You know what really grinds my cricketing gears?

[honestbharani]

No, I saw that particular game and it turned square. It rained on the morning of day 1, but the pitch wasn't affected by rain, iirc. In any event, by the morning of th match, the pitch was already prepared. The game was over in less than 3 days. There was a lot of talk about the deck after the game:

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/141533.html

It was particularly embarrasing for, I think Nathan Hauritz, who was playing as an offie and Clarke completely out-bowled him.

Yep, it was because of the rain. There was rain for a good couple of weeks before the game and the groundsmen could not put in the final touches and that led to the wicket being underprepared and therefore became a minefield for batters. Fastish spin delivered from rather uncomfortable angles was almost unplayable on that track. Hence, Clarke did better than Hauritz.

 

[Burgey]

Iirc, Harbajan bowled really well in that game too.

 

[Matt79]

Tennis gets so many good commentators all the time for instance. Bah.

Really? I'd say that tennis is the one sport that has consistently WORSE commentary than cricket.

 

[Richard]

**** SIGHTSCREENS!!!!!!!!!!

Is it really, really so difficult to erect a decent sightscreen? FFS, we've got a reasonably good one at our club. And yet you get grounds where international cricket is played where there's an abysmal excuse for one. I mean, what's the point in having the thing ITFP?

 

[Craig]

People who keep calling Cricket Australia the ACB

FFS they changed their name four years ago, it is not as though it is a recent change either. How do people do it?

 

[Dasa]

^I think people don't care enough to notice the change. Must be said though not upto your OT standards, Craig.

 

[Richard]

Give the guy a chance, was his first OT rant up to his eventual standards?

 

[Pratters]

Really? I'd say that tennis is the one sport that has consistently WORSE commentary than cricket.

The Star Sports coverage we have had over the years has had excellent commentary with Vijay Amritraj. Other than that too, whenever I have watched tennis, I haven't minded the commentary more often than not.

 

[Jono]

Really? I'd say that tennis is the one sport that has consistently WORSE commentary than cricket.

Who? I love the ATP Masters commentators... they know the sport through and through.

C7 don't have the best during the Aus Open, but in general tennis commentators know their game more so then cricket commentators do.

 

[Xuhaib]

Every time Imraan Khan is on a cricket talk show, one is pretty sure these things will happen.

• Salivating on Mohd Sami
• Bull****ting the domestic cricket structure
• Crying at the lack of specialist openers, whenever he says this I feel like calling on the show and asking who promoted Salim Yousuf at the top of the order everytime the team faced the mighty West Indies.

Jeez dude ...come up with something orignal now.

 

[Pratters]

Imran was excellent in those cricket shows with Manjrekar and Hussain. Hussain is one of the best commentators around and that was a golden team right there which produced quality. My take is that Imran is brilliant when he doesn't talk about Pakistan cricket.

 

[Xuhaib]

Imran was excellent in those cricket shows with Manjrekar and Hussain. Hussain is one of the best commentators around and that was a golden team right there which produced quality. My take is that Imran is brilliant when he doesn't talk about Pakistan cricket.

That was a fair while ago, listening to him in the last 6 months has been pretty dull stuff.

 

[Pratters]

I am sure if he did another genuine international show talking about cricket, he would talk with the same quality. He just gets more opinionated, often radically so where Pakistan cricket is concerned. Whether it is some agenda or not, I cbf. I can understand you getting pissed off regarding it though.

 

[Craig]

^I think people don't care enough to notice the change. Must be said though not upto your OT standards, Craig.

Agreed it was too forced.

 

[Dick Rockett]

**** SIGHTSCREENS!!!!!!!!!!

Is it really, really so difficult to erect a decent sightscreen? FFS, we've got a reasonably good one at our club. And yet you get grounds where international cricket is played where there's an abysmal excuse for one. I mean, what's the point in having the thing ITFP?

Advertising?

 

[honestbharani]

Iirc, Harbajan bowled really well in that game too.

yeah, but Kartik did the real damage. Harbhajan is difficult to play when he gets some bounce and his doosra becomes a big weapon then, that is what happened there....

 

[Craig]

Slow over rates:

One of the worst things about cricket IMO. It really gets my goat (well if I had one) is how long some teams take to bowl an over (like the captain going up to the bowler every 5 seconds, FFS let him figure it out) and the time wasted in between overs. Stop wasting time and just get in there and bowl your overs, the sooner you bowl them, the sooner they are done. Also it is a sign that your team is not playing well if they are just moping about and taking their time. If it were me, I wouldn't just fine said team, I'd dock them points from either the Test or ODI tables depending in which the offence occured. This would be for repeated offenders. Take that.

 

[Matt79]

Who? I love the ATP Masters commentators... they know the sport through and through.

C7 don't have the best during the Aus Open, but in general tennis commentators know their game more so then cricket commentators do.

Well tbf, even as I typed it, I was thinking that the vast majority of the tennis I watch is on channel 7 during the Aussie summer and they are just bloody awful - especially if there's an Australian, especially if its Hewitt, playing. The way they barrack "If you're just joining us, we're trying to get Lleyt's across the line here against Mardy Fish". No, we're not hoping that actually. Newk's the worst. And "Fiery" Fred Stolle. Unless the "Fiery" refers to an otherwise undisclosed flatulence problem, that's got to be the most inaccurate nick-name ever... Jim Courier is the only thing that makes it remotely watchable. And the way the female commentators always barrack for the top-seed and dribble on the whole match about how wonderful they are. urggh...

 

[Matt79]

Slow over rates:

One of the worst things about cricket IMO. It really gets my goat (well if I had one) is how long some teams take to bowl an over (like the captain going up to the bowler every 5 seconds, FFS let him figure it out) and the time wasted in between overs. Stop wasting time and just get in there and bowl your overs, the sooner you bowl them, the sooner they are done. Also it is a sign that your team is not playing well if they are just moping about and taking their time. If it were me, I wouldn't just fine said team, I'd dock them points from either the Test or ODI tables depending in which the offence occured. This would be for repeated offenders. Take that.

Yep - I've mentioned that as my number one gear grinder at the moment... But not at such length - nice one Craig.

 

[Dasa]

Well tbf, even as I typed it, I was thinking that the vast majority of the tennis I watch is on channel 7 during the Aussie summer and they are just bloody awful - especially if there's an Australian, especially if its Hewitt, playing. The way they barrack "If you're just joining us, we're trying to get Lleyt's across the line here against Mardy Fish". No, we're not hoping that actually. Newk's the worst. And "Fiery" Fred Stolle. Unless the "Fiery" refers to an otherwise undisclosed flatulence problem, that's got to be the most inaccurate nick-name ever... Jim Courier is the only thing that makes it remotely watchable. And the way the female commentators always barrack for the top-seed and dribble on the whole match about how wonderful they are. urggh...

That reminds me of something else that grinds my gears...commentators referring to sportspeople by their first names. It just sounds so unprofessional. Annoys me a bit when people do it generally as well tbh.