Off Topic Cricket Thread

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Pope ruled out for rest of series with dislocated shoulder, so should bring in Foulks & move Bairstow up the order
 
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Weather forecast for Hesdingley showing days 3, 4 and 5 are currently going to be near washout. Marvelous. Hopefully things change or it will be a guaranteed draw and enabling the Aussies to retain the urn !
 
Pope ruled out for rest of series with dislocated shoulder, so should bring in Foulks & move Bairstow up the order
Or bring in another specialist batsman. Under Bazball, maybe we could ask Buttler if he'd return for just this series, like Ali. Yes I know he hasn't often excelled in Tests, but maybe under the current freedom to try and smash every ball he could be very handy. None as destructive as him when in full flow !
 
Further to the comments regarding the stumping, l'd like to put forward a view from a former Australian captain, Mark Taylor.

Now before any of you decide that Taylors view is going to be slanted towards us Aussies, consider that this former players' view, is held in high regard around the world, for being factual and above all else, fair, regardless of which country, comment is at stake.

Stumpings are stumpings, always has been, always will be....................
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It’s just cricket: Why the Bairstow furore has me absolutely stumped
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Mark Taylor
Former Australian cricket captain
July 4, 2023 — 8.40am
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It’s a legitimate form of dismissal and has been as long as I’ve known the game of cricket. I’ve seen many wicketkeepers throwing the ball towards the stumps to try and claim an unsuspecting batsman’s wicket.

I can remember Rod Marsh throwing the ball towards the stumps off Dennis Lillee’s bowling, Ian Healy did the same thing when a batsman was out of his crease, we’ve seen Jonny Bairstow do it in the latest Test, I’ve seen footage of England coach Brendon McCullum doing it back in 2009. This sort of stuff has been going on for a long time.

People want to invoke the spirit of cricket, but I really don’t see it as that sort of issue. Batsmen are now batting out of their crease and wandering out of their crease trying to put bowlers off their length, which is fair enough.


But the batsmen have to remember there are 10 ways to get out in Test cricket. One of them is by being stumped, and it doesn’t say in the laws it has to be off a slow bowler. If you’re going to wander out of your crease doing whatever you want to do, be mindful that you can be stumped. So, your job as a batsman is to get back in your crease until the ball is dead.

And that’s according to the umpires and the fielding side, not just because you think it might be dead. Bairstow was caught wandering out of his crease when the ball wasn’t dead. Alex Carey was quite entitled to throw the ball at the stumps and Cummins and the Australians were quite entitled to appeal. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of the story.

the Australian players were treated after completing this entirely legitimate dismissal, particularly in the Long Room. I will congratulate Guy Lavender, CEO of the MCC, for getting onto it reasonably quickly, calming down the MCC members and suspending three of them. However, I think that’s the minimum amount they need to do at this stage.

All in all, the behaviour of the members towards the Australian players was poor to say the least, and inappropriate for anyone, particularly the members.

The Long Room

I’m disappointed with the way the Australian players were treated after completing this entirely legitimate dismissal, particularly in the Long Room. I will congratulate Guy Lavender, CEO of the MCC, for getting onto it reasonably quickly, calming down the MCC members and suspending three of them. However, I think that’s the minimum amount they need to do at this stage.

All in all, the behaviour of the members towards the Australian players was poor to say the least, and inappropriate for anyone, particularly the members.

I love the fact that they have that access to get so close to the players. Walking through the Long Room is something I recall as a player. It’s unique to the game of cricket. In my day they didn’t have ropes separating players and members. Back in the 1980s and ’90s you just made your way out through the Long Room and excused yourself around members who were sometimes smoking cigars and pipes.

If that tradition, which I really enjoy, is going to continue, this type of poor behaviour needs to be stamped out. If not, it would mean the access will have to be changed, and that will not be great for the game of Test cricket.



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The game would be poorer if the bad behaviour of some members brought an end to the tradition of players walking through the Long Room.CREDIT:NINE

England captain Ben Stokes has hedged his bets a little. Obviously, he’s got to go in and bat for his teammate Bairstow, who would be embarrassed by his dismissal during a tight last day in front of a Lord’s crowd. That was an embarrassing dismissal because he’s the one at fault. He’s the one who’s created the opportunity for Australia to stump him.

There’s been a lot said and written from all sides about what is really a straightforward dismissal and some of it hasn’t been particularly helpful. I hope both sides will take stock, have a breather and work out that it was, in fact, just a dismissal. It was an unusual one, yes, but it is part of the game.


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Analysis
The Ashes

How England weaponised the ‘spirit of cricket’ against Australia
I hope that when the third Test starts on Thursday we see the same tough contest we saw during the first two Tests in what I think has been an enthralling, high intensity series played in great spirit.

I hope people look back on this Test they will remember a great game, not a crucial final-day stumping because that’s all it was.

All these Aussies displaying a complete lack of self awareness.
There's a reason there were unprecedented scenes in the Long Room.

