If you see someone wearing a very fashionable 1998 Play Off Final cap, please say hello!
Will do. Currently sat in front of where the trumpet just played Jerusalem. Will move around I’m sure. Enjoying an end of aisle seat for now. Straw hat on lap.
Very glad you said that, as I was about to approach someone completely different and ask them “are you Suzisausage?”
Atherton says that he thinks the celebration isn't over the top. But how 'bout if every time a batsman hits a bowler for a maximum he rushes up to the bowler to celebrate. Where does it stop and how much of an example is it to those kids that play the game?
Atherton says that he thinks the celebration isn't over the top. But how 'bout if every time a batsman hits a bowler for a maximum he rushes up to the bowler to celebrate. Where does it stop and how much of an example is it to those kids that play the game?
Rabada was fortunate that Root didn't volley him in the nuts
Getting seriously annoyed by Kevin Pieterson this winter.
He's commentating on Sky with great insight and authority; he keeps saying things that I think are absolutely right as well as being well thought-out; and he's far more interested in the game that's being played out in front of us than he is talking about himself.
It's absolutely not what I was expecting. Very, very disappointing.
Rabada bowling to Sibley with no one between gully and mid off!
SA had a one on the off and four on the leg field for Nortje too until Sibley drove one through cover but then they took a slip out to plug the gap.
This wicket is doing nothing and would be disappointed if we can't get 350 and possibly 400 plus
I'm glad I hadn't realised that we hadn't scored 400 in a 1st innings for over two years because I probably wouldn't have backed us getting 400 yesterday morning!
If that comment isn't going to lead to a collapse now nothing will!
Edit - Before Chizz digs me out, I didn't back them to get 400 yesterday morning of course. I backed them yesterday morning to get 400!!!
England slightly ahead? The game was won as soon as the coin came down right for Root. Neither of these teams has the firepower to dominate batting second. If England don't win this game convincingly I'll be utterly amazed, although I suppose a draw isn't out of the question.
Enjoying Joe Denly's top-order-collapse-prevention brief, but he'll need to start converting some more of these into forties at some point
I'm thinking the opposite. We dont have a quality spinner & we love a batting collapse .Expect us to be all out for under 320 tomorrow & for SA to get a smallish lead.
Just about to get myself a helping of humble pie.......🥧
There can't have been too many batsmen like Denly who have batted in Test cricket 24 times with no hundreds and yet only been out in single figures in 3 of them:
He seems to doing the hard bit in getting in (15 of them are 20 plus) so is this a shot selection or concentration issue because ?
MW Gatting career Test average versus Denly after 12 matches, now:
Gatting Matches 12 Runs 446 Highest score 59 Average 22.19 Denly Matches 12 Runs 720 Highest score 94 Average 31.30
Gatting was one of England's all-time greats, despite a very slow start to his career. He didn't make his first century until his 31st Test. Denly is way ahead of him at this stage.
If Denly carries on as he is I absolutely guarantee that he will not reach 31 Tests. He is playing very much as someone who isn't confident about his place and is taking the "safe" route to reach 30. It is when he tries to step on the gas that he gets out and his reluctance to play shots that would get him off strike might well be his undoing.
I'm certainly not saying that he will be dropped imminently but, for example, let's say Crawley and Sibley do well in the rest of this series and in Sri Lanka and Denly carries on being 30 and out, who is the vulnerable one for a returning Burns?
One could certainly argue that Burns should have to wait but he has three advantages over the current top 3 and specifically Denly - an average of 47.22 in his last 5 Tests against Australia, NZ and SA respectively and the important fact that he is left handed. All our current top 4 are right handed and only Stokes of our top 7 bats the other way. The final advantage is age - Denly is almost 34 and Burns is more than 4 years his junior.
Which brings me on to your comparison with Mike Gatting as he was 20 when he made his debut not 33. He had time on his side and had to wait 'til he was 27 to get that hundred. As has Pope who is destined to be England's no. 3 for many years to come, albeit not before he is ready to assume that position.
