Scott Boland or Josh Hazelwood?

[Ghost Like]

Or don't accept it.

I doubt your experience factored into this one.

As you say, a bloke swung from his clacker, it turned out OK, by ar$e, for them...nothing to do with your decision, more to do with your bats failing to handle the pressure of a mediocre total.

I played in a team that won a GF defending 110. Nothing to do with the toss, more to do with one side failing to handle scoreboard pressure after a couple of early wickets...no excuse really. On any other day they would have passed us only two or three down.

Very good decision by Cummins to consider the forecasted conditions in conjunction with the strength & weakness of the opposition.

[B.M]

What do you think the score would be if they hated first?

[B.M]

I guess in a test match it comes down to

When is it harder to bat

1st or 4th (in a chase)

[Ghost Like]

Q1. More than Sth Africa, maybe...who knows, really?

Q2. It ultimately depends on the pitch doesn't it? Historically, especially pre drop ins, the 4th but you make it sound like Test matches cannot be won batting second.

Again, I liked the decision for the conditions and the forecast. What no one could predict was the injuries to two key bowlers and what that will mean to how quickly we can get 10 wickets - looking forward to watching this play out.

If it does get to a 5th day I might head in, could be a classic.

[King Max]

What do you think the score would be if they hated first?

Who’s on first?

[B.M]

No, what’s on second

[shanegrambeau]

Why are they throwing their wickets away? Don’t they know about Melbourne weather?
Isn’t this a test match?

[saynta]

Piss poor effort by the Seth Africans..really piss poor.

[The_Dud]

Won by an innings and 182 runs.

Probably should have bat first…

[B.M]

We bat first

Make 550

Knock over Sth Africa twice for 200

Same result, over on Day 4

When there is such a disparity between two teams… toss isn’t that important.

It was clearly a bat first wicket imo

[Mr Magic]

If we batted first then we likely wouldn't have had Green available to bowl (broken finger) and therefore may not have bowled them out for such a small score in their first innings.

By us bowling first it allowed our bowlers time to rest/recuperate before having to bowl again.

[B.M]

How do you know Green would have copped a broken finger if we batted first?

Historically, stats are in favour of the team batting first 64%

However
Stats are definitely in favour of a great side beating a poor side
Regardless of who bats first

MCG was a road - playing a decent opponent- bat first every time imo

[saynta]

And maybe Starc would not have been injured.

[Mr Magic]

And maybe Warner doesn’t score 200 or Head doesn’t score 100
The only facts we know is we bowled first, dismissed them cheaply, made 550 whilst our bowlers rested, and dismissed them cheaply again.

[B.M]

Head didn’t score a hundred - Carey did

That’s all hypothetical and guess work - the entire game would have been different!

I’m just going on the numbers - with the biggest sample size there is - the history of test cricket

And I would wager that the number of wins by teams batting second would have a strong correlation to the state of the pitch on day 1. Most would have bowled when it was green and well grassed - meaning it’ll dry out days 2-4 and still be ok day 5 to chase
Brisbane In the firsts test a good example.

On a dryish pitch or flat pitch - day 1 (which most are) the obvious best time to bat is first - the worst time to bat is last (Turn, footmarks, breaking up, uneven bounce)

Fact is that was easily a bat first 350 pitch

SA getting bowled out for 186 day 1 was simply horrendous and going through their dismissals they were all shocking!
Nothing to do with the wicket.

Aus won because
They have two batters who average 60
Three who average 45
And a further two who average 35

SA
Two who average 35
One who averages 30
And three who average 25

The gulf between the sides with the bat is massive

[Mr Magic]

No point debating/arguing with someone who believes their opinion is the only valid one.

Fact is Australia won the toss and chose to field
They won by an innings and plenty.

[The_Dud]

Australia are the far superior side, always going to win.

But…

If Australia bat first then they’ll have to bat in the second innings, as they don’t enforce the follow on, which leaves the game open to becoming a draw due to time, especially if weather gets involved.

It’s bitten them in the bum a few times recently.

[Ghost Like]

I can't believe Australia may go into today's Test with only Cummins and Hazelwood. That's asking for trouble, especially with two bowlers who have been injured this summer.

Seems they are more worried about being bowled out than seeking a balanced attack. God help us if this is their mindset for the tour of India.

[B.M]

Boring selections

[The_Dud]

Bizarre selections, feels like they’re taking the piss a bit.

Sydney being a ‘spinning wicket’ is a myth that old heads hold on to from the 80s.

Playing 2 spinners and no all rounder could cost them the test.

[B.M]

They just made 550

And stacked their batting - adding another bat at 6

Dropped Boland
Averages less than 20 with the ball
Picked Agar
Averages over 40

My side
Warner
Khawaja
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Carey
Agar
Starc
Cummins
Lyon
Morris

[Ghost Like]

They were fortunate the coin landed the wrong way for Sth Africa. They will win or should win but I'm yet to be convinced a selection policy such as this will work in India, especially if they do not win tosses.

[shanegrambeau]

I’ve got four words,

Toss
Drop in pitches

(How eloquent Shane!)

Sydney and Brisbane have fought tooth and nail to keep their pitches

And look at the results!! lol

Brisbane looked like the Hampton Lawn Bowls
It could blow up your 1975 colour TV

And so they follow the old story of it bein a spinners paradise two and a half days in

It is possible of course, that the test is over quicker than that the rate of SA

Aussies have won six tosses this summer.

Comes from our old two-up culture

[B.M]

Anrich Nortje - White Goodman

[Teflon]

General Forum please
Or
Boring Cricket Forum