Friday 21 August 2009

Day 2- Mikey hates the track too!

glad to be in the company of Whispering Death himself! Day 2 and Mickey tells it like i saw it...

Good cautious start by our blokes, i think a potentially ok-ish first score for blighty boys, and Bumble says a pitch that will be up and down; wish i didn't have an early start, this could be as good as test gets- apart from day 5 Adelaide 07/08! Thanks for that Shane! ;-)

Thursday 20 August 2009

who wanted Siddle out!? first session

great start, can't believe someone here (briefly) entertained the notion of dropping Siddle- IDIOT!
i'd still like to see his seam in a better way... but a couple of real quick ones so far.

the beautiful even straw pitch certainly has chopped up in the bowlers follow through quickly.
Maybe it was crepe over the top of sand paper!

Express team choice

Anyone able to get this done before team announced?
Prefered Aussie team for last test.

Jim Maxwell on ABC says due to the heat, the wicket will turn into a bunsen; so Hauritz to come back.

i'll have a dip. For mine:

same as last test apart from: Hey-diddle out, go and tighten up bloke! Your game is good, but for someone so aggressive, they get too many runs off you.

so, surprisingly i'll give Binga a go; why travel all that way and not play? (chssssp! sound as i open worm can!) I was watch You tube last night and i want to see more of Lee's inswinging yorkers! they don't need to be at 155km, 142 will be enough.

Huss, you have done just enough to swing my sights away... for now!

stoph verismo
down the wicket

Fantasy team reminder.

don't forget to tweak (if you want) your teams: 10 hours (as of 10am) til lock out

stoph verismo
down the wicket

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Dear ICC, listen to me!

Never one at risk of becoming a wallflower, Shane Warne has again re-inflated his already substantial profile by writing one of the most forward thinking articles on the game and its future in his Times slot.

Few things escaped Warne's critical glare, foremost being the standard of umpiring.
Some umpire -those named- may feel affronted, as being able to make decisions according to the rules of the game is their trade. But whether it is due to some mellowing, or an attempt to use his position to affect change without being labelled a wowser, Warne gives some positive points to those that he has named and shamed, (apart from D.Harper.
And if any umpire was to take issue with this, they are missing Warne's solution: pay umpires more!

Next is the place of T20 and ODI's within the greater scheme of the game. Warne believes the 50 over game is holding on only due to the greed of administrators, and that cricket is better served with only T20 and test; i'm hardly saying something new when i remind you that i believe this to be the only way too- great Victorian legspinner minds think ali...

Lastly, whether it is the bowler in him talking or greater good, Warne wants switch hitting taken out of the game. I'm a bit surprised given he was one of the best users of flight/drift/loop i would have thought he'd see a batsman playing these shenanigans at the crease as more of a target and affording more opportunities for dismissal.

Sure it all gets a bit out of whack when it comes to an LBW against the batsman having a go at this risky play, but at least Warne offers an answer here too; "...if switch hitting can't be banned, then the leg before rule must be tweaked so that the batsman changing his stance has a second off stump."
A fair call too.

The thing i don't like or think is fair are those bats with the reverse side flattened to enable reverse sweeps/paddles without turning the wrists. Pure shite!

I for one like this (switch-hitting) in the game as it adds a little more variety and excitement and it should push bowlers to develop their speed shift ups or downs on release. There is more to be addressed on the issue, but the powers that be should look at how it can be included whilst still having a balance between bat and ball.

for Warnies 6 point plan for cricket:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/shane_warne/article6798514.ece?openComment=true#comments-form

http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=851007

stoph verismo
down the wicket