SECOND TEST: SABINA PARK

Okay, so the Test started last night. I've got excuses: I was in hospital, I had a back spasm, I got bitten by a dog, my tux didn't come back from the cleaners. 

Comments

[Tony Tea]

"Clarke has nicked off" - plus ca change.

[Carrot]

Clarke played some great shots yesterday. A couple of vintage cover drives and at least one pull shot in front of square that was so well-timed I wanted to get a room with it. In between that, he looked a bit scratchy. I wonder if he's as hungry as he was - there's probably not a lot that he hasn't done now, particularly after winning the World Cup. "Hunger" is often a mis-used term of course - I have no doubt that he THINKS he wants it and is still working and training just as hard and that will always count for quite a lot, but he reminds me a little bit of Mark Taylor before he went. Taylor was long past his form slump, and was still the same player, but in the end the lights sort of went out. Cricket's one of those sports where sometimes you don't have to worry too much about the spirit being willing and the flesh being weak but more the reverse.

An Ashes win in England might be worth aiming for, though - it remains to be seen how motivated he'll be for that.

Hope the back gets better soon, Tones.

[Carrot]

Poor ol' Steve Smith. Third Australian to be dismissed for 199. Jason Gillespie remains the last Australian to score a double-hundred away from home!

[Pat Hannagan]

Hazlewood's really getting them to jag back off the seam. Looks a difficult pitch to stay in on, just when you've settled one nips back a long way.

[Pat Hannagan]

The big one! Hazlewood's the epitome of persistence. Windies may not reach the follow-on now at 7/142. 10 minutes to play.

[Pat Hannagan]

Good review. Looked plumb on first look but inside edge. Studdsy still wicketless.

[Pat Hannagan]

Wow, Studdsy gets the edge on review. I have no idea how the Third Ump could tell if that was an edge without hot-spot.

[Pat Hannagan]

Watched Haddin's catch again on replay. That was a ballsy catch.

[m0nty]

By definition, a catch involves at least one ball.

[Tony Tea]

That catch would form a nice pair with his slow motion fumble stumping in the first Test.

[Pat Hannagan]

Saturday night looking forward to Friday from Kingston, Sabina Park, thingking of Engaland but first we gotr get through this swill and then we march on the dark streets of London.

[Pat Hannagan]

One for when we march on London and burn it down.

[Carrot]

After the way they played against England, I was looking for some better cricket than we've got from the West Indies. Unfortunately we haven't really got it - much though they avoided the follow-on, we're seeing mid-2000's West Indies instead of what we saw only a month or two ago. It's unfortunate that they haven't had their best team on the pitch, though. Samuels and Bishoo are both out for this Test, and Gayle (who said he would have played if fit) would have certainly done better than any of the kids have. Still, Holder has clearly been a find, as has Blackwood, and Taylor has been excellent. I'm still holding out for the fact that this team does represent an improvement - it would be fantastic to see the West Indies going the way of New Zealand.

[Tony Tea]

Two words: generous & declaration.

[Tony Tea]

Three words: because, he & can.

[Tony Tea]

What chance Michael Clarke would have been allowed to declare 24 hours early in a Test in Australia by the Valued Broadcast Partner?

[Big Ramifications]

I've got excuses: I was in hospital, I had a back spasm, I got bitten by a dog, my tux didn't come back from the cleaners.

I have not been here lately because I am gripped with anger and contempt.

[Carrot]

OK - more reasons why Jason Holder is becoming one of my favourite cricketers.

"I think they get tired at some stage. But there's always someone in your ear at some stage of the game. But I love it, that's cricket. I don't think it would be international cricket without it, it's something that should be done more often - obviously in a very discreet way - and I think that's part of the game and I look forward to it. There's always a chance for us to give it, and that's cricket, you give it and you get it."

[Carrot]

Re: the declaration - there should be more of it. The West Indies could well be rolled for 100 today, and us batting on and on and on would have been utterly boring and pointless. Ian Botham (someone for whom I'm having more time for as he gets older) has said many times that we need more meaningful cricket for the game to progress and this is a good example of what he means. If we were playing South Africa or England, or another team capable of occupying the crease we would have put on maybe another 100 or so, but really - if you concede 400 in the fourth innings to lose a match, you DESERVE to lose.

[Big Ramifications]

I have not been here lately because I am gripped with anger and contempt.

I actually wanted to say "I have not been here lately because a piece of hot pizza burnt my leg." I was sure I'd heard a story where Mick Nolan used that excuse to explain his absence from training one night. But when I Googled so I could add a link to my comment I had zero luck. I did find one – ONE – mention of the story in a comment on a footy forum, but it was attributed to Carl Ditterich.

The fair dinkum reason I have not been here lately is because I don't have Foxtel, the time zone of the West Indies, the shiteful ½ minute of highlights of the day's play on the nightly news, and an almost complete lack of buzz from the media or any of my buddies regarding this Test series.

[Carrot]

You should try some of the websites, Rammers. I use crictime.com most of the time, but there's also watchcricket.com and others, all found with a quick google search and much easier to find these days than previously. They're not the most reputable sites and you'll have to dodge your fair share of pop-ups, but none of my tech has been compromised from using them as far as I can tell. You'll need to download Skyfire to view them if you're on an Apple machine as they don't have Flash players, but that's easily done. You should be able to view them pretty easily through your browser on a pc though, which is where I get the best results.

[lou]

I use crictime too.

And I also like Jason Holder. He barely seems like a modern West Indian cricketer, he's got such a good temperament and obviously, a real desire to play for the test team.

I wonder how long it will take their crappy board to burn him out and send him off seeking short form riches.

[philsgone]

Been away for a couple of weeks so missd the windies fun. All I can say is look out England Mr Smith goes to Cardiff, London, Birmingham, Nottingham and London. Will he be the new Doug Walters or Don Bradman. Flawed technique or genius, staytuned