Have been reading for quite some time and have trialled a few methods with different pitch sliders. Playing on PS5 and note that I'm not very good.
Downloaded 90s/00s Australia and 90s West Indies teams (credit to the creators). Reskilled both teams with @Rumple43s guide with me as the Aussies. Note, I set all the West Indians bowlers to Level 1 with their batting.
1st Test at the SCG, I used the Indian pitch settings for this one. The West Indies won the toss & elected to bowl.
Scored just the solitary boundary (a Ponting on-drive through a vacant mid-on) in the first session. Hayden edged a late shot to gully, Ponting was bowled misjudging a pull shot and Mark Waugh was bowled by Carl Hooper (when I wasn't looking at the screen). Taylor survived the session and we went to lunch at 3-42.
Taylor registered his first boundary just after lunch with a cover drive and was then run out from a direct hit from fine leg for 27. Steve Waugh was out to a sloppy drive and Gilchrist was bowled for 4 to leave us 6-72. Things didn't get any better as the tail didn't offer much resistance and only a few lusty blows from Jason Gillespie got us over the 100 mark as we were dismissed for 105.
Scoring was really tough, I feel as if a combination of the reduced power and my inability was the reason. Some shots that got through the infield pulled up just short of the boundary which was annoying and there were a number of "good" & "ideal" shots that resulted in balls going straight to the folder. Felt good facing the quicks, and being forced to make a decision super quickly.
With ball in hand, it was the Jason Gillespie show as he reduced the visitors to 5-47 in a blink of an eye. The best part being they all felt like genuine dismissals! Campbell drove in the air to point, Lara was trapped in front by a leg cutter just four balls later. Haynes edged behind (if I remember, it was set up as a slower outswing sucker ball). Richie Richardson hit a drive for four, and then edged to gully next ball, before Adams spooned a drive to Mark Waugh at cover.
A direct hit by Gillespie at fine leg got Hooper just as he was getting going to leave the possibility of us somehow securing a first innings lead. Chanderpaul (52) and Murray (34) had other ideas. Chanderpaul enjoyed gliding Warne past slip (21 of his runs came from that shot) while Murray was able to work Warne's legbreaks across the line with apparent ease despite genuine turn.
Warne removed both set batsmen in the saver over, Murray driving a full top spinner back to the bowler (bit of a flukey diving catch) and then Chanderpaul edging to short leg. Another dodgy run out (after a safe single, batsman ran back out of the crease after the ball had been returned) and then Ambrose edged a Warne legbreak where Gilchrist snaffled the chance and there all out for 153.
Was an awesome experience, always felt like I was a chance of a wicket except when Murray & Chanderpaul were really set. Getting Lara was a big thrill, the lowered judgement seemed to help me, boundaries came off bad balls, never felt like the last ball smash was a thing, run rate was reflective of how they batted. The way Chanderpaul scored against Warne was annoying, but I should have plugged the hole. A few play & missed, some very near misses. Interested to see what happens if I can get Border & Warner bowling together in the last dig.
To make things easier, have reduced the batting sliders (somewhere better the default medium & hard, hopefully makes scoring a bit easier), currently 0-18 after 10 with the one boundary, an off-drive past mid-off. No chances, a few plays & misses. It's only a few overs after lunch day 2, so looking to bat for a long time.
Will see how things go and will provide an update at a later time.
