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This is for cricket fans!
- Thread starter eden
- Start date
Congrats India well deserved win
Hell yeah World Cup Champs 8)
WooT we did it finally!
Why has this thread died O_o. A great series is going on and many are to follow!.
India lost the first test... not a surprise considering they were without their main bowler and main opener. However, even at full strength, I don't see India winning more than one test this series. England is just too clutch atm, everything seems to be going their way. For people expecting India to bounce back at Trent Bridge, don't get your hopes up. Anderson averages 15 there and the batsmen are capable of smacking the weakened Indian attack around all day.. that win I predict ain't gonna come there I'd say!
I predict 2-1 win for England.
India lost the first test... not a surprise considering they were without their main bowler and main opener. However, even at full strength, I don't see India winning more than one test this series. England is just too clutch atm, everything seems to be going their way. For people expecting India to bounce back at Trent Bridge, don't get your hopes up. Anderson averages 15 there and the batsmen are capable of smacking the weakened Indian attack around all day.. that win I predict ain't gonna come there I'd say!
I predict 2-1 win for England.
I haven't underestimated them at all, actually. They have been the number one team for a while now, so obviously they are not an easy team to beat. I'm just saying that this England team is better... a lot better considering they are playing in England. They have India beat by a considerable margin in both bowling (especially without Zaheer) and fielding. India only has the edge by a little in batting... but I'd say they're pretty even playing in England. Like I predicted, Trent Bridge was pretty pathetic for the Indians. I'd say it's their own fault for that terrible display of defensive bowling in the first innings when they nailed England initially .. but they let that advantage get away completely when they couldn't finish up the tail... was pretty much downhill from there.
They will bounce back though... still for the 2-1 prediction.
On a side note, I really do love tests in England and Australia .. There's always a high probability of getting a result.. test crickets still the best when we get exciting matches like the ones we have there
They will bounce back though... still for the 2-1 prediction.
On a side note, I really do love tests in England and Australia .. There's always a high probability of getting a result.. test crickets still the best when we get exciting matches like the ones we have there
Bartman101
Banned deucer.
Way, we're finally the best at something.
Everyone "Jump 'n' Shout" (basement jaxx)
Everyone "Jump 'n' Shout" (basement jaxx)
I'd like to remind any UK smogoners that England isn't quite no. 1 yet, they still need to win the series by 2 matches. India could still win both matches, draw one and win one or draw both and still retain no 1.
Unless this has changed since the start of the series in which case ignore me
Unless this has changed since the start of the series in which case ignore me
No it hasn't changed. But the way England are playing you could say it's only a matter of time before they do make it to #1
Really missed Viru and Zak in these tests. Gambhir would have been handy too.
raina and mukund are never going to score runs in this series if they don't play the short ball properly. every single time it gets them, and with big fellas like stuart broad and tim bresnan you aren't going to last long with that weakness!
either way, im not counting my chickens. i've seen england fuck up many a cricket match, but at the moment i am very confident in how we are playing compared to the indians
either way, im not counting my chickens. i've seen england fuck up many a cricket match, but at the moment i am very confident in how we are playing compared to the indians
Mukund is actually alright, he just got a peach of a ball. It kicked back off a good length. Raina on the other hand is ridiculously bad at playing the short ball. Raina's had a decent go at test cricket, been given a fair amount of chances and has toured a lot of different countries, and while he's played some good knocks, he's not test match material. His style of play and his technique is simply not suited to test cricket. Great ODI player, awesome fielder, level headed, but just not good enough for test cricket.
Virat Kohli is the real deal. Really shoulda had him on this tour, even if he failed it would have done him a world of good, a test tour to England doesn't come very often. And the way we've played so far is just... well the less said the better.
But I'd rather lose to England who have been just as consistent as India over the last 2 years than to Windies or Pak or B-desh or Aussies or some other team. England's bench strength is incredible.
India looking to be at full strength the next test.. though Harbhajan and Yuvraj have been ruled out of it I'd say that doesn't really matter much, they haven't been doing much anyway. This one will be an awesome match to watch.
Seconding that Mukund is not a bad batsmen.. he held his own, but really did get some great deliveries. Indians need to train some younger batsmen in these conditions properly... averaging more than 50 in First class isn't saying much on flat pitches in the subcontinent.
Seconding that Mukund is not a bad batsmen.. he held his own, but really did get some great deliveries. Indians need to train some younger batsmen in these conditions properly... averaging more than 50 in First class isn't saying much on flat pitches in the subcontinent.
No it's because he toured WI and didn't do all that well. While Raina did, so he got left out, but he's been recalled as a replacement for Yuvraj, and I'll be pissed if he doesn't get the #6 slot ahead of Raina in the next test.
Kohli is such a good LO player. Same with MSD.
