The Australian cricket non-official thread!

Matty76 · Oct 25, 2014

Oops - things looking grim in the UAE. Australia collapsed from 0/128 to 303 all out. David Warner hit at brilliant 133 and there were starts from Rogers (38), Johnson (37), Marsh (27), Smith and Haddin (22 apiece).

Pakistan 0/38 in their second innings, an overall lead of 189.

I think today has to be the "day of the spinners" if Australia are to get back into the game and end up with a chase of 350 or so. Johnson cannot be expected to rip through once again, and he did bowl 31 overs in the first innings. If Lyon, O'keefe and Smith can knock over the top four or five, you would think that Johnson could blast out the tail. My second-innings destroyer "smokey" is Mitchell Marsh with reverse swing.

The Mad Hatter · Oct 25, 2014

Australia gone. Will be chasing 400 and Aust will be all out for 125.

Matty76 · Oct 25, 2014

The Mad Hatter said:
Australia gone. Will be chasing 400 and Aust will be all out for 125.

We should get the "Bill and Tony niggling aggro" commentary-box thing going hahahaha.

I think a lot will depend on how Pakistan go about it - can't see them declaring until stumps, so it might be a slow, grinding sort of day.

mounteverest · Oct 25, 2014

Has Dave Warner matured as a cricketer,joins Sir Don and Adam Gilchrist as only aus batsman to score three consecutive test centuries and has passed fifty on the last six bats and I for one wouldn't have fought that 12 months ago after his punch up and his rant on face book,it's good to see and hope it contuines.
Love that reverse sweep in a test match,think that shows his confidence in his game and all is happy at home

The Mad Hatter · Oct 25, 2014

Warner and Johnson are carrying this team at the moment. Smith has been good lately too. Pakistan aren't scoring the runs I assumed they would (I just got home from an all out for 95 pummelling and a 5/250 pounding and was pleasantly surprised to see they'd scored little in the first session).

Aiden225 · Oct 25, 2014

I think playing two spinners was a mistake.
If your gonna play two spinners one should be all rounder (someone that can bowl handy overs)
Our team for next test should be:
1.Rogers
2.Warner
3.Hughes
4.Clarke
5.Smith
6.Maxwell
7.Haddin
8. Johnson
9. Siddle
10. Hillfenhous or starc
11. Lyon

Matty76 · Oct 25, 2014

Younis Khan becomes the first player since Glenn Turner in 1974 to score a century in each innings vs Australia. He also now has the Pakistan record of 26 Test centuries. Pakistan have declared at 2/286, a lead of 437. About 90 minutes to go until stumps.

Update** After a promising start, a collapse of 4/5 has unfortunately sealed Australia's fate. The men out are Warner (29),Doolan (0), Clarke (3) and Lyon (0).

4/59 at stumps - Rogers 23*, Smith 3*

unless a bloody big sand storm tears through the joint, we might become the long lost relation of Play School's Big Ted and Little Ted.....Roo Ted

The Mad Hatter · Oct 26, 2014

Terrible weekend to follow Aussie sports teams - both the cricket and rugby league teams thumped!!

Matty76 · Oct 27, 2014

A comprehensive defeat last night in the UAE as fighting innings from Rogers, Smith, Johnson and Siddle were not enough to prolong the inevitable.

Still, you put the injured Watson and Harris back in that team and maybe things might have been different - who knows?

I am not a fan of these 15-per-side knock-about warm-up games and I think the preparation was less than ideal. However, that's the way they do thing these days. Long gone is the era where you would hear "..and that's going to be pretty much their Test side" before a warm-up game.

It will be interesting to see what the selectors do - I don't think a spinner should be chosen simply for "spinner's sake". The O'keefe/Lyon partnership didn't work at all.

Matty76 · Oct 30, 2014

Can Australia bounce back? We will find out in 25 minutes from now.

Pakistan have won the toss and will bat, having named an unchanged team. Australia have bought in Maxwell and Starc for Doolan and O'Keefe, a great attacking move in my opinion.

Maxwell poses a dual threat with his explosive batting and unpredictable off spin.

Looking forward to this!

The Mad Hatter · Oct 30, 2014

I am excited. I love Starc I have to admit.

Matty76 · Oct 30, 2014

Nathan Lyon with the breakthrough - Shehzad LBW. Pakistan 1/57.

It is the most peculiar pitch I have ever seen - grass from the end of the pitch to the crease line (at both ends!), but bald as a badger otherwise!!

