Cricket

Is there another team sport with an equivalent of the batting collapse? Where elite athletes are turned into stumbling fools and every delivery looks like a hand grenade. Scrabbling around in the dressing room for your other batting glove despite being no 6 and planning a long afternoon doze.

Pink ball for ODI games might level up matches a bit for the bowlers? Just a thought.

…perhaps not so good for the coffers of Cricket Australia and the AO though (in a C-19 free environment).

I agree around some levelling-up of the bowling v batting equation in the T20 and ODI games - but whether the paying public would be happy with a game finished by say 4-30pm is another matter.

…36, another nail in the coffin of Test cricket?

Have to say Hazelwood and Cummins were on fire, prefect bowling line and length.

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Would like to have seen (at least the highlights)

Highlights on YouTube

Funny you say that, I do understand where you’re coming from but as an Aussie it was unbelievable. I was expecting us to get cleaned up on the 4th day. Time wise it great for me as I’ve got the in laws here who seem to want to dominate the screen and our family Christmas tomorrow. Now it’s out the way and this house is happy at least.

Wonder what odds I would have last night for Aus to wrap it up inside 3 days.

If the highlights I’ve just watched are a reflection of the way India batted in general, then only 3/4 of them showed reasonable technique for batting on a moving wicket. Lots of one-day type prods and little feet movement.

Credit where due though in that the Aussies bowled proper (full!) line and length, something not seen a great deal in Test cricket nowadays (to my eyes at least)…and reaped the rewards.

Yep, they just hang the bat out and didn’t really show much aggression or technique. Pretty disappointing, they’re press will eat them alive.

I don’t think so. It is precisely because the next game they could score 520 for 6 declared that makes Test cricket so good. That and a series of games that build a narrative over (ideally) five matches.

Sleep well Pete.

At least Ireland can say India now have a lower Innings Test score.

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RIP John Edrich - he was early inspiration for me as an aspiring county cricketer. Sadly I was not so gifted.

Here’s another, more detailed obituary … what character.

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Yes indeed, a great player.
Test stats aside he scored almost 40,000 for Surrey.
I saw him at Lords against Aus and a few other times at the Oval for Surrey. Long time ago, mists of time …

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John Edrich was one of England’s and Norfolk’s finest. Faced the great West Indian and Australian attacks of the 70s and never flinched once.

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It’s Boxing Day and we know what that means, test cricket in just under 2 hours.

Pretty sure I saw Edrich opening up for Surrey vs Yorkshire back in the day. He was superb - and reliable.

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I listened a bit in the night. Great to hear 27,000 in the MCG even if not a huge amount for Australia to cheer. Not entirely sure from the commentary I heard that there are too many devils in the wicket. Perhaps days 2-3 are going to be better for batting. India will be surely relieved to have passed 36 in their reply anyway!

How did Steve Smith do in IPL etc? He had that bad concussion in the last Ashes, then missed games here last summer after being hit in the nets again. Maybe it is just a dip in form, but just a bit of a worry perhaps. He was completely dominant here in 2019 and looks like Australia need him in form (plus the classy Labuschagne).

Hope you had a good Xmas Pete.

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Have to say the Aus bowlers covered a weak batting line up which was exposed again today. There’s a few injuries which may have cause a balance issue (who knows) and the openers are all out of form. As for Steve it’s a bit hard to tell he’s normally so fidgety anyway but none of the first 6 look that comfortable imo.

Around 200 normally creates a result so I’m not that unhappy, forecast is maybe low chance of showers tomorrow and none for the rest of the match. Happy days.

There’s a chance the Sydney test may be played in Melbourne. There’s a breakout of COVID on the northern beaches of Sydney and some restrictions have been reimposed. Should know on Wednesday if it’s ok.

I mentioned on the wrong thread that I saw him at Headingley in 1965 when he scored an unbeaten 310. Great batsman and if I’m not mistaken suffered a couple of broken ribs from an Australian bowler later in his career. Helmets and padding not used back then.

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That would have been Dennis Lillee I guess.

Sad to hear also that Surrey teammate Robin Jackman had passed as well. Once asked him for an autograph when he was fielding on the boundary and he told me where to go. Nice guy though according to the write ups - RIP.

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Pete

Not sure the bowlers are going to get you out of this one, unless they can bat as well as they usually bowl.

As you say, the team has relied on Smith scoring lots of runs and the bowling attack doing the rest for a while. Fair play to India for bouncing back, with fresh faces and no Kohli too. One bowler down this innings too.

Unpredictable and interesting series for the neutral. The commentary is available on radio here.

Bruce