Cricket Summer 2017/18

[light]

The pay dispute is resolved and we're on tour in Bangladesh. Without a Marsh in the squad too!

England loom on the horizon so thought we should get this thread going early.

Bangladesh currently 190-5 on day 1 at tea. Cummins 3-52, Maxwell and Lyon a wicket a piece.

Any predictions for the summer?

I'll go out on a limb and predict we witness the arrival of Hilton Cartwright and Jake Lehmann as key international players although I have no idea in what formats just yet.

 

[The torpedo]

My pick for the ashes squad:

Warner
Renshaw
Khawaja
Smith (c)
Handscomb
Maxwell
Neville
Starc
Hazelwood
Cummins
Lyon
Cartwright
Sayers
Weatherald
Lehmann
O'Keefe
Whiteman

 

[light]

Good squad.
If Wade doesn't lose his spot in the test team this summer I'll be shocked. We have carried him for far too long now and there's some talent with the gloves coming through.

Unfortunately I don't think we will see Steve O'Keefe play test cricket again after the drunken rant post-India. It is a pity because he's our best spinner by a mile.

Edit: As I post this I've just realised Nathan Lyon has now drawn level on wickets with the late great Richie Benaud. Marvellous.

 

[Up the Guts]

3-18 against Bangladesh? What are they doing?

Warner failed again, didn't play well in India and has continued his bad run of form into Bangladesh. Needs to get big score on this tour or he'll start to get a reputation for being unable to play outside Australia.

As for Khawaja, how the hell do you get run out with a few overs remaining? I know they haven't played for a while but that's under 10s level stuff. Hopefully Smith and Renshaw stand up or it's looking like we might lose this one.

On a more positive note good to see Cummins bowling aggressively, liked what I saw from him. Will be dangerous in Brisbane and Perth.

 

[Braveheart81]

Just watched Khawaja's run out... absolute park cricket stuff.

The only thing in Australia's favour at the moment is that Lyon is one of the three wickets so we've only lost two recognised batsmen.

You'd certainly want Smith and Renshaw to put on a lot of runs for us to feel like we're in any sort of decent position though.

 

[Highlander35]

They would have known going in that 20-30 runs from Warner and Khawaja was a good result too.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[The torpedo]

4/57 now.

Bring back the subcontinental specialist I say

 

[Up the Guts]

193/8 now. Obviously practice wasn't high on the agenda during the pay dispute. Hopefully, some of the quicks can throw the bat around and get us up to 220 and we can try and dismiss them quickly.

 

[Braveheart81]

 

[Up the Guts]

A telling graphic. It's not just India where we've performed poorly, a couple of years ago we were thrashed by Pakistan in Dubai and then last year we had that nightmare tour against Sri Lanka.

We did, however, play well in India at the beginning of the year and I think what undeniably contributed to that was the time spent by the team preparing in India before the series. I would hope this becomes the norm when we travel overseas for major series from now on with ground staff preparing the wickets in the home team's favour. Particularly, in the next away Ashes series I would like to see us playing a few games against county sides to prepare the players for the swinging conditions and the duke ball.

 

[No4918]

198 needed with 8 wickets in hand. Not confident but Warner has a start, these two need to do a lot of the work.

 

[Up the Guts]

198 needed with 8 wickets in hand. Not confident but Warner has a start, these two need to do a lot of the work.

Wicket looks easier once you get in. Bangladesh pacemen are lacklustre to say the least but get the feeling wickets could come quickly if we lose these two. Hopefully they can put a partnership together.

 

[Hound]

Well, we are effectively 3 down with Wade still to bat. BUt I hope that Warner, Smith and co will be good enough to get us over the line. Maybe a cameo from Agar to finish off

 

[light]

This test is so delicately poised. If Warner and Smith can knock another 50 off the total and one of Handscomb or Maxwell can get a start then we should be able to cruise home. An early wicket or two and we will be praying our tail can save the day.

I guess one of the benefits of picking Agar is now we bat quite deep despite the fact that Wade is terrible with the bat.

Anyone see the result over in England? What a run chase from the West Indies! That should dent the Poms confidence given how much of a dominant position they were in for 4 days.

 

[Hound]

Yes, big effort from WI especially after the comments from Boycott after the last match. I see Boycott is taking credit for the WI win

 

[Braveheart81]

Brilliant hundred by Warner. Has completely taken this game by the scruff of the neck and put Australia firmly in the box seat.

Bangladesh were on top for almost all of the first three days and yet somehow we've got ourselves into a winning position.

That said, 122 more runs won't be easy and a couple of quick wickets could easily swing control back to Bangladesh.

Warner's strike rate has been a huge reason for the game swinging so quickly in our favour. If he was out and suddenly we needed to last 40-50 overs to win it's a very different game.

 

[Up the Guts]

This has turned out to be an enthralling test match. Probably hasn't got as much media attention as it deserves given it's against Bangladesh but full credit to them, they've come a long way since Dizzy got his double century against them.

 

[Braveheart81]

Smith out now too.

94 runs required. It's probably even money right now.

 

[Hound]

Getting tight. No more wickets for a while otherwise we are in trouble.

 

[Braveheart81]

Oh dear.

Bangladesh would be warm favourites now.