Cricket!

[Chris2K]

One of Theresa May's last acts as PM has been to give Andrew Strauss and Geoffrey Boycott knighthoods. Boycott in particular is long overdue. At least she got something right eventually.

[Plubby]

Boycott would have been knighted sooner, but he kept blocking things from progressing.

[Lineker]

4 hours ago, Chris2K said:

One of Theresa May's last acts as PM has been to give Andrew Strauss and Geoffrey Boycott knighthoods. Boycott in particular is long overdue. At least she got something right eventually.

Boycott not without controversy

[The Lusophone]

Boycott should never had been up for a knighthood due to organising outlaw tours of Apartheid South Africa, the self absorbed dickhead.

[Chris2K]

When Geoff Marsh's least talented son is ripping through your batting line-up it's worrying times.

[Lineker]

A draw!

[Chris2K]

Great performance from England to at least avoid losing the series. Sad to see the end of the Channel 5 highlights show as they move to the BBC, Mark Nicholas is the best presenter since Richie Benaud so hopefully he finds a spot. Isa Guha seems to have the BBC spot locked down, but I think it was Gower's last game as well so there would be an opening at Sky.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

10 minutes ago, Chris2K said:

Great performance from England to at least avoid losing the series. Sad to see the end of the Channel 5 highlights show as they move to the BBC, Mark Nicholas is the best presenter since Richie Benaud so hopefully he finds a spot. Isa Guha seems to have the BBC spot locked down, but I think it was Gower's last game as well so there would be an opening at Sky.

Isa Guha's great.

[Liam]

Whilst it made for great cricket in terms of the matches themselves, neither team really deserved to win it in all reality. Each team was overly reliant on two or three men, with the rest generally having pretty poor series.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

On 12/09/2019 at 12:13, Mad Jack stans Wiccan said:

Boycott should never had been up for a knighthood due to organising outlaw tours of Apartheid South Africa, the self absorbed dickhead.

That and beating up his partner.

[Lineker]

Good to see Ben Stokes taking a stand against the cunts at the Sun: 

 

[Krabby]

What is a sticky wicket? 

[Lineker]

Quote

England all-rounder Ben Stokes was selected instead of Test captain Joe Root for the Leeds-based Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.

Root will play for the Nottingham-based Trent Rockets, while England fast bowler Jofra Archer will represent Southampton-based Southern Brave.

The eight new teams for next year had the chance to draft England's male red-ball contracted players on Thursday.

Seam bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad were not chosen.

In a separate selection process on the day the competition was officially launched with team names, badges and kits also unveiled, England women's captain Heather Knight was picked by Lord's-based London Spirit.

The men's and women's Hundred will run from 17 July to 16 August 2020.

There was a geographical element to the draft that meant Stokes was initially only eligible for the Northern Superchargers - who could pick Yorkshire and Durham players - and when coach Darren Lehmann opted for the all-rounder instead Root or Jonny Bairstow, Trent Rockets selected Root over Broad and Welsh Fire chose Bairstow.

"Obviously I have been associated with Yorkshire and that part of the world for a long period of time, it'll always be home to me," Root told BBC Sport.

"But I have big connections with Nottingham too - my dad played there as a Colt and in the junior teams and second team and I've always loved playing there too.

"It's a great venue to be involved in - the wicket there is fantastic, there are nice, small boundaries so it's come together nicely in many ways."

Root, who said he would like to play alongside Australia's Mitchell Starc and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson for Trent Rockets, added: "This year has been monumental for cricket and we have seen achievements like never before.

"The best players in the world are coming here to compete and we're going to get the chance to test ourselves against them once again.

"There has never been a more exciting time for cricket.''

The England Test players selected will all be paid by the England and Wales Cricket Board as part of their central contracts.

The eight men's teams were also able to negotiate with and select two local 'icon' players from their catchment counties.

England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan was picked by London Spirit, all-rounder Moeen Ali joined Birmingham Phoenix and opener Jason Roy will play for Oval Invincibles, with all three players awarded the maximum £125,000 contract.

South Africa's Colin Ingram is the only non-England qualified player chosen so far and will play for the Welsh Fire, alongside England batsman Bairstow and opener Tom Banton, who was recently called up by England for the five Twenty20s in New Zealand in November.

On 20 October, the remaining places in the 15-man squads will be filled via a full draft - West Indies opener Chris Gayle and Australia batsman Steve Smith are among those to have made themselves available for the tournament.

