Test matches or One day games

[BulldogBelle]

Which do you prefer?

I like the one day games - more fast paced and exciting to watch. Much as I love watching cricket, the 5 day test matches tend to drag on and on and on.

[Twodogs]

Test matches by a long shot. The drama, the intrigue, the endurance required, the intricit traps and ambushes, the all out violence at times, the stakes involved, the history constantly being rewritten, the almost inperceptable changes of circumstance that matches can turn on.

A lot of people hate the draw but the fact theres three different results to play for makes it a more exciting game. One of my favorite cricketing memories is Peter Sleep desperatly holding out Richard Hadlee's last over to prevent New Zealand winning a test match-not to win the match ourselves but drawing meant we split the series so we had evrything on the line. If time simply ran out and the mob with the most runs won then the game is the poorer.

Those things and many more make it the best format of the greatest game in the World.



I'm pretty ambivilant about the 50 over format-too many flat spots and to predictable. I also dislike the fielding restrictions and the fact that each bowler is limited to 10 overs. Let 'em bowl 15 and you could play an extra batsmen without having to find ten overs from two or three tweakers who are as boring as batshit to watch. Also if you lose early wickets batting first then you've lost the game, the next guys have no time to play themselves in-this isnt a huge problem with teams batting second because they know their target. Having said that the World Cup is excellenmt and the games are rarely played in the formulaic manner that 99% percent of all the other tournaments.



Twenty20 I particulalrly enjoy. The players are still finding their way and it's fun to watch the tactics evolving.

[Sockeye Salmon]

What he said.

I have zero interest in one day cricket. The middle 20 overs are the most boring cricket to watch - hit to the sweeper, walk a single.

I do enjoy 20/20 as well. It's also good for kids and Americans.

5-day cricket is king and always will be.


PS. Twodogs - you could have said Mike Whitney holding out the West Indians as well.

[Twodogs]

What he said.

I have zero interest in one day cricket. The middle 20 overs are the most boring cricket to watch - hit to the sweeper, walk a single.

I do enjoy 20/20 as well. It's also good for kids and Americans.

5-day cricket is king and always will be.


PS. Twodogs - you could have said Mike Whitney holding out the West Indians as well.




Yep.-Waugh and Julien golding out the Poms in' 99 for the whole of the last session was fantastic tense cricket as well-we were gone for all money.


While I think of it having a not out batsmen is a great rule as well. I remember seeing Terry Alderman holding out the West Indies in '83 while Kim Hughes thrashed the bowling at the other end. He got 100 not out of 198. I didnt like Hughes but that was one of the great innings I've seen.

[Dry Rot]

Test cricket.

As Twodogs said, too many one dayers die in the bum early in an innings.

They also do not allow the nuances of quality batsmen just surviving against bowlers on top.

[dog town]

Twodogs pretty much perfectly summed up my thoughts on the issue. Only ODI I can handle is a world cup game because the pressure can make the middle overs much more gripping.

Absolutely adore test cricket for all the reasons listed by Twodogs. I captain my local side and for me watching a captain and his bowlers work out how to pick up 20 wickets is fascinating.

I am not a huge fan of 20/20 mainly because I hold fears that it could dilute the 5 day version of the game. Certainly think it will kill off one day cricket.

[Twodogs]

Absolutely adore test cricket for all the reasons listed by Twodogs. I captain my local side and for me watching a captain and his bowlers work out how to pick up 20 wickets is fascinating.





No matter what the standard of cricket is I love to watch how disciplined the fielding team is. Little things like keeping the ball off the ground, looking toward the captain between balls for fielding adjustments without the batsman noticing, how on their toes they are, how many players are shining the ball, which players are best to push a quick single toward.



Geez I love this game!

[dog town]

No matter what the standard of cricket is I love to watch how disciplined the fielding team is. Little things like keeping the ball off the ground, looking toward the captain between balls for fielding adjustments without the batsman noticing, how on their toes they are, how many players are shining the ball, which players are best to push a quick single toward.



Geez I love this game!
Totally agree.

The best sides I have played in have had almost a sixth sense for when a batsmen is in a vulnerable state and what the best way to about getting him out is. I think this is key to why Australia produce such good sides. The passing on of knowledge from generation to generation in Australia is second to none. Just sitting in the rooms having a beer after the game is like going to some sort of cricket academy.

[The Coon Dog]

I love seeing a Captain making a bold declaration, which gives both teams a chance to win. The timing is crucial. Ian Chappell had the best philosophy in this regard. He said that you had to give something to get something.