I really want Denly to do well and he is doing a very good job for now but he has to take his game to the next stage sooner rather than later especially if he gets a few single digit scores with no big ones to offset them.
Can't disagree with you AA. Of course you'd like to see him score a bit quicker and rotate vs the spinner but, as the batting line up currently is, I think he's the perfect protection both for a very inexperienced opening pair (both with idiosyncratic styles) and a stroke-playing middle order (the strength of the batting). Commentators yesterday were speculating (and deriding) that he may have been told to take 100 balls out of the game. If so, I think that's a fair plan to ensure (in the context of that opening pair) that Stokes et al have the best chance of facing an older ball when they arrive at the crease. I agree, when Burns is back, assuming Crawley beds in in the meantime, Denly may be jettisoned if he hasn't "gone on" but, as you say, he reliably does an important job for the team right now.
Stokes gets his ton. I hadn't realised that (even before this knock) he's now in the Top 10 Test batsmen in the ICC rankings, only 2 places behind Root
England batting today .. the new master and the brilliant apprentice .. Rabada ban ? .. take all his money, but to be banned for his delight at crowning the England skipper is not good .. demerit points last for (I think) 2 years, and that is a year too long
He’s achieved 9 centuries and we’ve seen at least 4 of them off top of head. But need to work out if we saw 2 others in England when we were at the matches at some point but perhaps not on the days he got them.
Nasser and Michael Holding going head to head is fantastic TV. But Nasser you are so wrong because, as Holding says, a lot of senior cricketers have stopped playing because of the antics of some younger players and a lot of Umpires, including myself, have stopped officiating for that reason.
It is not the celebration but the fact that he runs straight up to Root so much so that Root has to walk around him to leave the pitch.
Nasser and Michael Holding going head to head is fantastic TV. But Nasser you are so wrong because, as Holding says, a lot of senior cricketers have stopped playing because of the antics of some younger players and a lot of Umpires, including myself, have stopped officiating for that reason.
It is not the celebration but the fact that he runs straight up to Root so much so that Root has to walk around him to leave the pitch.
sorry to read that you have quit umpiring due to player's bad behaviour .. I get that young, indeed some older players at club level are apt to copy the behaviour of famous test players appearing on the telly .. a similar problem to amateur officials having problems in all too many sports
On reflection, I think it would have been better all round that Rabada had not been given a demerit point, but the umpire had no-balled him for running down the danger area.
There can't have been too many batsmen like Denly who have batted in Test cricket 24 times with no hundreds and yet only been out in single figures in 3 of them:
He seems to doing the hard bit in getting in (15 of them are 20 plus) so is this a shot selection or concentration issue because ?
MW Gatting career Test average versus Denly after 12 matches, now:
Gatting Matches 12 Runs 446 Highest score 59 Average 22.19 Denly Matches 12 Runs 720 Highest score 94 Average 31.30
Gatting was one of England's all-time greats, despite a very slow start to his career. He didn't make his first century until his 31st Test. Denly is way ahead of him at this stage.
If Denly carries on as he is I absolutely guarantee that he will not reach 31 Tests. He is playing very much as someone who isn't confident about his place and is taking the "safe" route to reach 30. It is when he tries to step on the gas that he gets out and his reluctance to play shots that would get him off strike might well be his undoing.
I'm certainly not saying that he will be dropped imminently but, for example, let's say Crawley and Sibley do well in the rest of this series and in Sri Lanka and Denly carries on being 30 and out, who is the vulnerable one for a returning Burns?
One could certainly argue that Burns should have to wait but he has three advantages over the current top 3 and specifically Denly - an average of 47.22 in his last 5 Tests against Australia, NZ and SA respectively and the important fact that he is left handed. All our current top 4 are right handed and only Stokes of our top 7 bats the other way. The final advantage is age - Denly is almost 34 and Burns is more than 4 years his junior.