Trent Rockets will select first in the draft, following a random draw, and teams are allowed a maximum of three overseas players. The draft will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website.

There are seven set salary bands, with up to two players to be picked at each of the following levels: £125,000, £100,000, £75,000, £60,000, £50,000, £40,000 and £30,000. Captains will receive a bonus of £10,000.

The eight women's teams have signed two players each from the 21 who are centrally contracted to England.

Alongside Knight, there are seven other World Cup winners chosen - bowler Anya Shrubsole and opening batter Danni Wyatt (Southern Brave), all-rounder Nat Sciver and opening bowler Katherine Brunt (Trent Rockets), spinner Laura Marsh and batter Fran Wilson (Oval Invincibles) and batter Lauren Winfield (Northern Superchargers).

"Hopefully I'll be able to use my experience as England captain to help London Spirit be successful," said Knight.

"I think 2020 is shaping up to be a really exciting year for the development of women's cricket, and The Hundred will be central to us getting more people watching, playing and following the game."

Stage two of the women's player selection process (1 October 2019 - 30 May 2020) will see each team fill the remaining 13 spaces in their squad from across three different player pools: the remaining England centrally contracted players, overseas players and domestic players.

Teams can sign one further England centrally contracted player during stage two and can sign a maximum of three overseas players.

The women's seven salary brackets are: £15,000, £12,000, £9,000, £7,200, £6,000, £4,800 and £3,600. The captains will receive a £1,200 bonus.

Team	Men's players	Women's players
Birmingham Phoenix	Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Pat Brown	Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon
London Spirit	Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Eoin Morgan	Heather Knight, Freya Davies
Manchester Originals	Jos Buttler, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson	Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone
Northern Superchargers	Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, David Willey	Lauren Winfield, Linsey Smith
Oval Invincibles	Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Jason Roy	Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson
Southern Brave	Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, James Vince	Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt
Trent Rockets	Joe Root, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales	Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt
Welsh Fire	Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Colin Ingram	Katie George, Bryony Smith

Team	Ground	Catchment counties
Birmingham Phoenix	Edgbaston, Birmingham	Warwickshire, Worcestershire
London Spirit	Lord's, London	Middlesex, Essex, Northants
Manchester Originals	Old Trafford, Manchester	Lancashire
Northern Superchargers	Headingley, Leeds	Yorkshire, Durham
Oval Invincibles	The Oval, London	Surrey, Kent
Southern Brave	Ageas Bowl, Southampton	Hampshire, Sussex
Trent Rockets	Trent Bridge, Nottingham	Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire
Welsh Fire	Sophia Gardens, Cardiff	Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Somerset

[Chris2K]

I haven't had the chance to mention this yet - this competition is ridiculous. Yes, we need a franchise based T20 system, but we don't need a whole new type of game to cover it.

That said, I do like a draft.

[Lineker]

England have named Chris Silverwood as the successor to Trevor Bayliss as head coach.

[PantherFan22]

Both Australia and New Zealand have lost key bowlers less than two full days into the 1st Test match in Perth.

Australia eventually bowled out for 416, thanks largely to Marnus Labuschagne making 143, which is his third Test century in a row (having made 185 and 162 in his only 2 innings against Pakistan). The Kiwis were hampered by a calf strain to Lockie Ferguson, who was replacing an injured Trent Boult.

New Zealand (as I type this) are 61/2 after Starc and Hazlewood each took wickets in their opening overs. However, Josh Hazlewood is unlikely to take any further part in the game, having strained his hamstring. Matthew Wade's already rolled his arm over (though he was bowling as quick as Tim Southee apparently), and I wouldn't be surprised if David Warner has to bowl some dodgy medium pacers if the Kiwis dig in.

--

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the first test match in the country in 10 years was disrupted by rain on day three, with Sri Lanka adding 19 runs in just 4.4 overs of play happening. So that's heading for a draw.

--

Finally and in keeping with my interest in the lower levels of cricket, the United States are currently on a tour of the United Arab Emirates, where they have beaten the UAE twice (by 3 wickets and 98 runs respectively) beat Scotland by 35 runs.

On 18/09/2019 at 09:39, JMarushin said:

What is a sticky wicket? 

