*Official* First Test at the Gabba

[Spark]

The difference is there's usually no chance for the bowlers for the first four days in the subcontinent apart from some reverse swing. If you've been watching this test match, bar today, there's been somewhat of an even contest.

Yeah even yesterday, replay the first hour again and that could easily have been 250ao.

 

[Neil Pickup]

reckon plenty of umpires would've triggered both strauss and trott

brilliant umpiring by dar

+1

 

[morgieb]

Not learning about using referrals here, are we Ricky?

4-0 on mini-sessions and my wildly optimistic morning prediction appears to be coming close to fulfilment, if that's a word. Doesn't stop me being ****ing tired again, though. I think I invented an extra day in the middle of the weekend somewhere and haven't decided if I'm going through it all again on Monday or not.

I remember the last time I went off to sleep thinking a test was dead. Adelaide 2006.

Strauss also used up his referrals badly - if he was more patient England might well have won.

 

[GIMH]

Neil, I was thinking the same earlier. Already undecided about what to do tonight.

 

[Julian87]

Where's Doug?

 

[hazsa19]

decent pitch not innings. tiredness is getting to me

 

[tooextracool]

You cannot honestly tell me that this is a 260 pitch. England batted very poorly in the first innings, par score on this wicket is 400+

 

[Spark]

Strauss also used up his referrals badly - if he was more patient England might well have won.

The first one was bad, although I'm prepared to be lenient on the second. Generally if you have to consult the bowler you should err on the side of conservation, but he was instantaneous in having that reviewed.

 

[Jono]

The difference is there's usually no chance for the bowlers for the first four days in the subcontinent apart from some reverse swing. If you've been watching this test match, bar today, there's been somewhat of an even contest.

First four days? That's an exaggeration.

And a pitch getting easier to bat on is even worse to be honest.

 

[Nate]

I run in 30 metres and bowl at 140 kilometres an hour.

Then I'll turn around and do it again up to 120 times a day, sometimes in 40 degree heat.

During that time, I'll drink over 5 litres of whatever sponsors tell me to drink.

There's no doubt in my mind that sport is a numbers game.

If you ask me, all those numbers add up to 0/113.

Mates and I quote a different version of that ad everytime it's on, with a similar tone.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Strauss also used up his referrals badly - if he was more patient England might well have won.

Yep, agreed - as I mentioned at least three times yesterday, with more f-words involved I believe. There has been plenty of evidence today about use of referrals in the field, and Ricky's guilty of pissing both of his away twice in the field, the latest for no better reason than he was desperate for a wicket.

 

[Goughy]

You cannot honestly tell me that this is a 260 pitch. England batted very poorly in the first innings, par score on this wicket is 400+

England batted poorly and Siddle did the business. The Aussie innings again showed the value of only 4 specialist bowlers as it takes only 1 partnership to make a total and an extra batsman at 7 is valuable. Im sure some would say an extra bowler would be helping Aus right now but Im not convinced it would.

 

[vcs]

The difference is there's usually no chance for the bowlers for the first four days in the subcontinent apart from some reverse swing. If you've been watching this test match, bar today, there's been somewhat of an even contest.

And spinners usually come into play much more in the subcontinent..

Anyway, we've had this discussion loads of times and no one's probably going to change their minds on this. I don't even agree with grouping all subcontinent wickets under one general heading, wickets in SL are vastly different from those in India. If you genuinely feel the conditions in the subcontinent lead to an inherently lower/less entertaining standard of cricket, that's your prerogative. I tend to put it down to the bowlers not being good enough in those conditions.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

If you're out of ideas, Punter, bring back Watson. Someone who's not heartily sick of being nudged to leg.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Neil, I was thinking the same earlier. Already undecided about what to do tonight.

I'm off to a Coach Development workshop at 10.00 with Jack Brooks (Northants and ex-Oxon seamer). This means I'm going to have to be up again at 9.20 - a two-hour sleep stint will be necessary to get that far, however I'll then need to drag myself out of bed again...

 

[pskov]

Why not try Doherty with the harder ball? See if he can get a couple of balls with extra bounce to spit out of the rough. What has Ponting got to lose? His pace attack look down for the count.

 

[tooextracool]

Reckon the biggest change in Cook's technique thats really made a difference to him is that his bat is coming down straight. If we go back to about a year ago his bat would come down from fine leg and his body would face the covers.

As I've said before, theres a couple of other issues that he has, one is that he goes hard at deliveries outside off stump. The other is that he plays around his front pad.

 

[hazsa19]

You cannot honestly tell me that this is a 260 pitch. England batted very poorly in the first innings, par score on this wicket is 400+

I would say it is a 300-350 pitch. 250 if you bat poorly, 400 if you bat well, which is about perfect.

2nd innings is bizarre though, its died, maybe a decent spinner would help

 

[GotSpin]

First four days? That's an exaggeration.

And a pitch getting easier to bat on is even worse to be honest.

Up until today every day has had something in for the bowlers? How is that exaggerated

 

[Spark]

I can't see Mitch playing next test. Unless the selectors do something ********, like listen too much to Ricky.