Cricket, lovely cricket

[Adam Went]

Hi Martin,

I agree with you about Test cricket, but the thing is that with T20 cricket these days, there's an expectation of excitement, fours and sixes amongst the crowd. Nobody other than the traditionalists want to watch any team, even their own, make 600 over two days at 2.5 runs per over.

It wasn't that long ago that T20 was being played as a one-off, with players having their nicknames rather than their actual names on their shirts and several being miked up....

Cheers,
Adam.

[martin wilson]

Hi Adam
Well if T20 is your cuppa cha,who am I to say thats wrong?
I tell you though, I think that all sports have to find the optimum balance between entertainment and challenge.
In my humble I think Test cricket does exactly what it says on the tin,its a test of a cricketers skill,concentration,stamina, courage and going back to the Dean Jones incident,sheer,bloody minded will.
Personally I dont see any of this in T20,to me its just 'we whack it,you whack it,and whoever whacks it the most wins'.
But I'm an old git,stuck in his ways, I would probably like the split game more as you have to think a bit, save runs in the first 20 or attack in the hope of getting the opposition 3 or 4 down? Its that kind of stuff I like.
Anyway, I see you lot let me down losing to the South Africans, thats no bloody good.
Mind you we didnt exactly stroll it against Canada, Cheema? Chohan?,these guys are Canadian are they? Hmmmm,methinks the qualifying criteria has been relaxed for the minnows,not that I really mind,if it adds to the fun.
I once saw that Gordon Greenidge opened the batting for Scotland in a one dayer, its a British thing and almost certainly racist to know just how funny that is.
All the best.

[Phil Carter]

I once saw that Gordon Greenidge opened the batting for Scotland in a one dayer, its a British thing and almost certainly racist to know just how funny that is.

I am not totally sure about this Martin, but didnt his brother do that too?
I have a vague and distant memory of this?

Probably my imagination.

best wishes

Phil

[martin wilson]

Hi Phil
Perhaps it was his brother instead,it was a long time ago, and as you rightly say memory fails.
At the risk of being racist it just tickles me,10 milk bottle white gingernuts and Greenidge,that well known Scotsman.(whichever one it was)
All the best

[Robert]

To me, test cricket is cricket. It's like chess - you can either play a proper game that lasts hours - or you can have lots of five minute games (both players have five minutes on the clock for all their moves). But that isn't chess - it's just a bit of fun.

[Sister Hyde]

cricket is... SO brittish to me (even more brittish than marmite), i guess i just didn't spend enough time in the UK (or maybe i've played it all the months i've spent there as an exchange student but i can't remember it).

[martin wilson]

Hi all
Adam, there is a photo of Pouting on the sports page of my local paper,the buggers getting younger! what sort of dirty trick is that?
Sister Hyde, well maybe, Its very much England and her colonies I suppose but the fanaticism in those countries is testament to how great the game is,better not tell an Aussie that cricket is sooo British though! they are the only ones who play the game properly you know, and they have players who have graced the game with their behavior like Dennis Lillee,the teetotaller Rodney Marsh and the towering intellect that is Jeff Thompson.
All the best.

[Sister Hyde]

ahahah Aussies, i've stayed around melbourne as a student for 3 months when i was 16,the first thing i wanted to do was to go to a rugby game! well the ambiance in the crowd didn't feel like when you go to a game in europe, the supporters were much more agressiv. hey i think i did play that game as PE in england when i was in manchester and in that weird school, Ascott. i remember i couldn't catch the rules, probably because i didn't play it enough too, but it was funny. one thing i love in england is the food, yeah i know it's twisted for a french person, but i enjoy it alot too!

[Adam Went]

Martin:

That's why I am such a fan of ODI cricket - T20 is almost too short, Tests are almost too long, so ODI cricket strikes something of a perfect balance. It's just long enough to still be a test of skill, but short enough to be continually entertaining.

T20 cricket is good for the minnow countries though, because any team can win - as you say, it's really whoever bashes it the most wins the game - so it provides an opportunity for developing nations who wouldn't normally stand a chance against any of the major international teams.

Actually, i'd like to see more "legends" matches being played, even if only for charity.....I remember watching one a couple of years back where David Boon opened the batting, and smashed the first ball he faced through cover for a boundary - got there in about 0.02 seconds. Just think of it, Martin.....Warney bowling to Beefy? Eh?

Sister Hyde:

You were very lucky to have spent time in Melbourne - home of the greatest sporting venue in the world, the MCG.

Cheers,
Adam.