If rain falls and the wicket becomes wet, the ball may not bounce predictably, making it very difficult for the batsman

[PantherFan22]

Taken from cricinfo with a few edits

Spoiler

 

Arm Ball A ball bowled by a slow bowler which has no spin on it and so does not turn as expected but which stays on a straight line ("goes on with the arm") -- See Giles, Ashley

The Ashes Series between England and Australia are played for The Ashes (click here for more information)

Asking rate - The runs required per over for a team to win - mostly relevant in a one-dayer

Ball Red for first-class and most club cricket, white for one-day matches (and, experimentally, women once used blue balls and men orange ones). It weighs 5.5 ounces ( 5 ounces for women's cricket and 4.75 ounces for junior cricket)

Ball Tampering The illegal action of changing the condition of the ball by artificial means, usually scuffing the surface, picking or lifting the seam of the ball, or applying substances other than sweat or saliva -- See Australia (2017) England (Atherton) and Pakistan

Bat-Pad A fielding position close to the batsman designed to catch balls which pop up off the bat, often via the batsman's pads

Batter Another word for batsman, first used as long ago as 1773. Also something you fry fish in

Beamer A ball that does not bounce (usually accidently) and passes the batsman at or about head height. If aimed straight at the batsman by a fast bowler, this is a very dangerous delivery (and generally frowned on)

Bend your back - The term used to signify the extra effort put in by a fast bowler to obtain some assistance from a flat pitch

Belter A pitch which offers little help to bowlers and so heavily favours batsmen -- See Most T20 pitches

Blob A score of 0 (see duck)

Bodyline (also known as leg theory) A tactic most infamously used by England in 1932-33, although one which had been around for some time before that, in which the bowler aimed at the batsman rather than the wicket with the aim of making him give a catch while attempting to defend himself. The fielding side were packed on the leg side to take catches which resulted. This is now illegal.

Bosie An Australian term for a googly, now rarely used. Originated from the inventor of the delivery, BJT Bosanquet

Bouncer A short-pitched ball which passes the batsman at chest or head height

Boundary The perimeter of a cricket field, or the act of the batsman scoring a four or a six -- See Ponting, Ricky crash into one hence boundary ropes

Box An abdominal protector worn by batsmen and wicketkeepers. It is also an old term for a fielder in the gully region. - See Jockstrap/Cod Piece

Bump Ball A ball which is played off the bat almost instantly into the ground and is caught by a fielder. Often this has the appearance of being a clean catch

Bumper See Bouncer.

Bunny Also known as Rabbit. A member of the side who cannot bat and is selected as a specialist bowler or wicketkeeper, and who almost always bats at No. 11. It can also be used to describe a player who often gets out to one bowler -- See Cullinan/Warne Atherton/McGrath

Bunsen A term used by commentators to describe a pitch heavily favouring slow bowlers. From Cockney rhyming slang (Bunsen Burner = turner).

Bye A run scored when the batsman does not touch the ball with either his bat or body. First recorded in the 1770s. -- See Wade, Matthew

Carry your bat an opening batsman who remains not out at the end of a completed innings (ie when all his team-mates are out)

Charge, giving the When a batsman leaves his crease to attack the ball, usually against a slow bowler. By doing this he can convert a good-length ball into a half-volley See Nathan Lyon most times he bats

Chest-on Used to describe a bowler who delivers the ball with his chest facing the batsman, as opposed to being side on

Chinaman A ball bowled by a left-arm slow bowler that turns into the right-hand batsman, in effect a left-arm legspinner. Named after Puss Achong See Paul Adams, Michael Bevan

Chin music Fast bowlers aiming the ball at the batsman's head. The term originated in the Caribbean -- Not Sweet but could be Whispering

Chucker Another term for a bowler who throws the ball -- See Meckiff, Ian

Closing the face Turning the face of the bat inwards and, in doing so, hitting the ball to the leg side

Corridor of uncertainty A term beloved by commentators which describes an area just outside the batsman's off stump where he is unsure whether he has to leave or play the ball

Cow corner An unconventional fielding position, more commonly found in the lower reaches of the game, on the midwicket/long-on boundary. The term is thought to have originated at Dulwich College where there was the corner of a field containing livestock on that edge of the playing area. Fielders were dispatched to the "cow corner"

Cricket Max A shortened version of the game with unconventional scoring systems pioneered by Martin Crowe in New Zealand in the late 1990s.

