**Official** Pakistan in Australia Thread

[Mr Casson]

Whats the use of having a bowler that can't last a test match??

I think akhter should be dumped by PCB for good, someone like Umer Gul seems much better prospect for me.

He's injured, isn't he?

 

[Mr Casson]

Nice one Punter, you giant turd sandwich...

So close, but yet so far for that first hundred for the year. Only two more chances.

 

[Mr Casson]

Oh and look at that! Getting Ponting out was such an elixir that Inzy is fit enough to return to the field!

 

[Mr Casson]

Let me do my best Donald Trump impersonation.

Darren Lehmann, you're fired!! The only thing that might save him now is that Katich hasn't scored big recently.

 

[andyc]

Oh and Lehmanns out. Wonderful

 

[Slow Love™]

Wow, they're going to bat on past a lead of 500? Maybe Pratyush is right.

 

[Mr Casson]

Wow, they're going to bat on past a lead of 500? Maybe Pratyush is right.

It could be a time thing. Two days is already plenty, so I imagine what they are doing is waiting for a while so that they can give Pakistan a nasty little half-hour or so session to survive before coming back tomorrow and doing it all again.

 

[andyc]

Wow, they're going to bat on past a lead of 500? Maybe Pratyush is right.

I thought they might have put Gilchrist ahead of Clarke in order to get some quick runs before declaring either a little before the end of play or a little after play begins tomorrow.

 

[andyc]

I thought they might have put Gilchrist ahead of Clarke in order to get some quick runs before declaring either a little before the end of play or a little after play begins tomorrow.

Okay scrap that let Clarke score runs quickly. 6 and a 4 in succession

 

[Mr Casson]

Okay scrap that let Clarke score runs quickly. 6 and a 4 in succession

What on Earth made you doubt his ability? And also, what makes you think Australia needs quick runs? And why would Gilchrist leapfrog anyone for quick runs when he's rarely (if ever) done that in his career?

 

[andyc]

What on Earth made you doubt his ability? And also, what makes you think Australia needs quick runs? And why would Gilchrist leapfrog anyone for quick runs when he's rarely (if ever) done that in his career?

It's not really that I doubted Clarke, but Gilchrist has earned a reputation of being a big hitter. And it's not so much that we need the quick runs more than I figured Australia might try to score a few quick runs before making a declaration that gives Pakistan a few overs remaining the day. That seems unlikely now, however. Anyway I think I'd better just shut up.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Martyn tearing towards a hundred.

I tipped at the start of the day that Australia would bat until lunch tomorrow, and I'm sticking to that. Ponting has shown time and again that he is quite conservative and likes to bat the opposition right out of the game, and he will be happy to have a massive lead and 5 sessions at Pakistan. It's supposed to be hot on days 4 and 5, so this will allow the Australian bowlers to only need to bowl two sessions tomorrow, and probably not a full 90 overs on the final day either.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

If the fielding team had appealed, Martn would have been out 'obstructig the field'. Its one of the 10 ways a player can get dismissed in cricket match.

I believe the laws on this state that a player can be out obstructing the field if they in some way prevent a legitimate opportunity to take a wicket. For example getting in the way of a fielder who is trying to take a catch, or purposely deflecting the ball away from the stumps when they might get run out. Since Martyn was inside his crease when he did this, I don't think he could rightly have been given out, although if there was an appeal it is quite possible the umpire would have called him out anyway.

Either way, it was a rather odd and stupid thing to do.

 

[andyc]

And Martyn brings up the century, continuing his fine form of late.
And with the century comes Ponting declaration, with 5 overs left in the day, Pakistan needing 564 to win.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

185 overs to get 564 runs eh? Sounds like a fair chase.

 

[Sehwag309]

Martyn century in no time:

Where's Linda

 

[Richard Rash]

Martyn tearing towards a hundred.

I tipped at the start of the day that Australia would bat until lunch tomorrow, and I'm sticking to that. Ponting has shown time and again that he is quite conservative and likes to bat the opposition right out of the game, and he will be happy to have a massive lead and 5 sessions at Pakistan. It's supposed to be hot on days 4 and 5, so this will allow the Australian bowlers to only need to bowl two sessions tomorrow, and probably not a full 90 overs on the final day either.

Well you were wrong

 

[Sehwag309]

185 overs to get 564 runs eh? Sounds like a fair chase.

Yup, Only a RR of 3.04

 

[Slow Love™]

I tipped at the start of the day that Australia would bat until lunch tomorrow, and I'm sticking to that. Ponting has shown time and again that he is quite conservative and likes to bat the opposition right out of the game, and he will be happy to have a massive lead and 5 sessions at Pakistan.

Looks like it was at least partly about nursing Martyn to a century against a weakened attack (Martyn was on 60 or so when the 500 lead was passed). I hope we don't see many more situations as contrived as this in future, because that was lousy. Just my opinion - it certainly makes some of the comments Ponting and the Australians have made about other players in the past seem a little strange.

The exaggerated conservatism reminds me of Border, who was so over-cautious whenever his team got the upper hand. But at least he had a fairly ordinary bowling attack as an excuse.

 

[andyc]

Well you were wrong

lololol how kind