The Cricket Thread 2013

[KevinGage]

Has all the makings of an upset. 

There is no such thing as an upset in a test match. Over five days and two innings each the best team always wins.

I'd say a team ranked just above Bangladesh beating the 2nd best team in the world might -just about- qualify as an upset.

[olaftab]

However in a stand alone test match ,and that's how every test match is at the start, the best team over 5 days always  wins.

[villan from luton]

Have to say it would be an upset if the Kiwis win, but still think a draw most likely

[JD]

Crazy decision by NZ not making England follow on. This will be a draw now, especially as NZ have lost 3 wickets this evening.

[PaulWinch again]

Once again Prior pretty much stand's alone in a feeble batting effort, really poor. Root did ok but other than that woeful. We've been laughing at Australia but we're on the verge of losing a series to a very low ranked side.

[PaulWinch again]

This series really smacks of complacency from England. We now have Bairstow in with no match practice and he gets knocked over. We've had too many really poor days in this series. The first day of this Test we bowled badly and the body language was shocking and the batting in today's play was awful.

[john e]

got on my nerves a bit listning to the comentators talking about what England would have to do to win the test, even after the second day they were still banging on,
we were in deep shit and saving the test should have been the priority never mind winning it

[PaulWinch again]

NZ are a better side than the rankings suggest and have some good players. We've gone over there thinking we'll cruise it and we'll probably lose the series now. Bowling, batting and general intensity have not been good enough on any level.

[olaftab]

Crazy decision by NZ not making England follow on. This will be a draw now, especially as NZ have lost 3 wickets this evening.

I think correct decision. Leads needs to be well over 300 to enforce follow on otherwise you hand the initiative to the opposition by giving them an only opportunity to do something about the situation. By batting again you bat them out of the game and demoralise them. Despite losing 3 NZ are in charge now and England can only await their fate!

[paul_e]

Crazy decision by NZ not making England follow on. This will be a draw now, especially as NZ have lost 3 wickets this evening.

I think correct decision. Leads needs to be well over 300 to enforce follow on otherwise you hand the initiative to the opposition by giving them an only opportunity to do something about the situation. By batting again you bat them out of the game and demoralise them. Despite losing 3 NZ are in charge now and England can only await their fate!

That's massively over-simplifying it.  Another important part of the decision is the pitch, if the pitch is deteriorating you don't enforce the follow-on because you want to give yourself the better conditions, weather plays a part as well, as do the feelings of the bowlers (Will they be able to deliver another 100 overs of the standard that got you to the position to make the choice?).  I think commentators are often guilty of berating these decisions without really thinking about the full reasoning behind it.

[olaftab]

NZ are a better side than the rankings suggest and have some good players. We've gone over there thinking we'll cruise it and we'll probably lose the series now. Bowling, batting and general intensity have not been good enough on any level.

That is clearly  the case. Even if England save this match having to fight to save 2 matches out of 3 is not the way a number 1/2 test team should be performing.

[olaftab]

There is always something delightful to find in the world of cricket if you look! Indians completing a 4-0 whitewash against you know who is immensely satisfying.

[OzVilla]

Well barring a superb reargauard that'll be us done and dusted in this series.

We've been largely outplayed in this series - not by much but when you consider the team that has outplayed us is New Zealand there should be some serious alarm bells ringing.

The bottom line is that we havn't batted well enough in the 1st innings in 2 out of the 3 tests.  And now we muct take our medicine for it.

After a superb performance in India this really is a massive crash back to reality.

[PaulWinch again]

NZ have been the better side this series and we've been desperately poor in all areas other than the odd stand out performance individually. Terrible as a batting unit and terrible as a bowling unit.

[PaulWinch again]

Also the way we've played and the lack of harmony in the team places some question marks over Cook's captaincy even this early. This is very worring. We've bowled awful lines, the field placings were horribly negative.