1st Test v Sri Lanka at the GABBA

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:15 pm

It would depend how seriously you take the sport in question.

I would love to see Essendon repeat 2000 over and over again.
I would love for Man U to repeat 1999-00 over and over again (treble)
I would love to see Australia rip to shreds every team in the world in cricket over and over again.

However NBA, I would like it to even up a bit. The 6 of the 8 playoff teams are set pretty much before the season starts. That I find boring sometimes.

When the Dreamteam (USA basketball team) came about in 1992, that was great because we finally got to see all the great players play together. If that were to continue for 10-15 years, it would get very very boring.

Thats my personal opinion anyway.

bomberdonnie · Post by **bomberdonnie** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:21 pm

Rossoneri wrote:It would depend how seriously you take the sport in question.

I would love to see Essendon repeat 2000 over and over again.
I would love for Man U to repeat 1999-00 over and over again (treble)
I would love to see Australia rip to shreds every team in the world in cricket over and over again.

However NBA, I would like it to even up a bit. The 6 of the 8 playoff teams are set pretty much before the season starts. That I find boring sometimes.

When the Dreamteam (USA basketball team) came about in 1992, that was great because we finally got to see all the great players play together. If that were to continue for 10-15 years, it would get very very boring.

Thats my personal opinion anyway.

All very good points Rosso...

I am not a big Ball fan myself but if you supported say the Bulls as much as you do the mighty red devils or the even mightier Dons would you not like to see them win it every year??

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:24 pm

bomberdonnie wrote:
Rossoneri wrote:It would depend how seriously you take the sport in question.

I would love to see Essendon repeat 2000 over and over again.
I would love for Man U to repeat 1999-00 over and over again (treble)
I would love to see Australia rip to shreds every team in the world in cricket over and over again.

However NBA, I would like it to even up a bit. The 6 of the 8 playoff teams are set pretty much before the season starts. That I find boring sometimes.

When the Dreamteam (USA basketball team) came about in 1992, that was great because we finally got to see all the great players play together. If that were to continue for 10-15 years, it would get very very boring.

Thats my personal opinion anyway.
All very good points Rosso...

I am not a big Ball fan myself but if you supported say the Bulls as much as you do the mighty red devils or the even mightier Dons would you not like to see them win it every year??

Spot on. Thats why i said about how serious you take the sport. CC probably sees cricket as a pasttime, whereas myself and a few others would watch it a hell of a lot (when given the chance) and heavily follow the Aussie cricket team.

tonysoprano · Post by **tonysoprano** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:25 pm

Rossoneri wrote:It would depend how seriously you take the sport in question.

I would love to see Essendon repeat 2000 over and over again.
I would love for Man U to repeat 1999-00 over and over again (treble)
I would love to see Australia rip to shreds every team in the world in cricket over and over again.

Funny Rosso, I'd love to see the first two aswell!

But I am f****** sick of one-sided test cricket. What shits me the most is how f***** touring teams are when they come here. They have no idea about their best team (e.g. Giles ahead of Monty last year, Fernando ahead of Malinga! this year, are they f****** serious?). They have no idea that you NEVER NEVER EVER bowl short to Australia!!!! They will murder short shit. Aust batsmen are the only ones in the world who see short bowling as a four ball - and not a physical or wicket taking threat. f*** me.

Any way...rant over.

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:34 pm

Like Jimmy said, that aint Australias fault. Teams play a defensive game when they play Australia, even before a ball is bowled. The only way you will beat Australia is if you attack them. Thats how we beat the WI in 1995 and its exactly how we play cricket these days.

Sent in on a green wicket and we score 550 at nearly 4 runs an over.

DYSON#2 · Post by **DYSON#2** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 8:23 pm

Lee 1 - Lee Bashers 0

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:25 pm

DYSON#2 wrote:Lee 1 - Lee Bashers 0

Hardly. We would have had a few runs on the board in the previous 3 years.

DYSON#2 · Post by **DYSON#2** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:43 pm

i'm referring to the people who have said THIS season he wont come out and be the no1 bowler. So far he has proved them wrong (me included).

His 2nd challenge is tomorrow morning.

BenDoolan · Post by **BenDoolan** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:53 pm

Mr Cricket averaging over 80 now, and Michael Clarke has matured into a consistent batsman. Good to see Symonds getting runs also. Hope he feels comfortable at Test level now, because he can be a devastating cricketer over a number of years.

Great decision to send Australia in Mahela!

grassy1 · Post by **grassy1** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:47 am

I thought his Average was round about 81 before his innings started.

That knock today will probably only BUMP IT 2 or 3.DARN IT!

I'll settle for 1 and 3 Rosso.FORGET 2.

BenDoolan · Post by **BenDoolan** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:06 am

Everyone loved the West Indies (me included) when they absolutely dominated cricket from 1980 - 1995. They came here and blitzed. We loved their big, fast & nasty bowlers and their flamboyant, impetuous batsmen. It didn't matter that they wiped our arse, we loved their calypso cricket! Haynes, Greenidge, Richards, Lloyd, Kallicharran, Richardson were all great batsmen to watch. Holding, Roberts, Garner, Croft, Marshall, Patterson, Walsh, Bishop etc, were all exciting and awesome to see.

