,http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/player/1072472.html


How on earth is this kid a test debutant? At all?

7 fc games, 17 wickets, at an appalling;y bad average of 37. Tail end bat. With a terrible tail end batting average.

Seriously. This is ridiculous. And a farce. Total farce.

Hasan Ali, Imran Khan, Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz if you must.... how on earth this person playing test cricket.

Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to watch much cricket so far today. 

Burns out early to the left armer swinging one away. 

I’m enjoying seeing two Pakistani bowlers bowling 140kph plus with old fashioned, side on actions looking behind the left arm shoulder and bowling arm when bowling. 

Naseem last Test, and Musa this Test, exemplify this type of bowler. 

Dont care how fast he is. He isnt in the top 20 seam bowlers in Pakistan domestic...

Its a farce.

I read it as enjoying seeing side on quicks instead of more front on pace bowlers. 

Good to see Labu continue good form in Australia after having success overseas. 

This is a big partnership of nearly 130 between him and Warner. 

Don’t know how Yasir Shah hasn’t taken a wicket? He has bowled with a lot of loop, dip and turn for a first day pitch. 

Warner and Marnus have put on a 150 plus stand. They’ve a few decent shots too. 

Where is the forum stalwart - Baggers? 

There is some slick running between the wickets between Labu  and Warner. 

What a difference a flat wicket and no Stuart Broad makes. 2nd ton on the trot. Well done, very good innings, if you're going to be a ftb might as well be a good one.

It's probably too early to say until aus have a bowl, it might be the pitch, but this pace attack looks pathetic. Not going to be able to rely on spin to give them a break either. Can't really set a field for this, they're going to all parts..

Go Marnus. What a find he has been.

In a short 14 months he has gone from a struggling state player to the top Test scorer for 2019. I stand corrected on that as it has yet to be confirmed. If so that is quite a jump. From just 10 matches he is now pushing @47. His FC average has gone from low @30s to almost @40. 

Hope this was just a really off day for Pakistan. Would like to see some sort of contest.

Totally agree. Pakistan are living in the past. Their glory days when they had kids the calibre of Imran, Wasim and Waqar.

Disagree on the glory days cos they were number 1 as late as 2016. And they were more than useful in 2010 before that spot fixing scandal. Asif is one of the best test bowlers ever. He averaged 24 with the ball at sr 48 between 2005 and 2010, when it was a batting era and then some.

They had a great run between that scandal till the retirements of YK, on of the world's best test batsmen ever and the every Misbah, a great captain, and excellent batsman, retired. Even with no Asif.

But this team is a farce of selections now. It really is. Its one thing for Inzi to pick his nephew, but why wreck the bowling unit.

I totally blame the selectors here. This is blatant and obvious to any cricket fan. It is a farce. They're not even close to selecting the best players in Pakistan and eligible - and ready - to play.

Their glory days when they had kids the calibre of Imran, Wasim and Waqar.
Talking purely of  bowling. Yes Amir looked to be special but he shot himself and his career in the foot. Reliving glory days by choosing kids not ready for FC cricket let alone Test. and hoping they are the next Imran, Wasim or Waqar.

I didnt say Amir, I said Asif :P

Asif never bowled real pace - he bowled a McGrath clone at low pace, nothing like Waqar, Wasim or Imran. 

I understand - you have no idea who I am talking about.

Imran was barely bowling much post Waqar debuting besides taking the new ball in Aus in late 1989/90, but he only took the new ball. By then his bowling was winding down. By 1990/91 - Imran was a batting allrounder. Imran and Mudussar (soon dropped or retired - cos he aint in the 1992 teams at all) were batting allrounders and Aaqib Javed was the number 3 seamer tbh. Imran and Waqar DO NOT SIGNIFICANTLY OVERLAP as bowlers at all.

Imran wasnt even good as  a kid. He was awful. And slow.  And dropped. He went to England learnt to bowl fast. A kiwi batsman taught him how to do it in league cricket. Then he learned reverse from Nawaz. Akram was found in a net session. Younis was from the system. And earnt his call up. Now - Akram you could say was lucky etc. But he is the only non system selection. And Imran saw something in him. 7 FC games for 17 wickets isn't anything. At all.

The pair has posted a new second wicket partnership record for Adelaide Oval, breaking the 275 added by Lindsay Hassett and Colin McDonald against South Africa in 1953. I understand they too now hold the new 2nd wicket partnership record against Pakistan beating Taylor/Langer.

