SL just scored highest score by visiting team in 4th inning in India

[sarcastic]

22 minutes ago, Pollack said:

With Ishant one never gets wickets. Most talentless bowler ever to play so many test matches. 

 

I don't think problem with Ishant is talent (i.e. bowling skills). It is his lack of intelligent cricket brain. As a lead bowler, one has to be very clear and cunning about how to set the batsman up, how to build a spell and how to fool the batsman with variation of pace,  swing and have an ability to set fields himself for the close catches that might come. 

Ishant unfortunately does not display much of brains even if he has any. He was bowling continuously outside off stump even when he was getting bounce early on 5th day. It was so obvious for anyone watching live coverage that the balls bowled by Ishant are hardly testing the bastman or making them uncomfortable.

 

He just cannot think for himself to do the right thing most of the time and often ends with hardly much wickets. 

[vvvslaxman]

3 hours ago, New guy said:

As someone said, is this the first flat wicket in the history of test matches in India? We broke a historical record. No 1 side with hyped pacers playing against a bottom ranked team

But we never beat Australia, SA even at home. Shami bowled brilliantly i gotta say. He didn't have enough support. Give credit to Sri Lankas for applying themselves. Sure we could have done better. But we were a bowler short. First test collapse forced them to go with an extra batsman. Remember how Akmal and Razzaq batted almost all day on day 5 wicket against Kumble and saved the test. From 31/4 India should have capitalized. But it was a dead wicket. All you need is bit of application.

[sensible-indian]

4 hours ago, express bowling said:

If we were playing against SA in SA, we would not have declared with a lead of just 400 on such a flat track with 4 sessions left.

 

 

Bowling in India has never been easy for pacers.

 

Only 5 pacers have averaged less than 30 in the last 5 years and 2 Indian pacers, Shami and Bhuvi,  are in the top 4... with averages of 24.9 and 26.2.

 

It is not like pacers from other countries are running through sides while bowling in India. A pacer like Starc averages 50.

 

Overall figures

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5	10
KJ Abbott (SA)	2015-2015	2	3	52.5	17	105	6	5/40	6/87	17.50	1.98	52.8	1	0
M Morkel (SA)	2015-2015	3	5	78.1	24	186	9	3/19	6/54	20.66	2.37	52.1	0	0
Mohammed Shami (INDIA)	2013-2017	10	20	304.2	57	946	38	5/47	9/118	24.89	3.10	48.0	1	0
B Kumar (INDIA)	2013-2017	11	21	234.3	52	708	27	5/48	8/96	26.22	3.01	52.1	1	0
JL Pattinson (AUS)	2013-2013	3	5	79.0	19	250	9	5/96	6/109	27.77	3.16	52.6	1	0
PJ Cummins (AUS)	2017-2017	2	3	77.0	20	242	8	4/106	4/106	30.25	3.14	57.7	0	0
SCJ Broad (ENG)	2016-2016	3	5	89.0	24	248	8	4/33	5/82	31.00	2.78	66.7	0	0
JR Hazlewood (AUS)	2017-2017	4	7	119.0	30	295	9	6/67	6/109	32.77	2.47	79.3	1	0
TA Boult (NZ)	2016-2016	3	6	106.4	20	333	10	3/38	5/84	33.30	3.12	64.0	0	0
UT Yadav (INDIA)	2015-2017	16	32	447.5	91	1340	40	4/32	6/71	33.50	2.99	67.1	0	0
PM Siddle (AUS)	2013-2013	4	6	110.4	27	305	9	5/71	6/105	33.88	2.75	73.7	1	0
MD Shanaka (SL)	2017-2017	2	3	60.1	9	215	6	3/76	5/112	35.83	3.57	60.1	0	0
JM Anderson (ENG)	2012-2016	4	6	111.0	22	295	8	4/81	4/81	36.87	2.65	83.2	0	0
I Sharma (INDIA)	2012-2017	15	29	412.3	105	1058	28	3/37	5/80	37.78	2.56	88.3	0	0
N Wagner (NZ)	2016-2016	2	4	66.0	17	196	5	2/42	3/102	39.20	2.96	79.2	0	0
MJ Henry (NZ)	2016-2016	2	4	82.0	12	254	6	3/46	6/105	42.33	3.09	82.0	0	0
BA Stokes (ENG)	2016-2016	5	8	106.2	16	357	8	5/73	5/89	44.62	3.35	79.7	1	0
RAS Lakmal (SL)	2017-2017	3	5	108.0	23	370	8	4/26	7/119	46.25	3.42	81.0	0	0
MA Starc (AUS)	2013-2017	4	7	100.3	19	351	7	2/38	3/113	50.14	3.49	86.1	0	0
PLS Gamage (SL)	2017-2017	3	5	113.2	23	396	7	2/59	3/143	56.57	3.49	97.1	0	0

 

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?bowling_pacespin=1;class=1;filter=advanced;host=6;orderby=bowling_average;qualmin1=5;qualval1=wickets;spanmin1=09+Dec+2012;spanval1=span;template=results;type=bowling

 

 

Shami and Bhuvi have the best 2 SRs of 48 and 52.1 among pacers bowling in India in the last 5 years and only 6 pacers have SRs of less than 60.  Starc 86, Anderson 83, Hazlewood 79 and Broad 66 show how badly the celebrated pacers have fared.