Cross bat A cross-batted shot is where the batsman holds his bat horizontally when striking the ball. Examples of cross-batted shots include hooks, pulls and cuts

Dead ball A ball from which no runs can be scored or wickets taken. First referred to in 1798

Declaration When the batting side ends their innings before all of their players are out

Dibbly-dobbly bowlers - Bowlers who are of medium pace, and are effective in the one-day scenario in choking the runs. New Zealand had a famous quartet - Rod Latham, Gavin Larsen, Chris Harris and Nathan Astle - during the 1992 World Cup -- See nowadays Wade, Matthew

Dolly An easy catch

Doosra A Hindi/Urdu word which means "second" or "other", the doosra is the offspinner's version of the googly, delivered out of the back of the hand and turning away from the right-hand batsman -- See Mushtaq, Saqlain

Drifter/ Floater - A delivery bowled by an offspinner which curves away from a right-hander, and then carries straight on instead of turning

Duck A score of 0 (also known as Blob)

Duckworth Lewis Named after Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, two mathematicians who devised a system to help decide one-day cricket matches when rain interrupts play. -- See confusing as hell

Economy rate The average number of runs a bowler concedes per over

Extras Runs not scored by batsmen. There are four common extras - byes, leg byes, wides and no-balls. In Australia these are known as sundries -- See as an Australian, I always call them extras, dingbats

Featherbed A batsmen-friendly pitch with little life for the bowlers. -- See More T20 pitches

Flipper A variation for the legspinner that appears to be pitching short but the ball skids on quickly and often results in bowled or lbw. It is a delivery that is used sparingly

Full toss A ball that reaches the batsmen without bouncing. Above waist height it becomes a beamer

Gardening - The act of the batsman repairing indentations in the pitch, made by the ball or studs, with his bat. More likely to happen when a ball has just whistled past his nose or scooted by his ankle -- See Good for wasting time near the end of a session/day

Good length - The ideal length that the bowler aims for, getting the batsman in two minds as whether to play forwards or back

Googly - The legspinner's variation that turns into the right-hander and away from the left-hander

Grubber - A ball that hardly bounces - see also shooter

Half volley - A ball that is the perfect length for driving, fuller than a good length but not a full-toss

Handled the ball - If the batsmen deliberately touches the ball with his hands he can be given out. Michael Vaughan fell victim to this in India on 2002-03 tour in Bangalore -- See Gooch, Graham

Hawk-Eye - A tracking technology which helps to explain the intricacies of the sport, Hawk-Eye can be helpful in judging LBWs. -- See it's crap

Heavy ball - When a delivery is quicker than it looks and hits the bat harder or higher than is expected

Hit the ball twice - If a batsmen deliberately strikes the ball twice to gain runs he can be given out. However, the batsman can knock the ball away from his stumps with the bat

Hit the deck - The bowler's ability to deliver the ball from height and extract extra bounce from the pitch

Hoick - Same as slog, but most used for on-side shots

In-ducker - An inswinging delivery that moves into the batsman very late. Wasim Akram produced deadly versions with the older ball

Inside out, turning the batsman - A batsman aims to leg but the ball goes past the off and he is forced to play the ball open-chested

Inside-out shot - A stroke where the batsman moves towards the leg side and hits a ball around leg stump into the off side

Jaffa - A delivery that is too good for the batsman, and leaves him groping hopelessly at thin air or (as the bowler will hope) dismisses him

King pair - Hardly worth turning up if you get one of these ... out first ball for zero in both innings

Kolpak An EU ruling which has led to English county cricket being flooded with players ineligible for England but not classified as overseas players.

Leading edge - When the batsman mis-hits the ball and edges it forward in the opposite direction to which he was attempting to play

Leg-Before Wicket (LBW) - One of the game's more complex rules, but at its simplest ... you cannot be out if the ball pitched outside the line of leg stump; you cannot be out if the ball hits you outside the line of off stump unless you are offering no stroke. Aside from that, if it hits you in line, the only decision the umpire has to make is whether the ball is going on to hit the stumps.

