Indian press: we don't deserve to be ranked #1

Dello wrote:

taipan wrote:Um not for some time actually. And possibly not in tests. The quota definately screwed up the balance at the WC though.

At least our selectors have an excuse, what was your selectors excuse?

Ashley Giles.

Which, as excuses go, is the unbeatable top trump.

Is Giles still in place?

Henry wrote:And Indian mate of mine listed and lamented all the things that were wrong with the current Indian team. I agreed with him and added a few more things and he started getting all defensive and attacking me for it! So very FB.......

He was probably put off by your opening line, "It's been a bad few days for subcontinental people".

taipan wrote:

Dello wrote:

taipan wrote:Um not for some time actually. And possibly not in tests. The quota definately screwed up the balance at the WC though.

At least our selectors have an excuse, what was your selectors excuse?

Ashley Giles.

Which, as excuses go, is the unbeatable top trump.

Is Giles still in place?

As immovable as ever.

.

Henry wrote:
And yet you are often so quick to blame South Africa's failures on team selection.......

YES!

Brass Monkey wrote:

Henry wrote:
And yet you are often so quick to blame South Africa's failures on team selection.......

YES!

See my reply.

JKLever wrote:As an aside, on the Indian press/commentators - I find them utterly bizarre. Very touchy and precious and utterly lacking in humour unless you're telling them how good they are.

Shastris rant at Hussain, Gavaskar telling Laxman to sue Vaughan over his vaseline joke, not getting a sarcastic piece in the Guardian which detailed 5 reasons why Sachin was rubbish really (including because he hadn't been picked in an Ashes series) - this made TV in India apparently.

Absolute crybabies. The immaturity is quite astounding at times. I must admit, I'm loving beating them currently.

Brass Monkey wrote:

JKLever wrote:As an aside, on the Indian press/commentators - I find them utterly bizarre. Very touchy and precious and utterly lacking in humour unless you're telling them how good they are.

Shastris rant at Hussain, Gavaskar telling Laxman to sue Vaughan over his vaseline joke, not getting a sarcastic piece in the Guardian which detailed 5 reasons why Sachin was rubbish really (including because he hadn't been picked in an Ashes series) - this made TV in India apparently.

Absolute crybabies. The immaturity is quite astounding at times. I must admit, I'm loving beating them currently.

The only thing that makes it more fun is when they start warming up the plane engines.

taipan wrote:
See my reply.

What, not recently?

You're right.

Still, considering SA haven't played for ages.........

Not for Tests? Boo-tiddly-hockey-key-key-key......

WC? WGAF?

Brass Monkey wrote:

JKLever wrote:As an aside, on the Indian press/commentators - I find them utterly bizarre. Very touchy and precious and utterly lacking in humour unless you're telling them how good they are.

Shastris rant at Hussain, Gavaskar telling Laxman to sue Vaughan over his vaseline joke, not getting a sarcastic piece in the Guardian which detailed 5 reasons why Sachin was rubbish really (including because he hadn't been picked in an Ashes series) - this made TV in India apparently.

Absolute crybabies. The immaturity is quite astounding at times. I must admit, I'm loving beating them currently.

Oh yeah? You and whose army?

taipan wrote:
The only thing that makes it more fun is when they start warming up the plane engines.

Not sure! They think they 'won' that little incident. And NOT ONLY do they think they won it for India, but they think they won it for THE REST OF THE WORLD. They think CRICKET was the winner that day.

PeterCS wrote:
Oh yeah? You and whose army?

Tubeway Army.

New Model Army.

Army Of Salami.

Take yer fookin pick, lass.

Brass Monkey wrote:
WC? WGAF?

Exactly.

Brass Monkey wrote:

taipan wrote:
The only thing that makes it more fun is when they start warming up the plane engines.

Not sure! They think they 'won' that little incident. And NOT ONLY do they think they won it for India, but they think they won it for THE REST OF THE WORLD. They think CRICKET was the winner that day.

They did the same in SA and got a "win"

Henry wrote:

taipan wrote:

Henry wrote:

taipan wrote:

Henry wrote:It's ALWAYS mental with South Africa. Simply can't seize the big moments. As has been mentioned, on paper they are streets ahead of any other side.