[martin wilson]

Hi Adam
Last I heard, Hayden,Langer and Gilchrist were playing in the IPL,although that was 2009,as Hayden did a few stints as a commentator on TMS.
I think there might have been a bit of a fuss going on because of the IPL,as Hayden was very much in 'lets all play nicely together' mode.
Maybe it was Freddie's knee, and the concern over centrally contracted players making big bucks in the IPL and getting injured.
As I say,I dont keep up with that side of the game, I heard a couple of English players didnt attract any bids in the auction, was Collingwood one of them? dont know, but I thought it odd bearing in mind we are the T20 world champs.
Beefy and Warney in their pomp,that would be the DB's, Beefy is only good for flogging shredded wheat now, although it would be great to see him fight Ian Chappel. (I believe the car park incident was round 2 between that pair)
If there's a heaven,perhaps I will get to see Warney v Beefy at their best,although I have to say I'm a bit worried about your all time XI,that no.3 of yours, Bradmore? Batman?,looks a bit useful.
Was it Boon who attempted Marsh's lager record on the flight over here? I remember him as a typical Aussie scrapper rather than any glorious strokeplay, good player though.
I wonder if there are any 6 nations matches on over the weekend? England have started playing attacking rugby,so being typically English I dont like change and I am nervous and afraid.
I much prefer the old stick it up your jumper rugby,get penalties and let Wilko kick teams to death.
All the best.

[Steven Russell]

Just for fun, here's a link to the reason why this thread is called Cricket, Lovely Cricket:

http:www.youtube.com/watch?v=06P0RdZyjT4

Although the song is about England getting hammered, it's a lovely bit of history both musically and in a cricketing sense. Although he made his England debut the year before, the recently deceased Trevor Bailey did not play in this match. Enjoy.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[Adam Went]

Martin:

Was Langer playing in the IPL? Didn't know that, always thought he was more of a Test specialist...only ever played a handful of ODI's for us. He's our batting coach these days, so probably has a bit to answer for after the Ashes performance, to be honest....

Warney and Beefy must have come very, very close to facing each other at international level - Beefy retired around '92? And Warney debuted around '92? I reckon it's great seeing the old players still out having a go, they do it with AFL footballers once every year for charity over here in the EJ Whitten Legends Game......remember hearing once that Bradman played an exhibition match once when he was in his 60's and was still smacking bowlers all over the show.

Yup it was Boony known as the "keg on legs".

Meanwhile, WC Starts tonight....hope Bangladesh demolish India.

Cheers,
Adam.

[martin wilson]

Hi all
Those two little pals of mine,
Ramhadin and Valentine.
Great stuff, 151? another Calypso Collapso!.
I also watched 'Whispering Death' Micheal Holding bowling to our Geoffrey, odd to see him groping around, I suppose it shows you how quick Holding was.
Yup,it all kicks off tonight, we are getting highlights on BBC2.
I'll probably catch it if I'm up as its on at midnight, hopefully they might do the same thing as with Match of the day and repeat it on Sunday morning.
The bookies have India & Sri Lanka down as favourites, Aussies 11/2 and England 7/1 might be worth a flutter on our teams.
Mark Waugh has got the dig in early, we are 'ordinary' according to him, how much does he weigh? about 12 stone? I reckon 11 stone of it is mouth.
45 matches in total, its taking all of March and the beginning of April, perhaps too much of a good thing?
I didnt know that about Beefy and Warney,that pair are cut from the same cloth I reckon, Warney's hair loss replacement ads are by some comfortable distance the worst ever made in the history of advertising and if there are any erm, senior gentleman like me reading this,they will remember Beefy dressed up as Rambo back in the 80's, probably the most embarrased I have ever been for a sportsman,with the possible exception of Dazzler Gough on Strictly Come Dancing.
AFl is Auussie rules football?, a sport of which I know virtually nothing other than a 'screwie' is kicking the ball so that it spins, and I also remember a brilliant film called 'The Club', with an hysterical scene where the star player is telling a director about his family relationships, to put it nicely.
All the best.

[Adam Went]

Martin:

Hey, if Mark Waugh says you are ordinary, then plainly Mark Waugh must be right. A man of his class can't be wrong, you know.

So I see Virender Sehwag made 175 in an India total of 370/4 against Bangladesh. Uh-huh. Glad India aren't in our group, Martin....good luck!

Do you reckon Sri Lanka will recall Jayasuriya?

AFL is fantastic (see the "Aussie Rules Football" thread in Pub Talk), and since you know nothing about it, i'm going to recruit you as a supporter of the Richmond Tigers, alright?

Cheers,
Adam.

[Phil Carter]

Hello Adam,

Strange perhaps, but I have a feeling the Aussies will go the the way to the final.. and it depends on who they face if they win or not.

best wishes

Phil