Thought of the Day: This Week in Cricket

The question “If a Tree falls in a wood and no-one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” is often used to discuss Reality in the field of Philosophy.

Similarly, the question; “If a Test ends in 3 days and no-one is there to see it, did it ever happen and does it matter?” could well be asked of Cricket Administrators in the field of poor performance.

And with all these deep questions asked, here’s This Week in Cricket:

Banglamess

Here’s a sentence that doesn’t make much sense: India and Bangladesh finished a one-Test series in the middle of monsoon season, with the game ending in a draw.

Why play a one-Test series?

Why in the monsoon season?

It’s pretty amazing that anyone at all knows this happened or the result.  Good thing I have no social life so I can pay attention to such things.

Scheduling a single game at this time is akin to celebrating Christmas with a cup of chamomile tea in August with strangers.  Its uncomfortable, forced and un-enjoyable.

If the ICC really does care about Test Cricket, could it please stop treating it in the same way that a toddler shows its care for a puppy.

Quote: "Fingers go in eyes"

Wank Forrell

Australia won the series against the West Indies in emphatic fashion, with neither of the 2 Tests going into Day 5.

Australia was so dominant and the crowds were so bare, you have to wonder why this Series was scheduled at all, particularly when during the middle of school term when young folk and families are unavailable.

As a parent, I can assure you that any opportunity to entertain your child for 5 days, or escape them for that long is welcomed like a half volley. 

Maybe the ICC hated their parents and are now taking it out on parents everywhere?

Australian Cricket fans have romantic and nostalgic feelings towards the West Indies cricket team and no-one is happy to see them beaten like this, people watch sport for the competition and attend or view the game depending on how accessible it is.

This series had neither.

The ICC shouldn’t take all the blame, the WICB has run the sport poorly for 2 decades and now their best players are off playing T20 cricket all over the world instead of attracting domestic interest in the game that feeds them.

There was little for the home team to celebrate, outside the form of Jason Holder and Jerome Taylor.  Worrying was essentially everyone else, Captaincy decisions, lack of interest and the fact that only $2,000 could be found as a winners cheque.

That’s right, $2,000.  That’s about a third of what Shaun Marsh got paid for participating.

That’s right, Shaun Marsh.

The only upside for Australian fans was the introduction of Adam Voges for Australia and the continued improvement of Steve Smith and Josh Hazlewood.

Nathan Lyons performance was also strong (he is now Australia’s leading wicket taker for an off-spinner) and Darren Berry is to be commended for picking Lyon to play for South Australia when he was just the groundsman.

The Australian teams overall performance was so skewed towards the dominance of their bowlers that you wonder why they should pick so many batsmen at all, or persevere with poor performers.

Just do something

John Kennedy, the imposing (and successful) coach of the Hawthorn Football Club was famous for inspiring passion (and fear) into his players, getting them to peak performance with such inspiring words as “Just do something!”.

While that sort of loose direction is the sort of thing that would lead me to ordering a sandwich or having a nice lie down, it did work on his team as they played an exciting and aggressive brand of football.

With the last series being such a damp squib of a contest and the English team still gelling together, the Australian Cricket team would be well advised to follow Kennedy’s guidelines and take some chances to make the forthcoming Ashes series, more exciting.

Test Cricket requires 20 wickets to be taken to win the game, so my suggestion is to play 5 bowlers; 4 quicks and a spinner. 

England looked as comfortable facing Trent Boult’s left-arm seamers in the series against New Zealand as the English do in talking about matters of the heart.

 

"The thing is, I really don't like....left armers"

So take some initiative Australia, play the two Mitch’s; Starc and Johnson, with Johnson taking Watsons place as the all-rounder.  The statistics from the last series show that Johnson batted nearly as well as Watson and he certainly bowled better.

Imagine a Test series in which one of the teams took the step to attack the other for all 5 days.  It would be great viewing.

Cometh the hour, cometh the Man...istan

While the inconsequential series between India and Bangladesh, and Australia and the West Indies have been playing out, the most unlikely of Cricket saviours; Pakistan, has stepped up.

Pakistan are about to begin a tour of Sri Lanka that should actually prove some real contests between evenly pitted sides.

Pakistan is, of course, known for putting in variable performances though does have some good form on Sri Lankan wickets.

Both teams have an equal mix of experience and youth, pace and spin.  If only the series was getting the attention it deserves, I’m not sure there is even a name for the trophy for the event between the two nations.

Still, it’s going to be a great contest, something Cricket has been missing of late.