***Official England in India***

[Richard]

Robin Smith managed it.

Admittedly a weakness against spin is likely to be more of a problem for an Indian player than an England one though.

All the more baffling that his Ranji\Duleep record is as good as it is really. Averaged over 50 until very recently IIRR.

 

[Precambrian]

More of a mental problem. He recently cut into Krejza, despite the latter being an off spinner. The problem with Yuvraj is that he is way too aggressive, and he thinks that test matches require defensive play and he tries a non-existing defence technique. He could borrow a leaf from Sehwag's book and start playing shots from the beginning itself. Yuvraj is never going to be a success at the test level if he does not play his natural game.

 

[GIMH]

Question, when was the last time we played an overseas test without any warm-up matches?

 

[Precambrian]

Question, when was the last time we played an overseas test without any warm-up matches?

0-5 is not warmup for 0-2?

 

[GIMH]

I have no idea what you're talking about

 

[Arjun]

On Dial C for Cricket, Vasu Paranjpe and Saba Karim are debating whether Murali Kartik should play Tests for India, and whether he was given a fair try. Guess what, Murali Kartik calls on the show!

 

[Manee]

He's a bit too much of a defensive spinner (strike rate of 64.3 in FC cricket) for my liking.

 

[Richard]

Question, when was the last time we played an overseas test without any warm-up matches?

Played without any proper warm-up matches quite a few times - ie, the "game"s we have played have been utterly sans-seriousness.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, but they are still a warm-up

 

[Richard]

So are practice sessions though, that's the thing.

There's a practice session, there's a practice session with some element of score being kept, and there's a proper match.

Unless you play an 11-a-side game of three days' minimum duration (and ideally four) it's not really a tour-game to my mind. It won't get the remotest of coverage beyond potted-scorecard and 3-line report in Wisden, for example.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

That wasn't what GIMH was asking though, was it?

I don't know - could actually be a first for a Test tour.

 

[Precambrian]

I think India's all tours to Bangladesh, for that matter virtually all tours to Bangladesh, were made without any warm up matches.

Test series without any FC match preceding them

Pakistan in India, 2007
Pakistan in India, 2005
India in Pakistan, 2004
SA in India, 2008

 

[Magrat Garlick]

1993

Things weren't always better before...

 

[Anil]

I have no idea what you're talking about

you should close the eyes of that emoticon as well to be in complete denial....

 

[FBU]

India - 681 caps 41,089 runs 100 hundreds 189 fifties 653 wickets
England - 451 caps 22,321 runs 54 hundreds 103 fifties 759 wickets

(figures taken for the original 15 man squads on each side)
They would have over twelve hundred wickets with Kumble's 619 if he was still playing.

 

[andruid]

So are practice sessions though, that's the thing.

There's a practice session, there's a practice session with some element of score being kept, and there's a proper match.

Unless you play an 11-a-side game of three days' minimum duration (and ideally four) it's not really a tour-game to my mind. It won't get the remotest of coverage beyond potted-scorecard and 3-line report in Wisden, for example.

Are you saying that because a 12th or a 13th guy hapenned to participate in the game and therefore some magazine could not be *****ed about properly noting it down there is some kind of difference beteween those warm upmatches and the strict XI a side ones in getting the squad accustomed to playing in the climatic conditions where they are touring?

 

[social]

18 degrees and bucketing down with rain in Abu Dhabi today - forget practice

 

[fredfertang]

Just heard Peter Moores being interviewed on the radio - when he was asked about Saj Mahmood he said he'd just had a good season for Lancashire

 

[Manee]

Good meaning promising meaning he played a few games and did okay, which would be a lie.

 

[Richard]

Are you saying that because a 12th or a 13th guy hapenned to participate in the game and therefore some magazine could not be *****ed about properly noting it down there is some kind of difference beteween those warm upmatches and the strict XI a side ones in getting the squad accustomed to playing in the climatic conditions where they are touring?

Of course there is. Some are as much use as a practice session in the middle (those which are 12\15-a-side) and some are a bit more use as they're a genuine match (those which are 11-a-side).

And of course there's a World of difference to a player playing in his home country. For those participating in 15-a-siders\two-dayers, they basically gain nothing. But for a proper 11-a-side three\four-day game, they gain the chance to perform against international opposition.