***Official*** Australia in England (The Ashes)

[FaaipDeOiad]

It takes time to get to understand the rhythms and ins and outs of a new format. Don't make up your mind about it on the basis of two or three games, one of which was an obvious bunfight with bad haircuts and another was a complete rout: watching Leics or Surrey, the two counties who've really worked out how to play this, is a much more interesting experience. As will international 20-20s be when teams have a bit more experience of it.

Cheers,

Mike

I'm certainly not going to refuse to watch it just yet or anything, but I've seen three matches now and the format strikes me as incredibly one-dimensional. There is a great deal of room for innovation in a couple of areas of the game, while other areas of the game are practically non-existant. When you bat, you score runs as fast as possible at the possible expense of your wicket, and nothing else, so of course batting is going to be creative and innovative in many respects and not at all in others, and when you bowl you make yourself difficult to hit, and Symonds experience in the format showed through the other day when he was the only bowler who genuinely did that by mixing up his pace and his length very well.

Note that I never said that the format was completely worthless, but that it lacked many of the things which I find most enjoyable about cricket. I have always preferred test cricket to ODIs for similar reasons, but ODIs over time have developed other elements which make them enjoyable as well, and perhaps 20/20 cricket will too. I have my doubts however, and as it stands, I don't enjoy watching it at all, and I spent all of Monday evening wishing that it was a 50 over game instead.

 

[Nate]

Tests forever. Nothing will EVER beat a Test match.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Hayden continuing his amazing tour form against Somerset. Currently unbeaten on 52 off 40.

 

[King_Ponting]

mate is that being covered by the bbc on audio?

 

[King_Ponting]

Interesting that cric info has a picture of gilly warming up for todays match against somerset on the front page, yet he isnt even playing. lol

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hayden retired out on 76 - I'm sure Somerset are happy the Aussies are taking it so seriously!

Maybe he'll come back out if they get bowled out........

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

mate is that being covered by the bbc on audio?

Unfortunately not. They're covering the Hampshire match, which is rained out currently.

 

[King_Ponting]

damn cheers anyway

 

[Nate]

Hayden is indeed in amazing bloody form.

 

[PY]

Great, been on crap form and as soon as he hits England it's runs allround......

 

[BARMY_LAD]

Tests forever. Nothing will EVER beat a Test match.

Completely agree with you on that one mate... Twenty/20 is an entertaining format, 50 over cricket is also entertaining... but none should be taken seriously.
No doubt that I will have probably opened a can of worms on that statement... but there is no other code that can match Test cricket simply for it's history, etiquette, longevity, potential for high scores, grinding innings and pure endurance.

Me personally I would rather watch a Test Match ANYDAY (not including Bangladesh or Zimbabwe) as opposed to an ODI (be it a World Cup match or whatever).

BRING ON THE ASHES

 

[Dasa]

No doubt that I will have probably opened a can of worms on that statement...

I think you'll find most people on this forum agree with you.

 

[Adamc]

Ponting retiring himself on 80, Martyn out for 44. A bit of haste could see this total up around 325 or so.

 

[PY]

I think you'll find most people on this forum agree with you.

Me for one.

The others just don't even come close. I regard them as a warm-up or warm-down if they're before or after the Test series respectuvely. I'll watch and enjoy all the other formats but caring as much is another thing. I also see them as a way of sustaining the game of cricket in terms of new fans and maybe more importantly, money.

 

[marc71178]

Maybe he'll come back out if they get bowled out........

If retired out, then he couldn't!

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Me personally I would rather watch a Test Match ANYDAY (not including Bangladesh or Zimbabwe) as opposed to an ODI (be it a World Cup match or whatever).

Agreed. ODI cricket can be very good though. One of the problems with ODI cricket these days is the dubious mentality that higher scoring is better... on the contrary most of the best ODI matches have been moderate to low scoring. The best ODI wickets are those which are fairly slow or assist the bowlers a bit, rather than roads. If you think back over the best ODI games, few of them had scores in excess of 275.

I tend to find 300+ scoring matches incredibly dull with some rare exceptions such as that amazing one in 2002 where Australia chased down 320+ just after Ponting took over the captaincy.

 

[King_Ponting]

The best and most exciting one dayer ive ever seen was the semi final of tehe world cup in 99'. Aussies vs South africa. Mate that was awesome

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

The best and most exciting one dayer ive ever seen was the semi final of tehe world cup in 99'. Aussies vs South africa. Mate that was awesome

Yeah, agreed. That is almost unquestionably the best ODI ever played. And, lo and behold, it was fairly low scoring.

 

[marc71178]

I suppose an ODI is like a CD single - has all the best bits, whereas the Test is like an album - it's still got the best bits, but has a few bits of lower quality.

Overall, I've bought over 200 albums, but only 1 single...

 

[King_Ponting]

Does retired out count as a dismissal in your stats? or is it the same as a retired hurt and hence is put down as a not out in your stats?