Cricket 29: The Kings of Method Sledging

[The Marquis de Leech]

Smith really played too conservatively. I think he probably guessed that McCullum would go for the win if he have him 2 full sessions to bat, and he probably thought if McCullum saw the run chase as basically a 50 over match it was 50/50 whether Aus would win or lose. All it would take is for the likes of McCullum and Williamson to put on a 150 run partnership in 100 balls and it would be curtains for Aussie. And while taking that sort of risk could also have lead to NZ being 5 down for 60 after 100 balls it was possibly something Smith didn't want to chance. So he batted so long into the day to make it impossible for NZ to try to chase down the runs.

Smith's tactics were perfectly reasonable. He's 1-0 up in the series, why risk a loss on a pitch that is a batsman's paradise?

[The Winged Shadow]

I'd be surprised if they didn't have replacement balls. I'd also be surprised if Siddle retired anytime soon Niloy - he's 31 and pretty fit still!

I'm intrigued by the Adelaide test. Certainly wouldn't want to face Mitchell Starc under lights in a test match.

Didn't realise he was 31. I thought he'd be around 34! 

Maybe Hazelwood will get dropped for Siddle (line and length), and Pattinson in for Johnson (express pace and bounce).....

[Paxter]

Could be right, though I think the language around Hazlewood will be "rested due to high workload".

@‌RBPL: Totally agree re: the reasonableness of Smith's declaration. I think it was just jarring because it's so unusual for an Australian captain to be defensive in Australian conditions, even when 1-0 up in a series.

[Davrum]

I figured part of the reason Mitchell Johnson retired mid-series (mid-test even) was he'd clearly not been up to it in the first innings, setting the record for most runs conceded in an innings by an Australian bowler. His retirement message - "I feel I can no longer compete at the level required to represent the baggy green" (or words to that effect) - certainly suggested that.

Ballsy move falling on his sword like that. He always seemed like one of the good ones and I was happy to see him get a couple more in his last innings as an international strike bowler, even if it did mean a couple of our boys had to head back to the pavillion for him to do it.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Mr. X and I were both surprised at Mitchell's announcement, and sad too. It'll be interesting to see how the Australia side develops over the next couple of months.

[The Anti-Targ]

Smith's tactics were perfectly reasonable. He's 1-0 up in the series, why risk a loss on a pitch that is a batsman's paradise?

reasonable perhaps, perfectly, no. I think Smith erred too much on the side of guaranteed draw. IMO he should have given Aussie more of a shot at actually dismissing NZ while not increasing the risk of losing all that much.

Mr. X and I were both surprised at Mitchell's announcement, and sad too. It'll be interesting to see how the Australia side develops over the next couple of months.

When did you convert Mr X, or has he always been a convert?

I like to think that NZ are such nice guys that Latham and Guptill both chose to get out to Johnson so he could finish with better bowling figures than 1/177 in his final test, which would have been the worst bowling figures of all the Aussie bowlers for the match.

[desire]

Hope Patto just gets his body in check, he is a bit of a monster 

[Andriy Czarchenko]

If Smith erred on defensive side it´s at most by 1 or 2 overs. The lead was only 260 or so with  60 overs to play before NZ took new ball and and the crawl immediately turned into very easy scoring.

[Maltaran]

So Ian Bell has been dropped for the South Africa tour.

[Xray the Enforcer]

 

When did you convert Mr X, or has he always been a convert?

I think he's always been interested, but it wasn't until recently that we could reliably get cricket coverage. It's tough to keep an active interest if all you see are box scores.

[ljkeane]

So Ian Bell has been dropped for the South Africa tour.

Hmm, I'm not sure about that.

Alright his form has been poor for a while but it's not like England have got a lot of reliable test quality batsmen. Without Bell they're down to Cook and Root who are definitely good test batsmen plus a number of guys who have some potential but haven't ever really proved themselves. It's pretty hard to pick a batting lineup from the squad which doesn't look fairly shaky. Maybe give Compton a go at 3?

On the bowling front no Wood or Finn through injury and they go with Patel ahead of Rashid.

[williamjm]

Hmm, I'm not sure about that.

Alright his form has been poor for a while but it's not like England have got a lot of reliable test quality batsmen. Without Bell they're down to Cook and Root who are definitely good test batsmen plus a number of guys who have some potential but haven't ever really proved themselves. It's pretty hard to pick a batting lineup from the squad which doesn't look fairly shaky. Maybe give Compton a go at 3?

On the bowling front no Wood or Finn through injury and they go with Patel ahead of Rashid.