That has to do with him just playing only 3 tests so far, admittedly he should have performed better in those 3 tests, but on the flip side WI had some relatively bowler friendly conditions. So you can't be too hard on him. What annoyed me was that Raina was still selected for the last 2 test matches against England but Kohli wasn't, seriously that was screwed up.
yeah i really don't know why raina is still playing tests at all. every team has discovered that they can just bounce him to death (like phillip hughes) and he can't really do jack about it. but yeah i'd really like to see kohli do well, since he's a good player.
also fuck YES jacques rudolph is playing for sa again. this is good news.
edit: can someone tell me why darren sammy is playing international cricket? because i'm confused.
also fuck YES jacques rudolph is playing for sa again. this is good news.
edit: can someone tell me why darren sammy is playing international cricket? because i'm confused.
What I think's important in the world of cricket:
Notch Johnson FINALLY showing some form on the hard pitches of SA. 9/112 against South Africa A and could've had 10 when Shane Watson put down a flying chance at first slip. Last visit, played 3 tests and had 40 wickets. Hopefully he can rediscover the inswing to right handers that he had before that fatefull Ashes series.
Australia has some selection headaches. Looking at the squad, we have packed Copeland, Cummins, Harris, Siddle and Watson in pace options. Copeland can't bowl my grandma's pace, but he showed a bit on the Sri Lanka tour. Cummins is a fine young man and already has some outstanding reviews, with Rod Marsh (I think, or someone else) said he was the 2nd best young quick he had seen at 18, behind that lightning quick boy Jeff Thomson. He also said he was as smart as Mohammed Amir (look later in my rant), and Wasim Akram himself said that Amir was smarter than him at 18. Harris is a outstanding late bloomer, and the leader of a otherwise very young attack. Siddle has a test hattrick to his name, but his form has fell away slightly. Watson is already a shoo-in due to his batting, and he has shown great reverse-swing skills on the recent tour to Sri Lanka. All-in-all, I assume that 3 quicks (not including Watson) and 4 quicks will be taken to Newlands and Jo'burg respectivley.
In batting options, we have Watson, Hughes, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Marsh, Khawaja and Haddin. There is talk of Watson dropping down the order to accommadate Marsh at first drop. Hughes is must show form, because Ussie is coming. Ponting, Clarke and Hussey selections speak for themselves; while Marsh and Khawaja are interesting. Marshy is set to bat at first drop, and Ussie may be on the bench but Marshy isn't invincible. Haddin is out-of-form and is the only keeper selected in the squad. WATCH YOUR BACK HADDIN, becuase Paine and Wade are applying pressure. Spinners Lyon and Beer. Lyon will get a run in Newlands, but no spinner is comfortable at Jo'burg.
Butt, Asif and Amir. Got what they payed for.
That's all I can think of atm.
Notch Johnson FINALLY showing some form on the hard pitches of SA. 9/112 against South Africa A and could've had 10 when Shane Watson put down a flying chance at first slip. Last visit, played 3 tests and had 40 wickets. Hopefully he can rediscover the inswing to right handers that he had before that fatefull Ashes series.
Australia has some selection headaches. Looking at the squad, we have packed Copeland, Cummins, Harris, Siddle and Watson in pace options. Copeland can't bowl my grandma's pace, but he showed a bit on the Sri Lanka tour. Cummins is a fine young man and already has some outstanding reviews, with Rod Marsh (I think, or someone else) said he was the 2nd best young quick he had seen at 18, behind that lightning quick boy Jeff Thomson. He also said he was as smart as Mohammed Amir (look later in my rant), and Wasim Akram himself said that Amir was smarter than him at 18. Harris is a outstanding late bloomer, and the leader of a otherwise very young attack. Siddle has a test hattrick to his name, but his form has fell away slightly. Watson is already a shoo-in due to his batting, and he has shown great reverse-swing skills on the recent tour to Sri Lanka. All-in-all, I assume that 3 quicks (not including Watson) and 4 quicks will be taken to Newlands and Jo'burg respectivley.
In batting options, we have Watson, Hughes, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Marsh, Khawaja and Haddin. There is talk of Watson dropping down the order to accommadate Marsh at first drop. Hughes is must show form, because Ussie is coming. Ponting, Clarke and Hussey selections speak for themselves; while Marsh and Khawaja are interesting. Marshy is set to bat at first drop, and Ussie may be on the bench but Marshy isn't invincible. Haddin is out-of-form and is the only keeper selected in the squad. WATCH YOUR BACK HADDIN, becuase Paine and Wade are applying pressure. Spinners Lyon and Beer. Lyon will get a run in Newlands, but no spinner is comfortable at Jo'burg.
Butt, Asif and Amir. Got what they payed for.
That's all I can think of atm.