You know what really grinds my cricketing gears?

[G.I.Joe]

Elitist views of the game

Haha, word. Intolerant bigots, the whole lot of them.

 

[Goughy]

Was actually going to bump this thread yesterday but forgot...

Commentators saying "the new ball is due"

No it isn't you pratts, it's available. Big difference.

Fair point.

That will probably annoy me every time I hear it in the future.

 

[Precambrian]

Haha, word. Intolerant bigots, the whole lot of them.

GAGFC.

 

[andruid]

350/9 is always better than 250/2 in my book

 

[Precambrian]

There are a hundred thousand Indian cricket sites, but I have to resort to old CricketArchive to get updated scorecards of the ongoing Ranji Trophy. No live coverage for even the top matches. Even the glamour sites like cricketnext don't even have a section for domestic, yet they have a section to "Wish birth-day boy Yuvraj". ****ing **** **** ****s.

 

[andruid]

There are a hundred thousand Indian cricket sites, but I have to resort to old CricketArchive to get updated scorecards of the ongoing Ranji Trophy. No live coverage for even the top matches. Even the glamour sites like cricketnext don't even have a section for domestic, yet they have a section to "Wish birth-day boy Yuvraj". ****ing **** **** ****s.

Agreed CricketArchive rules

 

[Uppercut]

People using the words "average", "mediocre" and "ordinary" to mean "bad."

..."This New Zealand batting lineup has been made to look very ordinary today..."

No it hasn't. It's been made to look like the Craggy Island Over-75s. It's been made to look dire, ****, crap, useless, inept, bollocks. Runako M****n isn't a "mediocre test batsman". He's one of the worst batsmen ever to play test cricket. If someone's bad, just say they're bad. It's an insult to real mediocre players like Ross Taylor to lump them in with the useless ones.

 

[Precambrian]

People using the words "average", "mediocre" and "ordinary" to mean "bad."

..."This New Zealand batting lineup has been made to look very ordinary today..."

No it hasn't. It's been made to look like the Craggy Island Over-75s. It's been made to look dire, ****, crap, useless, inept, bollocks. Runako M****n isn't a "mediocre test batsman". He's one of the worst batsmen ever to play test cricket. If someone's bad, just say they're bad. It's an insult to real mediocre players like Ross Taylor to lump them in with the useless ones.

And I get brickbats whenever I say Athers was a mediocre batsman.

 

[Richard]

People using the words "average", "mediocre" and "ordinary" to mean "bad."

..."This New Zealand batting lineup has been made to look very ordinary today..."

No it hasn't. It's been made to look like the Craggy Island Over-75s. It's been made to look dire, ****, crap, useless, inept, bollocks. Runako M****n isn't a "mediocre test batsman". He's one of the worst batsmen ever to play test cricket. If someone's bad, just say they're bad. It's an insult to real mediocre players like Ross Taylor to lump them in with the useless ones.

I get this, though I like so many others have been guilty of it copious amounts. It's much better to just leave it at "good" (eg, VVS Laxman or David Boon), then "decent" (eg, Michael Atherton, Damien Martyn or Nathan Astle), then simply "poor" (eg, Morton or Mubarak).

BTW, Morton's certainly not one of the worst batsmen to play Test cricket, but he is one of the worst to play more than 3 or 4 games.

The reason, of course, that so many people are reluctant to call players outright "poor" is because they're human beings with feelings. And most commentators and broadsheet writers - whose words the players inevitably come accross plenty often - have some sense of sympathy and understanding. Of course, that doesn't apply on here as we presume precious few cricketers who we're commenting on will ever read these pages (though we may conceivably presume wrongly) but the thing is, the terminology seeps downwards. If you're used to and have heard all your cricket-watching\reading life "mediocre\moderate\ordinary\average" being used to mean "poor", then you're going to do it yourself as well. And so the circle turns.

 

[Uppercut]

The reason, of course, that so many people are reluctant to call players outright "poor" is because they're human beings with feelings. And most commentators and broadsheet writers - whose words the players inevitably come accross plenty often - have some sense of sympathy and understanding. Of course, that doesn't apply on here as we presume precious few cricketers who we're commenting on will ever read these pages (though we may conceivably presume wrongly) but the thing is, the terminology seeps downwards. If you're used to and have heard all your cricket-watching\reading life "mediocre\moderate\ordinary\average" being used to mean "poor", then you're going to do it yourself as well. And so the circle turns.

Yeah, fair point. In truth it's quite comical that we use words like "crap" to describe players who are representing their country internationally. But "mediocre" and "average" are just plain inaccurate when describing test batsmen or bowlers, and their repeated usage makes them just as offensive as "poor". "Below average" isn't rude or offensive, nor is simply saying "i don't believe he has the talent to be a test cricket" or the like.

Funny, on the idea that cricketers might be watching us, have you ever noticed that there are usually twice as many non-members reading the place than there are members? As of now, "Currently Active Users: 67 (19 members and 48 guests)." Also, discussions on this forum are often the results of google searches. Who knows who is watching?

 

[silentstriker]

A particular pitch was 'better' than another one. No it wasn't you douchebag, it was better for the batsmen. It doesn't mean it was better for bowlers (you know, that almost-extinct creature), or for cricket, or millions of other people who don't particularly give a **** about prissy little batsmen wanting to average 60 every series.

 

[Langeveldt]

People using the words "average", "mediocre" and "ordinary" to mean "bad."

..."This New Zealand batting lineup has been made to look very ordinary today..."

No it hasn't. It's been made to look like the Craggy Island Over-75s. It's been made to look dire, ****, crap, useless, inept, bollocks. Runako M****n isn't a "mediocre test batsman". He's one of the worst batsmen ever to play test cricket. If someone's bad, just say they're bad. It's an insult to real mediocre players like Ross Taylor to lump them in with the useless ones.

haha "New Zealand have been found wanting"

 

[Richard]

A particular pitch was 'better' than another one. No it wasn't you douchebag, it was better for the batsmen. It doesn't mean it was better for bowlers (you know, that almost-extinct creature), or for cricket, or millions of other people who don't particularly give a **** about prissy little batsmen wanting to average 60 every series.

I think this has been done at least once before this thread.

I'd not mind if people said "good for batting", it's just annoying the way "good" is used to mean "good for batting".

 

[Uppercut]

Language that implies a flat pitch is a good one

"Ah what a belter of a wicket! Fantastic pitch! Guaranteed to completely waste five days of your life!"

A particular pitch was 'better' than another one. No it wasn't you douchebag, it was better for the batsmen. It doesn't mean it was better for bowlers (you know, that almost-extinct creature), or for cricket, or millions of other people who don't particularly give a **** about prissy little batsmen wanting to average 60 every series.

I think this has been done at least once before this thread.

I'd not mind if people said "good for batting", it's just annoying the way "good" is used to mean "good for batting".

Yeah, totally agree with SS. Have had a rant about it before.

 

[nightprowler10]

Cricket and drugs

FFS.

 

[andruid]

Cricket and drugs

FFS.

DRUGS period

 

[pasag]

....

 

[Athlai]

Clarke
Clark*

 

[Richard]

Haha, jeesh, that's shocking.

 

[Craig]

It is criminal that any proper cricket fan would get that wrong, but sheesh.