***Official*** 4th Test at the MCG

[Spark]

I find it strange they paid so much dough and sat there cheering the rain in Perth. Weird mob.

Yeah it's weird. I get that the English players love the support (I can see that being really helpful on away tours) and banter is banter but the relentless targeting of certain players is kind of unseemly IMO.

 

[Burgey]

Ugh.. you guys have no right to complain about Test cricket dying. Maybe take it a step further and ban everyone except English and Australian posters from posting about the precious Ashes

I suggested this at the outset but it wasn’t taken up.

Now look at all these people calling for exactly what I said should have been in place from the get go.

 

[Cow]

People pay money to watch guys pretending to be pigeons in Victoria. Weird mob too.

 

[Son Of Coco]

I genuinely can't believe you think this is sincere. Seriously, he's been watching enough cricket for 18 months and still thinks we use the same terminology as baseball?

Like... http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/ashes-2017-18/77414-official-4th-test-mcg-25.html#post3969712

So apparently knows enough the game to understand that 200 runs is a tricky 4th innings target, that Warner is the type of player who would be important to setting up that sort of chase, and that Lyon (a spinner) could be important in the 4th innings, but apparently doesn't know that it's "bowling", not "pitching". Okay.

Is it a regular's multi?

 

[GotSpin]

I really hope Smith drags us over the line for a draw here

It's so important that he changes our attitude - Not just towards batting capitulations but when we're behind in general

 

[TheJediBrah]

C'mon Spark, that's harsh. He's recently got into the game... we don't want to drive away new fans of what is already a dying sport.

**** you guys suck. Vcs is right.

Ugh.. you guys have no right to complain about Test cricket dying. Maybe take it a step further and ban everyone except English and Australian posters from posting about the precious Ashes

Lol dudes, it's clearly a troll. There's 0% chance this is actually a new cricket fan from America. "Pinnacle of the sport", "T20_specialist", "10 Home Runs" . . . it's not even subtle

 

[GotSpin]

Yeah it's weird. I get that the English players love the support (I can see that being really helpful on away tours) and banter is banter but the relentless targeting of certain players is kind of unseemly IMO.

It does work though

 

[Spark]

It does work though

That's actually my problem. Is it really "harmless banter" if it clearly affects the players?

 

[Spark]

Is it a regular's multi?

Suddenly I have very deep suspicions

 

[GotSpin]

That's actually my problem. Is it really "harmless banter" if it clearly affects the players?

I don't really have a problem with it.

Though I guess it can't exactly be called 'harmless' then.

 

[Spark]

Lol dudes, it's clearly a troll. There's 0% chance this is actually a new cricket fan from America. "Pinnacle of the sport", "T20_specialist", "10 Home Runs" . . . it's not even subtle

Pretty low effort though. If you're gonna pretend to be an American, at least try to spell like one.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Suddenly I have very deep suspicions

I'm prepared have a quiet wager on who it might be. I'm also prepared to be totally wrong...

 

[Spark]

I don't really have a problem with it.

Though I guess it can't exactly be called 'harmless' then.

Yeah, that's the thing. We talk a lot about on-field sledging, but there's an element of consent to that in that it's coming from the actual players you're trying to beat, and you can do something about it (and indeed, the umpire can shut them up). If a section of the crowd starts singing all day about how awful you are about your profession, what are you meant to do?

 

[Quaggas]

Got to hand it to Cook. Respect.

 

[Victor Ian]

I can kind of get the 7-3 collation because those series were close together, but the India series surely can't be collated like that because they were reasonably far apart.

yeah - totally agree. My idea would only work if series were scheduled close together, which would mean not seeing that team again for near on four years.

Back to the test. I'm curious what people think will be the outcome. I'm actually tipping an English win. I can see them successfully boring Australia out. They have very successfully dried up the runs on this pitch, and I feel Australia will be twitchy to go for a win rather than eke out a draw and that will be dangerous. Australia can only save this if they set their 'intent' on batting time for the draw and I feel the 5-0 has been built up too much for them to now accept 4-0 as being better than 3-1.

 

[Spark]

Didn't Lehmann say yesterday that they basically couldn't win? It's only the C9 hacks who are keeping open that possibility.

 

[GotSpin]

Yeah, that's the thing. We talk a lot about on-field sledging, but there's an element of consent to that in that it's coming from the actual players you're trying to beat, and you can do something about it (and indeed, the umpire can shut them up). If a section of the crowd starts singing all day about how awful you are about your profession, what are you meant to do?

I still don't have a problem with it tbh. This is the international stage and it's part of it.

 

[GotSpin]

Didn't Lehmann say yesterday that they basically couldn't win? It's only the C9 hacks who are keeping open that possibility.

You can't expect C9 to tell everyone not to basically not bother watching anymore

 

[Victor Ian]

Quite amazingly, I have heard nothing of C9 this year. I've mostly been restricted to the radio (not MMM) or internet. I have to say it is quite refreshing.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah, that's the thing. We talk a lot about on-field sledging, but there's an element of consent to that in that it's coming from the actual players you're trying to beat, and you can do something about it (and indeed, the umpire can shut them up). If a section of the crowd starts singing all day about how awful you are about your profession, what are you meant to do?

Same thing as if the opposing player does it. Try to shut them up by doing well.