***Official*** Pakistan in Australia 2023/24

[Starfighter]

Oh it was but like I said, that was just a freak game all around for him.

I also think this entire discussion is kind of premature tbh, it's his second game back from a long term injury on the back of arguably the best six months of bowling he's produced in his career.

A lot of what I'm saying is framed me being afraid of being beaten by India again. Just it's shaping up like last time, when he wasn't in top form and they brought a batting lineup good at playing him in Australia.

He's a talismanic presence in our team and we always look a bit flat when he isn't performing. I'd actually like to see us win an Ashes in England in my lifetime rather than being content to draw. Not only did we miss a great chance this time but it would have humiliated Bazball and all the rubbish England have been saying too. His absence, Mark Wood's presence and Wilson's dodgy ball changing cost us that series, and barring a miracle we'll almost certainly have weaker batting come 2027, so I don't see us winning then.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Australia win by 79 runs. As mentioned Mitch Marsh made 96. On 20 he was dropped at 1st slip...absolute sitter. So he added 76 runs, so take 76 away from the winning margins and Australia win by 3 runs but with the margin being so small it's 50/50....Pakistan should of won it. Can't keep on dropping easy catches...

More than 76 imo.
There are also the runs in partnership with Smith by being there, and bowlers more tired and ball much older before being able to have a crack at Carey.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Rizwan kept pointing to a mark on his forearm but I didn't see the ball go that far up the arm.

I wonder if there is any footage of his forearm prior to that delivery.

The front on replay clearly showed that the ball passed his glove strap, not further up the arm

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Shan Mashood is a good commentator in waiting

Good decision to make him captain. I was surprised he was in the XI as he's old, record is poor and usually a bit of a walking wicket

 

[Spark]

A lot of what I'm saying is framed me being afraid of being beaten by India again. Just it's shaping up like last time, when he wasn't in top form and they brought a batting lineup good at playing him in Australia.

He's a talismanic presence in our team and we always look a bit flat when he isn't performing. I'd actually like to see us win an Ashes in England in my lifetime rather than being content to draw. Not only did we miss a great chance this time but it would have humiliated Bazball and all the rubbish England have been saying too. His absence, Mark Wood's presence and Wilson's dodgy ball changing cost us that series, and barring a miracle we'll almost certainly have weaker batting come 2027, so I don't see us winning then.

No Broad though. That's a massive difference on the other side.

In any case we should give him a bit more slack than just one bad innings. He looked fine in Perth and obviously he was at his peak before his calf went; that's not exactly the sort of injury that should wreck a spinner's action.

 

[Starfighter]

I discount Sydney 09/10 because of literally everything that happened on the final day, that was just a disgrace from start to finish.

Sydney 2010 was before I started properly following cricket. I remember watching Asif blow us away on the first day (though was more immediately appraciative of Sami registering 147 km/h). Having actually discovered cricket things on the internet a couple of years later, I was absolutely staggered to find out that Pakistan lost that match.

I'm not surprised match fixing allegations were thrown around with how many easy catches went down. I've seen lengthy highlights and disgrace is the right word.

 

[morgieb]

If nothing else, I think that shows Cummins's leadership skills. Twice it threatened to get away from Australia, twice he bought himself on and picked up the danger man quickly. Under Paine's leadership I think Australia let that game slip, for example. One of the best bowling performances I've seen in this country.

A pretty fantastic performance from Pakistan. In 2020/21 when India beat Australia I thought Australia played very poorly, letting key positions slip and not putting India under pressure. Here I don't think Australia played that badly, but Pakistan showed a shitload of grit and fight to make Australia work extremely hard for it. Certainly not what I would've expected coming into Boxing Day.

Obviously Shafique's drop would be the talking point but I think Pakistan hurt themselves with their first session Day 1. In pretty friendly conditions they completely wasted the new ball. From that point on they were pushing uphill.

It feels good to win a close Test at home for once, I think this is the first time we've done so since that D/N match in 2015 (yes that Brisbane Test in 2016 was close on the scoreboard but it was mostly a game Australia dominated before nearly letting it slip late, the emotions there were quite different). Shame the tail folded so badly, but what can you do.

 

[Spark]

Sydney 2010 was before I started properly following cricket. I remember watching Asif blow us away on the first day (though was more immediately appraciative of Sami registering 147 km/h). Having actually discovered cricket things on the internet a couple of years later, I was absolutely staggered to find out that Pakistan lost that match.

I'm not surprised match fixing allegations were thrown around with how many easy catches went down. I've seen lengthy highlights and disgrace is the right word.