Leg-bye - When the ball deflects off the pad and the batsmen run. A shot must be offered to the ball. Leg-byes do not count against the bowler

Leg-break/spin - When the ball pitches and turns from leg to off for a right-hander

Leg-cutter - A ball which cuts and moves away from the batsman towards the offside (if he is a righthander)

Leg-side - The area of the pitch behind the batsman's legs

Leg theory See Bodyline

Length Where the ball pitches down the wicket. Lengths can be generally short, full or good

Lifter - A ball that rises unexpectedly

Line - The line of attack the bowler employs when he is bowling

Lollipop - A really easy ball to hit - a 'gift' -- See Marsh, Mitch. Stoinis, Marcus

Long hop - a ball which pitches short, sits up and 'begs' to be hit

Loop - The flight of the ball

Maiden - An over where no runs that are attributable to the bowler are scored (byes or leg-byes may be scored in this over, though, as these don't count against the bowler)

Manhattan A bar graph of runs scored per over which resembles the Manhattan skyscrapers skyline

Mankad - A term popular mainly in indoor cricket - but also fairly popular in Australia for outdoor cricket. Mankad is when the bowler brings his arm round and, instead of releasing the ball, runs out the non-striker by whipping off the bails. This type of dismissal is rare - and usually a warning is given to the batsman beforehand. Named after Vinoo Mankad, who twice dismissed the Australian Bill Brown this way

MCC - The Marylebone Cricket Club, the spiritual home of cricket at Lord's in St Johns Wood in London. For the greater period of cricket's formal history, the MCC which was founded in 1787, was the autocratic arbiter in cricket matters. No law could be changed without its approval. And while the administration of the game world-wide has moved to the International Cricket Council, and to the England and Wales Cricket Board in Britain, the MCC is still regarded as the ultimate defender of the laws of the game, a type of Privy Council of cricket. For many years, English touring teams were known officially as the MCC but as the 'great' has ebbed away from Britain and its colonies, so the influence of the MCC has diminished. Also the initials of the Melbourne Cricket Club in Victoria.

Middle - To hit the ball from the meat of the bat, "to middle it" is to connect really well. Middle is also the centre of the field, where the bulk of the action takes place

Military Medium - A slightly derogative term for a bowler who has no real pace

Minefield - A difficult batting track. The pitch is in such a state of disrepair that it is almost impossible to play "proper" shots as the ball is popping up everywhere

Nelson - The English superstition that 111 and its multiples are unlucky. The sticks resemble 111, and is loosely connected with Lord Nelson's physical attributes. Double Nelson is 222

Nervous nineties - The psychological pressure on the batsman knowing he is approaching a century

Net Run Rate - A system for separating sides who finish on level points in multi-team tournaments.

New ball - Can usually be taken every 80 overs. The advantage is to quick bowlers who have a shiny and bouncy ball, but conversely it can result in an increase in scoring rate as the ball comes off the bat faster

Nick - A faint edge off the bat

Nightwatchman A non-batsman promoted up the order towards the end of a day's play with the idea of shielding a recognised batsman in the final overs. -- See Lyon, Nathan. Anderson, James

No-ball - An illegitimate delivery, usually when the bowler has overstepped on the front crease

Nurdle - The batsman nudging the ball around and into gaps

Obstruction - When the batsman wilfully blocks or distracts a fielder to prevent a catch being made or a run-out being effected

Occupy the crease - When a batsman stays at the wicket but scores slowly, often with the intention of playing out for a draw

Off-break/spin - A ball turning into the right hander- from off to leg (from left to right)

Off-cutter - An offbreak delivered at speed

Off the mark When the batsman scores his first run

Off-side The side of the pitch which is to batsman's right (if right-handed), or left (if left-handed)

On-side The same as the leg-side.

On the up - Making contact with the ball before it reaches the top of the bounce - hitting it on the rise. Viv Richards was a prominent exponent.

Out - There are ten possible ways of being out: bowled, caught, hit wicket, lbw, stumped, timed out,handled the ball, obstruction,hit the ball twice, and run out. To be out "retired out" is gaining in currency and popularity and counts as a dismissal, unlike "retired hurt"

Outside edge - When the ball hits the edge of the bat which is furthest away from his body.

Outswing - When the ball swings away from the batsman and towards the slips.

Paddle - A sweep shot. -- See Technically a half assed sweep shot

Pair - When a batsman gets a duck in both innings.

Pinch-hitters - Lower-order batsmen promoted in the line-up to try and hit up a few quick runs. Used mostly when a team is chasing a huge total in a one-dayer - the thinking being that a few quick runs will reduce the asking rate; and if the pinch-hitter gets out, the specialist batsmen are still around -- See Warne, Shane. Symonds, Andrew. Kluesner, Lance

Pitch - The bounce of the ball - "it pitches on a good length". Also, the cut strip in the centre of the field of play.

