Cricket

[Spike]

England actually showed some go with the ball, just the bat was embarrassing Australia’s bottom order is a world apart from England’s. Cummins, Starc, Lyon, not great batsemen but they go out and you can tell there is determination to score, England not so much, Broad, Anderson, Leach, whomever else just look they want it to be over. They have no battle left.

Worst England side ever? Saw a picture that over the last year extras was England’s third highest scorerer behind Burns and Root, Concerning that Burns is the second best batsmen on England, he couldn’t do a single thing right and looked as rattled as I would coming up against a fastball from Starc.

[Lucas]

On 28/12/2021 at 14:25, The Artful Dodger said:

The worst there’s been for England, the team is just shit now. Not even bottlers, just shit.

Root is only top level player left now, if I’m being generous I’d throw in Stokes but I’m not sure he really is that often at test level. Broad and Anderson former greats of course, Anderson can still do it now and then. 

Think you're being a tad harsh to Stokes. Never forget what he's done for us in the past including Headingley.

Don't forget he's missed most of the year battling mental health, I don't think the Ashes was the best time to come back for him personally but given our predicament, I think he felt he owed it to us to play. He was a shadow of himself unfortunately.

We've not had a decent opener since Cook unfortunately so everytime Root is coming to the crease, we are 1 or 2 down for 20 odd. I don't rate Burns or Hameed at all. They are incapable of seeing off the new ball and rarely put together big scores. Definitely don't put the pressure back on the bowling attack like Trescothick or Strauss would.

Buttler deserves dropping. He's the biggest one for me, a brilliant ODI and T20 star but at test level its not for him. I'd also drop Bairstow. They both survive on their name and because we have no emerging back ups but it's time to drop them from the test equation going forward.

I do think we miss Archer and we've been unlucky to lose him as long as we have, which puts yet more emphasis on Jimmy Anderson who we over rely on. The others like Wood, Woakes etc are majorly inconsistent.

And finally, we miss a good spinner. Giles and Swann carried the flag for the best part of recent years but other than Rashid, we've really struggled to produce top class spin. Leach doesn't have the weapons and he's a specialist. I'd even rate Moheen above him.

Edited December 29, 2021 by Lucas

[The Artful Dodger]

4 hours ago, Lucas said:

Think you're being a tad harsh to Stokes. Never forget what he's done for us in the past including Headingley.

Don't forget he's missed most of the year battling mental health, I don't think the Ashes was the best time to come back for him personally but given our predicament, I think he felt he owed it to us to play. He was a shadow of himself unfortunately.

We've not had a decent opener since Cook unfortunately so everytime Root is coming to the crease, we are 1 or 2 down for 20 odd. I don't rate Burns or Hameed at all. They are incapable of seeing off the new ball and rarely put together big scores. Definitely don't put the pressure back on the bowling attack like Trescothick or Strauss would.

Buttler deserves dropping. He's the biggest one for me, a brilliant ODI and T20 star but at test level its not for him. I'd also drop Bairstow. They both survive on their name and because we have no emerging back ups but it's time to drop them from the test equation going forward.

I do think we miss Archer and we've been unlucky to lose him as long as we have, which puts yet more emphasis on Jimmy Anderson who we over rely on. The others like Wood, Woakes etc are majorly inconsistent.

And finally, we miss a good spinner. Giles and Swann carried the flag for the best part of recent years but other than Rashid, we've really struggled to produce top class spin. Leach doesn't have the weapons and he's a specialist. I'd even rate Moheen above him.

That's fair, I was being harsh on Stokes. He's in the top class bracket, all rounders can't be expected to be averaging 50 etc.

Archer was definitely a big miss, he would have caused problems. Other than that, it's just dreadful. Admittedly I'm a snob about shorter forms of cricket but England can't seem to find any balance, and these constant whippings in Australia are just demoralising, for the whole sport because the Ashes is the number 1 spectacle in Test Cricket.

[Spike]

Sickening 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-02/jamie-mitchell-cricket-abuse-on-india-and-sri-lanka-tour/100715912?utm_medium=social&utm_content=sf252533245&utm_campaign=fb_abc_news&utm_source=m.facebook.com&sf252533245=1&fbclid=IwAR1jgEIfqDM1Dgo0ayWG1bvMb5m82DE0Pjo_d-iSDP-K3uKHXeeHHN-MfaM

[Azeem]

Hafeez retires from internationals. Last of the underrated spin trio with Afridi and Ajmal. Decent batter

[Toinho]

Literally should have all 5 tests in Perth. You’d have maximum crowds, and no fucking rain. 

[Spike]

Leach is a discount Lyon and as @Devil-Dick Williesays Gazza is a bit of a fucking discount in the first place

[Spike]

I was initially annoyed Kwahaja was brought in but only due to his age and I am not a scout. 120

[Azeem]

6 minutes ago, Spike said:

I was initially annoyed Kwahaja was brought in but only due to his age and I am not a scout. 120

Khawaja. It was an honorific title for noblemen in the midevil times.

[Spike]

1 minute ago, Khan of TF365 said:

Khawaja. It was an honorific title for noblemen in the midevil times.