Matty76 · Oct 30, 2014

It's a bit of a massacre at the moment unfortunately - 2/254 after 75 overs. Younis Khan is rapidly approaching his THIRD century of the series, well supported by Ahzar Ali. This has got 500-odd written all over it unless the new ball strikes this evening.

The Mad Hatter · Oct 31, 2014

I just don't think the Aussies care TBH and I mean that in a 'this is just a commercial obligation' tour, means nothing to them.

Clarke's fielding almost made a mockery of it all. But that said, while the ICC continue to allow dead pitches to be curated why get upset.

Matty76 · Oct 31, 2014

I think Michael Clarke tried most things - and @The Mad Hatter you are 100% right about dead pitches.

I was only thinking about that last night - cricket is one of the few sports I can think of where the actual playing surface is tailored to meet the needs of a particular team. Sometimes in soccer you might heard that "So-and so won at Old Trafford or Anfield for the first time in fifty years", or "So-and-so broke their interstate hoodoo" in the AFL, but in those instances the actual ground conditions aren't a LOT different generally speaking.

Perhaps the ICC was worried that Australia would steamroll Pakistan and then no-one would turn up.......

The Mad Hatter · Oct 31, 2014

It doesn't excuse the fact Australia's bowling hasn't taken wickets, and it wasn't like they weren't trying or making chances (which they failed to capitalise upon), but seriously, when you have to blunt an opposition's quick men by producing a flat dead track and play 4 part time spinners (which Australia should be able to play anyway), then it's all a bit of a yawn for mine. You can't expect quicks to want to spend 6 hours in the field bowling in 35 degree heat and bowl on a dead track and then expect them to give half a shit how the game goes. It has to be a contest between both bat and ball, and this series, amongst others, clearly highlights this is not occurring in world cricket. And this isn't some rant because we are being pounded, Australia produces juicy decks for the quicks. But with all the MILLIONS the UAE are putting in to hosting cricket, and for the very fact they have lush green ovals, surely a little of that water can be sprinkled on the centre wicket.

Matty76 · Oct 31, 2014

Yep, it's a bit like taking on a Sherman tank with a pea shooter or throwing cream puffs at the town hall, or (as a former work mate would say) pissing down your leg and playing with the steam.

It will be very interesting to see what kind of pitches are prepared for the Australian home Tests, four-day finishes aren't in the best interests of Cricket Australia with the massive Indian crowds that are expected to visit. The difference between the flat pitches in 2003-04 (Steve Waugh's farewell series) and 2011-12 (Hilfenhaus, Pattinson, Siddle, Harris, Starc amongst the Australian quicks) were quite amazing.

Fast, bouncy pitches give everyone a chance and I hope to God that we see that!

**First round of the Sheffield Shield today. VIC vs NSW, SA vs QLD and WA vs TAS.
Chadd Sayers has taken a hat-trick in the SA vs QLD game!!

The Mad Hatter · Oct 31, 2014

I love that Allan Border says he didn't quite like Mitchell Johnson fielding behind the bowler and the press turn it in to a monumental, full blown "not in the spirit of the game" issue and the keyboard warriors are out in force saying Clarke should be sacked.

I seem to remember a shed load of Australian cricket teams for over 40 odd years populated by some of the games 'GREATS' - Chappell, Border, Taylor, Warne, McGrath, S Waugh, Ponting - having a devil of a time of it in both India and Pakistan.

Hell, even the Pakistan series played in England in 2010 we only drew 1-1.

Matty76 · Oct 31, 2014

Agree completely. The "spirit of the game" is utter and complete nonsense anyway. WG Grace cheated back in the 1800's, some players cheated in the 1980's and 1990's and some will continue to do so for as long as the game is played. Some blokes at international level will get away with whatever they can - we have seen that with ball tampering, throwing, match-fixing, claiming half-volley catches, anything.

Part of cricket's charm is it's "unwritten gentleman's agreements" but this sometimes disappears in the heat of the battle.

As for Michael Clarke - in all my years of watching the Australian team (back to 1990) he suffered the greatest indignity I have seen an Australian captain receive when a collection of imbeciles booed him onto the 'Gabba during a One-Day international. He is a wonderful, passionate, attacking captain who has probably surpassed all of our hopes.

The Mad Hatter · Oct 31, 2014

I have always and will always adore Michael Clarke. The rot that is spoken of him is just that, rot. His 5-0 captaincy of Australia over England in the Ashes when England were coming here to win 5-0 and to dismantle the #1 Test team on their own turf in South Africa - and that ton that came from determination, grit and fight - will be cherished memories.

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