They stank the place out and just don't get it.
 
Or bring in another specialist batsman. Under Bazball, maybe we could ask Buttler if he'd return for just this series, like Ali. Yes I know he hasn't often excelled in Tests, but maybe under the current freedom to try and smash every ball he could be very handy. None as destructive as him when in full flow !
I've watched Buttler in the BBL in Oz. When he whacks a ball, it stays whacked.
Good T20 player and, as you say, would be good under Bazball. Opener and keeper in T20 here, so might be handy if Baz wants to give Bairstow a rest. Only trouble is he tends to give his wicket away too cheaply sometimes.
Who else have you got as a replacement for Pope?
 
I've watched Buttler in the BBL in Oz. When he whacks a ball, it stays whacked.
Good T20 player and, as you say, would be good under Bazball. Opener and keeper in T20 here, so might be handy if Baz wants to give Bairstow a rest. Only trouble is he tends to give his wicket away too cheaply sometimes.
Who else have you got as a replacement for Pope?
There are many who give their wicket away cheaply under this regime ! Dan Lawrence is in the squad already and they haven't called up anyone else yet, but he doesn't instill me with great confidence especially coming into this series at this point and against that attack. We'll have to wait and see. I think Ali will come back in and Wood simply has to play even if only 95% fit.
 
Looks like Brook will bat at three with Moeen, Woakes and Wood coming into the side. Weakens the top order, but gives us a much stronger tail.
 
Just hope whoever plays on both sides give a good account of themselves and we have another tight game, going to late fifth day. Without as much controversy.
The only winners from controversy are the media outlets, that's what they thrive on and often fuel.
 
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Why is this stumping any different to when a batsman loses his balance to a spinner- not attempting a run- and gets stumped when he lifts his foot. In both cases the batsman is not attempting to gain an advantage, which seems to be the general argument here. Often a wicket-keeper will wait for a batsman to lift their foot slightly in order to stump them when no run is on offer. I really can't see the difference given how quickly Carey released the ball. As I said earlier probably comes back to which countries lens you view it through. Just because it happened off a fast bowler shouldn't change the dynamics of the actions.
 
Why is this stumping any different to when a batsman loses his balance to a spinner- not attempting a run- and gets stumped when he lifts his foot. In both cases the batsman is not attempting to gain an advantage, which seems to be the general argument here. Often a wicket-keeper will wait for a batsman to lift their foot slightly in order to stump them when no run is on offer. I really can't see the difference given how quickly Carey released the ball. As I said earlier probably comes back to which countries lens you view it through. Just because it happened off a fast bowler shouldn't change the dynamics of the actions.
Agreed Ozzie, but no matter what you type, I don't think that's going to change anyone's opinion here.
You'll be typing 'til you blue in the fingers.
One thing you can say for sure and that's what happened was within the rules. The rules written by hmm, ...that's right, the same ilk as those calling out "cheat, cheat, cheat".
Is irony an apt term here?
 
All these Aussies displaying a complete lack of self awareness.
There's a reason there were unprecedented scenes in the Long Room.

They stank the place out and just don't get it.

All good mate, we all have an opinion but as Mark Taylor said, the behaviour from some of the members was totally unacceptable, possibly causing a change in 100 years, as to how the player walk thru that area.

You see, we Aussies didn’t cause the ruckus, it was the members, but you seem to want to blame someone for this..

If you consider that if the members have behaved themselves, there was no issue from us.

Anyway, as l said, we all have opinions and that’s how it is.
 
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All good mate, we all have an opinion but as Mark Taylor said, the behaviour from some of the members was totally unacceptable, possibly causing a change in 100 years, as to how the player walk thru that area.

You see, we Aussies didn’t cause the ruckus, it was the members, but you seem to want to blame someone for this..

If you consider that if the members have behaved themselves, there was no issue from us.

Anyway, as l said, we all have opinions and that’s how it is.

No, the Aussies did cause the rumpus with that dismissal.
I find it hilarious that these hard, tough Aussies are all crying about being bullied by old gents.
Look, this is my last comment on this as it's gone, but for me, Bairstow was dozy as **** and was correctly given out under the laws.
However, I see no comparison with other dismissals, such as a stumping off a spinner etc.
It was the end of the over and he had scraped his mark with his foot to indicate that he thought the ball was dead.
He shouldn't have done that, but in my opinion, the Aussies shouldn't have upheld the appeal.
A warning would have been the correct course of action imo.
Anyway. Looks like the weather will intervene at Headingley. Shame.
 
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Yes it was silly of the Aussies to get tripped by those members. Really should be more careful when they walk through the long room.
Never in the history of cricket has scraping your foot indicated the end of an over - until now apparently, when it suits.

You're choosing to miss the point.
 
See England have made 3 changes, out are Anderson/Tongue(very harsh) & pope injured, Woakes/Wood & Ali come in & Brook up to bat at 3