Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

A two or three run penalty for slow over rates? Seems kind of redundant.

Nah. Two or three runs, plus two or three free swings every hour as the batsman is told they're essentially free hits knowing in advance they're going to be called no balls. Or per session, 4-6 runs plus 4-6 free swings. Fielding restrictions of course.

I like a run penalty but it's sterile, at least the above involves some skill by the batting team to really hammer the advantage home from 3 extras to 20-25 runs. Say a team is going at 100 runs a session, if the above penalty was around 25 runs (25% possible run tax for slow over rates which could be heavy) it might change behaviour. I think runs alone impacts stats a bit, but importantly if the bowlers know they could be up for 3 no balls and free hits free a break they might not like it and be disincentivisation enough. Plus stronger impacts on captains. Just a thought.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

Got the feeling West Indian cricket is rife with money hungry shysters, with many big names refusing to make themselves available for Test cricket in favour of the quick T20 cash.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if some of their players were using this trip to fatten their wallets.

Hard not think about it, one replay on the news should a no ball by over 30cms. Could be the biggest no ball I've ever seen. It's hard to imagine how a professional player makes a mistake so large. Or if it's not a mistake. They wouldn't be the first international cricketers to muck around with exotic in game bets. The Paki players would've been nearly millionaires by doing it one series if not caught.

[GVGjr]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

Khawaja must be spewing. This was the summer to be a batsman and pad up the averages.

[Sedat]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

I absolutely idolised the Windies from when I was a kid until when Curtly and Courtney retired. This mob are imposters to the proud legacy of probably the greatest team in the history of world sport - so sad to see and it is a terminal decline that will never recover.

Curtly over the age of 50 would do better than some of their bowlers.

[Remi Moses]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

Their complete lack of enthusiasm and just plain laziness is embarrassing .
If they aren't good enough so be it, but the non enthusiasm and effort is a non negeotiable

[Remi Moses]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

I absolutely idolised the Windies from when I was a kid until when Curtly and Courtney retired. This mob are imposters to the proud legacy of probably the greatest team in the history of world sport - so sad to see and it is a terminal decline that will never recover.

Curtly over the age of 50 would do better than some of their bowlers.

I enjoyed their demise initially, but this is just incredibly tragic .
Think I need to watch fire in Babylon again

[whythelongface]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

Got the feeling West Indian cricket is rife with money hungry shysters, with many big names refusing to make themselves available for Test cricket in favour of the quick T20 cash.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if some of their players were using this trip to fatten their wallets.

You can't blame them though can you. Why wouldn't you concentrate on the short form of the game where you can earn several hundred thousand quid, be mobbed as a superstar (in certain countries) and you don't have to stand in the searing heat and play for 5 days on end.

Seriously the powers that be have not helped this situation by promoting the short forms of the game. Test cricket has suffered the most and will continue to do so until it is, somehow, addressed.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

If I were a gambling investigator, I'd be looking at today. No balls were infrequent in the NZ series, but several overs today started with no balls and a heap through the day. And not just over, some were 10-15cm over seemingly to make sure. Add in suspicious strategy and not taking the new ball to limit the scoring and you've got to wonder if it's pathetic bowling and pathetic captaincy with unfortunately timed big no balls or whether it's something else.

Not sure if it was deliberately hopeless or if they are just incompetent, either way it's just unacceptable to call it elite cricket. Too many shots of guys strolling around, shaking their heads - more like C-Grade park cricket.

For those of us who grew up with the great, proud WI teams of the 70s-90s it's incomprehensible. Even worse when you change channels see Chris Gayle being advertised as a highly paid drawcard in the BBL (not to mention Bravo, Sammy, Russell, Pollard and others).

It is at a point where WI are in with Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and not fit for full series against the stronger nations. Very, very sad.

[Sedat]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

You can't blame them though can you. Why wouldn't you concentrate on the short form of the game where you can earn several hundred thousand quid, be mobbed as a superstar (in certain countries) and you don't have to stand in the searing heat and play for 5 days on end.

Seriously the powers that be have not helped this situation by promoting the short forms of the game. Test cricket has suffered the most and will continue to do so until it is, somehow, addressed.

This - teams like the Windies and Pakistan have an appalling lack of money in their governing bodies and the national players are paid peanuts as a result. No wonder that the players choose the riches of T20, and also not surprising that some players have succumbed to the lure of spot fixing.

The fact that Pakistan is the #2 ranked test nation in world cricket at the moment is one of the great miracles of modern sport. The Windies are a million miles from any such recovery. It's not like former superstars haven't rolled the sleeves up and help out - their problems are far too deep-seated to be solved.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

Maybe the ICC needs to take some responsibility for Test player payments rather than leaving it to individual nations. Maybe look at getting all of these new comps to put some money into a pool in return for having access to international players. This pool is then used for insuring that Test players in poorer nations are given a healthy minimum contract.

With India's growing strength as a world leader economically, cricket is awash with money right now (guys like Kohli and Dhoni are making $30mill+ per year, more than many entire nations Test teams, including Australia). Those quick on their feet are getting rich whilst the lumbering bureaucratic ICC is dithering. For Test fans it's most frustrating.

[Bornadog]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

Marsh 150, Voges 205 3/480

How do you celebrate when the opposition is so bad

[Twodogs]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

Marsh 150, Voges 205 3/480

How do you celebrate when the opposition is so bad

You grind them into the dirt while remembering the 1980s.

[Mantis]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

You grind them into the dirt while remembering the 1980s.

What does that prove?

With the dire state of cricket in the West Indies I can't see how them get pummelled does anything to improve their current/ on-going situation.

[Twodogs]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

What does that prove?

With the dire state of cricket in the West Indies I can't see how them get pummelled does anything to improve their current/ on-going situation.

It makes me feel better.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Australia vs West Indies 1st Test

Voges/Marsh have just replaced Don Bradman and Sid Barnes for the greatest partnership ever in Australia.

Yay us?