Boxing day test v India 2014

[Bull Shark]

Australia needs to hone in on the stumps more here... Too many leaveable balls wide of off stump or down leg side... Something Australian bowlers have never been good at - zeroing in on that middle & off line on a wearing pitch for LBWs and bowleds... Two of the three wickets have come from that line.. But they don't persist with it

It's what Dale Steyn would do

 

[Sproj]

Harry gets Karmichael Kohli!

 

[CaptainHook]

Pretty **** weak to abandon the game with overs remaining. A lot could happen in 4 overs.

 

[KingWebcke]

I'm so sick of our curators tossing up these dead wickets. We have the most feared fast bowling attack in the world , Produceva wicket with some grass FFS ,yet we produce these bowler killer wickets. Ryan Harris has no cartilage left in his knees you know. When we play overseas we're confronted with wickets to suit the strengths of the home team, yet we cough up these wickets where the Idians can just throw their hands at the ball, just like home.We need wickets where lazy footwork is exposed, not rewarded.

but was this actually the curators's fault? Usually you want a wicket that seams about at the start and then flattens out into a good batting wicket before starting to fall apart and turn into a landmine on Day 4 and Day 5. the problem was that because Melbourne was so cold this week (when usually its pretty hot over Xmas), the pitch just got stuck in that "good flat batting track" phase.

besides, the wicket wasn't so flat that you couldn't get a result. it was still a sporting wicket. If the series was 1-1 or 1-0, I reckon you would have seen a win/loss today but because we could wrap up the series with a draw, Lehmann/Smith were happy to play very conservatively.

 

[broncos4life]

Conceding with 4 overs left was weak as IMHO. Very disappointed. Dhoni looked like he couldn't believe his luck

 

[1910]

You guys are harsh, the guys were cooked. Harris was gone and the captains called it off- happened in many games before.

 

[Ari Gold]

Could have bowled someone other than Harris. You battle for 6hrs in the day, what's an extra four overs? I mean, the fielders literally just keep standing where they are for 24 balls. Not exactly taxing.

Morning innings was the real negative point though. Far too slow and batted for way too long. I blame Shaun Marsh.

 

[broncos4life]

You guys are harsh, the guys were cooked. Harris was gone and the captains called it off- happened in many games before.

Harsh? Are you serious?

We have other bowlers than Harris. It's 4 more overs FFS. I'm sorry that expecting our top cricketers to play four more others with a win in sight for their fucking country is harsh.

Maybe when teams get to golden point in RL they can just shake hands and call it a day

 

[1910]

Harsh? Are you serious?

We have other bowlers than Harris. It's 4 more overs FFS. I'm sorry that expecting our top cricketers to play four more others with a win in sight for their ****ing country is harsh.

Maybe when teams get to golden point in RL they can just shake hands and call it a day

A win in sight- really?

Have you blown up like this the other 100000 times it has been done? It's not comparable to golden point at all.

The game was done and a draw won us the series, four overs would have achieved nothing. Was India going to get the runs- no, was Australia going to get 4 wickets- no.

 

[Big Pete]

It's the principle.

Fans want to see a nation that fights to the end, even if the smarter option is to end things earlier.

 

[Harry Sack]

Could have bowled someone other than Harris. You battle for 6hrs in the day, what's an extra four overs? I mean, the fielders literally just keep standing where they are for 24 balls. Not exactly taxing.

Morning innings was the real negative point though. Far too slow and batted for way too long. I blame Shaun Marsh.

This. I think we needed to give the Indians a sniff so they'd maybe take a chance or 2.

 

[Socnorb]

but was this actually the curators's fault? Usually you want a wicket that seams about at the start and then flattens out into a good batting wicket before starting to fall apart and turn into a landmine on Day 4 and Day 5. the problem was that because Melbourne was so cold this week (when usually its pretty hot over Xmas), the pitch just got stuck in that "good flat batting track" phase.

besides, the wicket wasn't so flat that you couldn't get a result. it was still a sporting wicket. If the series was 1-1 or 1-0, I reckon you would have seen a win/loss today but because we could wrap up the series with a draw, Lehmann/Smith were happy to play very conservatively.

