Cricket season

See a lot of people crying on Social media whats happened? they are talking politics and South African sports

Karma, entrance to grounds in India is not even peanuts, even cheaper than SA, besides I suspect they allow plenty locals in for nothing, looks better etc. CnC is correct in that the BCCI hold way too much power and influence currently in world cricket, and have done for quite a few years now, bad for the game but they do not care about that, only themselves. The fact that many of their various cricketing chiefs have been found guilty of corruption or whatever only highlights the harm they do to the world game. All about "me me me". Their stance against technology just because Tendulkar "apparently" got a bad one once demonstrates just how babyish and frustratingly stubborn etc they can be. The only good, or at least fair, thing I can say about them is that nearly everyone nowadays prepares "home" tracks. Needs stopping immediately. But, then the Indians are "in charge" so...

With regard to producing world class spinners, I think all countries are fighting a losing battle. You will get the odd "freak" like Warne etc but generally you will do well to get a half decent one, like Swann for example.
The reasons for this, imo, are firstly, kids don't want to be the boring slowie, rather be a "demon" with pace! And the wickets they play on are more suited to the latter. In Asia, it is not the same, if a kid can get a ball to turn, and out there they will, they they make the batsmen look silly so everyone wants to bowl spin.
Secondly, and the so-called greatest ever one day match between SA and Oz at Joburg in 2006 is imho much to blame... what kid wants to bowl let alone bowl spin when all they can see is a batsmen hitting the thing out the ground. "What do you want to be when you grow up son, batsman or bowler?". "Doh. No brainer dad, or aren't you watching?!". These 1 day wickets which are so batsman bias (and often make for truly boring cricket spectacles) and 20/20 cricket do not encourage kids to learn the art of bowling imo. Sufficient top bowlers of all types are simply not being "produced" in great numbers any longer. Back in the old days, watching the Windies quicks, Lillee and Thompson, Donald etc strike fear into the heart of batsmen... such bowlers are pretty rare these days. And spinners, Warne, outside of a few from Asia, is the only one in my memory who many a batter feared to face. There are other reasons/influences of course but tis more and more being made into a batsman's game and that trend needs to be reversed or we may all just as well go "watch" baseball.

Agree 100% Engels... I was just repeating what HD Ackermann was saying on Supersport. Sorry should have put the " ". Agree India is Peanuts for entrance, I think the point he was trying to make was that imagine (for example), a test starts in England on a Wednesday. A lot of the public will buy tickets to make sure they would be at the game for Day 4, the Sat when they don't have to work. If results are become more common that the test is done after 3 days, no one is going to buy tickets going forward.

Karma wrote: Agree 100% Engels... I was just repeating what HD Ackermann was saying on Supersport. Sorry should have put the " ". Agree India is Peanuts for entrance, I think the point he was trying to make was that imagine (for example), a test starts in England on a Wednesday. A lot of the public will buy tickets to make sure they would be at the game for Day 4, the Sat when they don't have to work. If results are become more common that the test is done after 3 days, no one is going to buy tickets going forward.

well not if the test is at trent bridge where England prepare a greenish pitch, order in some overcast conditions, zap up the humidity and use a double sided coin in order to win the toss and insert the opposition.

chicken n chips wrote:

Karma wrote: Agree 100% Engels... I was just repeating what HD Ackermann was saying on Supersport. Sorry should have put the " ". Agree India is Peanuts for entrance, I think the point he was trying to make was that imagine (for example), a test starts in England on a Wednesday. A lot of the public will buy tickets to make sure they would be at the game for Day 4, the Sat when they don't have to work. If results are become more common that the test is done after 3 days, no one is going to buy tickets going forward.

well not if the test is at trent bridge where England prepare a greenish pitch, order in some overcast conditions, zap up the humidity and use a double sided coin in order to win the toss and insert the opposition.

Lol :lol:

No sour grapes that the Proteas lost but dear oh dear how can Indian cricket progress, other than at home, when they prepare wickets like they have in this series. That's why they are so piss poor when they travel as they have no control over the wicket (but that will I am sure change as they all but control cricket) Why don't it ICC force them to use DRS? They have to in the World Cup so why not in cricket. Let them play against themselves until they comply.

Hard to believe its been a year since the tragedy of Phllip Hughes...

Karma wrote: Hard to believe its been a year since the tragedy of Phllip Hughes...

unreal how time goes by. Still wondering how people managed to go right through their careers in the old days without getting injured helmetless.

chicken n chips wrote:

Karma wrote: Hard to believe its been a year since the tragedy of Phllip Hughes...

unreal how time goes by. Still wondering how people managed to go right through their careers in the old days without getting injured helmetless.

Either better batsmen or slowler bowlers

Some great fast and very nasty bowlers were around when you were still a twinkle in your old mans eye shezapunter. West Indian bowlers like Mosely, Clarke, Patteson would bounce you just for fun even on a flat pitch. Jimmy Cook an opening batsman was playing against Mosely. Cook never ever wore a helmet, always a cap. Mosely bowled a short one to him which missed his head by a balls hair. Cook never ever went out to bat again without a helmet. The fast bowlers of today are nothing compared to those in the 80s.

Rest De Villiers, Du Plessis, Steyn and Morkel. I would not play them in this test as the England series is going to be tough and they are going to need them firing. ICC not happy with the state of the pitches prepared for this series in India.