Cricket Thread

[MonkeySteve]

The biggest difference though without Warne and McGill will be that they won't have the absolute dominance in the spin bowling department that have had for the last 16 years.

And no McGrath to dominate with the seam. That's a great point actually Shoju - how many wickets did Warne & McGrath account for in the last two Ashes series - probably about 50%? No doubt Australia still have a strong attack with the likes of Lee, Clark and Tait (if all fit of course) but none have the same 'go-to' factor of Warne or McGrath. I think for a few England players (like Bell in 2005) they held quite a psychological sway as well, which the newer guys don't.

[Cuber001]

After watching the one dayer last night against South Africa, I'm certain Tait wont be in the Ashes. His bowling style and speed is just too much for Test matches. He struggled in 10 overs and Punter had to use him in short spells like in 20/20 otherwise there were too many balls offline that were either wides or great for the batters. Shame as he is amazing. A.B Develliers ribs would tell you that

Yeah we dont have spin either which is no good, but as long as Clark and Lee are firing we are set. I just dont see England challenging us. Yeah the top teams can but England i cant see. Unless they get a good Aussie coach as there trying to.

And why, WHY was Alistair Cook not made captain? Last Ashes i said to my mate that he is a future captain. He has all the right stuff, and was the only half decent batter with Collingwood. Also he is young and fresh with a good brain.

[MonkeySteve]

Cook will be captain one day, but I think he was viewed as too young and inexperienced this time around.

If we can get the team settled during the Windies series then I honestly think we've got a good chance of beating you lot. The batting line-up almost picks itself and if Freddie stays fit and we can get Harmison to turn up, I think we have the better attack, with Broad, Anderson, Sidebottom, Panesar and Patel all fighting for places.

Either way, I'm very much looking forward to it

[VR46]

England, 51 all out, sad thing is it's a good recovery from 26 for 7.

Bloody wasters, can't even blame it on the pitch.

[ezee ryder]

LOL! 51 all out. One of the lowest scores in history surely?

[VR46]

Yep....

ENGLAND'S LOWEST TEST SCORES

45 v Australia, Sydney, Jan 1887
46 v West Indies, Port of Spain, Mar 1994
51 v West Indies, Kingston, Feb 2009
52 v Australia, The Oval, Aug 1948
53 v Australia, Lord's, Jul 1888

[Shoju]

I saw the 46 all out live, that was a lot more dramatic and one of the most amazing things I've seen in any sport. It was in the evening in front of a delirious Trinidadian crowd and happened very quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmMn4bhi-KU

Jerome Taylor bowled extremely well in today's match. Superb line and length, attacking the stumps with pace and movement.

[prinnysquad]

Well done Engerland!

Somewhere, I hope some arses are being kicked.

[Cuber001]

ROFL!!! I admit Australia are not travelling too well and were losing to New Zealand (although a win tonight was nice, if only just) but c'mon i near pissed myself at that score!!!

And England still honestly think they can reclaim The Ashes? ROFL! Maybe if it was against Bangladesh!!!

[MonkeySteve]

What a complete debacle that test was. Arrogantly (and stupidly) defeat to the WI, even in their backyard, didn't really cross my mind. Defeat by an innings though, with a score of 51 to boot...that is just madness, and some serious ass kicking needs to be done in the England dressing room. All the off-field stuff (and the timing of the IPL auction) probably didn't help, but that's no excuse for such a shoddy display. Don't think we'd even beat Bangladesh in that form!

[Shoju]

They should call it the death of English cricket and burn a bail to commemorate the event.

[Cuber001]

Double Post.

[Cuber001]

Thats already been done mate. Its called The Ashes

[DryRice]

Why do i always win at the bookies by betting on England to lose?
In Cricket you definitely have a high chance at how you hear on the news the score of the team.

[Cuber001]

I'm sorry but i'm in shock and surprised this has not been posted:

Source:




Masked gunmen have attacked the Sri Lanka cricket team as they were being driven to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, on Tuesday, with seven players confirmed to have been injured.

“The bus came under attack as we were driving to the stadium. The gunmen targeted the wheels of the bus first and then the bus.” – Mahela Jayawardene Sri Lanka's captain describes the terrorist attack on the team bus.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakarra, Chaminda Vaas, Ajantha Mendis, Tharanga Paranavitana, Thilan Thushara and Thilan Samaraweera were reported to have been injured after 12 gunmen attacked the team bus as it was being driven to the stadium for the third day's play of the second Test against Pakistan.

At least eight security personnel were reported to have been killed.

Paranavitana and Samaraweera were taken to hospital after the shooting, Sri Lanka sports minister Gamini Lokuge said, while Vaas was carried from the scene on a stretcher.

