God help me - the Test Cricket thread

[Professer E]

He needs to tidy up his keeping and sure up his batting a bit IMO.  He's done OK but after the first mix up with first slip the tolerance slips.

[LP]

He needs to tidy up his keeping and sure up his batting a bit IMO.  He's done OK but after the first mix up with first slip the tolerance slips.

Yes, it is understandable.

Those slips mix ups are common when teams get the spacing wrong. I listened to Punter about this and my own cricket experience tells me they have it exactly the wrong. I rarely disagree with Punter but I will on this one, by spacing players further apart things will get worse when they are "forced to go for everything". The problem isn't the areas within reach, it's the area of doubt that becomes wider when you stand further apart, that causes a hesitation when players aren't confident and then it's too late to correct the reaction.

When I was captaining until I had confidence in the group behind the wicket I found keeping them closer together than normal was the best solution, very few if any chances went down and their confidence went through the roof, then they would naturally start standing a bit further apart. It can be especially important on pitches that are a bit variable, as you have to stand up closer to the stumps, you have got less time as you get closer to the wicket, so you need a narrower area to cover.

Rather than making them wider apart I found a bigger stagger to be more useful, have the keeper aligned with or even a step in front of 2nd slip and 1st slip well behind the keeper. This gives the slips freedom to dive about, even dive forward, without getting in each others way.

Years ago there were some stats I read once, circulating in cricket circles about where chances go statistically. It's some crazy percentage of catches go to the keeper or within the area of 1-1/2 keepers. Having the 1st slip and keeper closer together you still cover something like 80% of chances behind the wicket or across the whole field. I was quite surprised at those stats when I first read them, but if you think for a while it makes sense based on how many catches keepers get relative to the rest of the field! If 4:1 to either the keeper or 1st slip makes sense, than that's 80% of catches.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Carey has the Pakistan series to improve or he will be looked at imho.
Keeping to medium pacers in SA and Big bash bowlers hasnt helped him either.
Looks like his footwork needs correcting vs the quicks.
Gilchrist and Rod Marsh were not great when they started either.

[LP]

Keeping to medium pacers in SA and Big bash bowlers hasnt helped him either.

I think this has a much bigger impact than people realise.

Getting an extended run of keeping in 5 day cricket to become Test match fit is critical to build that muscle memory. It's not about physical fitness, it is as much about mental fitness. Good muscle memory keeps the basic mechanics of keeping going when you are becoming fatigued and not thinking at 100%.

Obviously I never played 5 days, but I did play 4 day cricket, and it's amazing how the required level of physical / mental endurance scales up as you go from 2 to 3 or 4 day. Most are not ready for it!

[tonyo]

Didn't think Lyon was great either and of course we dropped a couple of catches plus Green half bowling Stokes was an unusual non dismissal when the bails wouldn't fall.
Lost seven overs due to rain after lunch and couldn't bowl our quicks at the end because of the light.. All conspired against us...

Lyon has usually been somewhat solid, but now there have been several occasion where he has failed to have any significant impact on a 5th day wicket.  I just don't rate him as a bowler who can rip through a batting side.

We need a wrist-spinner badly.  Swepson would do for a start, but they should get Warnie in the mentor chair for young guy who plays for Sydney Thunder (Tanveer Sangha).

[ElwoodBlues1]

Lyon has usually been somewhat solid, but now there have been several occasion where he has failed to have any significant impact on a 5th day wicket.  I just don't rate him as a bowler who can rip through a batting side.

We need a wrist-spinner badly.  Swepson would do for a start, but they should get Warnie in the mentor chair for young guy who plays for Sydney Thunder (Tanveer Sangha).

Fair point on Lyon, he has never been that 5 for 20 type bowler who can skittle teams quickly, Swepson might get his chance vs Pakistan but on flat low pitches vs players who are used to leg spin its a tough debut series.

[Professer E]

It's the extra bounce that leg spinners get that's really dangerous on decent pitches.  On the rolled mud featherbeds they'll get in Pakistan it's hard work. Any error in line or length to batsmen that use their feet and it's innocuous, unless there's holes etc and it starts gripping.

[tonyo]

It's the extra bounce that leg spinners get that's really dangerous on decent pitches.  On the rolled mud featherbeds they'll get in Pakistan it's hard work. Any error in line or length to batsmen that use their feet and it's innocuous, unless there's holes etc and it starts gripping.

Agree, but we need a leggie to start getting some Test experience with Ashes 2023 in mind.  In Pakistan, with Green able to bowl, they should be playing 2 quicks and 2 spinners.

[Professer E]

Interesting how the Indians have blown up at the Jaapies overnight....."have a look at your own  blokes when they're polishing the ball instead of always trying to catch the opposition out" was a noteworthy comment I thought.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Interesting how the Indians have blown up at the Jaapies overnight....."have a look at your own  blokes when they're polishing the ball instead of always trying to catch the opposition out" was a noteworthy comment I thought.

Kholi and crew copped a working over from Rabada and new wonder kid Jansen.
He couldn't get it off the square and got frustrated with the SA quicks who keep getting him out. India don't like losing and Kholi has behaved like a immature kid along with Bumrah too who has his own private war going with Jansen. Saffies can win the series tonight and I will enjoy the fallout back home in India. Got to admit Pant though is a special player, 100 not out when his teammates struggled to get double figures..