Play on - When a batsman hits the ball but it goes on to hit the stumps and he is bowled.

Plumb - When the batsman is clearly LBW, even at full speed, he is said to be plumb in front.

Powerplay This was introduced by the ICC in 2005 to try to spruce up the middle overs of one-day internationals by enforcing the bowling side to take three blocks of overs in which they have to have extra fielders within the 30-yard circle. The first Powerplay is mandatory through the first ten overs of the innings, the second and third ones, of five overs each, can be taken at any other time. In rain-reduced matches the duration of the second and third Powerplays is reduced in proportion to the overall reduction.

Pudding - A slow, stodgy pitch which will be difficult to score quickly on. -- See, similar to a sticky wicket

Pull - a back-foot leg-side shot, distinct from the hook because the pull is played to a ball that hasn't risen as high.

Rabbit See Bunny

Return Crease Parallel white lines pointing down the pitch, either side of the stumps. A bowler's back foot must land inside this area or else a no-ball will be called.

Retire To postpone or end one's innings, either voluntarily through boredom when you're simply too good for the opposition, or involuntarily and in agony, when a nasty fast bowler has taken his pound of flesh

Reverse Sweep The epitome of the type of shot you will not find in the MCC coaching manual. This stroke is played by dropping to one knee and reversing one's hands, so that you can swing the ball from leg to off, rather than the more natural off to leg. It is a handy stroke for beating conventional fields in a one-day game, but it has its drawbacks as well - just ask Mike Gatting

Reverse Swing When the ball is 50 overs old and the pitch is as flat as a pancake, this phenomenon is often a bowling side's saving grace. First mastered by the Pakistani quicks of the 1980s and 1990s, it involves sideways movement of the ball through the air that is contrary to your average everyday laws of physics. If it sounds like rocket science, that is because it is

Rip Big turn for a spin bowler, especially a legspinner, who can use the whole action of the wrist to impart maximum revolutions on the ball. Shane Warne, consequently, bowls a lot of "rippers"

Ring Field A standard fielding arrangement, with men positioned in a circle all around the bat saving the single

Rock Colloquial term for cricket ball

Roll To flatten the playing surface with a heavy rolling device. At the end of an innings, the side about to start their innings will be offered the choice of a heavy or light roller

Roller A heavy rolling device designed to flatten the surface of the pitch

Rope Used to mark the perimeter of the field. If the ball crosses or hits the rope, aboundary will be signalled

Rough The area of a pitch that is scuffed up and loosened by the action of a bowler running through in his follow-through. Usually, this will be situated a foot or so outside leg stump, and consequently it becomes a tasty target for spin bowlers, who can exploit the extra turn to make life a misery for the batsmen

Run-chase Generally the fourth innings of a first-class or Test match, and the latter stages of a one-day game, when the match situation has been reduced to a set figure for victory, in a set time or maximum number of overs

Run-rate Of particular importance in a one-day game, this is the average number of runs scored per over, and is used as a guide to a team's progress (see Duckworth Lewis)

Run-up The preparatory strides taken by a bowler as they steady themselves for delivery. Also the area in which they perform said action

Runner A player who is called upon by a batsman who might otherwise need toretire hurt. He is required to wear the same padding and stands at square leg or the non-striker's end to perform the duty of running between the wickets. Often the cause of endless confusion and inevitable run-outs

Sandshoe crusher Colloquial term for Yorker, a full-pitched delivery that is aimed at the batsman's toes and usually hits them aswell

Seam The ridge of stitching that holds the two halves of a ball together, and causes deviation off the pitch when the ball lands. Seam bowlers, as opposed to swing bowlers, rely on movement off the pitch, rather than through the air

Shoulder arms The description of when a batsman decides that rather than risk being dismissed from a ball he lifts the bat high above his shoulder to attempt to keep his bat and hands out of harm's way.

Shirtfront A flat, lifeless, soul-destroying wicket that is beloved of batsmen the world over, and loathed by bowlers of all varieties. 

Shooter See grubber

Side on

Sitter The easiest, most innocuous and undroppable catch that a fielder can ever receive. To drop one of these is to invite a whole world of pain from the crowd and constant embarrassment from the giant replay screen (see dolly).