Sri Lanka's Australian coach, Trevor Bayliss, was also reported to have been wounded, but officials said that he had sustained only minor injuries.

"The bus came under attack as we were driving to the stadium," Jayawardene, who was slightly wounded in a foot, was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.

"The gunmen targeted the wheels of the bus first and then the bus.

"We all dived to the floor to take cover. About five players have been injured and also Paul Farbrace (a member of the support staff), but most of the injuries appear to be minor at this stage and caused by debris."

Former Sri Lanka international Sanath Jayasuriya, meanwhile, said on CNN News that all the players were safe despite their injuries.

"But the players are shocked," Jayasuriya said.

"They have never gone through anything like this before."

Pakistani security experts later defused two car bombs and recovered a stash of weapons, officials said.

One bomb was defused at Liberty Square, where the ambush took place, and another at the nearby Firdus car park.

"We have defused a bomb in a white Hyundai and after some time we got information about a suspect car in the Firdus car park," police bomb disposal unit inspector Abdul Ghafoor said.

"We also defused the bomb there.

Local sector warden Malik Fayyaz said that 3kg of explosives, a pistol and a one-metre detonating cable had been recovered.

Lahore police chief Habib-ur Rehman said that masked 12 gunmen attacked the convoy containing the Sri Lanka team bus with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons, and that the gunmen were involved in a 25-minute shootout with security forces.

"They appeared to be well-trained terrorists," Rehman said.

"They came on rickshaws."

A police official, meanwhile, said that two civilians and eight police officers who were guarding the players were killed in the attack, which happened as the team were heading for the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan.

The match has been cancelled with immediate effect, with Cricket Sri Lanka chief executive Duleep Mendis saying the team would be flown out of Pakistan immediately.

"The match is off and we are getting the team back today," Mendis said.

Television footage of several gunmen creeping through the trees, crouching to aim assault rifles then running onto the next target was aired by Pakistan's private channel Geo.
Sri Lanka were touring Pakistan only after India withdrew from their scheduled visit following the deadly November attacks in the western Indian city of Mumbai.

**** me dead that is horrible. Or this is even worse:

Source

Five Pakistani policemen were killed in the Lahore gunfire. Five Sri Lanka cricket players were injured. But national vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara has no regrets.
With the entire Sri Lanka squad being airlifted to safety from the Gaddafi Stadium, Sangakkara has confirmed that his players are “safe and out of danger”.

"We are shocked but apart from that everyone is OK,” said Sangakkara.

"I don't regret coming here to play cricket because that's what we have been doing all our lives. That is our profession.

"But I regret this incident, what has happened and the situation that we have had to go through.

"All we want to do now is to go back home to our families, get back home and be safe."

Horrifying details have come to light of just how close some of the cricket officials were to losing their lives. Match referee Chris Broad was in the vehicle behind the Sri Lanka team. Broad, umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis and TV umpire Nadeem Chauri were unhurt but their driver was killed by gunfire and Broad was left spattered with blood.
Reserve match umpire Ahsan Raza wasn't quite so lucky with a stray bullet striking him in the abdomen and damaging his internal parts. He remains in a critical condition.

Former England bowler Dominic Cork, who is in Lahore to commentate for Pakistan TV, spoke of the fear he felt when he heard two explosions and then gunfire.

"I was coming up a set of stairs to the commentary box and I just fell. I thought they were attacking us - it felt that close." Cork said.
The Pakistan tour was only arranged after India were barred by their government from touring the country following the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.

Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapakse condemned the incident as a "cowardly terrorist attack".
And International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat stated: "We note with dismay and regret the events in Lahore and we condemn this attack without reservation.

"I have confirmed with both member boards that the remainder of the tour has been cancelled and we are working hard to get our match officials out of the area as safely and as quickly as possible.

"I know, also, that the Pakistan Cricket Board is working with Sri Lanka Cricket to make sure the players are flown home at the earliest opportunity."

India and New Zealand donned black armbands for their ODI in Napier as a mark of respect for the victims of the Lahore attack.

The ICC announced last month that this year's Champions Trophy will not take place in Pakistan because of security concerns and Pakistan's ODI series with Australia in April and May has been moved to the United Arab Emirates.

Oh ****. And Geoff Lawson, the ex Aussie caoch of Pakistan said as little as 2 weeks ago, that any team going to Pakistan is safe, as the one thing that they would never touch is Cricket players as its the one thing that brings the country together Its such an awful thing and the playersa re really lucky. My prayers are with the police, the umpire and all those hurt and killed. A truly horrifying event.