So basically this Ashes series has been won

By the only genuinely test cricketer on either side.

Steve Smith

hasn't been won yet

and what of Stokes, Root, Cummins, Hazlewood?

taipan wrote:By the only genuinely test cricketer on either side.

Steve Smith

And the best bowling attack in the world.

lardbucket wrote:hasn't been won yet

and what of Stokes, Root, Cummins, Hazlewood?

It’s basically done by lunch.

Which one of those would you pick in an ATG team?

taipan wrote:

lardbucket wrote:hasn't been won yet

and what of Stokes, Root, Cummins, Hazlewood?

It’s basically done by lunch.

Which one of those would you pick in an ATG team?

Is that the benchmark of a "genuinely (sic) test cricketer" now?

Dello wrote:

taipan wrote:

lardbucket wrote:hasn't been won yet

and what of Stokes, Root, Cummins, Hazlewood?

It’s basically done by lunch.

Which one of those would you pick in an ATG team?

Is that the benchmark of a "genuinely (sic) test cricketer" now?

Maybe, or maybe not. Given Smith’s average he has a call to make an ATG Aussie team.

I haven’t seen anyone else from either team that makes that call.

A team can be formidable in Test cricket without having ATGs. India and NZ strike me as terrific teams.

Only Williamson and Kohli would be walk up starts as ATGs for their countries. Bumrah has commenced his career with a massive bang and Pujara may end his career very highly ranked.

Australia and England are evenly matched with  some very good players in each team. They are playing at a standard reflecting their current rankings in Test cricket. Neither are great shakes and this maybe why class players like Stokes, Broad, Cummins and obviously Smith stand out.

horace wrote:A team can be formidable in Test cricket without having ATGs. India and NZ strike me as terrific teams.

Only Williamson and Kohli would be walk up starts as ATGs for their countries. Bumrah has commenced his career with a massive bang and Pujara may end his career very highly ranked.

Australia and England are evenly matched with  some very good players in each team. They are playing at a standard reflecting their current rankings in Test cricket. Neither are great shakes and this maybe why class players like Stokes, Broad, Cummins and obviously Smith stand out.

Which shows exactly why test cricket is so poor in the present time. Rewind 10 to 15 years ago and see the quality of the players.

India alone had the likes of SRT, VVS, Dravid, Kumble, Sehwag.

Even WI had the likes of Lara, Gayle and Chanderpaul.

That’s before we touch England, SA and Aus.

#testcricketincrisis

Don't know if it is in crisis. Certainly WI, England and Australia are at low points. India and NZ are at highs. SA still has a decent attack but its batting is mediocre.

The whole SA team is mediocre.

Standards have dropped

taipan wrote:The whole SA team is mediocre.

Standards have dropped

Time for Faff to move on?

I suppose there is a case for him to stay a little longer given the retirements of other stalwarts.

horace wrote:

taipan wrote:The whole SA team is mediocre.

Standards have dropped

Time for Faff to move on?

I suppose there is a case for him to stay a little longer given the retirements of other stalwarts.

Faf would walk into either the English or Aus teams in the current series

Possibly. That is not a vote of confidence in the Faffer. Do you hold him partly responsible for the decline in SA standards?

No, it is a vote of no confidence in the ability of the top order of both sides in the current series.

There is no point in me discussing the standard of SA cricket on this forum

I do think we are in a bit of a golden period for fast bowling which is ruthlessly taking advantage of the era of White ball raised batsmen.

JGK wrote:I do think we are in a bit of a golden period for fast bowling which is ruthlessly taking advantage of the era of White ball raised batsmen.

Fair point. Pujara stands out as a red ball batsman. Our quicks had few answers against his batting last summer.

JGK wrote:I do think we are in a bit of a golden period for fast bowling which is ruthlessly taking advantage of the era of White ball raised batsmen.

Sage as a sagey sage thing dripping with sagacity.

JGK wrote:I do think we are in a bit of a golden period for fast bowling which is ruthlessly taking advantage of the era of White ball raised batsmen.

And long may it remain so.

skully wrote:

JGK wrote:I do think we are in a bit of a golden period for fast bowling which is ruthlessly taking advantage of the era of White ball raised batsmen.

Sage as a sagey sage thing dripping with sagacity.

Seconded and thirded.

taipan wrote:By the only genuinely test cricketer on either side.

Steve Smith

Aye, if only we had a Test class fast bowler, not just the current pie throwers.

Has anyone seen taipan and Red in the same room at the same time?

'It's basically done by lunch'.

Nope. Still hasn't been won, and may not be.

lardbucket wrote:Has anyone seen taipan and Red in the same room at the same time?

Red is not churlish.

For ages I thought Merlin and Taipan were one and the same. I then realised Merlin had a sense of humour when he had not consumed a dozen pink gins.

lardbucket wrote:

taipan wrote:By the only genuinely test cricketer on either side.

Steve Smith

Aye, if only we had a Test class fast bowler, not just the current pie throwers.