ODI World Cup.
Any Australian batsman who scores a century when none of the players batting for us at 3 to 11 can break 30 is popular with me.
So, on reflection, Warner, Finch, Khawaja, Smith, Maxwell, ?, Carey, Cummins, Starc, ?, ? is our best lineup. I can't help thinking that we need to try the other Marsh as an all-rounder. I'm not sure whether his bowling is good enough (actually, I'm reasonably confident it isn't) but we need to try to improve that leaky attack. I suppose I take the view that he's probably no worse a bat than his brother and he might be able to add to the attack, especially in conditions that give the medium pacers a little more assistance.
I leave Marsh out because I just think he has a habit of wasting too many balls, getting set and not going on with it when he must. Today was a classic case - the openers both did great jobs but no-one else got comfortable at the crease, except him. If he hadn't had a brain implosion when he did - and had tried to play to the situation of that game, Australia probably would have reached 330 to 350, even with the dumb collapse. Instead, he batted for 45 minutes, looked OK and then suddenly threw his hand away, thereby opening up the lower middle order. I suppose one could say that he was the next top-scorer and should stay - but the difference between good teams and bad ones is that the batsmen in the good ones take their chances on the days when they get set.
So, on reflection, Warner, Finch, Khawaja, Smith, Maxwell, ?, Carey, Cummins, Starc, ?, ? is our best lineup. I can't help thinking that we need to try the other Marsh as an all-rounder. I'm not sure whether his bowling is good enough (actually, I'm reasonably confident it isn't) but we need to try to improve that leaky attack. I suppose I take the view that he's probably no worse a bat than his brother and he might be able to add to the attack, especially in conditions that give the medium pacers a little more assistance.
I leave Marsh out because I just think he has a habit of wasting too many balls, getting set and not going on with it when he must. Today was a classic case - the openers both did great jobs but no-one else got comfortable at the crease, except him. If he hadn't had a brain implosion when he did - and had tried to play to the situation of that game, Australia probably would have reached 330 to 350, even with the dumb collapse. Instead, he batted for 45 minutes, looked OK and then suddenly threw his hand away, thereby opening up the lower middle order. I suppose one could say that he was the next top-scorer and should stay - but the difference between good teams and bad ones is that the batsmen in the good ones take their chances on the days when they get set.
World Cup weather watch
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... y-scenario
Dave Richardson: "Up to 1200 people are on site to deliver a match and everything associated with it including getting it broadcast and a proportion of them are moving around the country so reserve days in the group stage would require a significant uplift in the number of staff. We have reserve days factored in for the knockout stages, knowing that over the course of 45 group games we should play the large majority."
ICC refunds policy: "If the game is a complete abandonment, then you will be entitled to your money back. In fact, if you see 15 overs or less ..., it is still a full refund; between 15.1 and 29.5 overs of play, then 50% of the ticket price will be returned."
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... y-scenario
Dave Richardson: "Up to 1200 people are on site to deliver a match and everything associated with it including getting it broadcast and a proportion of them are moving around the country so reserve days in the group stage would require a significant uplift in the number of staff. We have reserve days factored in for the knockout stages, knowing that over the course of 45 group games we should play the large majority."
ICC refunds policy: "If the game is a complete abandonment, then you will be entitled to your money back. In fact, if you see 15 overs or less ..., it is still a full refund; between 15.1 and 29.5 overs of play, then 50% of the ticket price will be returned."
cricinfo says the cut-off time is 4.15pm. It'll be called off before then.
It's fortunate no Oz games have been washed out. Our guys need as much game time as possible to work out who to play, given the huge holes in both batting and bowling.
I wonder if they'll give Behrendorff & Lyon a go next game.
It's fortunate no Oz games have been washed out. Our guys need as much game time as possible to work out who to play, given the huge holes in both batting and bowling.
I wonder if they'll give Behrendorff & Lyon a go next game.
Why can't other boards take a cue from SLC to tackle rain?
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... ackle-rain
"The Sri Lankan cricket board might be world leaders at something. Try not to snigger. ... Year after year, SLC hosts series in months afflicted by storms that unload lakefuls of water into their stadia, and emit cracks of thunder that shake the spine. The run of rainy weather England has seen over the past week has been unfortunate. But it is no tropical monsoon.
...
No full tour of Sri Lanka goes by without a rain interruption, and to watch Sri Lanka's groundstaff - the fastest in the world - in action, is practically its own form of entertainment. The pitch is first covered by a rubberised tarpaulin, before two more are heaped on top of that, a team of over 100 working in unison to ensure less than a minute's worth of rain falls on the square. Once the centre is protected, the staff break into separate crews, a supervisor calling out instructions, and the remainder of the playing area is enveloped before 10 further minutes, at most.
The clear advantage that covering the entire playing area yields over, say, merely having good drainage, is the speed with which a ground can be readied the moment rain stops. Within an hour, play has often resumed.
...
In the last four years, Sri Lanka has hosted 73 internationals. Only two of those games - both ODIs - have ended in no-results. There have been no drawn Tests in the island since 2014. It's difficult to argue with those results."
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... ackle-rain
"The Sri Lankan cricket board might be world leaders at something. Try not to snigger. ... Year after year, SLC hosts series in months afflicted by storms that unload lakefuls of water into their stadia, and emit cracks of thunder that shake the spine. The run of rainy weather England has seen over the past week has been unfortunate. But it is no tropical monsoon.
...
No full tour of Sri Lanka goes by without a rain interruption, and to watch Sri Lanka's groundstaff - the fastest in the world - in action, is practically its own form of entertainment. The pitch is first covered by a rubberised tarpaulin, before two more are heaped on top of that, a team of over 100 working in unison to ensure less than a minute's worth of rain falls on the square. Once the centre is protected, the staff break into separate crews, a supervisor calling out instructions, and the remainder of the playing area is enveloped before 10 further minutes, at most.
The clear advantage that covering the entire playing area yields over, say, merely having good drainage, is the speed with which a ground can be readied the moment rain stops. Within an hour, play has often resumed.
...
In the last four years, Sri Lanka has hosted 73 internationals. Only two of those games - both ODIs - have ended in no-results. There have been no drawn Tests in the island since 2014. It's difficult to argue with those results."