I agree that I think England seem likely to struggle in South Africa. Their best hope would be that Anderson and Broad can bowl the South Africans out cheaply enough that it hides England's fragile batting (that's basically what happened in the Ashes). I think recalling Compton seems like an overdue move, while he didn't exactly set the work alight in his first stint in the Test side I thought he probably did better than any of the other openers who followed him. I think your idea of having Compton at 3 seems good (IIRC it's his county position despite opening in Tests before), it looks likely Hales will open and I think he'll inevitably be a bit hit-and-miss. I'm not too surprised about Rashid being omitted, they're not likely to need a second spinner in South Africa, although I'm a bit surprised at the unlikely renaissance in Patel's Test career.

[The Anti-Targ]

Australia: The sledging sledgers who sledge

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/nov/20/michael-clarke-slams-hayden-symonds-and-buchanan-for-ashes-pot-shots

“Andrew Symonds went on TV to criticise my leadership. I’m sorry but he is not a person to judge anyone on leadership,” Clarke wrote of his former teammate. “This is a guy who turned up drunk to play for his country. It’s pretty rich for him to be throwing rocks.”

...

The 34-year-old, saved his biggest sledge for former Australian coach John Buchanan, though. “I don’t think John knows a thing about the baggy green, having never worn one,” Clarke said. “He’s still living off the fact that he coached a team that anyone, even my dog Jerry, could have coached to world domination.”

In August Buchanan slammed the way the culture of the Australian cricket team had fallen under Clarke’s captaincy. “Players like Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and others really tried to make the Baggy Green culture something special but I could sense it was under threat and under Michael’s captaincy I can sense it has disappeared a bit and that disappointed me,” he told News Corp Australia.

Lol!

Is Buchanan saying that under Michael Clarke the Aussie team turned into a bunch of sledging douche nozzles? It's kinda hard to disagree with John there.

[Tinker]

Australia: The sledging sledgers who sledge

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/nov/20/michael-clarke-slams-hayden-symonds-and-buchanan-for-ashes-pot-shots

Lol!

Is Buchanan saying that under Michael Clarke the Aussie team turned into a bunch of sledging douche nozzles? It's kinda hard to disagree with John there.

The Australian team has always been full of absolute twats, The worst of the lot is Hayden though. Nothing but flat track bully. 

[The Anti-Targ]

The Australian team has always been full of absolute twats, The worst of the lot is Hayden though. Nothing but flat track bully. 

And until Hayden got on Clarke's bad side (or the other way around?) they were great mates. So it may still be said that Clarke turned a bunch of absolute twats into irredeemable butt plugs. Still the conditions for butt pluggery existed well before Clarke got himself into a position of leadership. As the saying goes, God didn't make the devil evil, Satan was an arsehole before he got cast out of heaven. Or something along those lines.

[The Winged Shadow]

Thank you for adding "Irredeemable butt plug" and "butt pluggery" to my vocabulary. Truly inspirational stuff! 

[Daemrion]

I agree that I think England seem likely to struggle in South Africa. Their best hope would be that Anderson and Broad can bowl the South Africans out cheaply enough that it hides England's fragile batting (that's basically what happened in the Ashes). I think recalling Compton seems like an overdue move, while he didn't exactly set the work alight in his first stint in the Test side I thought he probably did better than any of the other openers who followed him. I think your idea of having Compton at 3 seems good (IIRC it's his county position despite opening in Tests before), it looks likely Hales will open and I think he'll inevitably be a bit hit-and-miss. I'm not too surprised about Rashid being omitted, they're not likely to need a second spinner in South Africa, although I'm a bit surprised at the unlikely renaissance in Patel's Test career.

I always thought that Anderson was no good away from English conditions. He was very poor last Ashes in Australia where the pitches don't provide much swing.

[Consigliere]

I always thought that Anderson was no good away from English conditions. He was very poor last Ashes in Australia where the pitches don't provide much swing.

He should get more assistance from SA pitches though but there will not be as much swing as in English conditions.

[ljkeane]

I think the reputation Anderson has for only being any good in English conditions is a bit unfair. He's just taken 13 wickets at an average under 16 in the UAE for example, he's been good in India in the past and while he wasn't great, along with a few other players, in the last Ashes tour to Australia he was very effective the time before. He's certainly at his best when it's swinging but he's not completely useless in less favourable conditions.

 

[Davrum]

The Aussies are the Ronda Rousey of cricket. When they're flying their unsportsmanlike behaviour can seem like it gives them an edge, but when they fall everyone else glories in that fall like nobody's business. Oh how we glory.