puddleduck
Chairman of Selectors
Ok, in another thread that I was clearly hijacking I raised the following question. I thought I'd put it to the forum and see what it is that people dream of. What is it that tickles the fantastical within each individual's brain.
"Now, if you maybe asked what new ball pairing through time (whether a double act or sticking two different players together) would make you race to the first morning of a Test Match in the hope of not missing a single ball if they bowl. That might have been more interesting? In fact, to expand on that, what ground, in what conditions and against which batsmen? What would make your ideal first test match morning?
"Anyway, any thoughts on my counter question? What would be your ideal first morning of a test match. Who would be at the crease, who would be opening the bowling? Would it be a flat sunny day with Sehwag about to smash 100 in a session? Or would it be something fantastical like an old WACA ripe with bounce and pace, Thompson and Akhtar storming in at 95mph+ flinging them at a resolute Boycott, unflinching, unmoved whilst Haynes tries to take them on?
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Or would you just like to see Boycott's Gran with a stick of rhubard get hit in the head by a 70mph bouncer?"
So, my question. What is your personal cricketing utopia? I'll expand it from the original quoted question to include all forms of cricket.
What ground, who is batting and who is bowling? What are the conditions? For example, would you want to turn up to see Holding snaffle Sehwag for 1 with a vicious short delivery into the body on a pacey Perth pitch of the 80's? With Atherton having limply fended to gully off a seaming McGrath textbook delivery. Walking to the crease, with the sun beginning to poke through the initial clouds is Viv, on his way to join Sir Don who has watched from the other end after the wicket fell on the last ball of the 5th over. After digging in against some ferocious bowling and with the end of the first session 3 balls away a ripper from Warne catches Viv's outside edge as he looks to play against the spin on 41. Sir Don, unmoved on 25 enjoys his lunch with new man at the crease Steve Waugh. Then with the sun out, Sir Don begins to unfurl in the second session....
Anyway, obviously I've gone into quite a bit of detail there, perhaps too much
Essentially your own personal opinion could literally be turning up to see that Jayasauriya and Afridi are batting against some part time club level spinners on a tiny ground. There is no judging here, merely whimsical musings 
Maybe Lee and Akhtar are storming in to a small but dogged Gavasker. Or perhaps the pitch is falling apart as Laker and Murali begin to rip through the opposition.
Go wild ....
"Now, if you maybe asked what new ball pairing through time (whether a double act or sticking two different players together) would make you race to the first morning of a Test Match in the hope of not missing a single ball if they bowl. That might have been more interesting? In fact, to expand on that, what ground, in what conditions and against which batsmen? What would make your ideal first test match morning?
"Anyway, any thoughts on my counter question? What would be your ideal first morning of a test match. Who would be at the crease, who would be opening the bowling? Would it be a flat sunny day with Sehwag about to smash 100 in a session? Or would it be something fantastical like an old WACA ripe with bounce and pace, Thompson and Akhtar storming in at 95mph+ flinging them at a resolute Boycott, unflinching, unmoved whilst Haynes tries to take them on?
----------
Or would you just like to see Boycott's Gran with a stick of rhubard get hit in the head by a 70mph bouncer?"
So, my question. What is your personal cricketing utopia? I'll expand it from the original quoted question to include all forms of cricket.
What ground, who is batting and who is bowling? What are the conditions? For example, would you want to turn up to see Holding snaffle Sehwag for 1 with a vicious short delivery into the body on a pacey Perth pitch of the 80's? With Atherton having limply fended to gully off a seaming McGrath textbook delivery. Walking to the crease, with the sun beginning to poke through the initial clouds is Viv, on his way to join Sir Don who has watched from the other end after the wicket fell on the last ball of the 5th over. After digging in against some ferocious bowling and with the end of the first session 3 balls away a ripper from Warne catches Viv's outside edge as he looks to play against the spin on 41. Sir Don, unmoved on 25 enjoys his lunch with new man at the crease Steve Waugh. Then with the sun out, Sir Don begins to unfurl in the second session....
Anyway, obviously I've gone into quite a bit of detail there, perhaps too much
Essentially your own personal opinion could literally be turning up to see that Jayasauriya and Afridi are batting against some part time club level spinners on a tiny ground. There is no judging here, merely whimsical musings Maybe Lee and Akhtar are storming in to a small but dogged Gavasker. Or perhaps the pitch is falling apart as Laker and Murali begin to rip through the opposition.Go wild ....
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