Now we've been smashing teams all around the park, and our bowlers have blitzed batsmen since 1995 - 2007. I'm F****** lovin' it! Matty Hayden's brute force doesn't bore me. Justin Langer's Aussie grit didn't bore me. Ricky Ponting's class doesn't bore me. The Waugh brothers never bored me. Hussey & Clarke are refreshing to watch. And Gilchrist is the most thrilling bastman I have ever seen. McDermott never bored me. McGrath never bored me (he bored opposition batsmen though). Gillespie never bored me. Warne never bored me. It's been absolutely great watching our guys dominate the game for so many years.

billyduckworth · Post by **billyduckworth** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:52 am

I'm with you, Ben. How could you possibly be bored watching Warney?

(OMG, I think I'm beginning to sound like Sharon from Kath & Kim!!)

(P.S. tell me you were bored watching us annihilate every other team in 1985. I know I wasn't.)

tonysoprano · Post by **tonysoprano** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:41 am

BenDoolan wrote:Everyone loved the West Indies (me included) when they absolutely dominated cricket from 1980 - 1995. They came here and blitzed. We loved their big, fast & nasty bowlers and their flamboyant, impetuous batsmen. It didn't matter that they wiped our arse, we loved their calypso cricket! Haynes, Greenidge, Richards, Lloyd, Kallicharran, Richardson were all great batsmen to watch. Holding, Roberts, Garner, Croft, Marshall, Patterson, Walsh, Bishop etc, were all exciting and awesome to see.

Now we've been smashing teams all around the park, and our bowlers have blitzed batsmen since 1995 - 2007. I'm F****** lovin' it! Matty Hayden's brute force doesn't bore me. Justin Langer's Aussie grit didn't bore me. Ricky Ponting's class doesn't bore me. The Waugh brothers never bored me. Hussey & Clarke are refreshing to watch. And Gilchrist is the most thrilling bastman I have ever seen. McDermott never bored me. McGrath never bored me (he bored opposition batsmen though). Gillespie never bored me. Warne never bored me. It's been absolutely great watching our guys dominate the game for so many years.

Agree with all that - but its not that any of those players or their performances are/were boring its the fact that its only one side doing it year after year after year. I hated when the Windies towled us up - not because they weren't good to watch but because we were so pathetically outclassed. And the same applies to Australia now. We are brilliant. Ponting, Gilchrist, Warne, and McGrath are/were unparalleled as far as I'm concerned. But world cricket is so consistently shit that my lifelong enjoyment of the sport is rapidly declining.

Cricket is just not even enough. Far too often there are chasms between the best and even 2nd best in the world. Test matches are generally dominated from go to woe by that one side, margins are huge, matches finish early and so on. Give me Aus v Eng 2005, or Aus v Ind 2001 any day - even if Aus lose - because its CLOSE.

Every Australian summer is getting worse and worse because of non-competitive matches.

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:11 pm

SL 5/124 at lunch.
Clarke with 2 wickets today and Johnson with one. Silva actually looked like trying something and taking it to the aussies, got to 40 from 45 but holed out to 3rd man.

grassy1 · Post by **grassy1** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:20 pm

...and he should HANG HIS HEAD in SHAME for that.

We've played some DAMN good Cricket sice the '87 WORLD CUP,when the Renaissance began.

3 Years in the DOLDRUMS seemed like an Eeternity,but it wasn't hat long,before we stopped feeling sorry for ourselves.

Not boring.Sometimes BOORISH.But for now,I won'tswell on that.

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 1:37 pm

Lee 2/17 from 16 overs.

I remember what Mike Hussey said last year during the ashes when the English plans ended up in the Australian dressing rooms. He said that no matter how many meetings we have, the end result is "aim to hit off stump"

Cant ever remember seeing a batsman who was not susceptible to the ball just outside his off stump.

Lee has bowled that line consistently in his 16 overs. 145 and the top of off stump 8 times out of 10 is much better than 155 with 4 out of 10 getting within a yard of the stumps.

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 3:43 pm

all out for 211.

Lee with 4/26 from 18 overs. SL got a few lucky runs off him at the end, bowled well to both the top order and the tail. I still hate the way he celebrates but when you take 4 wickets in an innings and 2 of them were top-order batsmen, you can celebrate however you like.

And surprisingly, we have enforced the follow on. Personally I wouldnt have, I would have given the bowlers a rest. Lead 341.

swoodley · Post by **swoodley** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 3:50 pm

I think that they had to enforce the follow on. None of the bowlers have done a huge amount of work, there's only 25 overs to go (so give them all 6-7 overs) and then they have the night's rest.

Knock 'em over tomorrow and they've got an extra days rest ahead of the test starting on Friday, plus they'll do more psychological damage to the Sri Lankans.

They should be nice and fresh this early in the season.

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 5:44 pm

2/80 at stumps, still trail by 260. Lee removed Jaysuria just before stumps, big wicket.

Essendon4eva · Post by **Essendon4eva** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:06 pm

One sided Cricket is boring. You can still be entertained by a one-sided Basketball game or Football game, because there is still alot of action.

And with the NBA on a side note. Rossoneri, not to bash you or anything, but the top 6 in each conferance is far from set. Unless you ment there are 6 teams in each conferance that are set to make the play-offs. Then you are right.

But hey, lets contineu talking about this summer of cricket.