The Cricket Thread

Australia well and truly on top now, can see South Africa being bowled out for less than 300 here.

KP. \o/

He might not be a great player of spin, but my god can he play some great innings against it.

I've only caught bits of it but this has been a fantastic test match.

Fixtures for the 2013 season have been released. Opening fixtures:

Division One

Durham v Somerset
Notts v Middlesex
Warwickshire v Derbyshire
Yorkshire v Sussex

Division Two

Essex v Gloucestershire
Glamorgan v Northants
Lancashire v Worcestershire

Starts on 10th April. Come on Durham!

Watson gets Smith for 16!! \o/

Mitchell Starc just bowled a ripper!!

South Africa 2-62 atm.

Starc has bowled Kallis, fucking cracking ball.

South Africa 3-63 now...

Yeah look what happened when Australia batted though lol. I walked onto the field for my game yesterday and we were talking about how many runs Ponting would get. I threw a "4" out there and got slagged for being un australian haha. If only I put some money on it.

South Africia remind me of us under Waugh. Especially that ability to fight back and gain complete control from very poor positions.

South Africa are quality, best fast bowling attack in the game, best batting side in the game (and they've got depth there too unlike us). If they had a quality spinner they'd be top of the world by a distance.

It's going to be a very interesting day today at the WACA.

Alastair Cook is just an absolute machine

I used to think he was very dull to watch but he has grown on me. He is always so calm at the crease, he never panics he never even looks tired. 35 degree heat and he's as cool as anything. Love watching him bat now.

Dhoni runs himself out on 99.

Hilarious.

First day of the boxing test today and all I can only ask this question.

Were Australia really good today or Sri Lanka really shit?

Bit of both, some horrible shots played by the Sri Lankans but at times some really good bowling especially from Bird.

Second day has been frustrating from a Sri Lankan point of view. They've worked hard and are likely to be 300 runs down going into their second innings despite that hard work, only one winner from here really.

Bird did look impressive yesterday as well, didn't look like he was making his Test debut.

Well disappointing the game is over already. Sri Lanka didn't look like competing 4/13 at one point in their second dig. Also Sangakara retired hurt along with Pasana Jawawardene being injured and the other fast bowler with a torn hammy. Definitely not their test match, hopefully things pick up for them in Sydney would like to see a competitive test match here.

I can't imagine it will be competitive.

This test match will have blown their confidence away and the Australians will be like sharks in water smelling blood.

Tony Greig passed away today.

Sad day for cricket.

Thought I hadn't or couldn't see much worse than Sri Lanka's less-than-half-a-test capitulation v Australia the other day... New Zealand are doing their best to prove me wrong. Day 2 Session 2 and they're already down a wicket in their second innings about 300 runs behind.

There are a lot of teams in dire straits atm... Sri Lanka and New Zealand are a bit of a shambles. India are getting worse. Only the likes of SA and England have settled teams. And Australia, Pakistan, Windies and Bangladesh are on the rise (at different levels obviously)

A lot of people would blame T20 cricket, but I think it goes deeper than that.

New Zealand are paying for having been mismanaged by the board, Brendon McCullum is hardly a test player let alone a captain and the likes of Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder not being on the tour was always going to give them problems. Even then some of the dismissals were awful, Philander is a good bowler and he's accurate but he really didn't do much with the ball and the Kiwi batsmen were queuing up to give him their wicket.

But yeah, T20 does have a role to play in explaining it. NZC even if they were a competent board don't have the money to stop people going to the IPL and their T20 competition is not going to encourage anyone to play the longer format when more money is on offer in the shorter game and the fact that Sri Lanka aren't playing a test series this year is criminal.

Of course, T20 has its own success stories. Eoin Morgan became a test player broadly off his skill in the shorter format and the same is true for Faf du Plessis as well but in the long term its rewarding of wibbly wobbly bit part players who will hit a breezy 20 and bowl a couple of overs is going to harm the test game.

Sri Lanka are playing a series this year albeit the last of a three test series against us

Sri Lanka's problems also stem from the fact that the sports minister picks his selectors, the selectors then pick a team which goes back to the sports minister for approval. I mean 3 or 4 of the batsmen Sri Lanka have taken over here average around 20 which is not good enough. I'm sure there are probably a lot of players that get overlooked by the minister that could do a job.

New Zealand were always going to struggle, Ross Taylor getting sacked as captain then not going on the tour at all would send any team into disarray. Don't forget we got rolled for 47 over there little more then a year ago so it's not exactly the end of the world for them yet.

This could get tasty.

Warner out for a golden duck with Australia chasing 141 to win.

I'd love an Australian collapse and Mr Cricket to come in and hit the winning runs, it would be fitting.

I bet Cowan will bat through now and we won't see Hussey.

Yeah, it looks like he will.

Bit of a shame, because he's played like shit. He'll struggle big time in India.

And then Clarke gets himself out out of absolutely no where.

Clarke throwing his wicket away no doubt about it.

FS this has started to get interesting again now I'm actually tired.

Wade and Hussey should wrap this game up soon enough pal.

Fuck that. It's a farce how often Test Cricket shoots itself in the foot with ridiculous things like that.

Let them score the 5 runs ffs, Tea can wait.