 

Overall figures

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5	10
Mohammed Shami (INDIA)	2013-2017	10	20	304.2	57	946	38	5/47	9/118	24.89	3.10	48.0	1	0
B Kumar (INDIA)	2013-2017	11	21	234.3	52	708	27	5/48	8/96	26.22	3.01	52.1	1	0
M Morkel (SA)	2015-2015	3	5	78.1	24	186	9	3/19	6/54	20.66	2.37	52.1	0	0
JL Pattinson (AUS)	2013-2013	3	5	79.0	19	250	9	5/96	6/109	27.77	3.16	52.6	1	0
KJ Abbott (SA)	2015-2015	2	3	52.5	17	105	6	5/40	6/87	17.50	1.98	52.8	1	0
PJ Cummins (AUS)	2017-2017	2	3	77.0	20	242	8	4/106	4/106	30.25	3.14	57.7	0	0
MD Shanaka (SL)	2017-2017	2	3	60.1	9	215	6	3/76	5/112	35.83	3.57	60.1	0	0
TA Boult (NZ)	2016-2016	3	6	106.4	20	333	10	3/38	5/84	33.30	3.12	64.0	0	0
SCJ Broad (ENG)	2016-2016	3	5	89.0	24	248	8	4/33	5/82	31.00	2.78	66.7	0	0
UT Yadav (INDIA)	2015-2017	16	32	447.5	91	1340	40	4/32	6/71	33.50	2.99	67.1	0	0
PM Siddle (AUS)	2013-2013	4	6	110.4	27	305	9	5/71	6/105	33.88	2.75	73.7	1	0
N Wagner (NZ)	2016-2016	2	4	66.0	17	196	5	2/42	3/102	39.20	2.96	79.2	0	0
JR Hazlewood (AUS)	2017-2017	4	7	119.0	30	295	9	6/67	6/109	32.77	2.47	79.3	1	0
BA Stokes (ENG)	2016-2016	5	8	106.2	16	357	8	5/73	5/89	44.62	3.35	79.7	1	0
RAS Lakmal (SL)	2017-2017	3	5	108.0	23	370	8	4/26	7/119	46.25	3.42	81.0	0	0
MJ Henry (NZ)	2016-2016	2	4	82.0	12	254	6	3/46	6/105	42.33	3.09	82.0	0	0
JM Anderson (ENG)	2012-2016	4	6	111.0	22	295	8	4/81	4/81	36.87	2.65	83.2	0	0
MA Starc (AUS)	2013-2017	4	7	100.3	19	351	7	2/38	3/113	50.14	3.49	86.1	0	0
I Sharma (INDIA)	2012-2017	15	29	412.3	105	1058	28	3/37	5/80	37.78	2.56	88.3	0	0
PLS Gamage (SL)	2017-2017	3	5	113.2	23	396	7	2/59	3/143	56.57	3.49	97.1	0	0

 

 

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?bowling_pacespin=1;class=1;filter=advanced;host=6;orderby=bowling_strike_rate;qualmin1=5;qualval1=wickets;spanmin1=09+Dec+2012;spanval1=span;template=results;type=bowling

 

 

p.s - I must add though that to take wickets on normal bounce patas when the ball is not reversing,  one needs pacers with extreme accuracy and good bounce, like a McGrath or a Kyle Abbot .... and we don't have any such pacer in our test team .... one of the main reasons why I have been clamouring for Bumrah in the test team.

All that is fine but when you add in the fact that our pacers screwed up in Wanderers, Wellington (ok catch drops but still) and Sabina Park....all outside India....it doesn't look good at all. Whenever track goes flat, our pacers flop regardless of venue.

 

I am by no means saying I have lost hope with our pacers but trends are damning.

 

"p.s - I must add though that to take wickets on normal bounce patas when the ball is not reversing,  one needs pacers with extreme accuracy and good bounce, like a McGrath or a Kyle Abbot .... and we don't have any such pacer in our test team .... one of the main reasons why I have been clamouring for Bumrah in the test team."

 

Yeah. We should have tested out Bumrah before too. Don't know what the management was doing. They didn't give him a single game against SL (both series) and just picked up for the SA tour.

[sensible-indian]

5 hours ago, rkt.india said:

might not have if they were playing in India on this same pitch. They would actually lost against out spinners.

Was talking about their bowling.

[New guy]

5 hours ago, rkt.india said:

yeah, it was first instance in the history.

It was definitely our worst performance in 4th innings. No getting away from that

[express bowling]

3 minutes ago, sensible-indian said:

All that is fine but when you add in the fact that our pacers screwed up in Wanderers, Wellington (ok catch drops but still) and Sabina Park....all outside India....it doesn't look good at all. Whenever track goes flat, our pacers flop regardless of venue.

 

I am by no means saying I have lost hope with our pacers but trends are damning.

 

 

SA and NZ tours were 4 years back ..... Zaheer was playing his last 4 tests and bowling 10 k slower .... Shami was a rookie playing his first year of international cricket and lacked experience  .... no Bhuvi .... no Umesh .

 

The current team has a settled group of 5 pacers who are young but have sufficient experience..... they are both quicker and more accurate than the 4-year old group..

 

I expect them to perform much better this time.

 

Despite all I have said above, flat tracks, if any, will still be the Achilles heal of this pace attack .... but, hopefully, our batters will bail us out there as it won't be easy for the SA seamers either on such tracks. We need the accurate and bouncy Bumrah on flat pitches.

 

Flip side is, India has won 5 of the 6 tests we have played on seaming tracks in the last 30 months and almost won the 6th one. We defeated Australia in Dharamsala 2017 and NZ in Kolkata 2017 .... and I expect us to do well on seaming tracks.

[rkt.india]

30 minutes ago, New guy said:

It was definitely our worst performance in 4th innings. No getting away from that

against Pak in 2006 at Mohali was worse. They were 4-5 down only Akmal and Razzak left and we could not get them out whole day.