Yeah Trev, another poor wind up.

Ask the Aussies how they feel about Perth and the MCG on the last tour.

Yep, you played well there. In both those games you were pretty much down and out, which I think freed the players up to just play naturally and not worry about the result.

England have it all over you guys mentally, though. You've gotta admit that.

Um. no. As it stands we have the win in England and you have the lucky draw here.

You mean the series win you guys got in England when we were so f*cked up we selected Darren Pattinson and our captain resigned in tears, and the series in South Africa where (familiarly) you had us down and out, but were unable to land the killer blow?

Oh, and let's not mention the World Cup, shall we.......

To be fair, the captain resigned in tears after the series and lost and partly because he was batting like a deer caught in headlights against Steyn and co.

England certainly has improved since then but SA were a bee's appendage away from winning that series 3-1. Additonally Steyn missed the first test and was underdone in the second and Ntini seemed to be only picked on sentiment for the first two tests.

England if anything, looks more fully-rounded than SA but Tahir may prove to be the key. At times they've struggled to polish off the tail because Harris is only there to bowl defensively and allow the seamers to be rotated.

Back on the current series, it is funny to see some petulant Indian reaction. There was nothing like Air India warming up in the background to the imbroglio over the Symonds/Harbi incident and their stubborness re. Bucknor.

Red wrote:

Henry wrote:

taipan wrote:

Henry wrote:

taipan wrote:

Henry wrote:It's ALWAYS mental with South Africa. Simply can't seize the big moments. As has been mentioned, on paper they are streets ahead of any other side.

Yeah Trev, another poor wind up.

Ask the Aussies how they feel about Perth and the MCG on the last tour.

Yep, you played well there. In both those games you were pretty much down and out, which I think freed the players up to just play naturally and not worry about the result.

England have it all over you guys mentally, though. You've gotta admit that.

Um. no. As it stands we have the win in England and you have the lucky draw here.

You mean the series win you guys got in England when we were so f*cked up we selected Darren Pattinson and our captain resigned in tears, and the series in South Africa where (familiarly) you had us down and out, but were unable to land the killer blow?

Oh, and let's not mention the World Cup, shall we.......

To be fair, the captain resigned in tears after the series and lost and partly because he was batting like a deer caught in headlights against Steyn and co.

England certainly has improved since then but SA were a bee's appendage away from winning that series 3-1. Additonally Steyn missed the first test and was underdone in the second and Ntini seemed to be only picked on sentiment for the first two tests.

England if anything, looks more fully-rounded than SA but Tahir may prove to be the key. At times they've struggled to polish off the tail because Harris is only there to bowl defensively and allow the seamers to be rotated.

Back on the current series, it is funny to see some petulant Indian reaction. There was nothing like Air India warming up in the background to the imbroglio over the Symonds/Harbi incident and their stubborness re. Bucknor.

Vaughan stepped down during the series.

And will we get the hat trick and finish Strauss off next year.

Should be a good dust up that - looking forward to the Saffers coming over!

Might you make it over for a test or two, Taips?

Jontyh wrote:Might you make it over for a test or two, Taips?

Was actually looking at next year Jonts, but the old finances have taken a bit of a knock recently.

personally I think the saffies are ahead of the rest, followed by the Poms, Bannies, Lankans, Oz/WI, snoozies

The Bannies are paying the penalty for cheaping Test cricket and for doctoring their pitches to suit their team. They appear incapable of offering decent resistance to half capable teams in away series...particulalrly on pitches that reflect local conditions (eg trent Bridge)

taipan wrote:

Jontyh wrote:Might you make it over for a test or two, Taips?

Was actually looking at next year Jonts, but the old finances have taken a bit of a knock recently.

Along with the motor?

Jontyh wrote:

taipan wrote:

Jontyh wrote:Might you make it over for a test or two, Taips?

Was actually looking at next year Jonts, but the old finances have taken a bit of a knock recently.

Along with the motor?

Yeah, the excess was pricy on that. And then lost a tyre to a pot hole. 2 kids in uni.

Yeah - the lads in Uni must be a killer. I've got that to come in a couple of years so I'm saving up now!