God help me - the Test Cricket thread

[LP]

Out - Burns, Paine and Head

In - Warner, Carey and Maxwell

Captain - Wade

On the fatigue crap, I don't agree about the Indians pushing thought the same scenario, India is not in the same boat as other countries because the BCCI schedule IPL to disrupt other countries, not in respect of the established touring dates! India uses it's dollar$ to make other countries pay on the field, the BCCI mandates the Indian players get the IPL contract money whether they play IPL or not, international players have to play IPL to get paid. That is why Indian test players freely stand out of IPL and rest up!

[ElwoodBlues1]

Green needs to learn how to play the short stuff better, ducking blokes who are bowling 135kmh on flat pitches is only going to lead to him being pinged by quicker bowlers. He also falls over to the offside and will be a LBW candidate when he gets to England and NZ. Burns is a hack and Head isnt much better, without Warner and Smith out of form the batting is very brittle.
India are twice the team with Jadeja and Pant in the lineup, cannot understand why they are in and out, ok Pant isnt the greatest keeper but his little batting cameo changed the game and Jadeja is just so handy with bat or ball and his fielding is elite.
Smith tired...maybe, or is his technique now being challenged more because he is under more pressure with all the failures from his batting teammates who are struggling. Smith needs Warner back in the team as does his mate Marnus who also looks shaky...

[Professer E]

Marnus looked OK,  he got a decent ball and at least they had to winkle him out.  Too many others get themselves out, it's the reason Head isn't test standard.  Some of the appealing is clearly designed to pressure the umpires.... Frivolous appeals for stuff pitching outside leg, close catches etc.  The Indians talked at least one out today. I'm not surprised Ashwin cops a lot of short stuff,  he's got a big mouth.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Marnus looked OK,  he got a decent ball and at least they had to winkle him out.  Too many others get themselves out, it's the reason Head isn't test standard.  Some of the appealing is clearly designed to pressure the umpires.... Frivolous appeals for stuff pitching outside leg, close catches etc.  The Indians talked at least one out today. I'm not surprised Ashwin cops a lot of short stuff,  he's got a big mouth.

Head is another one with problems vs the short stuff, looks uncomfortable and doesnt want to get forward even when the ball is up there to hit and is always straddling the crease neither really back or forward playing those drives outside off and getting caught in the slip to point arc. Wade is a fighter but when he looks your best batsman then you have problems.
No use having a decent attack when your batting lineup is unreliable, this wicket was flat and the bowling competent but nothing special, they were even one player down with Umesh injured and we still collapsed.
Langar will probably bring back Shaun or Mitch Marsh as the fix.....

[capcom]

Langer was a stupid appointment.  Another "process" freak

[DJC]

Langer will probably bring back Shaun or Mitch Marsh as the fix.....

I suspect that the emergence of Green has spelled the end the Marsh brothers.  He looks to have the raw talent to become our Test all-rounder for quite some time.  It’s an indictment on our system that his batting and bowling wasn’t fine-tuned before he got his baggy green.

I am enjoying Punter’s commentary.  If only Paine could listen in to Punter’s thoughts about placing and moving fieldsmen and bowling tactics.

Big Merv has been surprisingly good on the wireless too.

[Professer E]

Not having a first slip was reprehensible.

[ElwoodBlues1]

I suspect that the emergence of Green has spelled the end the Marsh brothers.  He looks to have the raw talent to become our Test all-rounder for quite some time.  It’s an indictment on our system that his batting and bowling wasn’t fine-tuned before he got his baggy green.

I am enjoying Punter’s commentary.  If only Paine could listen in to Punter’s thoughts about placing and moving fieldsmen and bowling tactics.

Big Merv has been surprisingly good on the wireless too.

Feel a bit sorry for Green, we have been craving that genuine allrounder since I was a kid, other countries seem to produce them but we have always struggled and its hard for a kid coming in to the team with the expectation of being our answer to Ben Stokes.
Mitch Marsh was probably a victim of being pushed along too early and it probably hindered his development..
Been impressed with Greens bowling, he shapes the ball away at 140k and gets plenty of lift with his height, like I said his batting needs some work and batting at six in a dodgy lineup stuck between Head and Paine doesnt help.
Pontings commentary and reading of the game is excellent, makes up for the carp you get from some of the others....Paine has his good and bad days, thought Rahane the stand in skipper for the Indians was excellent, every bowling change worked and he has that happy knack of changing the field and having the ball follow his moves.

[capcom]

Green looks good to me.  A few classic strokes

[Professer E]

Keeps hitting the pull to mid wicket.  Needs to really commit to it and put it in the members' bar.  Either hit it down or go all the way.

Don't think he plays the short stuff especially well but agree that there is something to work with.  Young enough to improve.