WI v India in Caribbean, June 2011

Hello Everyone

It starts with a T20 tomorrow.

Regards

Fromage

Wahey, I can't wait.

In a display of rare sanity, Foxy is showing the Test from Engulund live tonight but only giving a highlights package for the T20 pap (played tonight Aus time - 6 hours from now) tomoz arvo. Is the tide turning?

paupers. we get every international match live on the telly

highlights for a t20 match

Seems that frikkin red button has caught me out again. Nothing on the Foxy website about Live coverage of the T20, but the Chief has just been surfing around and found that Fox 2 is covering 2 Leeeg games, the 2nd Test from England AND the T20 from the Caribbean on the one channel (via the red button). FFS, I don't think I could be arsed.

India win by 16. All was a bit sub-standard.

Whilst the WICB are busy trying to end the careers of Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul, they are completely ignoring our groundsmen who have prepared raging turners even though management requested pace and bounce and the touring sides are both from the subcontinent.

Terrific stuff....

Aye, Wiffy, what's the world coming too?

Honestly speaking, considering the surplus FTBs and potential FTBs we're carrying on the tour, I'd have preferred pitches with pace and bounce as well.

The Windies continue to shoot themselves in the foot. They've dropped their most promising young batsmen (Darren Bravo) and prepared a spinning track.

Why? I mean......f*cking why?

Amit Mishra is such a great bowler to watch. Classic big turning (was turning it square today both sides) leg spinner with all variations. Frustrating to see him bring back so little for so much talent. Akash Chopra thinks it's because he turns it too much and needs to control the degree of turn he wants with every ball. Hope he figures it out, because I have no doubt he'd be the most useful in all conditions of all the present spin choices we have.

He did well today.

Saw a picture of Kohli without a helmet or cap.

How many spinners did Windies play?

So only Bishoo and Martin?!?!

Still no Gavin Wallace, or Jaggarnauth.

Has Benn fallen off the face of the earth?

What a desperate and disappointing time to be a cricket fan. Especially if you're WI or Pakistani, or neutral.

FWIW, India definitely need to get rid of Butterfinger Parthiv and bury him once and for all. I've stopped counting the dropped catches, conceded byes and missed stumping chances. He may be an acceptable batter bur his primary job is to wk. Both, Saha for Parthiv and Manoj Tiwary for Pathan, must get a look in. Rohit Sharma is an acceptable part-time spinner to replace Yusuf, who, however, has the luck of getting wickets off rank long hops.

furriner wrote:He did well today.

Yup. But got 3/4 wicket in the last 2 overs. Was almost unplayable the whole innings. Beat the bat umpteen times.

mirchy wrote:FWIW, India definitely need to get rid of Butterfinger Parthiv and bury him once and for all. I've stopped counting the dropped catches, conceded byes and missed stumping chances. He may be an acceptable batter bur his primary job is to wk. Both, Saha for Parthiv and Manoj Tiwary for Pathan, must get a look in. Rohit Sharma is an acceptable part-time spinner to replace Yusuf, who, however, has the luck of getting wickets off rank long hops.

I wouldn't drop Pathan, not yet. In fact I want to see him get several games up the order, at #4 or #5.

I want to see if this fella has the potential to be a reliable and explosive and batsman for India who can become a strong part of our one day line up, or whether he is just a hack good for 20:20 and some ODIs. I think it's a gamble worth taking.

As a wk he doesn't stand a chance once Dhoni is back - not even as a second in line. As just a middle order batsman, Parthiv, IMO, can't match up to those waiting in line down the order. He'd have to outplay one of Yuvraj, Rohit, Raina, Manoj Tiwary, Pathan and a few others that seem to have better credentials. Don't forget that with the exception of Tiwary all the others are parttime spinners as well. Even in a second-string India team Saha would probably outkeep him any day. I guess it was the injury ridden Indian team, especially adequate replacements for the two opening slots that brought him into contention for the WI tour. I'm guessing Saha will be picked for the England tour.

Keep an eye on Parthiv the next time you see him keep. He gets up far too soon AND he doesn't keep his eye on the ball. Some of the wide fours would easily have been retrieved by almost any other keeper. Just a few observations, that's all.

If you were addressing me, I was speaking about Pathan not Parthiv.

Parthiv won't hack it, IMO. Not a good enough keeper, not an outstanding enough batsman.

My apologies. I misread. Yes I did think you were talking about Parthiv Patel.

ffs! even zaheer has pulled out of the tests in the windies, along with appam chutiya

replacements are praveen kumar and mithun. the former is certainly not test class

as for pathan, in his 50-odd odi career he has played a significant hand in only 4-5. unless he is a 10 overs for 45 kind of bowler match after match thats a poor conversion rate

I'm touting Pathan because of the possibilities. Right now in the ODI game we have space to develop a murderous striker who is consistent. The rewards would be huge, the risks minimal for now (we have players- for now- who can take the pressure off, from SRT to Dhoni and Yuvraj).

So if there is a 5% chance that Pathan can become a mini Sehwag down the order, I would invest there, than in a 50% probability that we will create another nurdler or mediocrity somewhere else, Parthiv/ Dhawan et al.

Mind you, I'm not all that impressed with Pathan either, but it's all in the possibilities.

Man, Pathan's striking is astonishing. He needs to be batting at 5 and giving himself 20 balls to get his eye in. There's four years until the next WC. WGAF what any of the teams do now.

I seriously hope West Indies win the test series. It'll be truly deserved because of an Indian team/board arrogant enough to underestimate their opponents. This, "resting" or "withdrawing" of players is unusual.

One can only hope WI prepare fast pitches and not the ripping turners that were used in the ODI series.

Any apparent arrogance from India will be outdone by the Windies ability to shoot themselves in the foot.