I take your point, also probably a disrupted prep, But you could always leave a bit more grass on. I just feel for Harris and Johnson, both at the back end of thier careers. We say to them we love you guys we love the way dominate and and intimidate, here you are boys ,two flat tennis ball bounce tracks for you. Oh by the way we're not playing at the WACA. In which other country would they neuter thier bowling strength with pitches of this nature.

 

[KingWebcke]

I take your point, also probably a disrupted prep, But you could always leave a bit more grass on. I just feel for Harris and Johnson, both at the back end of thier careers. We say to them we love you guys we love the way dominate and and intimidate, here you are boys ,two flat tennis ball bounce tracks for you. Oh by the way we're not playing at the WACA. In which other country would they neuter thier bowling strength with pitches of this nature.

but where have we neutered our bowling strength? we got 20 wickets in Adelaide and 20 wickets in Brisbane. this is the first time in the series that we have failed to get India out completely. Melbourne is the only pitch that was really flat and even today, we could have got 20 wickets if 1. we hadn't bowled as erratically on day 3, 2. we hadn't missed chances in the field, 3. if we hadn't been held up by three very good and in-form batsmen (Vijay, Kohli, Rahane)

 

[CaptainHook]

You guys are harsh, the guys were cooked. Harris was gone and the captains called it off- happened in many games before.

I don't agree. The side with the better chance of winning should always be going for the win regardless of how many overs are left. As others have said, what's 4 more overs?

I'm a big Ryan Harris fan but test cricket is a tough game and should be played that way. If he can't go the distance or if he needs a wicket that 'offers something' then what's he doing there?

A win in sight- really?

Have you blown up like this the other 100000 times it has been done? It's not comparable to golden point at all.

The game was done and a draw won us the series, four overs would have achieved nothing. Was India going to get the runs- no, was Australia going to get 4 wickets- no.

It reflects badly on Australia, who were closer to a win than India, yet asked to call it quits. It's a blight on Steve Smith's burgeoning captaincy that he meekly accepted the draw when his side was closer to a win.

 

[Sproj]

Wonder if Dhoni asked them to let him retire after a draw?

 

[broncos4life]

Wonder if Dhoni asked them to let him retire after a draw?

Well if he did thank god for that! Perish the thought that our bowlers had to chase the win by bowling another 4 overs!!! I mean that's 6 balls each! Dodged a bullet there

 

[1910]

I take your point, also probably a disrupted prep, But you could always leave a bit more grass on. I just feel for Harris and Johnson, both at the back end of thier careers. We say to them we love you guys we love the way dominate and and intimidate, here you are boys ,two flat tennis ball bounce tracks for you. Oh by the way we're not playing at the WACA. In which other country would they neuter thier bowling strength with pitches of this nature.

I still can't agree with your thoughts on the pitch. Harris took 6 wickets in Melbourne and was MOTM bowling really well. Johnson took 5 and was a bit more erratic but still had some good spells.

That's 11 wickets between our two lead bowlers. Over half the job done. Last year in Adelaide Johnson took 7/40 and Harris 3/54. Followed up in Melbourne with Johnson 5/63 and 3/25. On the same pitch they weren't 'neutered' they bowled better then they have this series and got better results.

India beat us at the WACA in 2008 too.

 

[1910]

I don't agree. The side with the better chance of winning should always be going for the win regardless of how many overs are left. As others have said, what's 4 more overs?

I'm a big Ryan Harris fan but test cricket is a tough game and should be played that way. If he can't go the distance or if he needs a wicket that 'offers something' then what's he doing there?



It reflects badly on Australia, who were closer to a win than India, yet asked to call it quits. It's a blight on Steve Smith's burgeoning captaincy that he meekly accepted the draw when his side was closer to a win.

I don't understand your point about Harris? He bowled well all game and got MOTM. He hasn't said anything about the pitch. He bowls his guts out no matter what the pitch or condition. You've clearly never seen him post game and the condition of his body to question his toughness.