I was on my phone and not wearing my glasses

[Toinho]

6 hours ago, Spike said:

Leach is a discount Lyon and as @Devil-Dick Williesays Gazza is a bit of a fucking discount in the first place

I would say, and I’m not exaggerating here, that the GOAT is possibly 2-3 trillion times better than Leach. 
 

Also, fair play to Khawaja , some score that!

Edited January 6, 2022 by Toinho

[Devil-Dick Willie]

6 hours ago, Spike said:

I was initially annoyed Kwahaja was brought in but only due to his age and I am not a scout. 120

I've always been a big fan. I have a mate whos a bit of a right winger, 2 actually, and the way Usman has been treated throughout his career has taught them both that institutional racism exists. Every time he fails, a thousand articles are written about how he looks "lazy" and "not bothered" And then he's replaced by a square jawed idiot who scored half the runs and inevitably Usman is put back in. Bancroft, S Marsh, Handscome, Burns, Harris. It's all the same story. 
When he scores 100 lazy and uninterested becomes "cool" and "collected" of course. 

Even today that utter cock licker Mark Waugh was harassing him for "scratching around, getting lots of 1s" It's called building an innings and rotating the strike you fucking plonker. A bunch of ex players already come out saying "yeah, 138 is cool, but I wouldn't drop Harris, his 30 was good in tough conditions" 

Cunt, if his 30 was good, then whats Khawajas 130? And Harris averages 24. Let it go. 

[Spike]

4 hours ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

I've always been a big fan. I have a mate whos a bit of a right winger, 2 actually, and the way Usman has been treated throughout his career has taught them both that institutional racism exists. Every time he fails, a thousand articles are written about how he looks "lazy" and "not bothered" And then he's replaced by a square jawed idiot who scored half the runs and inevitably Usman is put back in. Bancroft, S Marsh, Handscome, Burns, Harris. It's all the same story. 
When he scores 100 lazy and uninterested becomes "cool" and "collected" of course. 

Even today that utter cock licker Mark Waugh was harassing him for "scratching around, getting lots of 1s" It's called building an innings and rotating the strike you fucking plonker. A bunch of ex players already come out saying "yeah, 138 is cool, but I wouldn't drop Harris, his 30 was good in tough conditions" 

Cunt, if his 30 was good, then whats Khawajas 130? And Harris averages 24. Let it go. 

Does Usman open as well? I thought he looked slick in his role in the middle order. Harris was improved this innings. Just sucks that Labuschange and Khawaja couldn’t build a QLD parntership

[Devil-Dick Willie]

4 hours ago, Spike said:

Does Usman open as well? I thought he looked slick in his role in the middle order. Harris was improved this innings. Just sucks that Labuschange and Khawaja couldn’t build a QLD parntership

He averages 90 at opener. 

[Spike]

30 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

He averages 90 at opener. 

how many innings

[Devil-Dick Willie]

1 minute ago, Spike said:

how many innings

7

[Toinho]

55 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

He averages 90 at opener. 

Jesus and he was still dropped?! 
 

It’s a shame Mark Waugh isn’t a good commentator etc, he was one of my favourite cricket players growing up  

Edited January 6, 2022 by Toinho

[Devil-Dick Willie]

1 minute ago, Toinho said:

Jesus and he was still dropped?! 
 

It’s a shame Mark Waugh isn’t a good commentator etc, he was one of my favourite crickets growing up  

He's a sour old cunt. And was leading the anti Usman charge. "He should have been out for 28" Waugh when Usman scored 100. 
Meanwhile Warner got dropped twice, had a missed run out easy chance and was a hero for his 90 in the first test. 

[Spike]

Warnie is the worst when he talking about players. Painfully obvious he is jealous of Cummins, which is fucking weird because Warnie is quite literally one of the best of all time.That and Melbourne

ah the mcg

love the mcg

how good is the mcg

love tests at the mcg

how good are tests at the mcg 

mcg is great

shoule  play more at the mcg

 

However he is actually quite proactive and thoughtful when it comes to the laws of the sport. Loved the idea of suspending captains if they couldn’t keep up the over rate. they’d instantly cut out the mucking around. 

 

[Spike]

fucking england, come on give us a fucking game. want on a cheeky root double ton

[Spike]

Never mind, England collapsed 

[Devil-Dick Willie]

3 hours ago, Spike said:

 

 

However he is actually quite proactive and thoughtful when it comes to the laws of the sport. Loved the idea of suspending captains if they couldn’t keep up the over rate. they’d instantly cut out the mucking around. 

 

I hate the idea of suspending captains for slow over rate, as they're only partially in control. 

Personally, I think adding 3 runs per over missed is the go. 

[Toinho]

A little bit of fight here from England, no pun intended…

[Spike]

22 minutes ago, Toinho said:

A little bit of fight here from England, no pun intended…

Till megamind took out stokesy

[Toinho]

Bairstow with a century at the close of play. England not that far behind now really, Wood’s dismissal was a bit lucky perhaps - excellent review, tbh he was smacking the worlds best bowler all of the park for a bit there haha.

Well done to Bairstow though, big ginger lad, bit like @Honey Honey I’d imagine.