International Cricket Thread

[Satchmo Distel]

India seem to be playing not to lose rather than taking risks to go for the win. Disappointing, unless Australia collapse twice, in which case well played.

[diggedy derek]

Steyn has the best strike rate of anyone with more than 200 Test wickets

These kind of stats are one reason I'm glad to see his glittering Test career have some sort of decent ending. His average is also wonderful for someone bowling in this era – although even more brilliantly it's not even first or second among current SA bowlers.

[Satchmo Distel]

SL have just gone from 100-5 to 104 all out in the space of 3 overs

Pakistan have a debutant born this millennium - Shaheen Afridi

http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan...r/1072470.html

[Satchmo Distel]

Steyn has the best strike rate of anyone with more than 200 Test wickets

[diggedy derek]

God, bad memory blank...

[Etienne]

Imran, Akram, Waqar.

[diggedy derek]

How you feeling about Steyn becoming top wicket taker G-Man? I was half expecting recently that he might never bowl in Tests again.

Genuinely fast bowlers who can swing it don’t come along every day - Marshall, Trueman, Flintoff, Gough...?

[G-Man]

SA have Pakistan at 64/4, even with Philander and Ngidi missing. The wicket doesn't look particularly horrible to bat on.

[ad hoc]

The pitch looks pretty scruffy and a ball has just kept low enough to beat Paine and go for four byes in only the seventh over of the match. Which doesn't bode well for the game lasting five days.

But the score at stumps (215/2) would rather point to a draw

[Janik]

India's entirely new opening partnership, Agarwal and Vihari, are up to the team average recently (21). All Agarwal, Vihari is yet to get off the mark.

The pitch looks pretty scruffy and a ball has just kept low enough to beat Paine and go for four byes in only the seventh over of the match. Which doesn't bode well for the game lasting five days.

[nmrfox]

4 for Lakmal as Henry Nicholls gets bowled through the gate. 36/4 and time for the ever dogmatic and pragmatic BJ Watling.

[nmrfox]

Suranga Lakmal bowling excellently in overcast conditions on a green wicket. Gets the hapless Jeet Raval, who not only has a style like Keaton Jennings but bats as badly too, Tom Latham and Kane Williamson to leave NZ at 22/3 and under pressure.

[Satchmo Distel]

Cook to be knighted, Boycott to explode. I'd have thought Jimmy Anderson was more worthy but maybe he will get it when he retires?

[Etienne]

Yeah, some great batting by Mendis and Mathews. It does appear that the pitch is a bit like the subcontinent ones where if you don't strike with the new ball you're buggered.

[tee rex]

Wellington: full day's play, no wickets. First time ever in NZ.

This at a ground where teams have capitulated for sub-100 in the past. Climate change, eh?

[Ray de Galles]

Yes, enjoying drifting in and out of sleep to it when I remember it’s on. Always good to hear more Jim Maxwell.

[Greenlander]

Anyone else enjoying the ABC commentary on 5live sports extra overnight.

I'm sure back in the day these foreign broadcasts were cut to the UK studio for ad breaks and such like but no such thing with this so it's eight hours of Australiana. I'm particularly found of the news reports. I mean who knew diplomatic relationships between Australia and Malaysia have been strained due to Canberra's recognition of West Jerusalem as the Israel capital. Whereas TMS is full of folk texting in the state of rain clouds down the road from venue, this one's all about people driving ten hours across the desert to get to a wedding. If they could just announce the live score more often it'd be perfect.

[Satchmo Distel]

Australia always had their noses in front throughout this Test, due to that extremely slim India batting line-up.

Batting first is still a huge advantage in Tests and India have not done it very often recently (e.g. Root winning all the tosses) but, yes, you can't win series away with frail batting unless you get very lucky.

Sri Lanka might have fallen below Bangladesh right now. Really poor side.

Lyon might be GOAT Australian off-spinner (Hugh Trumble seems to be the only one with better stats) but there are many English and Indian off-spinners ahead of him so it's a dubious title.

[Etienne]

I think Latham carrying his bat to score 264* deserves a mention too. Sri Lanka getting a drubbing.

[Duncan Gardner]

A senior sometime OTF-er and India supporter summarises Pakistan v England contests as 'LoTE v GoTE' (lesser and greater of two evils)

[diggedy derek]

If he was a nice guy, I'd be all for it, as he's matured into an excellent bowler, but he's a scumbag, so not.

[Etienne]

Yeah, best Aussie off spinner of all time, possibly. Not really enough to warrant GOAT as a nickname.

[ad hoc]

Is it just me who thinks the GOAT thing applied to Lyon is irritating? I mean he;s a great bowler and he seems like a nice enough bloke, but I find myself willing him to fail because of this fucking GOAT shit

[diggedy derek]

Australia always had their noses in front throughout this Test, due to that extremely slim India batting line-up.

[ad hoc]

|Kohli gone.

Yes, and that's the match, you'd think.