Off Topic Cricket Thread

Great to see the series has kicked off in traditional style with an Aussie skipper resigning and crying in a press conference.

Magic darts.

 

I'm a little emersed in other stuff, what happened?

 

Paine ‘sexted’ a colleague in Cricket Tasmania back in 2017, was investigated and cleared (though he did do it it was ‘consensual’ apparently) did his tearful apologies to his wife and kids at the time, but now someone is making the texts public, so he has resigned the captaincy, with the obligatory public tears. Still likely to play in series, if he’s recovered from surgery.

Smith back as skipper?

 

Not sure Smith had done his penance yet, I heard today that Cummins is the likely replacement. Unusual to have a fast bowler as captain.

 

Ahhhhh, you chap don't know how lucky you are.

We Aussies throw a school team of youngsters together and blitz the T20 format.
Being that we have fought many battles together,
we've ask our captain to take pity on you lot,
knowing that you might throw the series in lieu of some pandemic or alike.
Our Tim has offered his heart to some poor lass,
....... and of course, its all gone amiss.

Nevertheless, we will endeavor to atone for his negligence and are prepared
to continue against all odds, in meeting the challenge of the Ashes.

Of course, without the word of a lie, we can consider ourselves, as always, the mere underdogs.
On behalf of the Australian public, l feel compelled to offer some words of advice to all and sundry.

We Aussies are made of strong stuff and as much as we enjoy meeting our English friends on either soil,
we will hope to give you the best possible battle throughout the series.

Long may the best team win.

 

Very timely…….. and please!

 

Expect some serious sledging ! Anderson must have a huge grin on his face. Cummins is the vice captain and is expected to take over

 

Perhaps we should play one of our talented ladies cricketers, that would distract him

 

In fairness, we’re doing our bit with the apologies, hand wringing and self flagellation too, I gather.

 

Bob Willis. Though it was never a comfortable position for him. Struggling to think of others at international level.

 

Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Courtney Walsh, Shaun Pollack and Jason Holder.Been a few, and they were all top bowlers !

 

I wasn’t thinking very hard.

 

It's still a rarity, and he doesn't come across as the captain sort to me. Whoever they give it to is gonna be under some pressure straight up, just hope we give it to them big time. I wanna see Wood steaming in and bowling 95 mph bouncers at them !

 

Bodyline revisited……

 

Just seen that BT Sports have the Ashes broadcast rights, rather than Sky. Hope their coverage is as good as Sky's, which is always excellent.

 

Really that’s crap, couldn’t stand BT Sport when I had it, so got rid of it, oh well radio job or highlights

 

Mmm....their sport coverage is well below the standard of Sky.
Really disappointed Sky aren't showing it.

 

Here in Oz, the cricket was traditionally always on ‘free to air’ channels like the ABC and or channel 9 .
The coverage, commentary and rights to display was always first class but like everything, it’s been bartardised, cut up and & spat out and sold to the highest bidder, with little care of quality and quantity.

 

In the 70s when I was at school and we only had three channels, when there was Test cricket in the summer one of the channels would show the whole thing. I loved it, at least until I started to do summer jobs, even though England seemed not only to lose, but be slaughtered, with alarming frequency. Imagine now a third of your broadcasting capacity devoted to cricket, of all things.

 

True that,
As you say, the whole game was televised.
Now, with tv producers wanting blood, guts & glory in 15 minute increments, we the public are left watching snippets.

Ahhh for the days of Tony Greig sticking his Range Rover key into the ground, doing a pitch report.

Who would of thought Chappelli adding his usual monotone draw to the commentary would now be something a babyboomer cricket fan would longed for nowadays and don’t get me started on Shane Warnes rug!