Pakistan v Australia in England, June-July 2010

[aussie1st]

Well don't have to worry about the rain at this rate but sadly it looks like Smith won't get much of a go with the seamers doing all the work. Still not much substance in that middle order of ours.

 

[McLOVIN]

Just realized this could be over by tomorrow

 

[Insomniac]

wow,

sad part is, this is probably close to Afridis real strategy :laugh

It's flawless. Boom Boom, 300 in 25 overs, everyone gets their 30 runs in 15 balls, game over.

 

[Robelinda]

Great day 2 for us, I too laugh at all the Pak fans who go crazy after day 1, the old adage that you wait until both teams have had a bat to judge to pitch etc always rings true, but i'm pretty sure most of us could have safely predicted Pakistan wouldnt get near Australias total.

Afridi, well what does everyone expect? He plays the same way every time he bats regardless of match conditions, if thats the way he continues to bat he is going to be setting the poorest example to his team. Maybe he wants to deal in 2 day tests, but he will be on the losing side i'm afraid. Show some respect for the game pal.

 

[Iridium]

Oh dear. Pakistan had a prime chance to get one over Australia but they self destructed again. Doubt if Smith is going to get much of a bowl on such a seamer friendly pitch. But if Australia bat through most of the day tomorrow, they've got this game in the bag.

 

[Insomniac]

Oh dear. Pakistan had a prime chance to get one over Australia but they self destructed again. Doubt if Smith is going to get much of a bowl on such a seamer friendly pitch. But if Australia bat through most of the day tomorrow, they've got this game in the bag.

Katich, Johnson, North, and Paine?

Not a chance - we saw enough of Paine in the first innings to know he's absolutely clueless out there, while we didn't see enough of North.

Johnson will go once we get Danish on - and I don't think Katich can pull a Hussey - he's simply not as good quality of a player as Hussey IMO to do that.

If Hussey was still out there, I'd say yes - game is Australia's. But he's gone, and Pakistan CAN win - key word being can if the batting doesn't self-implode.

Also the thing about Afridi - you can just look at the scorecard, oh, 31 off 15 balls, he slogged and swatted his way to that. But really, they were all proper cricket shots and he looked very much at ease at the crease till he got out.

 

[Howsie]

Also the thing about Afridi - you can just look at the scorecard, oh, 31 off 15 balls, he slogged and swatted his way to that. But really, they were all proper cricket shots and he looked very much at ease at the crease till he got out.

This. Afridi wasn't going to last 50+ balls on that pitch with his poor defensive technique, honestly I thought the way he played yesterday made perfect sense.

 

[Iridium]

Katich, Johnson, North, and Paine?

Not a chance - we saw enough of Paine in the first innings to know he's absolutely clueless out there, while we didn't see enough of North.

Johnson will go once we get Danish on - and I don't think Katich can pull a Hussey - he's simply not as good quality of a player as Hussey IMO to do that.

If Hussey was still out there, I'd say yes - game is Australia's. But he's gone, and Pakistan CAN win - key word being can if the batting doesn't self-implode.

Also the thing about Afridi - you can just look at the scorecard, oh, 31 off 15 balls, he slogged and swatted his way to that. But really, they were all proper cricket shots and he looked very much at ease at the crease till he got out.

That's why I said 'if'. I don't give Johnson or Paine much of a chance. Johnson hasn't been the same with the bat since the tour of South Africa where he scored his first Test ton, and Paine, well you've said it perfectly. North will either get out for a duck or score a ton. Katich, well he'll stick around and grind if needs to. Yes, he's no Hussey but he's the best Australia have got right now.

About Afridi, I absolutely agree with what you and Howsie said. He doesn't know how to play defense, so why not go with what he knows best. It worked... sort of.

 

[pcfan123]

How did it work? He only lasted 15 deliveries when his team needed him to bat as long as possible and slowly chip away at the deficit.

 

[Insomniac]

How did it work? He only lasted 15 deliveries when his team needed him to bat as long as possible and slowly chip away at the deficit.

Because he took out 31 runs from the deficit, while everyone else in the top / middle order contributed a total of 26 runs (barring Salman Butt).

I'd rather him get 31 off 15 balls than 17 off 30 balls.

 

[ksduded]

How did it work? He only lasted 15 deliveries when his team needed him to bat as long as possible and slowly chip away at the deficit.

you wrote slow and Afridi in the same sentence. Have you been living under a rock for the past 15 years? It is quite rare to say this when a batsman makes 30 off 15 balls in a test, but he batted taking the situation into consideration....

 

[McLOVIN]

Because he took out 31 runs from the deficit, while everyone else in the top / middle order contributed a total of 26 runs (barring Salman Butt).

I'd rather him get 31 off 15 balls than 17 off 30 balls.

if that's how Pak fans look at things, their batsmen will always ████ on all the good work their bowlers do.

 

[Insomniac]

if that's how Pak fans look at things, their batsmen will always ████ on all the good work their bowlers do.

31 > 17.

I understand the whole point of building partnerships, and him spending time in the middle would have allowed Butt to also score runs, but you have to consider the odds of Afridi surviving playing defensively.

Also had Afridi gotten to say 40 odd, the field would be set very far back, and a 100 would be there for the taking because all he would have to do is nudge the ball around for 1s and 2s.

 

[khalek]

lol, Ponting's average is in danger of going down to 40s.

 

[TumTum]

This is a cracking Test match, low scoring matches are always more enjoyable.