Cricket thread

[one-eyed]

Aussies making Pakistan look like a park side.

Pak 6/96

Starc with 4 wickets.

[one-eyed]

Pak 239 all out. Another innings win to the Aussies. Lyon with a 5-for.

Hopefully the tests against NZ are a contest unlike this series.

[one-eyed]

Bancroft dropped from the Aussie squad.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/cricket/australia-v-new-zealand-test-squad-aussies-drop-cameron-bancroft/news-story/017ffd7b248698dcc2e74851039faae0

[Diocletian]

Vale Bob Willis....

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/former-england-cricket-captain-bob-willis-dead-at-70-20191205-p53gzu.html

[mightytiges]

Last year the MCG wicket was dead so this year they've created one where you can get hit in the head off a yorker length .

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/cricket/dangerous-pitch-suspends-play-weeks-from-boxing-day/news-story/5838c7875932336ea8bc043ff45c5d1e

[Andyy]

Sure was a lot of bounce there but nothing too dramatic I thought. Batsman gone soft due to all the flat ones now?

[mightytiges]

Shaun Marsh apparently got hit 5 times while Stoinis got hit in the chest from one that jumped up off a good length.  The Shield game has been completely called off and the points split. They are blaming too much moisture being put into the pitch to try and get more sideways movement. Instead they got too much vertical movement.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-08/shield-match-abandoned-due-to-mcg-pitch-problems/11777694

[Dougeytherichmondfan]

Shaun Marsh apparently got hit 5 times while Stoinis got hit in the chest from one that jumped up off a good length.  The Shield game has been completely called off and the points split. They are blaming too much moisture being put into the pitch to try and get more sideways movement. Instead they got too much vertical movement.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-08/shield-match-abandoned-due-to-mcg-pitch-problems/11777694

Yeah they left too much moisture at the surface when play began. After the initial session, with the surface very malleable the ball bouncing off produces deep indentations.

After that the pitch dried quite hard very quickly which meant that the deep dents hardened into the surface. So if another ball hits a spot from an earlier delivery it will spit up at the batsman, even from a fair full length.

Have played in this conditions before and it is extremely dangerous, even from blokes who are far less than express pace.

But I like where the curators head is at. Maybe not quite so much fizz, just tone it down a little

[one-eyed]

Temperatures are set to soar inside Optus Stadium with the respective forecasts reaching 39C, 40C, 40C and 40C for the first four days.

Australia’s XI: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/12/11/paine-reveals-australias-xi-for-first-test-against-new-zealand/

[one-eyed]

Aussies 2/160 at Tea.

Warner         43
Burns             9 ..... should have reviewed as the ball was missing the stumps.   
Labuschagne 68*
Smith           31*

[mightytiges]

Top century by Labuschagne. He's in red hot form with the bat .

Despite losing Wade and Head looking shaky and playing some rash shots, the Aussies did well to survive the last 10 overs against the new pink ball under the light when it was swinging.

From 4/248, we'd being hoping to now bat until Tea (another 40 degree day for the NZ bowlers) and then put the Kiwis' top order in under the lights.

[one-eyed]

Aussies  416

Labuschagne 143
Head  56
Paine 39
Starc 30

We've now got a full night session with the pink ball to bowl at the Kiwis.

[one-eyed]

Kiwis two down already.

Hazlewood off with a hammy though.

[one-eyed]

NZ 5/107 ....... Starc 4/31

A cracking diving catch by Smith in the slips to dismiss Williamson  .

[Andyy]

Great session in the evening. Certainly makes it interesting when the pink ball starts to move. Always a good choice to declare or bat until that final session IMO.

Gonna be hard without Hazelwood though. Don't want to run Cummins or Starc into the ground. Fingers crossed it's minor, elsewise bring in Pattinson.