Worst display of test match cricket

[King]

Doesn't matter how much the Pommie commentators built up the game on the last day of the Lords test match, it was one of the worst ever day in test cricket I've come across. Non stop short bowling from the mindless Anderson, around the stumps bowling from Monty and some dour batting by the Saffies made the last day of the test match you can afford to miss with no qualms whatsoever. I can imagine why ICC in the very first place put a slab on the number of bouncers that can be bowled in an over. Anderson with his wayward line and length persisted with short balls through out the day at Amla with no success. The umpires are do dud (so is the ICC rules with regards to short bowling) they didn't even bother questioning the number of short balls that were bowled in an over. Anderson was bowling 6 short balls in an over with a leg gully, backward square leg, forward sq leg, short mid wicket forward and forward short leg in place. On top of this he also had a deep fine leg and a deep sq leg. There were about 3-4 fielders on the off side and I could quite imagine how boring it must have been watching the WI fast bowlers or the body line what with the batsmen surviving with little dabs for singles. Obviously the batsmen can't take on the bowlers with the kind of field set up England came up with. To make it worse Monty toiled bowling around the stumps even in the first session and McKenzie carried on using his pads. Even the likes of Boycott and Tavare would have dozed off watching yesterday's display by both the teams. It was a terrible advertisement for test cricket and when the likes of Saffie and England play a test match you could expect a day such as this most often. The poms continue to hype their players up but we all know they haven't moved on and are struck in the 60s. Their bowlers have no faith whatsoever and hardly pitch a ball up. Sidebottom, Anderson, Broad are all at best pedestrian and will never be one of the best. Please bring back Simon Jones, Freddi, Hoggard and even Harmison please. I would rather watch Kenya vs Bangladesh any day than these two over hyped teams. Oh as for the commentators, the English attack was fantastic the second day when they were pegging away at the Saffies and pitch just fine. Of course their opinion yesterday was that over the last two days the pitch has completely died and has nothing in it whatsoever. They were so ridiculous they were blaming the new set of covers that are being used now to cover the pitch for the dour nature of the pitch. There was enough variable bounce but when you have the likes of Anderson banging every ball half way through the pitch mindlessly what you do expect to get out of it anyways? These bowlers are good for nothing when the ball doesn’t swing or when there is not too much pace on the pitch. If this attack now visits sub continent they will be the worst ever bowling attack ever to tour sub continent.

[Desi Cartman]

there was turn for Monty too but he kept bowling outside leg ..

[fineleg]

good write up, ravi.

[Sachinism]

there was turn for Monty too but he kept bowling outside leg ..

yeh monty was getting some serious turn

[Ram]

Me thinks Ravi was REALLY bored watching the day's proceedings. :D Describing it as the worst display of test cricket is a bit harsh, IMO. Given what happened on Day 4 ( The Saffies getting an excellent start, flat pitch and an overnight batsman on a 100 not out), the only probable result was the Draw. One couldnt possibly expect the Saffies to play any quicker than they did, going for`expansive strokes. Why should they? After all, its a miracle they escaped from this match with a draw. Not many teams manage to do it, after conceding a near 350 runs lead, with two full days to bat. This test has in fact set the series up brilliantly, a bit like the first Lords test between Us and the English, last summer.

[King]

Me thinks Ravi was REALLY bored watching the day's proceedings. :D Describing it as the worst display of test cricket is a bit harsh, IMO. Given what happened on Day 4 ( The Saffies getting an excellent start, flat pitch and an overnight batsman on a 100 not out), the only probable result was the Draw. One couldnt possibly expect the Saffies to play any quicker than they did, going for`expansive strokes. Why should they? After all, its a miracle they escaped from this match with a draw. Not many teams manage to do it, after conceding a near 350 runs lead, with two full days to bat. This test has in fact set the series up brilliantly, a bit like the first Lords test between Us and the English, last summer.

It is not the cricket or the result I'm disappointed about but the quality of cricket that was on display. Of course there had to be one winner or a draw. Unless you watched the game Sriram, you wouldn't know the quality of cricket that was on display. You are mentioning the run rate and stroke making suggesting you didn't watch the game :winky:

[Ram]

It is not the cricket or the result I'm disappointed about but the quality of cricket that was on display. Of course there had to be one winner or a draw. Unless you watched the game Sriram' date=' you wouldn't know the quality of cricket that was on display. You are mentioning the run rate and stroke making suggesting you didn't watch the game :winky:[/quote'] Of course I didnt :D But what else can we expect on day 5, a team desperately trying to draw the all important first test of the series, on a dead, lifeless pitch?

[King]

Of course I didnt :D But what else can we expect on day 5, a team desperately trying to draw the all important first test of the series, on a dead, lifeless pitch?

:D I could guess reading your reply. Don't believe what some of the Poms write in Cricinfo mate. They have a fantastic knack of changing their views about the pitch according to their needs. The pitch had variable bounce and make no mistake if they were able to bowl Saffies out the first innings, they surely were capable to do it again but then England being England always looks to play the most negative cricket possible. It was yet another one of those days. They have some really single dimensional bowlers and they just give up the minute they reckon there is not as much pace anymore in the pitch. Then they revert to negative bowling and slowing down tactics. Some things just don't change.

[Fontaine]

Oh as for the commentators, the English attack was fantastic the second day when they were pegging away at the Saffies and pitch just fine. Of course their opinion yesterday was that over the last two days the pitch has completely died and has nothing in it whatsoever. They were so ridiculous they were blaming the new set of covers that are being used now to cover the pitch for the dour nature of the pitch. There was enough variable bounce but when you have the likes of Anderson banging every ball half way through the pitch mindlessly what you do expect to get out of it anyways? These bowlers are good for nothing when the ball doesn’t swing or when there is not too much pace on the pitch. If this attack now visits sub continent they will be the worst ever bowling attack ever to tour sub continent.

It's long been a tradition to over hype even the most modest talent in England. The facts are that England bowled 260 overs and only managed 13 SA wickets. The strategy of Anderson's bouncers was especially incompetent. You have a shiny new ball with a bit of swing and movement on offer so instead of pitching the ball up to force the batsmen to play (with a huge lead in the bank) they bang it in short and hard over after over. It was hilarious listening to Pollock commentating on that when he rightly said Anderson is working hard to take the shine off the new ball!!! :hysterical: During the fifth day all the English ex cricketers and pundit were crying out for Freddie and Simon Jones as if they're some sort of saviour. I can't wait till they bring in Freddie for Collingwood. It would mean England would only have 5 specialist, brittle batsmen in headingley where there's assistance for the bowlers and Morkel/Steyn will only have to take a couple of wickets each on the first day and they will be into England long, useless tail.

[observer1]

monty got turn from the rough - any test bowler except kumble gets that turn. but, only skw gets turn plus bounce - which is why he was lethal except against the likes of vvs no point bowling at the rough to a rhb - mckenzie had learnt his lesson and was safely padding up

[Chaos]

ravi how was the field placing? defensive or just cant play ur stroke with that negative bowling?