Australia v India
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Yeah, I don't think it is such a big deal as it is a fifth day pitch, and Pant was back pretty quickly, but the crease - as he left it - was altered. I don't buy at all that Smith did it to help himself 'visualize', he stands in the crease first then rubs around on it on his way out. As Hesson mentioned, it seems he was just trying to cause a bit of 'mayhem', probably trying to get on Pant's nerves or something like that.
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But how would it cause mayhem? As Lemon's article outlines, the three main markings by the end of day 5 are so deep that you can't alter them without a shovel.
A number of people who have played with Smith have come out and said that he does this almost every break, it's incredibly common. He's a compulsive shadow batter, he does it in his hotel room, in the dressing room, in the shower. Marking centre is a part of that routine. It's weird but I just don't understand how it's anything nefarious.
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@barbarian it's mainly perception
when you've been in front of the world in tears because you're involved in something pretty ordinary. And your entire organisation has come out and said it needs to be better. And when you have been very very public about rebuilding your culture and moving the line back. And you are the most high profile player in the 2nd most high profile team in the world. Then you are going to be scrutinised like no one else.
Throw in the behaviour of your skipper (shit chat by the way) and suddenly all the public utterances look like bullshit. And you get a pile on.
throw in Smith is a weird fluffybunny and this is what you get
also, i've played a shit load of cricket. in club land anyone caught doing that would have resulted in a bit of a dust up.
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@mariner4life You also add in guys like Sehwag and Darren Gough opting for clickbait-esque statements and the fire is roaring before they are even off the ground.
I understand the pile-on. The Sydney test allowed the media (both here and abroad) to dust off three classic old chestnuts at once: the Aussie team are sledging, the Aussie crowd are racist and Smith is a cheat. Talk about an editors dream.
The real shame of it is it's overshadowed the most anticipated test on home soil in maybe a decade. When was the last time we had a genuine decider in a test series? I can't remember, maybe a game against South Africa?
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@barbarian agreed. Smith's actions were dickish, i don't give a fuck what Langer says, it was a dick move
BUT
it should not be the biggest thing to come out of what was a ripper of a game of test cricket. And as you say, sets up an amazing last test. It's such a pity the indian pace attack has been decimated, and Kohli isn't playing. I expect Aus to win just based on Bumrah now also being out.
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@mariner4life said in Australia v India:
expect Aus to win just based on Bumrah now also being out.
Got to wonder how many of these injuries are due to Covid bubbles etc. I think Mickey Arthur was saying words to that effect about his guys in SL
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@mariner4life said in Australia v India:
@barbarian agreed. Smith's actions were dickish, i don't give a fuck what Langer says, it was a dick move
BUT
it should not be the biggest thing to come out of what was a ripper of a game of test cricket. And as you say, sets up an amazing last test. It's such a pity the indian pace attack has been decimated, and Kohli isn't playing. I expect Aus to win just based on Bumrah now also being out.
Yeah but man this Indian side has some ticker. They are playing an uncapped pace attack (except Bumrah) on the most pace-friendly wickets in the world, and holding their own.
If Pucovski is fit enough to play, our batting line-up is looking more solid than it has this summer. We should be strong favourites, but I'm still far from confident.
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@mariner4life said in Australia v India:
@barbarian agreed. Smith's actions were dickish, i don't give a fuck what Langer says, it was a dick move
BUT
it should not be the biggest thing to come out of what was a ripper of a game of test cricket. And as you say, sets up an amazing last test. It's such a pity the indian pace attack has been decimated, and Kohli isn't playing. I expect Aus to win just based on Bumrah now also being out.
Well rightly or wrongly his actions in the past means anything he does, however innocuous, will be scrutinised far more than anyone else.
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Thinking more broadly, what is it about these on or off-field 'incidents' that we are so drawn to? It's not exclusive to cricket, but this test was a great example.
It was a genuine all-time effort from India on Day 5. So many different threads you could pull out of that match - Smith's return to form with the bat, the performances of young Pucovski and Green, the failure of Australia's bowling attack on day 5, the amazing innings of Pant, the batting of the injured Vihari, Pujara being Pujara, the return of Sharma, etc etc etc.
And yet discussion is dominated by a few incidents that, while unsavoury, had no real bearing on the game or series.
It reminds me a bit of the NBA, where so often the actual basketball is forgotten in all the trades and commentary.
This has been a gripping series from top to tail, but I can't help feeling like it has only grabbed the public's attention in the last 48 hours, all because of a few 'incidents'.
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@barbarian said in Australia v India:
Thinking more broadly, what is it about these on or off-field 'incidents' that we are so drawn to? It's not exclusive to cricket, but this test was a great example.
