The Cricket thread

[deiseach]

That's the great thing about cricket. Wickets change the dynamic in a way that I can't quite imagine in other sports. If you're three down in soccer, a goal is obviously a good thing but it does't mean you are now winning!

[deiseach]

I worked with a fanatical Indian cricket fan. With his turban and Dublin accent, he renewed my faith in humanity.

[AZOffaly]

One day cricket is very interesting that way alright. Huge momentum swings possible in one ball.

Test cricket, meh. I just can't get around that you can be chasing a huge score, tell your lads to go out with a straight bat and just stay alive for 2 days, and you get a draw even if the scoreboard says you are 3 or 4 hundred behind.

[AZOffaly]

In bother now. Sharma gone. That's 3 wickets for about 15 runs.

[AZOffaly]

I worked with a fanatical Indian cricket fan. With his turban and Dublin accent, he renewed my faith in humanity.

Was he Punjabi then? The hindu guys are very different from the Sikhs from my experience. Not better or worse, but different. A few of the lads up in the north west would should for Pakistan. I remember being in Delhi for a match between India and Pakistan and there was war in the papers over the Punjabis shouting for Pakistan

[deiseach]

Good Test cricket is the drama turned up to 11. Runs are the means of keeping score, but  you also need 20 wickets so you have to excel at batting and bowling. Problem is, bad Test cricket is the work of the Devil.

[deiseach]

He was (still is, I presume) Punjabi. What would be the motivation for a Sikh to root for Pakistan?

[AZOffaly]

I couldn't quite get all the background, but apparently Punjab straddles both sides of the Pakistani/Indian border, and some Punjabis would feel a simmering discontent towards India, and identify more with Pakistan.

Some of this stuff is depressingly familiar.

[deiseach]

I couldn't quite get all the background, but apparently Punjab straddles both sides of the Pakistani/Indian border, and some Punjabis would feel a simmering discontent towards India, and identify more with Pakistan.

Some of this stuff is depressingly familiar.

Aye. The enemy of my enemy etc

[magpie seanie]

Big trouble now. Australia went back to the weaker bowlers (Maxwell sand Faulkner) and it has worked out well for hem. Tough ask now.

[Walter Cronc]

Dont know much about cricket but are India under pressure here?

[Geoff Tipps]

Dont know much about cricket but are India under pressure here?

Yes

[AZOffaly]

Dhoni is in now. Last throw of the dice you'd have to say, and they are running out of overs. The RRR is up to 10.25 now. they need 164 off 96.  That's a big tally.

The great thing about wickets is that it not only stops the batter you've gotten out, but in a 50 over game, it usually hammers the run rate for at least a couple of overs while the new batsman settles in.

Example.

Indian wicket 1 - 13th over. Next 2+ Overs... 0 - 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 - 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
Indian wicket 2 - 16th over. Next 2+ Overs... 1,0,1 - 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0 - 0, 1, 1, 1, 6, W
Indian wicket 3 - 18th Over. Next 2 Overs ... 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 1 - 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0
Indian wicket 4 - 23rd Over. Next 2 Overs ... 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0 - 0, 1, 0, 0, 2, 2

[AZOffaly]

Here we go. The Indian batting powerplay.

[AZOffaly]

Another wicket. 179 for 5 and Rahane is gone for for 44. They're going down meekly here. I thought we'd see 4s and 6s interspersed with the odd wicket here and there, but there's dot balls all over the place.