The Cricket Thread 2016

[Whiney MacWhineface]

It's been an excellent tournament so far. The Sky studio team (Sangakarra and Anderson particularly very impressive) were as good as usual, though the presentation from India has been irritating - too many replays, too many crowd shots (though their taste in women has been very good), and too many grating commentators: Arnold, Manjrekar, Mbangwa and Slater (with an irritating extra dash of Warne latterly).

[Chris Jameson]

For all I'm not a fan of the format I've enjoyed this tournament, today's game was brilliant. Agree with Woofles re the coverage, the choices of pictures to show today was pretty poor, many times we saw the running in the middle with no idea where the ball was.

[cdbearsfan]

Great win for the Windies. Pleased that India didn't win. As well as the way they behaved like bellends to Pakistan, and are ludicrously allowed to dictate to the ICC which rules they want to play by, I don't like the fact their fans don't seem to clap good shots by the opposition.

[Chris Jameson]

Something that's really annoying is that umpires don't seem to bother checking for front foot no balls any longer, if they did then maybe the Indian bowlers would have adjusted their run ups accordingly.

[four fornicholl]

Hope im wrong but I think our spin will cost us the win on sunday

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Something that's really annoying is that umpires don't seem to bother checking for front foot no balls any longer, if they did then maybe the Indian bowlers would have adjusted their run ups accordingly.

You sense a collective shrug of the umpire community's shoulders on no balls. I agree, they should be preventing them by calling them, either the old fashioned "looking" thing or by the third umpire checking video or hawkeye doing a realtime whatsit (which the BCCI would probably veto).

[tomd2103]

Glad the Windies won, as I think it gives us a better chance. They're a hell of a side though.

Have to say that I'm also glad to see the West Indies doing well after what has happened to their cricket in the past decade., though they have remained fairly competitive in the limited overs format.  As a team and excluding Gayle, the sum is greater than the parts and their bowlers have experience of the conditions thanks to the IPL.  I think they will be a tough proposition on Sunday.

[cdbearsfan]

Hope the West Indies win the final.

As I don't like the Aussies.

Hopefully England will stuff them in the men's final though.

[adrenachrome]

It has been entertaining but it is increasingly less like cricket:

New Zealand dropping their two best bowlers to good effect; good fast bowlers with no slips; slow bouncers and full tosses being the most effective seam bowling; switch hitting and ramp shots; and on and on.   

Give the pitcher a glove and the batter a club and be done with it.

[Villan For Life]

Something that's really annoying is that umpires don't seem to bother checking for front foot no balls any longer, if they did then maybe the Indian bowlers would have adjusted their run ups accordingly.

You sense a collective shrug of the umpire community's shoulders on no balls. I agree, they should be preventing them by calling them, either the old fashioned "looking" thing or by the third umpire checking video or hawkeye doing a realtime whatsit (which the BCCI would probably veto).

That's not unique to T20 though is it? It happens in tests too.

At one time a wicket off a no ball was rare. Now there seem to be two or three instances in a test series. Bowlers know that umpires won't check and probably push it a little. It makes a mockery of the tradition of good umpires like Bird and Bucknor.

I reckon they do it to enhance the "theatre". Run out calls are the same, they all get referred to the TV umpire now whereas at one time the Umpire made the call even when a referral was available.

[Dave Cooper please]

At one time a wicket off a no ball was rare. Now there seem to be two or three instances in a test series. Bowlers know that umpires won't check and probably push it a little. It makes a mockery of the tradition of good umpires like Bird and Bucknor.

Every wicket is checked to see if it's a no ball so pushing it is pointless. It's just poor discipline on the part of the bowlers.

The umpires have enough to look at every ball, they can call the obvious ones but I'd leave the onus on the captain of the fielding team, him or someone on his side should be having a word with a bowler who is close to over-stepping, after all it's them who lose out when wickets are ruled out for no balls.

[Villan For Life]

At one time a wicket off a no ball was rare. Now there seem to be two or three instances in a test series. Bowlers know that umpires won't check and probably push it a little. It makes a mockery of the tradition of good umpires like Bird and Bucknor.

Every wicket is checked to see if it's a no ball so pushing it is pointless. It's just poor discipline on the part of the bowlers.

The umpires have enough to look at every ball, they can call the obvious ones but I'd leave the onus on the captain of the fielding team, him or someone on his side should be having a word with a bowler who is close to over-stepping, after all it's them who lose out when wickets are ruled out for no balls.

Umpires used to call them and everything they have to consider as the ball is bowled hasn't really changed. I don't understand why Umpires cannot call no balls anymore. How many illegal balls  now go undetected? It makes a mockery of the no ball rule.

[taylorsworkrate]

At one time a wicket off a no ball was rare. Now there seem to be two or three instances in a test series. Bowlers know that umpires won't check and probably push it a little. It makes a mockery of the tradition of good umpires like Bird and Bucknor.

Every wicket is checked to see if it's a no ball so pushing it is pointless. It's just poor discipline on the part of the bowlers.

The umpires have enough to look at every ball, they can call the obvious ones but I'd leave the onus on the captain of the fielding team, him or someone on his side should be having a word with a bowler who is close to over-stepping, after all it's them who lose out when wickets are ruled out for no balls.

Umpires used to call them and everything they have to consider as the ball is bowled hasn't really changed. I don't understand why Umpires cannot call no balls anymore. How many illegal balls  now go undetected? It makes a mockery of the no ball rule.

David Shepard missed 4 no balls that led to a wicket in the test between England and Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2001. Game would have been a draw if he'd have seen them

[PaulWinch again]

Right come on England bring that trophy home.

[Villan For Life]

Looking forward to it now!