*Official* Third Test at the WACA

[GIMH]

Seems like half of every thread is filled with Aussies moaning.

Indeed

 

[Furball]

I respected Allan Border but coulldnt care whether I watched him bat towards the end of his career

Ditto Steve Waugh and any no. of other players

If you actually think a guy like Cook is good to watch then you need to get out more

There's no doubt that a cameo from Kevin Pietersen is more entertaining to watch, but you're fooling no-one if you're arguing you wouldn't have enjoyed Katich racking up 235* and 148 the way Cook did.

edit: it's funnier because you're bagging Cook, who's accumulated mountains of runs watchfully, but bagging Ponting and Clarke because they're not being watchful and throwing their wickets away. Make your mind up.

 

[Prince EWS]

Social, as is often the case, has a fair point but is just being a bit of a dick about it. You don't have to find a batsman aesthetically pleasing to acknowledge his quality. All he's saying is that Cook has an ugly technique to watch. It's not because of his scoring rate or his boundary runs percentage so telling him to go and watch T20 misses his point, and he's not saying he's crap either. People say it about Katich all the time for example - obviously it's a very subjective thing but I'd be surprised if it wasn't common.

 

[Jacknife]

I respected Allan Border but coulldnt care whether I watched him bat towards the end of his career

Ditto Steve Waugh and any no. of other players

If you actually think a guy like Cook is good to watch then you need to get out more

When he's racking up hundreds I'll watch him all day.

 

[tooextracool]

If you actually think a guy like Cook is good to watch then you need to get out more

Mate, this is test match cricket. I dont know what you have been doing over the past 20 years or what you expect it to be, but anybody who sits down and watches a game for 8 hours a day for 5 days probably needs a life. This is fundamentally why we cant widen the audience for this sport.

You coming in here and telling us that 'Effective Player X' is boring is like someone walking to a chess match between Kasaparov and Anand and telling them that they need to increase their chances of getting checkmated because their game is boring to watch.

 

[Prince EWS]

Mate, this is test match cricket. I dont know what you have been doing over the past 20 years or what you expect it to be, but anybody who sits down and watches a game for 8 hours a day for 5 days probably needs a life. This is fundamentally why we cant widen the audience for this sport.

You coming in here and telling us that 'Effective Player X' is boring is like someone walking to a chess match between Kasaparov and Anand and telling them that they need to increase their chances of getting checkmated because their game is boring to watch.

I don't think he was actually suggesting that Cook go out of his way to become better to watch at the expense of run-scoring...

 

[Rant0r]

I'd like to suggest a new sport for his liking, say perhaps badminton

 

[Jacknife]

Bottom line is that Id much rather watch quality players bat sensibly than watch a bunch of idiots like Pietersen come in and decide to leave their brain in the dressing room. Give me McGrath bowling line and length every ball and the batsmen leaving as many of them alone than Mitchell Johnson sending one ball to slip and the other to leg slip while people like Pietersen, Clarke etc find a way to edge it.

Don't agree with that about KP, in every side there is room for both kinds of players, the ones who occupy the crease and try to accumulate runs and there is room for players like KP who can take the game away from a team in a session, but on the flip side can nick out while being aggressive, both good to watch.

 

[tooextracool]

I don't think he was actually suggesting that Cook go out of his way to become better to watch at the expense of run-scoring...

Does suggesting that Cook and Strauss play more straight drives not count?

 

[Prince EWS]

Does suggesting that Cook and Strauss play more straight drives not count?

I think he was just saying that the fact they don't makes them ugly to watch; not that they should actually play them more to the detriment of the team.

 

[Rant0r]

Yeah... never seen either of them playing drives...

 

[Jono]

Mate, this is test match cricket. I dont know what you have been doing over the past 20 years or what you expect it to be, but anybody who sits down and watches a game for 8 hours a day for 5 days probably needs a life. This is fundamentally why we cant widen the audience for this sport.

Haha I liked that. Very nice.

 

[tooextracool]

Don't agree with that about KP, in every side there is room for both kinds of players, the ones who occupy the crease and try to accumulate runs and there is room for players like KP who can take the game away from a team in a session, but on the flip side can nick out while being aggressive, both good to watch.

Im not saying theres no room for him or that hes a bad player. Whatever works for him works for him and its why he's been successful. The bottom line is that I don't exactly enjoy watching him bat because his brain is up his arse and theres usually no method or strategy behind the way he plays. Makes for an attractive highlight package yes but thats pretty much it.

 

[Rant0r]

227 at a strike rate of over 70... enough said really

 

[Jacknife]

Im not saying theres no room for him or that hes a bad player. Whatever works for him works for him and its why he's been successful. The bottom line is that I don't exactly enjoy watching him bat because his brain is up his arse and theres usually no method or strategy behind the way he plays. Makes for an attractive highlight package yes but thats pretty much it.

But I do think there is a method and a strategy to the way he plays, you can tell when he talks about cricket that he thinks about what he's doing out there, the way he moves around the crease to eliminate risk and to still play the shots he likes, the way he invents shots, I just can't see how you can say that about him. He's obviously been out of form for a year over, but saying basically he's good for a few shots and his brain his up his arse is far from the truth imo.

 

[tooextracool]

But I do think there is a method and a strategy to the way he plays, you can tell when he talks about cricket that he thinks about what he's doing out there, the way he moves around the crease to eliminate risk and to still play the shots he likes, the way he invents shots, I just can't see how you can say that about him. He's obviously been out of form for a year over, but saying basically he's good for a few shots and his brain his up his arse is far from the truth imo.

Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration to get my point across, but for the most part its true. The guy has been waltzing down the pitch to Asif even though he's been made to look clueless every single time in doing that. You'd think if it hasnt been working the last 20 times, he'd change it and realize that he needed that extra time by staying back in the crease. Similarly, his ego gets the most of him on many an occasion and he ends up playing a daft shot and getting himself out. Its just pathetic to watch sometimes, much like watching a good singer sing a bad song.

 

[Jacknife]

Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration to get my point across, but for the most part its true. The guy has been waltzing down the pitch to Asif even though he's been made to look clueless every single time in doing that. You'd think if it hasnt been working the last 20 times, he'd change it and realize that he needed that extra time by staying back in the crease. Similarly, his ego gets the most of him on many an occasion and he ends up playing a daft shot and getting himself out. Its just pathetic to watch sometimes, much like watching a good singer sing a bad song.

He admitted himself his confidence was shot, when playing against Asif and that's the kind of thing you do with no confidence, to try to get you playing again. But with a player like KP you have to take the rough with the smooth, because at the end of the day he averages nigh on 50 so he must be doing something right, even after his long stretch with injury and form. Me personally, I think he's one of the best players to watch in the world when he's in form and those other players who maybe don't take the risks that KP does, still find ways to get out.But you can appreciate both styles of player, it would be boring if all batsmen played the same.

 

[tooextracool]

Thats BS though. He did it all summer long against Asif in 2006 while he was still in form.

 

[Jacknife]

Thats BS though. He did it all summer long against Asif in 2006 while he was still in form.

He does it to all bowlers especially the ones at 80mph, and Asif only got him once all series in 2006 and he averaged 50 in that series. Mate, you've obviously got your point of view and nothing I say will change that.

 

[social]

Cricket is obviously not the game for you

IIRC, TEC was one of the multitude calling for Cook to be dropped recently whilst little ole me, who wouldnt walk across the road to watch him bat, was one of the select few who supported him

Oh, the irony