***Official*** Australia in Sri Lanka

[uvelocity]

Keeping in mind we were sent in,

Don't see the difference this makes, what if we won the toss and batted you'd be upset with 5 down? Most of the wickets have been wafts at wide balls..... not seam or bounce

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

It's been that way for decades. All the great Windies attacks operated under it, as an example, unless I'm mistaken.

Yeah, I know that, but the issue is a fast bowler's genuine aggression often bleeds runs. The logic of having the rule is understandable, but like some others, I feel that limiting the number to 3 fielders would be better.

 

[Burgey]

Don't see the difference this makes, what if we won the toss and batted you'd be upset with 5 down? Most of the wickets have been wafts at wide balls..... not seam or bounce

No I'd take five down at stumps in day one of a test most times.

 

[Riggins]

2 behind square is all i can think of, off the top of my head

So you could in theory have all 9 guys on the leg side with only 2 behind square?

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Still 200 runs up though. Wait for everyone to get 40 odd and get out, you're not winning any matches some time soon.

Which is where the discipline part comes into the picture. If the top order doesn't have the discipline to convert starts, the team suffers.

I'd tinker a bit with the batting order too. Hussey is possibly the man technically and temperamentally best suited to play a long innings in these conditions. Wasting him at no. 6 doesn't make too much sense to me.

I'd go something like:

Marsh
Hussey
Clarke
Ponting
Haddin

after my openers in that order. If Watson finds the opening job too demanding, then maybe he can be pushed to no. 4 with Hussey and Marsh moving up a place each.

 

[Spark]

So you could in theory have all 9 guys on the leg side with only 2 behind square?

In theory.

 

[Burgey]

So you could in theory have all 9 guys on the leg side with only 2 behind square?

Yeah I think you can. I recall playing years back with a restriction of no more than six, but not sure if that was a local condition or an MCC Law.

 

[uvelocity]

No I'd take five down at stumps in day one of a test most times.

fair enough. I'd rather 5/280 not 5/230 but yeah.

 

[Spark]

I think we'd be cooler if it wasn't the fact that each individual dismissal looks so, so bad.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

So you could in theory have all 9 guys on the leg side with only 2 behind square?

Yes, that's true. The basic purpose of that rule was that a bowler shouldn't be able to tuck up the batsmen with short-pitched stuff and prevent him from nudging/hooking behind square on the leg side.

Think about a fast delivery, rising steeply towards your throat region. It's more likely that you'd find it easier to ride the bounce and nudge it behind square rather than play in front of square. 7 fielders in the mid-wicket or mid-on region wouldn't really bother a batsman that much, IMHO.

 

[Howe_zat]

Which is where the discipline part comes into the picture. If the top order doesn't have the discipline to convert starts, the team suffers.

I mean in bowling. If all the opposition are getting 40-odds, you're still conceding too much.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

I mean in bowling. If all the opposition are getting 40-odds, you're still conceding too much.

Yeah, on this track, I agree. In Galle, on the first day, three 40s from the top order would have been golden. Assuming that Hussey inevitably would have anyway got his 90-odd!

 

[Burgey]

fair enough. I'd rather 5/280 not 5/230 but yeah.

Me too. Still, SL, from what I've seen, have bowled pretty well.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Damn! Bad light saves Haddin from the new ball. Would have loved to see 4 or 5 overs here!

NM...We'll see how they fare tomorrow. Most likely, Hussey would determine how much Aus end up scoring.

 

[Ruckus]

Advantage Sri Lanka, but not by that much. Everything depends on tommorow.

 

[pup11]

Punter keeps talking about how he is inspired by likes of SRT and Dravid but seriously he just needs to look at Hussey for all the inspiration he needs, the guy was so dead and buried prior to the Ashes that even his biggest supporters too didn't give him much of a chance but since then he just couldn't do no wrong.

 

[TT Boy]

Punter keeps talking about how he is inspired by likes of SRT and Dravid but seriously he just needs to look at Hussey for all the inspiration he needs, the guy was so dead and buried prior to the Ashes that even his biggest supporters too didn't give him much of a chance but since then he just couldn't do no wrong.

Did a lot wrong in the first test here according to you. Batted too slowly wasn't it?

 

[Spikey]

Did a lot wrong in the first test here according to you. Batted too slowly wasn't it?

i lol'd

 

[Spark]

Not sure what to make of that. 5 down isn't the worst position to be, and the bowling was tight and probing, but **** me some of the batting was of the lowest quality.

 

[Ruckus]

Not sure what to make of that. 5 down isn't the worst position to be, and the bowling was tight and probing, but **** me some of the batting was of the lowest quality.

Yeah I shudder to think what's gonna happen when we face SA. Just hoping that for some miraculous reason our batsmen will rise to the occasion.