It was a genuine all-time effort from India on Day 5. So many different threads you could pull out of that match - Smith's return to form with the bat, the performances of young Pucovski and Green, the failure of Australia's bowling attack on day 5, the amazing innings of Pant, the batting of the injured Vihari, Pujara being Pujara, the return of Sharma, etc etc etc.
And yet discussion is dominated by a few incidents that, while unsavoury, had no real bearing on the game or series.
It reminds me a bit of the NBA, where so often the actual basketball is forgotten in all the trades and commentary.
This has been a gripping series from top to tail, but I can't help feeling like it has only grabbed the public's attention in the last 48 hours, all because of a few 'incidents'.
for the same reason that political discourse gets less and less civil all the time
a 24-hour media cycle and a LOT of people whose employment relies on people clicking shit. And most of those people have no actual insight in to anything, or, alternatively (and more scarily) are encouraged not to bother with insight.
Chuck in ex-players who love to comment and feel relevant and it's a beautiful fire of bullshit.
Many many more people are going to click on an article about Steve Smith "cheating" than about an indian player's return to form, or how they negated the Australian attack.
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@mariner4life said in Australia v India:
@barbarian agreed. Smith's actions were dickish, i don't give a fuck what Langer says, it was a dick move
BUT
it should not be the biggest thing to come out of what was a ripper of a game of test cricket. And as you say, sets up an amazing last test. It's such a pity the indian pace attack has been decimated, and Kohli isn't playing. I expect Aus to win just based on Bumrah now also being out.
Is he definitely out? I didn't know that. What a stinker!!
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@barbarian said in Australia v India:
A number of people who have played with Smith have come out and said that he does this almost every break, it's incredibly common. He's a compulsive shadow batter, he does it in his hotel room, in the dressing room, in the shower. Marking centre is a part of that routine. It's weird but I just don't understand how it's anything nefarious.
I hear people keep saying this but with TV production today if this was the case they could pull vision of these examples which are happening "every break" and "all the time". Fox has a relationship with CA and would have it out there stat if it existed.
It was absolutely a Day 5 desperation bit of gamesmanship - no big deal. Not since John Hopoate have I heard a less plausible explanation.
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@Snowy said in Australia v India:
@rotated said in Australia v India:
Not since John Hopoate have I heard a less plausible explanation.
I've got to ask - what was the explanation?
He was learning proctology?
He was giving them a 'wedgie' and it went wrong on three to five seperate occasions over a couple of rounds.
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@rotated said in Australia v India:
@Snowy said in Australia v India:
@rotated said in Australia v India:
Not since John Hopoate have I heard a less plausible explanation.
I've got to ask - what was the explanation?
He was learning proctology?
He was giving them a 'wedgie' and it went wrong on three to five seperate occasions over a couple of rounds.
He must have "misunderstood" what a wedgie is...
I'm not actually sure that there is a plausible excuse for sticking a finger up other players dates (not their girlfriends) on a rugby field. Is there? I have nothing, but you are a sick bunch so have a go.
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@Snowy said in Australia v India:
@rotated said in Australia v India:
@Snowy said in Australia v India:
@rotated said in Australia v India:
Not since John Hopoate have I heard a less plausible explanation.
I've got to ask - what was the explanation?
He was learning proctology?
He was giving them a 'wedgie' and it went wrong on three to five seperate occasions over a couple of rounds.
He must have "misunderstood" what a wedgie is...
I'm not actually sure that there is a plausible excuse for sticking a finger up other players dates (not their girlfriends) on a rugby field. Is there? I have nothing, but you are a sick bunch so have a go.
if you're playing in, say, Southland, it's really cold?
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@mariner4life said in Australia v India:
@Snowy said in Australia v India:
@rotated said in Australia v India:
@Snowy said in Australia v India:
@rotated said in Australia v India:
Not since John Hopoate have I heard a less plausible explanation.
I've got to ask - what was the explanation?
He was learning proctology?
He was giving them a 'wedgie' and it went wrong on three to five seperate occasions over a couple of rounds.
He must have "misunderstood" what a wedgie is...
I'm not actually sure that there is a plausible excuse for sticking a finger up other players dates (not their girlfriends) on a rugby field. Is there? I have nothing, but you are a sick bunch so have a go.
if you're playing in, say, Southland, it's really cold?
So thermal "recti" fication for the cold?
Still not really buying it. You being first to arrive with an excuse for anal probing isn't too much of a shock though. Kudos.
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@Snowy maybe John saw how Han stuffed Luke into a Tauntaun to warm him up? Just lucky for those other players that he only had a cold finger...
