Cricket

extraordinary stuff from NZ here

I need to be up in <5 hours, but I can't look away. This is seriously incredible sport

Quite possibly the best innings I've ever seen. And he's back tomorrow!

281*, amazing!

Choice!

I note it failed to knock off the main story on a Cricinfo: what Michael Holding thinks about Mitch.

~BIG THREE CONSPIRACY~

did i ever mention that sportspeople retweeting their fans' obsequy gets on my wick

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhPK4uPCMAIp9i3.jpg

if that turns out to be Rhino's last match, then what a way to go!

amazing. I was sure they were cooked after the philander reversal.

http://feministafridi.tumblr.com/

http://feministafridi.tumblr.com/image/40954035443

oh my god

cricket eh? fuckin' hell

c'mon Darren

lol well done England

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/mar/18/south-australia-bowler-banned-over-penis-graffiti

https://twitter.com/PaulAmy375/status/445751337163034625/photo/1

oh England

the perfect end to a perfect winter

:D

Quick someone arrange a Scotland v England match, any format

"The real reason the Ramayana is considered [more] boring than the Mahabharata is that India and Sri Lanka met in the final there too." - @krtgrphr

alternativecricket.com is the best

cheating cnuts

shocking sportsmanship there. the test series is going to be tasty now. Wish we had a 100mph bowler to knock their heads off

Jonathan Agnew, BBC Test Match Special

On Twitter: Shocking to see that on a cricket field. Buttler was not attempting to steal a run, and there was no warning. Contravenes spirit of cricket.

Jonathan Agnew, BBC Test Match SpecialButtler run-out reaction

"Where the law was once you entered a delivery stride you can't run somebody out, it's been changed. You can't do it at the completion of your delivery swing. Whether it's in the law or not, it depends how you want to play your cricket.

"It doesn't happen very often because it's not in the spirit of the game, unless someone is trying to dash out of his crease all the time. I didn't think Buttler was doing that. It's a shame. These things do have a lasting impact.

all by a bowler with a dodgy possibly illegal action too.

the last line is by me btw

come on lj and play devils advocate we all know you want to

sri lanka can say they did everything within the rules of the game and were entitled to do it but they cannot justify it as being in the spirit of cricket.

I am ok with it. If you don't want to get run out, stay behind the crease. If you are out of your crease and not trying to get an advantage, what are you doing?

Alec Stewart:

"First of all it's not ideal. With the laws of the game as they are Sri Lanka are entitled to appeal. They warned Buttler. Buttler did exactly the same thing again. Senanayake is allowed to do that and [captain Angelo] Mathews is allowed to uphold the decision. We don't like to see that, but why have that law when it can't be used. The law needs to change so there is something else instead of a consequence of being run out, or you can just put up with it."

Warning is key here.

SV otm, but Senanayake is a bastard

"spirit of the game" is the last refuge of a scoundrel tbh

Agnew is a pompous ass and whatevs to the spirit of the game (it's whatever people make of it at the time), but Buttler was pretty unlucky. A team mate got Mankaded in a Sunday pub cricket game I was playing in a few years ago, we were not happy.

Unfair to call someone a cheat when they were acting within the laws and the regulations of the game IMO, and his action and potential problems with it are irrelevant.

whatever you call it its pretty shitty. And the fact is never happens when it could happen in every innings shows its not on. He was barely out of his crease he wasnt gainhing any advantage. as bumble says, he was dozy.

does it show it's "not on"? I'm not sure myself. He had been warned as well.

sri lanka won anyway. spoiled the series really as an extra 30 runs could have made it exciting. It will mask cooks shitty captaincy too

wonder what cook and moores brave new dawn will be. so far its same old minus kp. Wonder if buttler will get the nod over prior? Prior has done nothing to deserve a recall so far.

plus who will open? its just gonna be pretty much the same losers in the team from the ashes whitewash innit?

"Is it Right to Mankad?"

1. I accept that not all laws are perfect, but it seems necessary that the batsman isn't allowed to 'steal a base' without the risk of being run out.

2. "But Alt, he was only two inches out of his crease?"

Well, then he was run out by two inches. You never heard Inzamam say to the third umpire "I was only two inches out, I'll be quicker next time!"

3. The bowler was acting "against the Spirit of Cricket."

This is not true. It's such an absurd point, that if you truly believe this, just press that hard reset button in your cranium and try this again tomorrow.

Let's not forget that Senanayake warned Buttler TWICE, even though he wasn't obliged to do so. He was, in fact, overly polite.

4. Note that the strong anti-Senanayake opinions on this one seem to be emanating from English journalists. They like to stoke jingoistic fires, because it suits their agenda - stay chummy with Team England to get the insider leaks, and have an angle to write about in tomorrow's papers.

Nobody would have read a column about a comfortable chase of 220!

Many journalists are guilty of doing this for their respective countries (just look at the outrage generated by Broad's comments to Ajmal last week - it was played out as England bullying the colonies!)

5. Coverage has been 90% on Senanayake, 10% on Buttler. If Buttler hadn't dozed off, England would have likely reached close to 250, which might have been a winning score on this pitch.

Yet, at the end of the match, Cook was disdainful towards Angelo Mathews. Mate, you should be annoyed with your shitshow of a team!

***

As ever, I welcome your comments. First one to claim that I'm 'anti-English' wins a prize.

***

See previous post for full laws on Mankading.

He's anti-English, but some of those points see valid.

AG, Cook captained well last night with the bowlers, it was the selection and batting that was the problem.

I was either which way on the mankading but agnew's pompous attitude pissed me off so much that I'd laugh like a drain if it happened again in the tests or he periodically threatened to do it thus disrupting the flow of the game. the wounded outrage that the spirit of the game has been violated feels laughable.

tho a more sober analysis might say that cricket is partly entertaining by constantly edging notions of fairness against strict legality. we like fretting about such stuff and players partly define themselves by and against it.

so the brave new dawn of English cricket is Stokes dropped for not playing enough, matt prior is in despite only having kept once? (he certainly hasn't earned his place back) work that one out.
no spinners and instead 2 part time spinners.
Jordan & Robson is interesting though.

Alastair Cook (Essex), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Matt Prior (Sussex), Sam Robson (Middlesex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

Plunkett seems like a good pick to me, though I will say again "Onions". I think they were always going to go for Prior, but I agree that his match fitness is a concern.

Onions has been injured. I'd have gone for the in-form Jack Brooks as reserve bowler.

Also a bit sad that Samit Patel's astounding form isn't enough.

Hope Robson gets out for 0 in every innings he plays for England (double-standards with KP? Yes. I make no apology)

ah I didn't realise that re. Onions. I agree about Samit, he could have had 5 centuries already this season and having him as a left arm spin option would be handy. Fated to only play on the subcontinent perhaps.

Why the Robson hate?

Robson has already played age-group cricket for Australia, and unlike, say, KP, he's not come over for (admittedly half-baked) ideological reasons, and he isn't a player of rare and explosive talent. He's a solid opener who's managed to get international cricket in the only side (of the two) which would have picked him. If the Australian selectors were in charge of the England team, I'm certain Lyth would be in right now

It's mostly because he's Australian, tbf

fair enough, though it's interesting that the other two new picks are "Empire" picks, Jordan and Moeen. Nationality is a slippery thing! I would probably have gone with Compton or Carberry myself, but then I'm a stick in the mud.

moeen ali was born in birmingham you fucking idiot