TOPIC:

Thommo had is eighteen months of fame, beyond that he was not much. What did he do in England in 1977?

I would tend to agree with you on the ratings of the other fast bowlers. What about Lawson?

I guess we can safely say the WACA wicket of old is dead and buried. Prior to the commencement of this game the Curator said we could expect a lively bouncy wicket from years ago..well given the runs being scored its obviously a batsman's paradise. Hopefully the drop in at the new stadium will provide some excitement.

I don't think they will be playing Tests at the new stadium.
They can't fill the WACA.
Maybe T20s.
At outside One Dayers.

anchorman wrote: I just wish the channel Nine commentators would take their heads out of their arses and stop saying that the Kiwis did an amazing job bowling out the Aussies in the first innings. Smith could have batted until we reached 1000 runs and still have had wickets in hand. They are or have been blowing wind up the Kiwis arse over this.
My point is made even more obvious with the score the Kiwis made in their first dig.
I don't think Smith will give them even a sniff of the smell of a win.

I reckon you're on the money all round there anchor.

anchorman wrote: I just wish the channel Nine commentators would take their heads out of their arses and stop saying that the Kiwis did an amazing job bowling out the Aussies in the first innings. Smith could have batted until we reached 1000 runs and still have had wickets in hand. They are or have been blowing wind up the Kiwis arse over this.
My point is made even more obvious with the score the Kiwis made in their first dig.
I don't think Smith will give them even a sniff of the smell of a win.

How about giving credit where credit is due Anchor!! They batted superbly after staring down the barrel. If it is a draw tomorrow I give the points to NZ this test, they showed a lot of grit to bat down 559 and create a lead

Agreed the Kiwis after being totally outplayed for 4 days in Brisbane and a day and ahalf in Perth.Have responded,in the perfect way with the bat..Really good fightback,the Adelaide test will be a belter.

BC wrote: I guess we can safely say the WACA wicket of old is dead and buried. Prior to the commencement of this game the Curator said we could expect a lively bouncy wicket from years ago..well given the runs being scored its obviously a batsman's paradise. Hopefully the drop in at the new stadium will provide some excitement.

Its been a while since a drop in has produced anything but a dull batting paradise, the character of cricket at test venues is dead all in the name of money and bigger stadiums. The only hope is that Kookaburra have been instructed to make the balls so the seam is more prominent which will hopefully provide more seam and swing, because this game is so unfair in favour of batsmen it isn't funny, small boundaries, massive bats, massive sightscreens, video reviews..

It will be interesting to see what Smith does tomorrow. This game has so far produced 1441 runs in 4 days so 360 runs per day average at a run rate of 4.1 per over with an average per wicket of 68!! More placid than a pitch in the UAE I would have thought. As Anchorman said at least 5 Aussie wickets were gifted to the Kiwis on day 2 so that average per wicket should be closer to 80 really.

Given all this information and the fact that the pitch still seems to be giving the bowlers nothing, Smith would not want to give NZ anything less than a run rate of 5 and a half to 6 to chase over a short period. My feeling is that he might pull out around lunch time ( if they arent bowled out of course) and set them about 350 in 60 overs. If NZ have a go at it they will bring the Aussie bowlers into the game as the batsman may overdo it in going for the target. I would say that there is a 90% chance that it will be a draw.

I saw most of Ross Taylors innings on Sunday, what a fantastic feat of concentration by the guy to bat all day then come back and add another 50 odd today. Hats off to him and also to Williamson who is just a class batsman through and through, his shots are as graceful as any batsman I have seen.

mikeh wrote: It will be interesting to see what Smith does tomorrow. This game has so far produced 1441 runs in 4 days so 360 runs per day average at a run rate of 4.1 per over with an average per wicket of 68!! More placid than a pitch in the UAE I would have thought. As Anchorman said at least 5 Aussie wickets were gifted to the Kiwis on day 2 so that average per wicket should be closer to 80 really.

Given all this information and the fact that the pitch still seems to be giving the bowlers nothing, Smith would not want to give NZ anything less than a run rate of 5 and a half to 6 to chase over a short period. My feeling is that he might pull out around lunch time ( if they arent bowled out of course) and set them about 350 in 60 overs. If NZ have a go at it they will bring the Aussie bowlers into the game as the batsman may overdo it in going for the target. I would say that there is a 90% chance that it will be a draw.
I saw most of Ross Taylors innings on Sunday, what a fantastic feat of concentration by the guy to bat all day then come back and add another 50 odd today. Hats off to him and also to Williamson who is just a class batsman through and through, his shots are as graceful as any batsman I have seen.

Yep Williamson is a classier player than anything we have atm and would rate numb 1 Batsmen out of either side to be honest

Fantastic to see Root, Smith,Kohli and Williamson are all around the same age and it will be great to see how their respective careers pan out over time......

also more interesting to see how Root and Williamson batting responds with the added responsibility of captaining their respective teams in the future...at present they only have had to worry about their own performances unlike Smith who batted well v India last year and carried Clarke batting wise in the recent Ashes........

more so Williamson because he will be expected to make big scores every innings once Taylor and McCullum retires......which won't be too far away TBH......though the expectation of being a Black Caps captain is microscopic compared to being the All Blacks captain....but yeah Williamson is a class act and shakes a good hand too apparently