Cricket

Well, we have all the other threads... and the other threads about cricket are chug_it's ones about the Eng vs SAf series last year. This one can be more general. We're gonna need it in an Ashes year.

I'll kick it off by saying, "Get a look at this guy!" David Warner, a 22-year old debutant at Twenty20 international level, never played a first-class match, comes in and smashes 89 off 43 balls. The first two balls he faced from Dale Steyn, the best fast bowler in the world, went straight over the fence!

I know it's only 20/20, which is like McCricket, but he clearly knows how to hit a ball...

Anyway, here we go.

Cricket is shit and Kevin Pietersen's a cunt.

Thread ends

heh i like "20/20 is McCricket" think Pietersen was never a captain, strauss is the perfect choice if he can actually score some runs, leave KP to score the runs

Pistanator: Err... thanks for your contribution. You're a scholar and a gentleman.

Pietersen is a great player, but captaincy is also about managing the personalities in your team, and he's clearly not so good at that. He does have a phenomenal desire to win, though, and I think England could do with more of that.

I don't get why we bother. If I was shit at something and always lost, I would just give up and call it it a day

true - but that desire to win can also be seen in a more measured and less egotistical way - e.g vaughn/ strauss, i still think we are gonna struggle this year though, the windies wont be a problem but the aussies pushed SA very close in that series even though they lost, i reckon theyll whoop us

@mikec it just makes that occasional flukey win all the more sweeter, whenever ive raced on the track ive been reight at the back every time but itsso much fun i went back for more

i think australia should win the ashes, but we need to do the following:
a) drop Hayden, bring in Phil Hughes or Michael Klinger (averaging over 100 in Sheffield Shield this year)
b) get Brett Lee fit
c) get Stuart Clarke fit
d) get Nathan Hauritz some confidence

We still have two excellent middle-order batsman in top form (Ponting and Clarke), Hussey will come back to form, and when our top pace bowlers come back from injury we'll have a decent pace line-up. Choose from Lee, Clark, Siddle, Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Shaun Tait, Bollinger. Plenty of talent there. The spinner is the weak link, and the lack of top-class all-rounder (assuming Symonds doesn't get his shit together, and Shane Watson is not about to start bowling any time soon).

We should not have lost the Melbourne Test, but for letting South Africa get 180 for the 8th wicket in the first innings. Apart from that, the series was very closely fought. I'm glad we're off to play South Africa, it will sharpen us up for England.

Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting. I am not sure if there are two people I hate more in the world. They are good though.

Kevin Petersen drove past me in his drop-top AM outside my work the day after the last ashes series finished (he was sent home injured), and I held up a 'five' handsign, to which he waved. I said "no mate, five-nil". he flipped me the bird and drove off in a huff.

ahh, heady days.

I reckon the poms might win a test at the next ashes if we don't get our bowling attack sorted.

Tmy, that was a pretty amazing piece of cricket from the rookie. Im also a massive fan of Duminy. The Campbell style shot over the wickies head was gold! Also, Hussys catch was a screamer! 20/20 could save the game. Really enjoyed the third test tho. I liked Smith coming out injured at teh end of a dead rubber. Good fighting spirit. Are you in Oz at the mo'?

Gotti: why do you hate brett lee? he's awesome to watch when he's bowling well, he just fucking LOVES bowling.

Ponting is obvious.

sorry

Tmy, that was a pretty amazing piece of cricket from the rookie. Im also a massive fan of Duminy. The Campbell style shot over the wickies head was gold! Also, Hussys catch was a screamer! 20/20 could save the game. Really enjoyed the third test tho. I liked Smith coming out injured at teh end of a dead rubber. Good fighting spirit. Are you in Oz at the mo'?

South Africa are fucking good. Their batting order is stacked with talent, they have a real killer instinct, and their bowling attack is formidable. I have massive respect for pretty much all of their players, Duminy is in awesome form, and AB de Villiers is a pretty special player, too. Smith is carved out of something strong. They are the best side in the world at the moment.

I'm in London atm, flying to Oz on thursday night. Shattered to be missing the ODI at the MCG on friday night :( what an idiot!

I've got tix to that. Dad is MCC member - and now there is red rooster in the members! Duminy could be anything. 80-odd off 43? Awesome. Steyn is a player too.

yeah i'm an MCC member as well. the best bit isn't the red rooster, it's the full-strength beer!

(not that I use my membership much lately - got one 20/20 match last year). but with the 17 year waiting list, i'm not giving it up!

I went to boxing day... didnt see much apart from the inside of the members bar. Nothing better than being in one of the greatest sporting venues on the planet watching the game live on a plasma TV from the bar. Ha!

india ftw!

india for the naan!

racist!

just cause we smacked yo ass's

congratulations to india, they won a home series against the worst australian side for a decade. amazing!

actually i was refering to india beating england recently but that too