***Official*** South Africa In Australia

[NUFAN]

Why do people make mock posts like this so often? I understand the theory behind them (obviously), but who is actually typing like this? What's the point in a parody if you're not parodying anyone?

The younger generation of people who love Warner and think he's the best cricketer ever text/talk like that...

It wasn't a serious message at all.

 

[Nate]

Why do people make mock posts like this so often? I understand the theory behind them (obviously), but who is actually typing like this? What's the point in a parody if you're not parodying anyone?

YouTube and CricBuzz mainly, but also your average cricket fan, without a doubt. CricketWeb, thankfully, is mostly free of such rubbish.

 

[thierry henry]

So basically you're sort of like PrinceEWS, and want batsmen to play with the same (or similar) techniques?

Well, yes, to an extent. I like watching batsmen who seem (again, to my eyes) to be mostly playing in what I could roughly define as "straight lines", to be playing sane, percentage shots, and to mostly hit the ball near the middle of the bat and to an intended area.

Surely, if a batsman isn't good enough to correctly play an appropriate shot to most balls, then he isn't an international batsman? And yet, every now and then, a batsman comes along who looks to me as though he isn't really playing with the degree of care, purpose and planning that you would expect to be required at the top level. It's entertaining for a bit, but if they keep succeeding it's grating.

I guess you could define it thus: there are some batsmen who, to me, do not appear to deserve their success.

 

[Uppercut]

Exactly

Also find Sehwag dire

Seriously, whenever I watched Gilchrist I just felt like an unluckier guy (i.e. anyone bar him) would've been out 10 times already

Haha, but it isn't luck. He's minimising one type of risk by facing as few balls as possible to make a score.

I don't think Sehwag's similar to him at all anyway. He reminds me more of someone like Kevin Pietersen- can play every shot, including the slogs.

 

[social]

Smith and Chanderpaul look in control to me. Warner (and Gilchrist to me) just look like they are swishing merrily at everything with little regard for where it goes.

(yes, it's an exaggeration, but this is international cricket ffs. I do not feel comfortable with batsmen who seem to play so many shots that have no real "plan" to them.)

Pitch ball up - front foot and smash it

Drop short - back foot and smash it

Sounds really simple and makes you wonder why more havent been successful with this approach

Gilchrist's genius was evident in the way that he was one of the few batsmen in history to do just that

 

[Nate]

100 run opening stand. Fantastic.

 

[thierry henry]

Pitch ball up - front foot and smash it

Drop short - back foot and smash it

Sounds really simple and makes you wonder why more havent been successful with this approach

Gilchrist's genius was evident in the way that he was one of the few batsmen in history to do just that

Almost invariably when I watched Gilchrist he would miss-hit a lot of these shots, hit the ball aerially in gaps, play and miss, etc.

There are a lot of risks when a batsman tries to smash everything- you can edge it behind, you can miss it, you can chop it on, you can hit it aerially to a fielder. The reason most batsmen don't play like Gilchrist is because something like this tends to happen sooner rather than later. It just didn't tend to happen to Gilly.

 

[thierry henry]

Another thing....not all balls are full or short, some (in theory, many) are a so-called "good length". The number of times Gilchrist played an aggressive shot at a "good length" ball, miss-hit it and got away with it was astronomical.

 

[thierry henry]

yay

 

[thierry henry]

Steyn has really found some extra pace all of a sudden

 

[Jono]

The younger generation of people who love Warner and think he's the best cricketer ever text/talk like that...

It wasn't a serious message at all.

Nah I know it wasn't serious. I just don't know where these fans are. Kids think Warner is great because the media have forced it on them. Just like why they loved Symonds a few years ago. Reckon the media is more at fault than anything.

YouTube and CricBuzz mainly, but also your average cricket fan, without a doubt. CricketWeb, thankfully, is mostly free of such rubbish.

Your average cricket fan? Not sure about that. Your average cricket fan at the end of the day still believes Ponting, Tendulkar and Lara are/were the best batsman. They all gave Sachin a standing ovation when he was here in Aust knowing it was his last tour here.

Anyway silly argument. Cricbuzz and Youtube are a poor display of humanity, but I don't think they are that prevalent. IMO anyway.

 

[Jono]

yay

Haha THAT shot by Warner was ugly as ****, and deserved to be hated. Good he got out to it.

 

[thierry henry]

Haha THAT shot by Warner was ugly as ****, and deserved to be hated. Good he got out to it.

I think the "pull" for 4 off Steyn was a worse shot. At least the ball that got him out was full and he was playing forward, sort of, rather than pulling a ball from knee-height.

 

[Pieface]

Good effort from Warner. Has got Aus off to great start - not bad for his second ODI!

 

[social]

Another thing....not all balls are full or short, some (in theory, many) are a so-called "good length". The number of times Gilchrist played an aggressive shot at a "good length" ball, miss-hit it and got away with it was astronomical.

And the number of times he hit good length balls for runs was also astronomical

Tbh, I dont think he was any more or less lucky than other guys that have played in a similar number of tests. In the end, it basically evens out

 

[thierry henry]

Pretty average bowling by Albie.

 

[Jono]

I think the "pull" for 4 off Steyn was a worse shot. At least the ball that got him out was full and he was playing forward, sort of, rather than pulling a ball from knee-height.

If you CAN pull it (its not luck if you hit it for six, unless its a top edge) then why wouldn't you though?

 

[Briony]

Pretty average bowling by Albie.

He's brother is a better bowler but the selectors seem to have lost faith in him.

 

[thierry henry]

And the number of times he hit good length balls for runs was also astronomical

Tbh, I dont think he was any more or less lucky than other guys that have played in a similar number of tests. In the end, it basically evens out

Luck is pretty much impossible to measure (even accounting for first chance average, lol) so we can just agree to disagree.

I don't believe that fate or anything like that plays a part, I just think that Gilchrist had an unusual amount of luck in his career. It just happened that way for no particular reason.

 

[Jono]

Do you think Sehwag is lucky too (I believe Richard thinks that).

Can't help but think that its a bit coincidental that both Sehwag and Gilchrist's performances with tremendous strike rate are just 'lucky'