Sledging Not the act of travelling downhill at speed on a toboggan, but the act of verbally abusing or unsettling a batsman, in an attempt to make him lose concentration and give his wicket away. Often offensive, occasionally amusing, always a topic of conversation

Slog - Used to describe a shot which is not in the coaching book

Slogger - Exponent of the slog

Slog-sweep - A heave to the leg side, played like the sweep, but a lofted shot

Slower ball Like naff plastic wristbands, these are the must-have accessory of the modern international bowler. The idea is to deliver a pace of significantly reduced pace, while at the same time turning your arm over at the same speed so as to deceive the batsman. This change of pace can be achieved by a change of grip, or a late tweak of the wrist. The best exponents - Courtney Walsh, Chris Cairns - are lethal. The worst - no names mentioned - tend to be smacked clean over cow corner for six

Standing back/standing up Where a wicketkeeper positions himself for a particular bowler. He stands back for fast bowlers, and stands up for spinners

Stock ball A bowler's regular delivery, minimum risk, little chance of runs or wickets. To get away with aslower ball, they need a stock ball to lull the batsman into a false sense of security

Stonewall To protect one's wicket at all costs, putting defence above all other virtues. -- See Dravid, Rahul

Strike rate The number of runs a batsman scores per 100 balls; the number of deliveries a bowler needs to take his wickets

Sundries Australian word for extras

Supersub A short-lived experminent in 2005 by the ICC to try to spruce up one-day internationals. It allowed teams to replace on player during a game, but the reality was it heavily favoured the side batting first and was quickly dropped.

Swing A ball that curves through the air, as opposed to off the seam. See also,reverse swing

Tailender Players who come in towards the end of an innings, generally Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 11, who are not noted for their batting prowess (although ideally they can bowl a bit by way of compensation)

Teapot (or double-teapot) A gesticulation beloved of fast bowlers, particularly the grumpier sort, such as Glenn McGrath and Angus Fraser. Involves having both hands on hips at the same time, usually in reaction to a dropped catch, edged boundary or general misfield

Throwing To deliver the ball with a arm that flexes at the elbow at point of delivery, thereby enabling extra spin to be imparted for a slow bowler, or extra pace for a quick bowler. A topic of endless debate

Ton A century (100 runs by a single batsman in one innings)

Tonk To give the ball a good wallop, onomatopoeically named after the sound a good hit makes. See also twat, biff, thwack, belt, spank and leather

Track The pitch

Trundler Slow, laborious type of bowler who thinks he's quick, once was quick, or is simply old, fat and unfit and needs to be put out to pasture. See military medium -- See me

Twelfth man A substitute fielder (and drinks waiter) for the chosen eleven. If called upon to play, he is permitted to field wherever he is needed, but can neither bat nor bowl

Two-paced A wicket that is beginning to break up, usually after three or four days of a Test match, and so produces some deliveries that leap off a length, and others that sneak through at shin-height

Uncovered pitches Pitches that were left open to the elements for the duration of a match, and so developed a variety of characteristics. The failings of a generation of English batsmen were attributed to the decision, in the 1970s, to bring on the covers at the slightest hint of rain

V - in the The arc between mid-off and mid-on in which batsmen who play straight (in accordance with the MCC Coaching Manual) tend to score the majority of their runs. Modern aggressive players, such as Virender Sehwag, tend to prefer the V between point and third man

Wagon-wheel A circular graph or line-drawing depicting the region in which a batsman has scored his runs

Walk (To) The improbable act of a batsman giving himself out, without waiting for an umpire's decision. Adam Gilchrist, famously, did this against Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup. Mike Atherton, equally famously, did not at Trent Bridge in 1998, en route to a matchwinning 98 not out against South Africa

Wicket One of those ubiquitous words that is central to the game of cricket. The word can be used to describe the 22 yards between the stumps, the stumps collectively (bails included), the act of hitting these stumps and so dismissing the batsman, and perversely, the act of not being out (Gayle and Sarwan added 257 for the second wicket). Plus any other use you care to think of

Wide A delivery that pitches too far away from the batsman and so proves impossible to score off. The umpire will single this by stretching his arms out horizontally, an extra will be added to the total and the ball will be bowled again

Wrist spin The version of spin bowling in which the revolutions on the ball are imparted via a flick of the wrist, rather than a tweak of the fingers. As a general rule, a right-arm wristspinner's action turns the ball from leg to off (legspin) while a left-armer turns it from off to leg (see chinaman)