It's often how forgotten just how stupid and pointless most of the dismissals in that 4th innings were as well. Random slogs, strangles down leg, long hops cut straight to point etc; it was just a dismal turn of events.

 

[morgieb]

I'm not surprised match fixing allegations were thrown around with how many easy catches went down. I've seen lengthy highlights and disgrace is the right word.

It didn't help that the spot-fixing scandal happened months later. Which is exactly why you need to clamp down on match-fixing hard, as it just cheapens great and fun results for your team.

 

[Starfighter]

No Broad though. That's a massive difference on the other side.

Certainly is, though I didn't feel like he had the impact this last series he did before. But I think that they have the potential of putting together an attack with more pace than usual, provided they can remain uninjured, which could remove our usual advantage. I'm not seeing any players I'd definitely pencil in as star performers on our side, though I have hopes for a few. OTOH if someone like James Rew can carry his magnificent start to his first class career into tests they could have a strong batting side.

 

[NotMcKenzie]

As well as they played at times in this match, I just never believed Pakistan would win this match. They have such a mental block over performing in Australia Tests for so long that it always felt they would crack under pressure when it mattered.

If it hadn't have been the Marsh drop it probably would've been some other point later in the match.

I think that this has too much of belief in inevitability, though. Australia were 4/16, and would have been 5/46 in only the sixteenth over, Carey against a new ball and Smith striking at 33. The pressure was going their way for once, so to speak, and a mediocre slip fielder would have been sufficient to maintain the momentum.

 

[morgieb]

Oh, and kudos to the groundspeople for the last two wickets. For too long we've seen roads all over Australia. Even last year we had four pretty flat decks and one out and out minefield. This pitch was a wonderful wicket and Perth offered plenty for everyone too (if it perhaps broke up a bit too early).

 

[Spark]

Certainly is, though I didn't feel like he had the impact this last series he did before. But I think that they have the potential of putting together an attack with more pace than usual, provided they can remain uninjured, which could remove our usual advantage. I'm not seeing any players I'd definitely pencil in as star performers on our side, though I have hopes for a few. OTOH if someone like James Rew can carry his magnificent start to his first class career into tests they could have a strong batting side.

He had the knack of taking really important top order wickets even as he was fading. I've never felt particularly confident about our chances in England so long as he was still there; I just don't see anyone else having that intangible match-winning factor that he had.

I also don't think an attack with more pace is an advantage in England. Their best bowler was Woakes, after all, not Wood. It's very hard to speculate this far out though.

 

[kyear2]

Yep it's time visiting teams learn to hook and pull the ball.

Or just duck, that was embarrassing

 

[Spikey]

Is Pat Cummins the Perfect Human

 

[Starfighter]

He had the knack of taking really important top order wickets even as he was fading. I've never felt particularly confident about our chances in England so long as he was still there; I just don't see anyone else having that intangible match-winning factor that he had.

I also don't think an attack with more pace is an advantage in England. Their best bowler was Woakes, after all, not Wood. It's very hard to speculate this far out though.

Woakes took wickets, but Wood put us on the back foot. He bowled bloody quick and I think it affected our whole lineup.

You are right that Broad had a knack. I've thought for a long time he had an intangible factor over us. Except in 17/18, when his bowling was absolutely disgraceful.

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

Or just duck, that was embarrassing

That too

 

[Lefty]

Mitchell Starc gets criticised when he is not taking wickets, but he is a strike bowler and will be expensive at times. Being a left arm fast bowler he adds variety to our attack. He is good at taking wickets with the new ball and is not nick-named the mop for nothing,

He has now taken 342 wickets at 27.53 and only 4 bowlers have taken more wickets for Australia.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I also don't think an attack with more pace is an advantage in England. Their best bowler was Woakes, after all, not Wood. It's very hard to speculate this far out though.

Yeah almost the opposite IMO. The wickets this year were much flatter than usual (presumably to suit bazball) but normal English Test wickets and conditions tend to really suit the 130-135 kph seam bowlers (eg. the Nesers) more than the Starc-types

 

[Spark]

Woakes took wickets, but Wood put us on the back foot. He bowled bloody quick and I think it affected our whole lineup.

You are right that Broad had a knack. I've thought for a long time he had an intangible factor over us. Except in 17/18, when his bowling was absolutely disgraceful.

He did but that only really lasted through Headingley. At the Oval I thought the batsmen looked very comfortable against him, Todd Murphy was panning him into the stands for fun at one point.

Anyway it's years away so a lot could change. Who knows, maybe the hype surrounding Harry Dixon and Sam Konstas will come to fruition.