Which brings me on to your comparison with Mike Gatting as he was 20 when he made his debut not 33. He had time on his side and had to wait 'til he was 27 to get that hundred. As has Pope who is destined to be England's no. 3 for many years to come, albeit not before he is ready to assume that position.
I really want Denly to do well and he is doing a very good job for now but he has to take his game to the next stage sooner rather than later especially if he gets a few single digit scores with no big ones to offset them.
Can't disagree with you AA. Of course you'd like to see him score a bit quicker and rotate vs the spinner but, as the batting line up currently is, I think he's the perfect protection both for a very inexperienced opening pair (both with idiosyncratic styles) and a stroke-playing middle order (the strength of the batting). Commentators yesterday were speculating (and deriding) that he may have been told to take 100 balls out of the game. If so, I think that's a fair plan to ensure (in the context of that opening pair) that Stokes et al have the best chance of facing an older ball when they arrive at the crease. I agree, when Burns is back, assuming Crawley beds in in the meantime, Denly may be jettisoned if he hasn't "gone on" but, as you say, he reliably does an important job for the team right now.
I am very much coming from the perspective that I want Denly to do well as a Kent fan as much as anything else. I grew up watching Cowdrey (in his very latter years admittedly), Luckhurst, Denness, Knott, Underwood, Woolmer, Tavare etc etc but I don't need to take my socks and shoes off to count those that have played for the England Test side in the last couple of decades.
One thing that, as a Kent fan, I would guarantee that if it isn't Denly that is left out for Burns it will be Crawley!
The debate over Rabada is nonsense. Both Crawley and Root could have responded legitimately to defend themselves physically.
If you have ever studied the psychology of body language Rabada knows exactly what he is doing in invading the batsmen space. It was celebratory emotion deliberately tailored to the point of intimidating theatre designed to be intimidating. It was alpha male stuff.
I get it but if you want to go there then be prepared for you and you team to pay the price, and no because you are the star player you do not get to behave to a different standard to everybody else.
As Rob Key said if it had been Pretorius everyone would have shrugged their shoulders with the comments of "what a complete prat".
Double standards oozing out of every pore by Atherton, Hussain and Knight.
Totally the wrong focus when we should be further celebrating Stokes and enjoying the growth of Pope.
Nasser and Michael Holding going head to head is fantastic TV. But Nasser you are so wrong because, as Holding says, a lot of senior cricketers have stopped playing because of the antics of some younger players and a lot of Umpires, including myself, have stopped officiating for that reason.
It is not the celebration but the fact that he runs straight up to Root so much so that Root has to walk around him to leave the pitch.
sorry to read that you have quit umpiring due to player's bad behaviour .. I get that young, indeed some older players at club level are apt to copy the behaviour of famous test players appearing on the telly .. a similar problem to amateur officials having problems in all too many sports
Thanks and it wasn't one particular incident. I just got tired of the unsubtle intimidation of players and lack of respect shown to Umpires. I will still score when required because I am away from what's going on in the middle.
Don't get me wrong we always had what I would call "banter" when I played and I was probably the most vociferous in that respect. But whereas I might have said to a batsman "your pads have a lovely middle you'll have to let me know where you bought them afterwards" to someone who kept padding up but now you hear "try use that fxxxxxx thing in your hand you useless cxxx". And it all then kicks off from there. Offering each other out in the car park. Pathetic behaviour.
I played football at a fairly decent level and you expected that sort of thing. Unfortunately, it has migrated to cricket too.
He’s achieved 9 centuries and we’ve seen at least 4 of them off top of head. But need to work out if we saw 2 others in England when we were at the matches at some point but perhaps not on the days he got them.
I was only thinking earlier that you and Mr Sausage must have one hell of a good win to watching ratio since you've been going. Perhaps you can get some Barmy Army sponsorship as England's lucky mascots to fund some more trips?