I also love to see a Captain who sticks with the old ball. It's too easy to take the new cherry when it's due, but that makes it tougher for the spinners & comes of the bat much quicker. again, timing is the issue.

I hate seeing a tail ender bat with an established batsman when the fielding Captain puts all the fielders on the boundary to give the established batsman a single in the hope he can then dismiss the tail ender. Looks awful when a shot is fielded near the boundary & the batsmen refuse to run.

[dog town]

I love seeing a Captain making a bold declaration, which gives both teams a chance to win. The timing is crucial. Ian Chappell had the best philosophy in this regard. He said that you had to give something to get something.

I also love to see a Captain who sticks with the old ball. It's too easy to take the new cherry when it's due, but that makes it tougher for the spinners & comes of the bat much quicker. again, timing is the issue.

I hate seeing a tail ender bat with an established batsman when the fielding Captain puts all the fielders on the boundary to give the established batsman a single in the hope he can then dismiss the tail ender. Looks awful when a shot is fielded near the boundary & the batsmen refuse to run. This is another reason that I love cricket. So many different opinions on the best way to do things. So much pychology and timing involved in everything.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Totally agree.

The best sides I have played in have had almost a sixth sense for when a batsmen is in a vulnerable state and what the best way to about getting him out is. I think this is key to why Australia produce such good sides. The passing on of knowledge from generation to generation in Australia is second to none. Just sitting in the rooms having a beer after the game is like going to some sort of cricket academy.

I rate Mark Taylor as the best captain I've seen. Not the best player by any stretch of the imagination, but the best reader of a situation. He almost always made the right decisions at the right time.

[dog town]

I rate Mark Taylor as the best captain I've seen. Not the best player by any stretch of the imagination, but the best reader of a situation. He almost always made the right decisions at the right time.
Yeah he was brilliant. I like the way our last 4 captains have all seemed to come in at the right time.

Border had that toughness to bring up a young crop of players and instil that doggedness in them.

Taylor had the tactical nouse to take them that last little bit to the top and make them the best team in the world.

Waugh after a bad start was able to get them to strive for more than just being the best team.

Ponting is now leaving his own legacy and is IMO an underrated captain. Sure he has had a brilliant side but I think he has lead them pretty well.

Has to be said that Shane Warne showed in his brief time in charge of the one day side that he has a brillinat tactical mind. Could have been an alll time great as skipper but could also easily have brought it all tumbling down around him with some of the things he does.

[Twodogs]

Totally agree.

The best sides I have played in have had almost a sixth sense for when a batsmen is in a vulnerable state and what the best way to about getting him out is. I think this is key to why Australia produce such good sides. The passing on of knowledge from generation to generation in Australia is second to none. Just sitting in the rooms having a beer after the game is like going to some sort of cricket academy.



Another great thing about cricket. You're basically encouraged to gang up on the opposition one at a time. I love it the other way too-eleven of them willing to say or do anything to get into your head.



Some of the funniest things have been said to me were while I was batting.

[Twodogs]

I rate Mark Taylor as the best captain I've seen. Not the best player by any stretch of the imagination, but the best reader of a situation. He almost always made the right decisions at the right time.



He was a genius. I was rapt the time he got his 300-not many blokes had gutsed, no pun intended, through a slump like his. I bet my dad ten bucks before he got to 50 that he'd make 200.


Great slipper too. I thought he was the best I ever saw, but on the ABC the other week I saw a show called Cricket In The '60s and Bobby Simpson was taking blinders and making it look like shelling peas-he was a freak!

[The Coon Dog]

How handy is it when you have a great slips condon? Simpson, the Chappells, M. Waugh, Hayden & even Warnie. We've been blessed.

[Twodogs]

How handy is it when you have a great slips condon? Simpson, the Chappells, M. Waugh, Hayden & even Warnie. We've been blessed.



Nothing worse than having a rubbery one.
:p

[Sockeye Salmon]

Another great thing about cricket. You're basically encouraged to gang up on the opposition one at a time. I love it the other way too-eleven of them willing to say or do anything to get into your head.


That's what makes test cricket so good.

It's a test of skill, courage, application, endurance and mental toughness.

I can't stand the Sri Lankans having a whinge and playing the racist card at every opportunity. Toughen the **** up!

Call Vivi or the big Cat a black whatever and you'd end up chasing a cricket ball for two days! (Of course, I bet no-one was actually stupid enough to do it - hell, Dean Jones only asked Ambrose to move a sweat band and he nearly got killed!)