The Cricket Thread 2015-16

Good experience for the team.

 

South Africa are 63/2 off 64.3 overs batting for a draw. This is exactly how batting test cricket is meant to be played..when batting for a draw, when you have zero chance of winning. Just block and leave the ball. It's a shame no other teams seem to have this team spirit and unselfishness. I see England players trying to hit boundaries when batting for a draw, which makes no sense at all. I played a timed game years ago and blocked over 20 overs for no runs at the end to secure a draw. I never understood why all players don't just block and leave the ball at professional level when batting solely for a draw. Nor do I understand why the fielding captains don't set more aggressive fields when the other team has zero chance of winning.

 

Amla 21 off 192 balls!

 

I'm glad they managed to survive until the close of play. 72/2 then off 72 overs. 11 and 12 are the strike rates of Amla and De Villiers respectively!

 

Fair play to De Villiers for doing that. He's an attacking batsman so he had to curb his natural game. Being defensive comes more naturally for Amla so he probably found it easier.

 

It's somewhat psychological and somewhat tactical. Bowlers (particularly spin bowlers) put plans in place when bowling and like to bowl continuously at one batsman to try and set him up. So batsmen try to score runs because they don't want to allow the bowlers to dictate the game. Rotating the strike disrupts any plans the bowlers are working to and batsmen hitting boundaries also upsets some bowlers and makes them change the line or length they're bowling. This is also why captains keep defensive fielders in place - Stuart Broad is one example of a top bowler who's publicly spoken about how having a cover fielder in place means he bowls a better length because he's less concerned about giving away runs.

 

India don't need to worry about conceding runs, or boundaries. SA have literally zero percent chance of winning from here. SA scoring runs and hitting boundaries shouldn't disrupt the bowlers or their field setting, unless SA go berserk and start teeing off (which isn't going to happen). Yes, the first innings of a game..setting up a game in the 3rd innings or when actually chasing a result in the 4th innings then rotating the strike is effective (so is trying to disrupt the bowlers line, length and field setting). But SA don't need runs, they just need to survive

I've always been of the mindset that you have to block and leave everything if you can't win. After seeing draws like this in timed games I've been waiting for an eternity to see a side adopt the same strategy in a test match with their whole batting lineup.

 

23 off 207 now. I've just read it's the slowest innings in the history of test cricket for a batsman facing 200 balls or more.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...ed;template=results;type=batting;view=innings

 

Logically and dispassionately no, they don't need to worry about conceding runs. Cricketers are human beings though, not robots, and a lot of the game is played in the mind.

Bowling to four or five slips, two gullies and a short leg is all very well when you're consistently moving the ball around and beating the bat but if the batsmen are able to score runs relatively freely then your mindset will inevitably be affected. You may logically know that it doesn't matter if you concede runs but you still don't like it happening. The bowler begins to think about what they don't want to happen rather than what they do want to happen. The batsmen will feel more confident too and are likely to start seeing and timing the ball better, which makes it easier for them to defend good balls.

Equally, as a batsman, if you just defend or leave everything you're taking all the pressure off the bowler. He knows he can try all sorts of tricks, go for the magic deliveries that may end up as rank bad balls and they'll just be blocked. Now the bowler can just focus on what he wants to happen rather than thinking about stopping what he doesn't want to happen. Bowlers at the top level are more likely to bowl a magic, unplayable ball than the bowlers at the level you or I would have played at, and disrupting their thinking and their plans makes those magic balls less likely.

None of which is to say that batsmen should never change their approach if winning is impossible. Being more defensive is a good idea but completely shutting up shop is rarely the best idea, aside from the fact it isn't often something players can sustain for long periods.

 

De Villers nearing 300 balls faced. 43 not out from 294

SA 135/5 off 137 overs. Jadeja has bowled 33 maidens in 46 overs.

Ok, but SA don't agree with you and nor did I. They continue to only block and leave, unless it's a full toss or an over-pitched half-volley on the 'good' part of the pitch. And they even block the half volleys that are almost full-tosses most of the time.

Gavaskar sums it up on commentary: "The ball will run away for four. No one reacts. Batsman doesn't smile. Bowler doesn't feel disappointed. "

If you've watched the series you'll know that SA have had no clue throughout what to do against Ashwin and Jadeja. Even when SA when batting 'normally' India Ashwin and Jadeja had 100% confidence and nothing has effected them. It hasn't been possible to knock them off their plans and lines, due to their accuracy.

What you say makes sense if a win is possible, the pitch is better and certain bowlers are already way-ward/short on confidence. But this pitch is up and down, it's turning and spinning out the foot holes, the spinners are deadly accurate. Playing any sort of attacking shot has been really hard unless the bowler bowls an absolute rank bad ball. And then we need to bear in mind it's certainly possible to get out of a bad ball. Jadeja in particular has had perfect control through out the series, so it's impossible to disrupt him.

 

England 27-2 and were lucky to escape with another.

 

108-3 .

 

Happy to see these two doing well so far . These are my favourite two England batsmen (not counting Pietersen).

 

121 -3 at tea .

 

170-4.

 

We were 303 all out SA 103-3 .

 

178-7. SA trailing by 125 runs.

 

214_9

 

214 all out. Elgar carried his bat.

 

Curses missed it.....still in my Xmas sleep pattern (awake till 2.00, slept till 10.00).