The Cricket Thread 2016

[olaftab]

Cook joins the list of All Time Great Batsmen. Well played fella.

[PaulWinch again]

This pitch is knackered specifically because they left grass on to try and prevent it falling apart in the heat. The main issue is playing at this time of year in the UAE.

[paul_e]

Looks like it was a no ball that got him though, was certainly very close.

That was a strange one. Shoaib Malik certainly seemed to overstep, but his action is such that he drags his foot back over the line, thus giving the impression that it's a legal delivery. I think the law is based upon where the foot lands in relation to the popping crease and not where it is when you release the ball. So it was a no ball.

Yeah if you watch it at mid stride his foot is about 6 inches over but by the time his toes land it's closer and once his heel is down he's just touching the line before sliding back another 4-5 inches.  By the law (as above) it looks a banker for a no ball but at the time I had the sound off and I've never seen anyone with that action before and I wasn't sure what effect it had on the law I had no idea but it looked wrong.  I do wonder if either Buttler or Cook even know that law well enough to have justified an appeal though, looks like one that in the game no one really had any reason to question but in hindsight they got a gift.

[olaftab]

I am not sure pitches in UAE are necessarily doctored. This is harsh landscape and unless someone is willing to spend lot of money to replace the entire square about a meter deep with soil imported from somewhere else it's always going to be flat and lifeless.

This is Abu Dhabi. They've built a city in a desert. They play on lush football pitches. They have created man made water parks. They have a grand prix. They can bloody well spend money on a pitch if they wanted to.

There is no doubt Abu Dhabi sheikh's can do all that however this is Pakistan Cricket Board renting the facility and I doubt if they have enough money to take care of the pitch. They have paid out for the stadiums and also guaranteed a sum to England for coming over. There is next to nothing income from ticket sales so it's only the TV money to pay all their bills. I doubt it if they will break even.

[paul_e]

The crowds really are shameful, the ground is almost empty.  It did amuse me when the sky team started watching the local league match on the scrubland instead, kinda summed up just how shit the game had become at that point.

[olaftab]

This is a truly abysmal pitch, any game where a team takes the 3rd new ball the home side should be fined over the state of the pitch, maybe harsh but it completely undermines the sport to have games like this.  I'd genuinely rather see a game over in 3 days than see one where you'd need 7-8 days to stand a chance of a result.

Bit OTT ref "undermines the sport". It is a test match and both teams have delivered exactly what they had to do batting wise. Better bowlers  may well have extracted more but there we are...
 I think a pitch like this is just as bad as a pitch that delivers result is 3 days.

[olaftab]

The crowds really are shameful, the ground is almost empty.  It did amuse me when the sky team started watching the local league match on the scrubland instead, kinda summed up just how shit the game had become at that point.

Yes getting fans in is a problem. The local Emiratis who can afford and have time show no interest in watching cricket. Migrant workers do but they are working flat out to make some money. They are almost bonded labour and can not take time off. There is some hope that  day/night  one dayers  and Twenty/20 games will attract some crowd.

[paul_e]

This is a truly abysmal pitch, any game where a team takes the 3rd new ball the home side should be fined over the state of the pitch, maybe harsh but it completely undermines the sport to have games like this.  I'd genuinely rather see a game over in 3 days than see one where you'd need 7-8 days to stand a chance of a result.

Bit OTT ref "undermines the sport". It is a test match and both teams have delivered exactly what they had to do batting wise. Better bowlers  may well have extracted more but there we are...
 I think a pitch like this is just as bad as a pitch that delivers result is 3 days.

not really.  a 3 day game where every ball is spitting off the pitch and both teams struggle to scores around 200 is at least good TV, it's rubbish for purists and fans who have tickets for the later days but it's exciting and at least you get results.  Dead pitches with low run rates, nothing for the bowlers and a draw on the cards by tea on day 2 are what puts people off test cricket and that's what I mean.  If your first time watching test cricket after seeing T20 and ODIs was this I think it would be very easy to think 'nah fuck this boring shit, I'll go back to the rounders'.  My problem isn't with batsmen scoring big runs, I think that's great, I just think the work for it should be more than just a feat of stamina (on a tangent, Cook deserves huge respect for his performance in this test, I doubt there's many people in the game who'd have still been going for as long as he did in these conditions after nearly 2 full days in the field).

[peter w]

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/cricket/pakistans-spin-the-key-to-beating-england-not-being-catered-for-so-far-on-uae-pitches

[Villan For Life]

Good to see Adil Rashid finally get a wicket. He's bowled well today.

[PaulWinch again]

Delighted for Dil. It's in these sort of situations when personal stats matter.

[four fornicholl]

fuck me sideways we might win this yet

[olaftab]

This is classic Test match cricket. Playing on the same bit of strip for 5 days continuously can change things dramatically. The problem is if England have to chase 100 or so in 20 overs on this pitch would they take the chance to hit out?

[four fornicholl]

This is classic Test match cricket. Playing on the same bit of strip for 5 days continuously can change things dramatically. The problem is if England have to chase 100 or so in 20 overs on this pitch would they take the chance to hit out?

they better had do!!!

[four fornicholl]

fuck me sideways we had better win this now