Jesus, this place is dead...

horace wrote:Meh. Sorry Comrade, down the beach later this am. No Net and Teslstra reception is poor. What a surprise!

Splitter ...

Well done, folks.

Over 100 posts today to allow us to avoid our 1st ever 3 figure posting month.

What?

I say what?

We're suckin' diesel here ...

And no, I don't mean ...

heard a terrible story about someone syphoning fuel out of a campervan and opening the toilet valve instead of the fuel cap  

left a really bad taste in his mouth

Hmmm ... Seems a bit of engrossing cricket has livened the joint up. With the Poms due a flogging in sheepville, there will be no wuzzes about the 1000 posts this month.

All is not lost, h. Jontyh returned overnight!!

Huzzah!

not so dead and many welcome returns

skully should be delighted - best posting month for well over a year

..... With only one or two there to sink the stilettos in...

As the old expression will be lazing back in his Ezy-Boy, feet uo, "SMOKING THE CHERRYWOOD"

lardbucket wrote:not so dead and many welcome returns

skully should be delighted - best posting month for well over a year

So Warner is good for something.

lardbucket wrote:not so dead and many welcome returns

skully should be delighted - best posting month for well over a year

I am and have stated so a few times.

We've roared past 2,600 posts this March which is the best result since November 2016 when we cracked 2,800.

With the ball tampering bubbling along and two Test matches starting tomorrow, there's every chance we might go close to that mark of of 17 month ago.

Plse - no more disasters.

Aye h. A shame that such shenanigans are needed to get this place humming.

horace wrote:

skully wrote:

skully wrote:Feb 18 looks like being the first month ever that doesn't attract 1000+ posts.

With 3 days left in Feeble-uary 18, this now looks guaranteed.

Aside from blaming you, it is interesting to ponder why.

The Pomgolians are barely competitive away from their tailored pitches. The lack of spark and prospects for the Poms and the Pig affair may have influenced Pom participation.

The Bannies are little better. Oz are woeful away from home.

The Yarps since the untimely death of Mynah have long had only one and a half fans here - Nigel and Nigelbee.

I think there is a bit of ennui about. T20 and relentless jamodis have dulled interest.

While I followed the Ashes very closely, I did not enjoy it. Smith and a couple of bowlers aside, the two teams represented the nadir of Test standards. That the Hollow Man made two tons was emblematic in the cheapening of the Ashes.

By and large this place is gentler than it has been. Why then? Is it FaecesBook? Is it the poor quality of international cricket?

Likewise horace, likewise. But what made it worse was we got well and truly mangled, at least you had the presumable joy of seeing us get splatted. I don't recall feeling much joy throughout the series such was the on-sidedness of it.

The cricket has generally been forgettable recently. So many one-sided series and matches (bouncebackability is in short supply, in either context - I never buy tickets beyond day 2 of a Test these days, as that’s usually the day when the outcome is decided).

I guess the drawback of faster paced, one-day/T20 influenced Test cricket is the art of fighting for a draw has been lost. And that’s half the game, really.

Of course England are more watchable in the shorter formats, but JAMODIs will always be JAMODIs...

beamer wrote:The cricket has generally been forgettable recently. So many one-sided series and matches (bouncebackability is in short supply, in either context - I never buy tickets beyond day 2 of a Test these days, as that’s usually the day when the outcome is decided).

I guess the drawback of faster paced, one-day/T20 influenced Test cricket is the art of fighting for a draw has been lost. And that’s half the game, really.

Of course England are more watchable in the shorter formats, but JAMODIs will always be JAMODIs...

To the first highlighted bit - I never buy any more just because of the ridiculous price. Test cricket in Egland is crazily expensive.

The second part - you're spot on. I posted a comment ages ago on that subject saying that given the propensity for players of this era to be seemingly lacking in the discipline to stick it out (or perhaps encouraged by management to play an attacking 'brand' - yuk - of cricket) that surely when you unearth the odd one who's happy to guts it out you put them in and keep them in. Haseeb Hameed for example. If you can find two grinders in your batting line up you'll frustrate the oppo's bowlers, who like their batting brethren are more and more used to the simpler version of 50 over and 20/20 fodder and lose the will to fight to get the wickets.

Our bowlers’ heads certainly drop when they have a wicketless session.

I do sometimes think we’d score more in Tests by putting the one day batting side in and slogging the crap out of it for 50 overs, though...

beamer wrote:Our bowlers’ heads certainly drop when they have a wicketless session.

I do sometimes think we’d score more in Tests by putting the one day batting side in and slogging the crap out of it for 50 overs, though...

Well given the frequency of our collapses I wouldn't mind a couple of changes.

Namely, Bairstow to be put up the order to 4 - he's surely a better bet than Vince and others that have had a go. Root should be 3. Bairstow should also be relieved of the gloves and Buttler should bedrafted in and given licence to attack at 7. Worth a look or folly?

Well, Bairstow obviously wants to keep, and Buttler’s barely played a red ball game the last couple of years. Still, anything’s worth a go...

If this had happened at the beginning of the month we'd smash 5k I reckon.

vilkrang wrote:If this had happened at the beginning of the month we'd smash 5k I reckon.

Nah, it's played out now. Everyone's had a cry, the violins have made an appearance - we've all moved on.

Dello wrote:

vilkrang wrote:If this had happened at the beginning of the month we'd smash 5k I reckon.

Nah, it's played out now. Everyone's had a cry, the violins have made an appearance - we've all moved on.

We're yet to formally hear from Davey Boy - I'm sure that'll prompt a few comments.