Allister cook getting a knighthood, reward for going to the right school. One format player and a average captain
Cricket
- Thread starter summerisle
- Start date
Well deserved in my book. Don't see anyone beating his runs record any time soon, if ever. Test runs are far better than limited overs runs.
Accumulation over a long career, like lauding john Aldridge over Thierry Henry. The latter part of his career mainly collecting runs when it didn't count to keep his average ticking over, and let's face it his a average isn't even that spectacular.
Pretty average captain and couldn't play any othe format which does matter in terms of ranking greatness. But footed in with the public school boys at the ecb
st.domingo
Player Valuation: £15m
Where there’s humans, there’s gambling...
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Possibly England's best opener in the modern era and one of the all time best openers in test cricket in any country.
Opening the batting is so specialised, always starting the innings by facing the new ball means they can only fairly be compared to other openers and he was exceptional.
One of the true greats of the game.
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Australia, needing a further 389 to win, are 10-1.
A ring below true great for me, no shame in that, very very good player, just short of being a great
The opener point is a fair one, and I do believe English batting averages are not comparable across the globe conditions and duke ball etc
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
India need two wickets and will complete their victory tomorrow, they were only prevented from doing so today by late resistance from number eight Pat Cummins who is unbeaten on 61 with Nathan Lyon their number ten, who incredibly tops their batting averages for this series, at the other end. What an indictment on their 'replacement' batsmen that is and even more good PR for Steve Smith and co.
Australia showed far more resistance than they had in the first innings. Cummins stayed organised under pressure showing a straight bat and looks a cut above some of their new batsmen, which adds all the more credibility and substance to the critics who advocate his promotion up the order. It has been him and virtually him alone who has offered any sort of resistance with his bowling and now his batting and has shamed those drafted in for batting.
India's attack proved too much for Australia's fragile batting although a number got in and then threw it away, they lacked the concentration and technique to resist for too long, although Travis Head at least looks the part. Shaun Marsh was perhaps a little unlucky to be given out lbw with the ball shown to be barely clipping and Head again played on, but then luck often deserts a losing cause. The bowlers shared the wickets between them with Jadeja taking three, two for Bumrah and Shami and one for Ishant.
Earlier India had declared on 106-8 with Pat Cummins being the main destroyer taking 6 for 27 giving him 9 wickets in the match and 78 runs for one dismissal, pity about his colleagues.
Australia showed far more resistance than they had in the first innings. Cummins stayed organised under pressure showing a straight bat and looks a cut above some of their new batsmen, which adds all the more credibility and substance to the critics who advocate his promotion up the order. It has been him and virtually him alone who has offered any sort of resistance with his bowling and now his batting and has shamed those drafted in for batting.
India's attack proved too much for Australia's fragile batting although a number got in and then threw it away, they lacked the concentration and technique to resist for too long, although Travis Head at least looks the part. Shaun Marsh was perhaps a little unlucky to be given out lbw with the ball shown to be barely clipping and Head again played on, but then luck often deserts a losing cause. The bowlers shared the wickets between them with Jadeja taking three, two for Bumrah and Shami and one for Ishant.
Earlier India had declared on 106-8 with Pat Cummins being the main destroyer taking 6 for 27 giving him 9 wickets in the match and 78 runs for one dismissal, pity about his colleagues.
toffeejack
Player Valuation: £100m
Terribly sad news that strauss' wife has passed away today.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Yes desperately upsetting time for Andrew Strauss and the close family, must say I was very impressed with his media release and trying to look forward to building a fund in her name to fight cancer.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
While virtually all of Australia's woes both in this their 'summer' and the six or seven tests preceding it, can be largely attributed to a couple of high profile names missing from their top order, there are perhaps one or two other notable factors too.
India now possess seamers of some quality, applying consistent pressure and exposing existing fragilities within unsettled lineups. While the Aussie quicks have been better up front the Indian quicks have crucially produced reverse swing with the older ball.
While it's always better bowling at poorer batsmen which thus make direct comparisons unsound, and even more so as batting conditions have varied remarkably in this game, the ability to extract reverse is a marked improvement and has made a real impact.
Tim Paine isn't nearly as innovative or imaginative a captain as Steve Smith, he is still learning and Smith was a very good tactical and talented captain (at least when playing within the rules), and so the Aussie attack has just drifted and become dependent on Lyon when the ball is older.
Replacing the top batters and a talented captain is a big ask for any side and has consistently proved a step or three too far but is one the Aussies will be more than happy not to have to manage from next Spring.
We (England) have to beware we will be facing a far tougher side than this Aussie outfit come our summer, even if Tim Paine will still be leading them.
India now possess seamers of some quality, applying consistent pressure and exposing existing fragilities within unsettled lineups. While the Aussie quicks have been better up front the Indian quicks have crucially produced reverse swing with the older ball.
While it's always better bowling at poorer batsmen which thus make direct comparisons unsound, and even more so as batting conditions have varied remarkably in this game, the ability to extract reverse is a marked improvement and has made a real impact.
