**Official** 5th Test at Sydney, 3-7 Jan 2025

[Sunil1z]

Reddy? I know a young all-rounder isn't really the same as a top four batsman tbf.

You could argue Jaiswal too but everyone knew how good he was already.

Is Reddy better than Shardul Thakur ?

 

[Spark]

I don't mind a spicy pitch, it was certainly better than the perpetual parade of placid pitches we had before, but this was a bit too spicy.

Substantially uneven bounce on the first two days of a Test match will always be unacceptable in my eyes, and to me this thing veered uncomfortably close to dangerous.

 

[Spark]

Is Reddy better than Shardul Thakur ?

Certainly a better batsman on the evidence of this series. Not just a slogger, can really play.

Though Thakur's magic arm is probably more valuable on balance.

 

[GotSpin]

Yeah - also in complete fairness to him he was unlucky after Adelaide in particular. That spell in the second innings in Melbourne has to be up there with some of his best and somehow he only got one wicket from it.

I get that it can be hard when players tell you that they're raring and fit to go, but it was pretty obvious that Starc was going to run out of steam again for this test.

I thought he had a pretty good series otherwise though

 

[GotSpin]

Reddy? I know a young all-rounder isn't really the same as a top four batsman tbf.

You could argue Jaiswal too but everyone knew how good he was already.

Batting in Jadeja in the top 6 should go down well too

 

[Spark]

I get that it can be hard when players tell you that they're raring and fit to go, but it was pretty obvious that Starc was going to run out of steam again for this test.

I thought he had a pretty good series otherwise though

Yeah it's admirable that he's so willing to push through the pain barrier and keep contributing. But that's why you have selectors, to make the hard calls that players are too emotionally invested to make themselves.

 

[Starfighter]

Reddy? I know a young all-rounder isn't really the same as a top four batsman tbf.

You could argue Jaiswal too but everyone knew how good he was already.

India need to show a bit more faith in the likes of Sarfaraz too rather than making a bizarre concoction of non-bowling allrounders, all while not doing anything about the black hole at no. 4.

 

[Starfighter]

Certainly a better batsman on the evidence of this series. Not just a slogger, can really play.

Though Thakur's magic arm is probably more valuable on balance.

If Reddy can perform consistently enough to bat 7 (with Pant at 6) or higher I think he could be a very valuable player. But I would not be looking at him as a third seamer in overseas conditions. It's too early in his career to make long term predictions, but he demonstrated he's got potential.

 

[Prince EWS]

I don't mind a spicy pitch, it was certainly better than the perpetual parade of placid pitches we had before, but this was a bit too spicy.

I liked the sideways movement but the random extra bounce once every few balls was ... not good.

 

[Spark]

I liked the sideways movement but the random extra bounce once every few balls was ... not good.

We're pretty fortunate everyone came out of this game without bone fractures in one place or another, and we really can't be saying that about a Test match pitch.

 

[Starfighter]

I liked the sideways movement but the random extra bounce once every few balls was ... not good.

Our groundsmen seem to struggle to create a surface that's both even and hard now. This was hard and had pace the Sydney wicket's been sorely lacking, and had enough grass to create movement for bowlers who hit the seam (probably a bit too much) but the cracks were in operation almost immediately.

 

[Spark]

Tbh I wonder if what happened is that they started preparing it reaaaally overdone, hence all that incipient cracking we could see, and panicked when they realised that they were producing a genuinely unfit pitch, so left a ton of grass on it to hopefully hold it together long enough to get a real game in, because that combination of obvious cracks + tons of grass... not great, Bob

 

[Arachnödouche2.0]

****ing waste staying up late/waking up early for the last 4 games. Not even Bumrah could make up for just how limp as a noodle our batting's been. There are at least two rank passengers in that lineup and serious question marks around the likes of Gill, Jadeja, and yes, KL too, because despite him looking the most solid of our bats technique-wise, realistically he's never going to be more than mediocre. I honestly wouldn't mind a wholesale reset and a couple of years of birthing pains. This currently is just making a mockery of fan energy. Congratulations to Australia.

 

[Prince EWS]

Tbh I wonder if what happened is that they started preparing it reaaaally overdone, hence all that incipient cracking we could see, and panicked when they realised that they were producing a genuinely unfit pitch, so left a ton of grass on it to hopefully hold it together long enough to get a real game in, because that combination of obvious cracks + tons of grass... not great, Bob

Yeah they got so worried about what it'd look like on Day 5 that they ended up having it end halfway through Day 3.

*grumble grumble Day 4 tickets grumble grumble*

 

[Qlder]

Instead of having the meaningless white ball games vs Pakistan just before 1st Test, 3 ODI's vs India would have gone down well right now with Champions Trophy coming up. Hell, they could have made it a tri-series with our fellow test series winning brethren across the ditch

 

[Starfighter]

Yeah it's admirable that he's so willing to push through the pain barrier and keep contributing. But that's why you have selectors, to make the hard calls that players are too emotionally invested to make themselves.

That's where the criticism of Bailey being too close to the team hits home. It's like our selectors are invested specifically in the current senior cohort rather than picking the best team in general, hence being too willing to take their fitness at their word. Some of these guys would declare themselves fit so long as they can stand upright.

 

[Starfighter]

Tbh I wonder if what happened is that they started preparing it reaaaally overdone, hence all that incipient cracking we could see, and panicked when they realised that they were producing a genuinely unfit pitch, so left a ton of grass on it to hopefully hold it together long enough to get a real game in, because that combination of obvious cracks + tons of grass... not great, Bob

I mentioned this before the series, but the wickets in the Shield recently, especially with the increased use of out grounds, remind me of my local club pitches. It's like they don't get enough watering and rolling, so the groundsmen rely on live grass to bind the wicket together.

While I do not think we should go back to the Les Burdett days of coating the pitch in grass clippings, the grass (dead and alive) being rolled into the surface used to be a hallmark of Australian pitches and it seems to have disappeared recently.

 

[halba]

****ing waste staying up late/waking up early for the last 4 games. Not even Bumrah could make up for just how limp as a noodle our batting's been. There are at least two rank passengers in that lineup and serious question marks around the likes of Gill, Jadeja, and yes, KL too, because despite him looking the most solid of our bats technique-wise, realistically he's never going to be more than mediocre. I honestly wouldn't mind a wholesale reset and a couple of years of birthing pains. This currently is just making a mockery of fan energy. Congratulations to Australia.

thats correct. Guys like Sudharshan, Ranjan Paul are worth a look in, in the XI. both average in the 50s in Ranji.

Sarfaraz, Devdutt and Easwaran- why did they tour if their technique is not up to seaming decks?

 

[Qlder]

So ends another 5 test summer with Starc running on fumes. Same as the last 3-4 years when all the fans know he should have been rested for at least one test, but selectors know better.

Fast forward to SCG next year when Starc is gassed playing 5th test in the Ashes...

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

Instead of having the meaningless white ball games vs Pakistan just before 1st Test, 3 ODI's vs India would have gone down well right now with Champions Trophy coming up. Hell, they could have made it a tri-series with our fellow test series winning brethren across the ditch

Could of been: Australia vs India vs Pakistan tri ODI series. Plus the India vs Pakistan games would of been well attended too.