Cricket (None Leicestershire County Cricket Club)

[Tommy Fresh]

Still think South Africa win the series

[AKCJ]

3 hours ago, leicsmac said:

Typical Aussie smash and grab, really: from not much for 6 in the first innings to winning by a large margin in the end. 

 

They really are so difficult to put away. 

Their bowling attack is just too good. 5 of the current top 13 bowlers are Australian.

 

Yes it's ageing but when you've got Nathan Lyon bowling 42 overs and only going for 90 runs in the test and you've got Cummins, Hazelwood and Starc at the other end you're going to get wickets.

 

Renshaw has won them the game with his runs but the bowling means they only need to get one or two scores from their batsmen and they're laughing.

[leicsmac]

5 hours ago, AKCJ said:

Their bowling attack is just too good. 5 of the current top 13 bowlers are Australian.

 

Yes it's ageing but when you've got Nathan Lyon bowling 42 overs and only going for 90 runs in the test and you've got Cummins, Hazelwood and Starc at the other end you're going to get wickets.

 

Renshaw has won them the game with his runs but the bowling means they only need to get one or two scores from their batsmen and they're laughing.

Lyon is the single point of failure in that system, then.

 

I guess we'll only really know next summer, though.

[AKCJ]

58 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Lyon is the single point of failure in that system, then.

 

I guess we'll only really know next summer, though.

He bowled 44 overs at an economy of 2.1. Not sure how that’s a weakness.

 

We don’t need to wait until next summer to know how much better they are than us. We’ve got about 10 years of proof.

[leicsmac]

7 hours ago, AKCJ said:

He bowled 44 overs at an economy of 2.1. Not sure how that’s a weakness.

 

We don’t need to wait until next summer to know how much better they are than us. We’ve got about 10 years of proof.

I mean more from the point of view that as just one player, he would be easier to target than their (very formidable) pack of quicks. And targeting him, as difficult as it would be, would put pressure on those quicks as they may have to bowl more, too.

 

And yes, I don't deny that they are a massively difficult opponent, but then for all that they've not won in England for longer than England have not won in Oz, and that the two last series in England didn't end up with a home win was (at least with the last one) down to some luck with the weather and the England team shitting the bed at the worst possible time.

 

It certainly won't be easy and they take so much effort to beat, but the England team have to go in there thinking man for man that they are equal or better (and I think on their day in English conditions they are, quality spinner aside), because if they don't the Aussies have already won the psychological battle and they'll only get stronger from there.

[leicsmac]

In any case, how the England team do against the Saffers after the Aussies are done will tell us a lot, too. 

[STEVIE B]

2 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

In any case, how the England team do against the Saffers after the Aussies are done will tell us a lot, too. 

I think we'll do ok. I don't really see any stand out players to be fearful of. I wouldn't say their batting is great. The bowling attack looks decent,  Nortje has just returned after 3 year out, Jansen is a bit hit & miss. 

So, that's us losing 3-0 then ! 

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, STEVIE B said:

I think we'll do ok. I don't really see any stand out players to be fearful of. I wouldn't say their batting is great. The bowling attack looks decent,  Nortje has just returned after 3 year out, Jansen is a bit hit & miss. 

So, that's us losing 3-0 then ! 

They tend to play better as a unit then the sum of their parts (like the NZers), there's a reason they're near the top of the WTC table consistently. 

 

Will be a good challenge imo. 

[RowlattsFox]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

They tend to play better as a unit then the sum of their parts (like the NZers), there's a reason they're near the top of the WTC table consistently. 

 

Will be a good challenge imo. 

Helps that they play so few test matches 

Mad that this match was their first home test in over a year, but then the crowds probably show why.

 

 

 

[leicsmac]

2 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

Helps that they play so few test matches 

Mad that this match was their first home test in over a year, but then the crowds probably show why.

 

 

 

You'd presume playing fewer matches would help with the percentages, but then it would help pretty much every team that isn't Aus, England or India. 

 

Test cricket not pulling in the crowds has sadly been an issue for a while, no one appears to know the answer to that one. 

[STEVIE B]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

They tend to play better as a unit then the sum of their parts (like the NZers), there's a reason they're near the top of the WTC table consistently. 

 

Will be a good challenge imo. 

That's a very fair point.

It won't be easy, but l think we have a decent record there on the whole. I know we're going through a bit of a transition, but Ashes places are up for grabs as well. Plenty to play for. 

[Lionator]

Another great win for West Indies in t20 against India. In 3 ODI’s and 4 T20’s, Shai Hope has hit 4 centuries, ridiculous form.