Tim Paine isn't nearly as innovative or imaginative a captain as Steve Smith, he is still learning and Smith was a very good tactical and talented captain (at least when playing within the rules), and so the Aussie attack has just drifted and become dependent on Lyon when the ball is older.
Replacing the top batters and a talented captain is a big ask for any side and has consistently proved a step or three too far but is one the Aussies will be more than happy not to have to manage from next Spring.
We (England) have to beware we will be facing a far tougher side than this Aussie outfit come our summer, even if Tim Paine will still be leading them.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Very few quality test match openers play one day cricket, there are some like David Warner amongst others, so it's by no means an absolute rule, but the vast majority don't. English openers also have the toughest task of all due to our seaming wickets and Duke ball, not many other English openers played all formats for any length of time, Marcus Trescothick before T20 was invented perhaps the only real one.
A test match opener is so specialised and facing a new moving ball first up such a big ask, that comparisons to anyone other than openers in conditions where the moving ball predominates are largely superfluous and futile.
His latter years were amongst his least productive of all and he perhaps did go on too long, there was a very valid argument for dropping him in his later tests but by then England were still struggling to replace one opener never mind two, and so he often stayed on by default and soldiered on for want of an alternative more than anything. Far from keeping his average ticking over it was his average that was decreasing all the time, it was far more impressive a few seasons back.
I would be the last to claim he was an imaginative or particularly innovative captain and he did struggle at first, but he did improve and engendered a fierce loyalty from his players. I've read many contemporary biographies from his former colleagues who haven't been slow to reveal warts and all from the dressing room and out on the field, as it sells books, but none had anything but the highest praise for his leadership, often within the dressing room and mending rifts.
He largely took all the blame for the Kevin Pietersen tragedy when he had very little to do with it and was against the action taken, he really wanted Kev back in the fold but people dont know the ins and outs and targeted him, he still took the criticism without defending himself publically - really he took one for the management.
A look at his record as captain and you can easily see achievements of some real merit and one perhaps a degree or five more worthy than that.
Coming from behind to beat India in India on spinning turning wickets stands out as a truly exceptional feat, on its own worthy of quite a few accolades and quite different to regularly beating them so convincingly over here.
Coming out two - one in Ashes series wins is also a record most England captains can't match.
So while by no means an absolutely outstanding captain there were outstanding achievements on his watch.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Steady rain in Melbourne, probably a few rain dances too.
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
India beat Australia by 163 runs.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
India deservedly wrapped it all up very quickly after the short rain delay and won by 137 runs.
They have dominated this game as Australia's batting weaknesses were once again ruthlessly exposed.
India have shown they can be competitive outside of Asia even if their previous results have been disappointing, this series was always their standout chance to meet such a weakened Australia on the back of a string of losses and confidence on the floor. They have been far better at batting and exploited the opposition's fragility in this department, their seamers have stood up and they are now on the verge of a historic series victory.
For me only losing the toss in Sydney can put their win in doubt, as we've seen before it can be match determining and surely batting first essential. Winning the toss and having home conditions are enough to balance the contest but Australia are so poor they need both.
For Australia their skipper summed up their ongoing woes and perhaps pointedly sees the blindingly obvious solution around the corner even if too late for this series.
"....Cummins has been superb all series. The quality was always there, but the Australian public can see his effort. We just need a few more guys to jump in with him. It's been a difficult year, but the silver lining is that we'll have some world-class players available for selection in a few months. And we'll see the benefits of what happened this year over the next few."
His own decision making should come under scrutiny though not least his admission that he would have made the disastrous decision to bowl first if he had had the opportunity.
In his defence it's often said that a captain is only as good as his troops and so we may perhaps see a huge improvement in his captaincy shortly after this series.
For the time being Australia are stuck with promoting mediocrity and it's falling well short against all comers.
They have dominated this game as Australia's batting weaknesses were once again ruthlessly exposed.
India have shown they can be competitive outside of Asia even if their previous results have been disappointing, this series was always their standout chance to meet such a weakened Australia on the back of a string of losses and confidence on the floor. They have been far better at batting and exploited the opposition's fragility in this department, their seamers have stood up and they are now on the verge of a historic series victory.
For me only losing the toss in Sydney can put their win in doubt, as we've seen before it can be match determining and surely batting first essential. Winning the toss and having home conditions are enough to balance the contest but Australia are so poor they need both.
For Australia their skipper summed up their ongoing woes and perhaps pointedly sees the blindingly obvious solution around the corner even if too late for this series.
"....Cummins has been superb all series. The quality was always there, but the Australian public can see his effort. We just need a few more guys to jump in with him. It's been a difficult year, but the silver lining is that we'll have some world-class players available for selection in a few months. And we'll see the benefits of what happened this year over the next few."
His own decision making should come under scrutiny though not least his admission that he would have made the disastrous decision to bowl first if he had had the opportunity.
In his defence it's often said that a captain is only as good as his troops and so we may perhaps see a huge improvement in his captaincy shortly after this series.
For the time being Australia are stuck with promoting mediocrity and it's falling well short against all comers.