Wrong 'un Australian term for a googly - a legspinner's delivery that turns in the opposite direction, ie from off to leg

Yips A mental affliction that affects many sportsmen, particularly golfers and spin bowlers. It is a mindblock that can cause a player to forget the basics of his game, and in the most serious cases can force that player into early retirement

Yorker A full-pitched delivery that is aimed at the batsman's toes and/or the base of the stumps. If the ball is swinging, these can be the most lethal delivery in the game, as perfected by Waqar Younis in his pomp

Zooter A spin bowling variation, first devised by Shane Warne. This is a delivery that snakes out of the hand with little or no spin imparted, and so deceives through its very ordinariness. Some question whether the delivery has ever existed, for it could be another of Warne's mindgames to keep his opponents on their toes

 

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by PantherFan59
Tag failure

[RazorsEdge]

16 hours ago, PantherFan59 said:

Both Australia and New Zealand have lost key bowlers less than two full days into the 1st Test match in Perth.

Australia eventually bowled out for 416, thanks largely to Marnus Labuschagne making 143, which is his third Test century in a row (having made 185 and 162 in his only 2 innings against Pakistan). The Kiwis were hampered by a calf strain to Lockie Ferguson, who was replacing an injured Trent Boult.

New Zealand (as I type this) are 61/2 after Starc and Hazlewood each took wickets in their opening overs. However, Josh Hazlewood is unlikely to take any further part in the game, having strained his hamstring. Matthew Wade's already rolled his arm over (though he was bowling as quick as Tim Southee apparently), and I wouldn't be surprised if David Warner has to bowl some dodgy medium pacers if the Kiwis dig in.

Was watching with my old man and as soon as Hazlewood went off injured I said "Wade will be on to bowl soon."

Bit worrying as New Zealand are a really good side. I'm still not sold on day/night tests. The conditions change too much as evident in Mitchell Starc's ridiculous day/night average. Stoked for Labuschagne getting more runs and Head picking up a nice 50 (though he needs to stop playing stupid shots, he could've gone on to make a big score). Anything that keeps Khawaja and both Marsh's out of the team is fine by me.

[PantherFan22]

Travis Head needs to learn to convert his 50s into hundreds.. or bowl better off "spin" (be honest, he doesn't turn the ball)

Siddle into the squad for Boxing Day... and as a big James Pattinson mark, I think it might be time for Michael Neser to make his debut... he can bat, doesn't seem to be injury prone, and is a geniune swing bowler... our tail could average like 80 with the bat combined

[RazorsEdge]

1 hour ago, PantherFan59 said:

Travis Head needs to learn to convert his 50s into hundreds.. or bowl better off "spin" (be honest, he doesn't turn the ball)

Siddle into the squad for Boxing Day... and as a big James Pattinson mark, I think it might be time for Michael Neser to make his debut... he can bat, doesn't seem to be injury prone, and is a geniune swing bowler... our tail could average like 80 with the bat combined

Pattinson is great but that gives 3 really aggressive bowlers and no "Glenn McGrath" consistent style bowler like Hazlewood is, so logically Siddle would be his replacement. He's not a huge wicket taker anymore but he will literally bowl himself to death.

Head is someone that I very much see as a victim of T20 cricket. He's young and come through the ranks when T20 has been a big thing so he's got the mindset that he needs to attack each ball and I doubt his patience in test cricket. His bowling is useful however when he is only and off spinner and you have Labuschagne and Smith who can bowl leggies to complement Lyon's off spin I don't think he is a major requirement.

I would lean towards Siddle as Hazlewood's replacement and then dropping Neser in at no. 6 to replace Head as the all-rounder (though perhaps Head back for the Sydney test if the ball is going to turn). He reminds me of a bit of a quicker pace Ian Harvey type all-rounder and I think it would be interesting to see what he can bring to the team. With the tail wagging as well as it does it doesn't matter as much if he gets big scores as long as he can contribute handy 30-50 runs on occasion.

I think Australia's biggest worry right now is Tim Paine. There is no denying that he has been very important in seemingly changing the culture of the Australian cricket team but his batting form hasn't been good at all and he's only getting older. His natural successor is Alex Carey, who again like Head has been brought up with the T20 culture. I imagine Smith will be made captain again. People have said that Cummins should be captain, but to be honest is it really a good idea to ever have a full-time bowler as captain? 1. You run the risk of him over bowling himself and 2. he can't be rested.