*Official* Australia Tour of West Indies 2025

[jaydesh]

Very rarely do we see such blatantly abysmal umpiring, with multiple howlers. I think Mr. Adrian Holdstock has some sort of a racial bias against the West Indies. Pretty much in line with bygone eras where umpires would often favor white cricket teams (Steve Bucknor, Darrell Hair, and Mark Benson, I'm looking at you three). I thought we would see the end to them with how much technology has changed. Guess not.

That said, who has been spreading the disease of dropped catches worldwide these days? For all the talk of the T20 era seeing an improvement in fielding, I am not seeing much sign of it recently. Catches win matches, after all.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Concentration is on the decline. I think that’s why we’re seeing more spectacular catches taken than ever, but a decline in regulation catches taken in Test cricket. The concentration required for a full day in the field is now somewhat lacking.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Concentration is on the decline. I think that’s why we’re seeing more spectacular catches taken than ever, but a decline in regulation catches taken in Test cricket. The concentration required for a full day in the field is now somewhat lacking.

TikTok generation

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Concentration is on the decline. I think that’s why we’re seeing more spectacular catches taken than ever, but a decline in regulation catches taken in Test cricket. The concentration required for a full day in the field is now somewhat lacking.

TikTok generation

Tbf, GP is a contender for fielding GOAT but has ADHD "his superpower" - giving him energy, but even he missed a couple of sitters of Harry Brook when they beat us (and Brook was dropped 7 times).

 

[trundler]

*Marnus bad for 2 years* "they shouldn't have dropped him*
*Inglis fails in 1 game *see they should have kept Marnus*

Let it go bro you were wrong and you will always be wrong

McSweeney or Patterson are worth trying out. Get an actual top order batsman in there. Marnus should've been dropped a year ago.

 

[Spark]

What they've done to McSweeney is a joke tbh

 

[Chubb]

I'm not prepared to judge Konstas on one match in very difficult conditions but he will need to show he's adjusting in the next match. Windies were following a very obvious plan that dissected him.

As I said yesterday, Windies is likely the hardest place to open outside of an English greentop or an Indian dustbowl.

 

[cascade]

I know the step up to international cricket isn't easy but when you think of what's happened with guys like McSweeney, Hardie and Murphy, it doesn't make for a great picture of how they're managing this transition phase. Arguably Lance Morris and Xavier Bartlett as well. I don't think it should be the case that all of those guys now look so far off cementing a spot somewhere.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I know the step up to international cricket isn't easy but when you think of what's happened with guys like McSweeney, Hardie and Murphy, it doesn't make for a great picture of how they're managing this transition phase. Arguably Lance Morris and Xavier Bartlett as well. I don't think it should be the case that all of those guys now look so far off cementing a spot somewhere.

Marnus should've been dropped a year ago.

It's the boys club effect. Bailey and McDonald especially have facilitated it. Same reason we have refused to rotate fast bowlers until one breaks down completely and tended to fall away at the end of series'.

 

[Spark]

I've only just now seen highlights - though I strongly disagree with it, I get how an umpire gives Head not out on the first day out of an (over)abundance of caution. But to make that decision, then to give Hope out yesterday off far more dubious evidence is actually one of the most ****ed umpiring decisions I've ever seen in context. I definitely get why WI are ropable with that, that's just patently unacceptable.

I haven't even got to the cooked decisions later in the day, that one alone is just disgraceful.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Karma for inflicting Joel Wilson on everyone tbh

 

[Thala_0710]

Karma for inflicting Joel Wilson on everyone tbh

And Bucknor

 

[the big bambino]

*Marnus bad for 2 years* "they shouldn't have dropped him*
*Inglis fails in 1 game *see they should have kept Marnus*

Let it go bro you were wrong and you will always be wrong

Replace him with someone who bats in the top order. Inglis isn't the go to here.

 

[Burgey]

What they've done to McSweeney is a joke tbh

Yeah, it's shithouse. Good enough to open vs Bumrah 6 months ago (thoughts and prayers) having been a three most of his career, then the three gets binned and he isn't given a shot at replacing him.

There seems to be this belief if you can bat in the top six you can bat anywhere in it, and that's just bullshit tbh.

I wouldn't have picked Konstas but at the end of the day he's 19 and a long term prospect. Once they decided to drop Marnus and knew Smith was out I don't get why they didn't bring a top order player into the squad at the very least. I'm personally not sold on him,. but Weatherald made a zillion runs the past Shield season on decks not easy to bat on. Why wouldn't he get a shot in the squad along with McSweeney?

 

[Gob]

*Marnus bad for 2 years* "they shouldn't have dropped him*
*Inglis fails in 1 game *see they should have kept Marnus*

Let it go bro you were wrong and you will always be wrong

Inglis is not a top 4 bat bro. Only way in which he plays in this team is as a keeper

 

[SkyBlue]

Sack the umpires immediately

Australia were playing with 14 men yesterday

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Yeah, it's shithouse. Good enough to open vs Bumrah 6 months ago (thoughts and prayers) having been a three most of his career, then the three gets binned and he isn't given a shot at replacing him.

There seems to be this belief if you can bat in the top six you can bat anywhere in it, and that's just bullshit tbh.

I wouldn't have picked Konstas but at the end of the day he's 19 and a long term prospect. Once they decided to drop Marnus and knew Smith was out I don't get why they didn't bring a top order player into the squad at the very least. I'm personally not sold on him,. but Weatherald made a zillion runs the past Shield season on decks not easy to bat on. Why wouldn't he get a shot in the squad along with McSweeney?

The fact that Konstas is a long term prospect is exactly why I hate seeing him in the team at the moment. He's just blatantly being set up to fail, absolutely the sort of thing that can quite easily be a career killer

Agree 100% on McSweeney though

 

[TheJediBrah]

Inglis is not a top 4 bat bro. Only way in which he plays in this team is as a keeper

Agree, he's much more suited to 5 or 6 for sure. But he's still a better choice to bat 4 at this point in time than Marnus

 

[GoodAreasShane]

And as for the umpiring, yeesh. Don't have any time for the cries of bias (especially alledging anything racial, those really are not the sort of accusations to be thrown around lightly), but what is clear is that what was seen from the 3rd umpire especially is well short of the standard that is needed in Test cricket

 

[cascade]

There seems to be this belief if you can bat in the top six you can bat anywhere in it, and that's just bullshit tbh.

I was willing to entertain the idea when they were first trying to replace Warner (mostly because of how uninspiring the options were at the time) but they've clearly been proven wrong on it, so I find it fairly baffling that they're still stuck there & now trying to make Green/Inglis work at 3/4. Such a weirdly stubborn fixation on potential over roles.