***Official*** 1st Test at Brisbane

[burr]

Punter bang on as usual.

Ponting?s technical tip for Khawaja | cricket.com.au

If he was commentating on Nine though, he’d have been too busy talking about which pizza is best.

Very interesting. Is that true he has been dismissed 1 in 3 to right arm off-spin. What a stat. I'm not convinced Khawaja himself recognises any technical fault. His default mode seems to be to carry on doing the same thing and gripe about being hard done by (if dropped). That's where the mental side is everything. If Smith had a fault he would face up to it and work endlessly to correct it.

Anyway, game nicely balanced, could be a ripper series. Although what a dud pitch.

Edit: Great captaincy by Root too, kudos. Especially to Warner.

 

[Uppercut]

I have access to televised cricket for the first time in years, a free weekend and it’s -2 degrees. Can’t wait for play to start

 

[TestMatch]

Why does Smith's technique work so well? He takes such a huge step across his stumps, almost covering all three stumps. You'd think it would be easy for a fast bowler to get him in a tangle.

 

[MW1304]

Why does Smith's technique work so well? He takes such a huge step across his stumps, almost covering all three stumps. You'd think it would be easy for a fast bowler to get him in a tangle.

Partly because he almost never misses anything on his pads. His excessive movement invites the inswinger but it won't catch him out. Then because LBW isn't really in the equation the bowler feels the need to edge further and further away from off stump where he's equally adept at driving. He used to edge to the slips a lot, but that doesn't seem to catch him out too often either these days.

 

[Burgey]

He’s pretty still when the bowler delivers the ball though. Plenty of blokes have had a step across trigger movement, Boonie for example, but TPC’s is more pronounced and extravagant then most. If you factor out what goes on in the bowler’s approach and watch from point of release, his head position is almost perfect, though he’s further across than most players towards off stump.

Watching him closely, his movements actually change a bit through his innings. I’ve seen him miss out a few times when he’s been moving really extravagantly then he sort of tones it down a bit and starts building up to it again.

A weird player to watch. So many nervous movements, but just a complete gun.

 

[TestMatch]

Yeah, he takes a big step, but maintains a very steady platform and always with a still head. There's no Chanderpaul-esque fidgeting or ungainlyness.

He just looks incredibly frustrating to bowl to. When in full flow he's awesomely confident vs spin, and vs proper pace he just looks absolutely impenetrable. It's like he suckers you into bowling wide and feeding his off side game, but bowling straight or with a slight in-swing does nothing either.

It would be interesting to see a compilation of all his dismissals.

 

[Tangles]

Just saw the highlights and boy was there some dumb cricket by the England batters against the short ball.

 

[Cabinet96]

Yeah the only major difference with Smith and most classic batsmen when the ball is about to be released is that he's usually a bit further across.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Why does Smith's technique work so well? He takes such a huge step across his stumps, almost covering all three stumps. You'd think it would be easy for a fast bowler to get him in a tangle.

he doesn't plonk the front foot down early. in conjunction with freakishly fast hands and a phenomenally good eye, this lets him to play balls which most batsmen would defend anywhere from square leg to mid on. A few of these shots and bowlers become unsure where to bowl to him.

 

[GIMH]

Nearly at the end of a bottle of wine. Go to bed and get up for last session or stay up until I pass out?

 

[Gnske]

Gotta say though it's become really extravagant against pace at some point in the last two years.

His spin game hasn't changed, but he's comparatively taking the absolute piss now with his movements, to my eye he's getting way more square on with the back and across and much earlier to the bowler.

I'm sure one day the LBW myth with TPC will pay off.

 

[GIMH]

Is play starting early tonight?

 

[Gnske]

By two (2) whole minutes from 9:58 local

 

[GIMH]

Bah

 

[Stapel]

By two (2) whole minutes from 9:58 local

Third time I get that info. So, it might actually be true!

Which ****er came up with that?

 

[Cabinet96]

It doesn't make sense to me because it's supposed to take 4 minutes to bowl an over (if you expect 90 in 6 hours). So are we half an over behind schedule cause of the rain?

 

[Prince EWS]

So are we half an over behind schedule cause of the rain?

Yes. That is literally what they're saying. Complete joke.

 

[fredfertang]

Nearly at the end of a bottle of wine. Go to bed and get up for last session or stay up until I pass out?

Stay up, like any self-respecting hard core Pom

 

[Shri]

At this point he had raw potential as a leg spinner. Not as a world class batsmen.

You were being a swine.

Its a moo point.

 

[Shri]

Smith's truly is an inspirational story, from teenage warne-esque sensation to bit part player, to being dropped, to lower order ODI batsman to test stalwart...all that and his overall, cross format numbers and performances are starting to verge on the great. Good on him!

Cross format? Nah, sucks at T20s and is decent in ODIs. Tests are his forte.