There can't have been too many batsmen like Denly who have batted in Test cricket 24 times with no hundreds and yet only been out in single figures in 3 of them:
He seems to doing the hard bit in getting in (15 of them are 20 plus) so is this a shot selection or concentration issue because ?
MW Gatting career Test average versus Denly after 12 matches, now:
Gatting Matches 12 Runs 446 Highest score 59 Average 22.19 Denly Matches 12 Runs 720 Highest score 94 Average 31.30
Gatting was one of England's all-time greats, despite a very slow start to his career. He didn't make his first century until his 31st Test. Denly is way ahead of him at this stage.
Took a while for MG to work out how to live his gut out of the way of his strokes 😂
Atherton says that he thinks the celebration isn't over the top. But how 'bout if every time a batsman hits a bowler for a maximum he rushes up to the bowler to celebrate. Where does it stop and how much of an example is it to those kids that play the game?
Comments
15% fine of his match fee but, more to the point, he now has 4 demerit points and will miss the next Test match as a result.
A very stupid boy and really needs to grow up
But he should get an even longer ban for gross stupidity.
he was banned for 4 demerit points.
To avoid having to do that and the associated Catholic guilt, I will just have to convince myself that he is actually agreeing with me!
He's commentating on Sky with great insight and authority; he keeps saying things that I think are absolutely right as well as being well thought-out; and he's far more interested in the game that's being played out in front of us than he is talking about himself.
It's absolutely not what I was expecting. Very, very disappointing.
If that comment isn't going to lead to a collapse now nothing will!
Edit - Before Chizz digs me out, I didn't back them to get 400 yesterday morning of course. I backed them yesterday morning to get 400!!!
Of course you'd like to see him score a bit quicker and rotate vs the spinner but, as the batting line up currently is, I think he's the perfect protection both for a very inexperienced opening pair (both with idiosyncratic styles) and a stroke-playing middle order (the strength of the batting).
Commentators yesterday were speculating (and deriding) that he may have been told to take 100 balls out of the game. If so, I think that's a fair plan to ensure (in the context of that opening pair) that Stokes et al have the best chance of facing an older ball when they arrive at the crease.
I agree, when Burns is back, assuming Crawley beds in in the meantime, Denly may be jettisoned if he hasn't "gone on" but, as you say, he reliably does an important job for the team right now.
It is not the celebration but the fact that he runs straight up to Root so much so that Root has to walk around him to leave the pitch.
One thing that, as a Kent fan, I would guarantee that if it isn't Denly that is left out for Burns it will be Crawley!
The debate over Rabada is nonsense. Both Crawley and Root could have responded legitimately to defend themselves physically.
If you have ever studied the psychology of body language Rabada knows exactly what he is doing in invading the batsmen space. It was celebratory emotion deliberately tailored to the point of intimidating theatre designed to be intimidating. It was alpha male stuff.
I get it but if you want to go there then be prepared for you and you team to pay the price, and no because you are the star player you do not get to behave to a different standard to everybody else.
As Rob Key said if it had been Pretorius everyone would have shrugged their shoulders with the comments of "what a complete prat".
Double standards oozing out of every pore by Atherton, Hussain and Knight.
Totally the wrong focus when we should be further celebrating Stokes and enjoying the growth of Pope.
Don't get me wrong we always had what I would call "banter" when I played and I was probably the most vociferous in that respect. But whereas I might have said to a batsman "your pads have a lovely middle you'll have to let me know where you bought them afterwards" to someone who kept padding up but now you hear "try use that fxxxxxx thing in your hand you useless cxxx". And it all then kicks off from there. Offering each other out in the car park. Pathetic behaviour.
I played football at a fairly decent level and you expected that sort of thing. Unfortunately, it has migrated to cricket too.
Perhaps you can get some Barmy Army sponsorship as England's lucky mascots to fund some more trips?
Stokes 120
Buttler c&b Maharaj