TOPIC:

Beasley Hutton wrote:

ArkRoyal wrote:

I wish someone would spare me the bias Foxtel commentary

I just made mention of that same point AR.
Fark me the Eastern States are full of biased numptys!

Kim Hughes, Wayne Clark, D K Lillee, JL, Tom Moody to name a few well qualified.

Wonderful cameo from Corey Rocchiccioli, 50 priceless runs to snatch back some of the momentum for WA after what was undoubtedly Victorias morning. I think that they probably would have taken 384 at the toss but after being 2- 287 at one stage would have expected to get 450+ from there. Now its up to the bowlers to try and make some early inroads into the Victorian batting. I suspect that this pitch is a new ball wicket so the first 20 -25 overs will be crucial. Victoria failed to take any wickets with the first new ball but 5 with the 2nd so WA would be hoping to get some breakthroughs in the session after lunch.

Pitch now looks docile. No real alarms for the batsmen which is amazing when you think that the VIcs took 7 wickets this morning. Pucovski looks ominous. Hasn't he made a double ton against WA? Wickets needed very soon or they could be looking at a big first innings score.

3 good wickets for WA and they kept the run rate under control. The match is very delicately poised at the end of day 2. 42 overs remain for the bonus points and WA lead by around 0.7 at the moment, so any wickets they can get in the first session tomorrow morning would be worth gold for them. Handscomb and Maddinson are the key players for the Vics.

There will be a new ball available in 22 overs so WA would be keen to keep Victoria under or around  200 until then if they can. It is a fascinating situation and I must admit the new system has livened up the shield final concept as teams are no longer going into these games with a defensive mindset. I still think an outright result is likely as long as the forecast rain doesn't take too much out of the game. If WA can keep in front of the bonus points score by the end of the 100 overs I wouldn't be surprised if Victoria declare behind to try and bowl WA out cheaply in the 3rd innings. 

Beasley Hutton wrote:

ArkRoyal wrote:

BH -- yes mate, only Border is unbias

Fancy having a commentary of a Shield Final from a studio in Sydney.
Absolutely appalling stuff from Fox & once again treating WA with contempt.
They could have had dozens of ex West Australian players both capable and available to call this game LIVE from the venue at the WACA!

Yep I turned the commentary down and just watched it on mute. Haddin and Symonds are awful and I was hoping the audio would break down from the Sydney studio. What would have been wrong with Mike Hussey and Adam Gilchrist anchoring the coverage from the WACA as they are also on Fox's payroll?

mikeh wrote:

Beasley Hutton wrote:

ArkRoyal wrote:

BH -- yes mate, only Border is unbias

Fancy having a commentary of a Shield Final from a studio in Sydney.
Absolutely appalling stuff from Fox & once again treating WA with contempt.
They could have had dozens of ex West Australian players both capable and available to call this game LIVE from the venue at the WACA!

Yep I turned the commentary down and just watched it on mute. Haddin and Symonds are awful and I was hoping the audio would break down from the Sydney studio. What would have been wrong with Mike Hussey and Adam Gilchrist anchoring the coverage from the WACA as they are also on Fox's payroll?

Mike I encourage everyone to make a complaint as it is just yet another case of WA being made piss out of from the East Coast morons.
Funnily enough I saw pictures of Gilchrist, Hussey, Langer, Clark, Hughes, Charlesworth, Dorey etc all enjoying the game from the WACA, surely they could have been used in commentary instead of the likes of Lehmann, Haddin & Symonds etc who have no interest in the game or certainly from a WA aspect and the mute point for me was when they banged on about NSW for the hundredth time the sound went down and 91.3 with WA boys commentating went on!

Really good day 2 by Victoria.Looks like there going to grind out day 3.Bat there 100+ overs ,get some bonus points.And try and bowl our second innings out cheaply.Game very much in the balance after Wa's great day 1.

Gee the WA bowling attack looks very pedestrian, it could well be the pitch is flat but compared to how Boland and Sutherland looked for the VICs with the second new ball we have looked military in comparison.
Maybe 3 games in 3 weeks has cooked them but they look very easy to play at the moment?
The drought could well continue as at the minute we dont even look like picking up a wicket including the night watchman who is making it look like a Sunday picnic.

BH Victoria have passed the 200 mark for a bonus point.If we don't take wickets we will lose in a draw,under the bonus points..The longer this status quo remains the stronger the Vic's look.
Rain forecast for tomorrow.So another hurdle facing WA.

Desperately needed wicket of Handscomb taken on the stroke of lunch which has given WA a ray of hope.

First hour after lunch will be all on the line as the final tussle for bonus points plays out. My understanding is that the Vics need to get to 288 if they don't lose another wicket, so another 55 in 15 overs. If they lose a 5th wicket they have to score another 10 and so on for any further wickets lost. So WA need to do to the VIc's what they did to us yesterday and skittle 3 or 4 in the next 15 overs. This will hopefully ensure that WA stay in the lead on bonus points but will be a great help as far as the outright result of the match is concerned if we can do this damage.

From Victoria's point of view they would like another partnership to develop which ensures that they get to that 288 figure.  Then they can bat for as long as they can and frustrate the WA bowlers