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Manchester based original indie band Random White:
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From a spinner's point of view, watching Sandakan bowl with Herath today was a complete delight. The wicket at Pallekele wasn't a huge turner (Galle for the next Test will be). Just like England at Lords, poor batting strategy in the first innings screwed Australia. Prior to the Galle Test, the top six for Australia averaged 60 between them in Tests. They do it on flat tracks but give them tracks with a bit of swing or a bit of turn and they topple.
Well done England.
The modern laws really came about after the Strauss-Smith incident. I agree with Strauss, a runner for cramps is not right. There's a huge difference between asking for a runner when you have cramp and the one time I used a runner as I'd actually dislocated my kneecap and consequently had a knee twice the size it normally was.
I'd put it down to T20 cricket. The attacking game has changed, bowlers are finding the marathon spells are rarer and less productive when they do happen, and collapsing in the first innings doesn't mean you lose the game (England at Edgbaston and Sri Lanka in the first Test against Australia and Palekelle. All out for 117 in under 35 overs and then less than eight days later you're celebrating a series victory).
Australia are in the same position. Before the Sri Lanka series that is still going on, the top six for Australia averaged over 60 between them. Their last four innings read 203, 161, 106, and 183, playing on wickets that offered turn but nothing dangerous or vicious. In recent years they've collapsed against a bit of swing (Trent Bridge and the infamous 47 against South Africa in 2011 where they were 21 for 9) and whined massively about anything that wasn't a shirtfront pitch (Cardiff wicket in the last Ashes). Their top six bat fine on the sort of anaemic road wickets that have been churned out recently in Australia but it does nothing to prepare them for batting overseas on wickets that offer the bowlers anything.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
Great outfield, pitch suited for batting, boundary dragged, in, bats that help plenty, and yet it will still be put down to "Players are stronger".
Comine that with a shitty wicket prepared for the SA-NZ Test and the recent borefest that was WI-India and really it's only been the Eng-Pakistan Test series that has served up any decent cricket.
What a lovely day- 30 degrees, we lost in a close game and former Eng fly-half Rob Andrew turned out for us and tore a hammy !! (Rob's head, secnd from left in first pic)
Gassage 20* thus taking my average to a mighty 73 for the season.
It's safe to say this morning has been quite painful.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
Never mind super-duper T20 tournaments, why do we continually fail to develop decent spin bowlers? That's probably a rhetorical question.
In Asia, with all the standing up to the stumps they should play Bairstow as a specialist batsman and pick a proper keeper. James Foster has a higher test batting average than Vince anyway - you could improve the batting and the keeping by picking a decent keeper.