The legacy of Steve Smith

[The_CricketUmpire]

In no way am I discrediting Smith,

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I certainly hope we never go back to the 'pitches need to last 5 days bcos advertising revenue' era. That genuinely almost killed the format in the subcontinent

In Pakistan they still need 5 days of advertising for tea and toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

In Pakistan they still need 5 days of advertising for tea and toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

The famous Tapal Tea moment ???

I laugh when I see that and the toothpaste advertising too and its the commentators that have to read the same lines every 30 minutes or so for both the tea and toothpaste.

 

[Xix2565]

In no way am I discrediting Smith,

I do think it doesn't help when modern player records do get dismissed in comparison to past greats.

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

I do think it doesn't help when modern player records do get dismissed in comparison to past greats.

The same also applies to forgetting players of the past as well.

 

[Burgey]

I don’t think anyone on this forum could be accused of that though. I doubt there’s a cricket-focused website anywhere which more widely and thoughtfully discusses the records of players from everywhere and from all eras, and what’s more tries to place them into context

 

[Shady Slim]

i think what's forgotten when people roll out arguments along the lines of "modern players are more professional so have that leg up on past greats" is that it's kind of unfair to penalise blokes for being born at a time when sports science wasn't far advanced - you sort of assume that if a guy was, say, 1.5x better than the average player of his era, it's fair to talk about him alongside blokes 1.5x better than the average player of this era. you standardise for eras is what i'm saying

 

[Flem274*]

i think what's forgotten when people roll out arguments along the lines of "modern players are more professional so have that leg up on past greats" is that it's kind of unfair to penalise blokes for being born at a time when sports science wasn't far advanced - you sort of assume that if a guy was, say, 1.5x better than the average player of his era, it's fair to talk about him alongside blokes 1.5x better than the average player of this era. you standardise for eras is what i'm saying

Yep.

I am a bit of a heretic in that I am almost certain modern cricketers are faster, stronger, objectively better etc than their historical mates but it doesn't really matter. In the footy codes it is blatantly obvious but we still pick old school guys in our sides because we don't penalise guys for not seeing 20-50 years into the future, only reward players ahead of their time.

Cricket is weird in that a large portion of the media and the public will insist Edlardo Fartybottom of 1937 bowled just as quickly as Brett Lee and was better than Ponting because he faced dibbly dobblies fast bowlers without a helmet on a soggy lawn.

Even looking back to the 1980s I would not be surprised at all if Richard Hadlee (often called the best fast medium bowler in the word in contemporary commentary footage) was current Tim Southee pace (125-135kph) rather than our modern concept of right arm fast medium being 130-144kph but it doesn't matter how Hadlee would go today, it wasn't his job to bowl in 2022.

 

[Burgey]

I’d be interested to see the comparative data on average fast bowling speeds between say 2000 and now. I know there hasn’t been anyone clocked as fast as Lee and Akhtar since their day but wonder if the average speed of blokes has gone up a few kph

 

[Salamuddin]

Well there’s no place here for you, let’s put it that way

But he's from your favourite holiday destination - chennai.

And we have boundless plains to share.

 

[Burgey]

It’s got nothing to do with where he’s from.

 

[Coronis]

I don’t think anyone on this forum could be accused of that though. I doubt there’s a cricket-focused website anywhere which more widely and thoughtfully discusses the records of players from everywhere and from all eras, and what’s more tries to place them into context

Who are you and what have you done with Burgey?

 

[shortpitched713]

This can be explained away by 'eras' I think

No. Unless your contention is literally something as daft as "all Test cricket is invalid before year X", then the gap between Bradman and other batsmen simply cannot be adjusted away in any honest manner.

 

[shortpitched713]

Mostly because Aus sportspeople DO dominate fairly and squarely in all endeavours. Always have and always will.

there’s never been a more sporting people or country. I know a lot of people find it odd when Australians look down our noses at other people and countries who aren’t good at sport, but those people and countries deserve it for being inferior physical specimens and lacking in the requisite ticker.

If you aren’t adept in the surf and the pool, at running, in at least three of the four football codes, at cricket, hockey or tennis then you are quite rightly mocked and bullied during your schooling until you get better and fit in. That then continues into adulthood, as it should.

There’s no place here for the unfit and unsporting. That’s why we excel and don’t need to cheat.

That's the dumbest **** I ever heard.

 

[Ashes81]

When comparing players from different eras, there are so many factors to take into account.

Fielding standards have massively improved for a start. But so have outfields, you definitely get better value for your shots now than in the past.

Bats are so much better now, meaning mishits can still clear the infield or the man on the boundary.

Pitches are now covered meaning the days of the sticky dog have long gone.

Players are fitter and have better access to conditioning coaches etc.

There's better analysis of all players than there used to be. Even mystery spinners can be unpicked as close ups of differences between different deliveries are available.

In the past, certain countries didn't play test cricket or have massively improved. When I first started watching cricket in the late 1970s, India were nothing like the powerhouse they are now.

Sri Lanka didn't yet play tests and The West Indies were the best team around.

However, one thing that hasn't changed is that if a player was one of the top players of his era, he would have been a top player in another.

 

[Nintendo]

I'll never get over the irony that CA did all this in an attempt to protect their image by appearing harsh on law-breaking when in reality they've done more damage to the reputation of Australian cricket with the excessive punishments by making it look so much worse than it was.

If they'd have just gone with the ICC punishments everyone would have forgotten about it (relatively speaking) in a few weeks

Was even better post all that paine **** coming out. They where prattling on about "honest integrity" and all this crap after sandpaper gate, acting like they where massively above all this, while keeping the paine stuff behind locked doors and letting him keep the captaincy. We saw how they reacted when it went public, it was clearly viewed as an act that should cost you the captaincy.

 

[Burgey]

Who are you and what have you done with Burgey?

It would be pretty weird if I ****-potted a forum where I’ve got 80k+ posts tbf

 

[Burgey]

That's the dumbest **** I ever heard.

Did you have to read it out loud?

 

[Gob]

Was even better post all that paine **** coming out. They where prattling on about "honest integrity" and all this crap after sandpaper gate, acting like they where massively above all this, while keeping the paine stuff behind locked doors and letting him keep the captaincy. We saw how they reacted when it went public, it was clearly viewed as an act that should cost you the captaincy.

What happened with Paine?

 

[Pup Clarke]

Edlardo Fartybottom sounds like he bowls medium pace stump to stump with the keeper stood up

First name sounds of Portuguese heritage, some I'm wondering if he would have been a distant relative of current Blues and Sydney Sixers non-all rounder M.Henriques?