Sri lanka game on cricinfo. I believe Fox may show the SA/India Tests. Both Sachin and Dravid want more Test matches. Even Harbhajan wants more Tests. The BCCI needs to start listening to its players. The idea of letting school children in free is a good one and should be encouraged by authorities the world over. Not so sure about the NOC for players. Modi has been known to be flexible when it suits him.

By: Springs

Springs — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:11:36 +0000

Symonds never actually played for the Broncos but rang Wayne Bennett about a switch to Rugby League in the early 2000s. He also played a game for Wynnum Manly this year and has trained with the Broncos for most of the year.

By: Don Sachin

Don Sachin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:10:50 +0000

I am an independent cricket lover and I am convinced that this match was fixed. Now, before any Aussie fans here gets heated, they played well. But really, did any Aussies bowlers break the back of Pak batting with an inspired spell? No. They plugged away manfully on a good wicket and held their chances. Everything else was done for them by reckless Pak batting, poor feilding and suspiciously timid captaincy.
On the 3rd day, Kamran missed 4 easy chances – 3 catches off Hussey alone in a hour. In the last hour, Pak eased off to let Siddle and Hussey score 29 runs. Then the big giveway was the deep set field on the 4th morning – anyone knows that you have to attack the bats in the morning, even if Bradman was striding out to take strike, as its the best bet of taking wickets. What was Yousuf doing with 5 fielders in the deep from ball 1 to even Siddle. Very suspicious. Then Kamran fumbles another easy catch off Siddle (his 4th miss).
I watched the Aussies players at the end of the match. After an initial 15 minute period of euphoria, even they were muted in their celebrations. It was a hallow win unlike against RSA last year or India in 2008.

By: vinay verma

vinay verma — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:26:50 +0000

True Tah,Test Cricket is the Holy Grail for me. But I still believe that Twenty20 and 50 overs cricket can coexist and complement Test Cricket. Yes,society is looking for instant gratification but this is a lifestyle choice. Some people do not have the time to watch Tests..even if they like it. I have found as the younger generation matures they do discover the joy of the longer form and come back to it.

Pitches like the one we just add lead to attractive and engrossing cricket. Forget about criticising Ponting for the toss and Yousuf for being conservative. These two Captains produced a corker of a game and more power to them.

By: bever fever

bever fever — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:06:26 +0000

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/18/1063625152690.html?from=storyrhs

Although proud of his AFL background, former Australian Test cricket captain Mark Taylor insists he will not be giving the Swans any pointers when he attends their training session today, saying his aim is to turn himself into a good-luck charm.

“We had a charity dinner on Tuesday night for cancer research and Barry Hall turned up. I had never met him but it was great of him to come so I’m just trying to reciprocate,” Taylor said last night.

“When I came to Sydney in the late 1970s, I was very unfashionable because I loved AFL and not rugby league. I had actually played it till I was 20, made the NSW Teal Cup squad once, too.

As he was from wagga, its not too hard to believe he played all manner of sports especially some different footy codes.

By: bever fever

bever fever — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:02:06 +0000

Jay.. could be wrong, i did hear he played for the Swans reserves, i do know he made the teal cup (NSW under 17 squad) so i stand corrected on that account.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:56:33 +0000

Are you sure he played for the Swans. I know he played in alot of junior Rugby League Rep teams and is mad St. George supporter. Never heard of the link with him and AFL. If its true, looks are certainly deceiving!

By: True Tah

True Tah — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:55:26 +0000

I thought he played for the NSW Universities rugby league side?

I cant recall Symonds ever playing for the Broncos, sure hes been spotted getting on the piss at Broncos games, Im sure that attitude would have gone down well with old man Bennett.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:53:36 +0000

Three formats is the way to go. All that need to be done is reduce the number of overs in ODI’s to 40 per innings like the Pro40 in England. Initially, ODI’s were 60 overs an innings, evidence that the format can move on from a reducition in overs.

By: True Tah

True Tah — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:52:01 +0000

vinay

I do hope that there is a lot of interest in India in the Proteas tours and that this translates into bums on seats. I know that many Indians will be listening on their radios, but in the long term, T20 can only have a detrimental effect on the test performance of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan players, especially batsmen.

Im talking as someone who has a lot more interest in test matches than T20, but I think generally as a population, people have a far shorter attention span and less patience than previous generations, and are after instant gratification in any sphere of life, and cricket is one of these.

By: bever fever

bever fever — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:51:27 +0000

Ken said

“I’ll take your Warnie and raise you an Andrew Symonds who I think actually had a tryout for the Broncos in the early 2000’s from memory when his cricket career was stagnating. Of course both of those guys are the reverse of what we are talking about since they chose cricket over football”.

Mark Taylor, from the epicentre of the Australian sporting universe in Wagga played reserve grade footy for the Swans, was a good centreman by all accounts.

Made the correct choice with cricket as he had great hands but his athleticism might have seen him not go a lot further, probably a similar type to Greg Williams from Carlton.

By: vinay verma

vinay verma — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:48:38 +0000

Brian,It is all about context and scheduling. A case in point is the current Big bash running concurrently with the Tests. The initial crowds at the Big bash show there is a demand for this out there. James Sutherland admits that it is not an ideal situation so that is heartening. I believe there is a place for all three forms of the game but they need to be kept seperate. Warne suggested recently that three forms of the game may confuse the punter. I think it confuses Warne more than the punter,who I know is a lot more astutue than Warne gives him credit for. The fifity over game may need some tinkering..Tendulkar and Greg Chappell have suggested two 25 innings a team. This evens out the advantage of the toss and also there are two new balls so that takes care of the ball not lasting the 50 overs. In a way you get two games for the price of one,as suggested by Wasim Akram. I believe these former and current players know a thing or two about the game and administrators should listen to them.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:42:21 +0000

Pat Richards from the tigers was an opening batsman and bowler in grade criket and from what they say, a very pomising allrounder before he committed to RL as a young man.

You are correct in that Cricket Australia’s new plans for a expanded domestic Twenty20 has a view of stemming some of the flow that is lost of the football codes.. Time will tell, but if you have an IPL contract and state contract, you may be better off in cricket these days without even playing for Australia!