Musa and Shah copped a real hammering. Musa.. specially looks way out of this league. He gave far too many runs to Warner specially to get him started after a cautious start. Shah probed away but Marnus and Warner had his measure. I liked their use of feet and crease to blunt his attack.

Sending them through chest high on the leg side wasn't much of a plan to Marnus either. Their other young bowler appears way better at this stage.Not much of a sample size though.

They had a graphic illustrating what Labuschagne chose to play/leave for balls around off stump. You could basically have drawn a line around fifth stump for the balls he left. Anything inside this he played. The sign of a top order batsman in form, though the ball wasn't moving much to cause him any doubts.

He said the ball seamed and swung around dusk with batting not all that easy. Looked composed to me. Some of his wristwork with those on side clips looked very sub continental..ala Steve Smith to be honest.

Fair enough, he would know better than I would. It wasn't obvious to me though. A little bit of swing and maybe a hint of seam very early on as you would expect, then "straight as", is what I watched. Very good batting conditions. Aided by some average bowling.

only saw the first session. Ball was probably as difficult as it was in england but a bit less accurate which let the pressure off

A rubbish declaration. Should have told Wade to keep him on strike and let him go the tonk. A 401* was in the offing. If he got out, declare then. Not very likely to be the difference in the match.

Good time to declare. 

Let Warner get the record, then disappear from the pitch. 

We should win this Test. 

Babar batting well against us under pressure. 

36 off 49 balls is good going chasing 500 plus. 

Loving the day/ night cricket. 

Easier to see the pink ball. 

This series dominance just confirms that we are superstars in our own country. 

And we can’t cut the mustard away from home. 

KW now we have a strong middle order.. Smithy and Labu we can expect to perform better overseas.. Marnus the Menace certainly looks a competent spin player.. his wristwork is almost subcontinetal.

You just lost to SA and India at home - tbh...

we just drew in England during an era where overseas victories are very difficult. Seems a bit harsh?

Are they? Your info is outdated I fear. According to whom?

NZ last won in UAE, drew in SL, drew in Eng, Eng won in SL, India wins in SL, SA won in Aus, SA won in NZ, India won in Aus, SL won in UAE... SL drew in WI, I can keep going. Pak drew their last 2 series in England.

The team with noticeable problems away still is Australia. SL and Bangladesh (draw salvaged) were embarrassing results, and Pak and Ind always seem to grind you  in Asia for the past decade. And its been 2001 since you won in Eng. Your last series win away was possibly NZ in 2015/16 and nothing of note before then since SA 2013/14 as the Windies were rubbish in 2014/2015. But other teams are not having this problem. Eng, SA, NZ, and Ind are having less issues away. SL swept the Saffirs - home and away. I never saw that coming. 

Yeah, Australia's away difficulties are more pronounced now given India, NZ, Eng, SA, and SL success away of late. It is literally just Aus not finding a way to win away of late.

I still think the English are as much home town bullies as Australia, though. But their victory in SL was planned, calculated and executed. But their loss in WI was hilarious.

Their seam bowlers are too Dukes reliant. But their 3 spinner strategy with debutant wicket keeper Ben Foakes caught SL on the hop.

SA - Eng could very well be the series of the summer if NZ make like normal and fall apart in front of an Australian cricket player. NZC just wilts in front of the Australian cricket badge post Hadlee and Crowe.

Warner is a superstar in Aus and not up to par abroad. 

At the same time credit to him breaking the record at 300 plus runs. 

he averages mid to high 30s overseas which is still pretty decent

30 is not pretty decent.. it is mediocre grazor. Warner has always been a home track bully. He was in white ball mode for most of his second 150. Congrats on his triple but to be honest the bowling was not up to Test standard. Their best bowler Shah poses little threat on our decks.. with slow turn and little bounce.

Warner’s average overseas must have dropped close to 30 after The Ashes tour. 

mid to high 30s is pretty decent overseas these days. It would be one of our best players

I've heard this view expressed about openers' averages being okay under 40, as a few runs on the board makes it so much easier for the number three, four, etcetera to follow. 

He's something of an Aussie version of Sehwag. A match winner who can take the game away in the right conditions. The rest of the time you just have to put up with it.

Should have told him to go t/20 mode until the break and reassess then (or declare when he got out). Would have been great to see the reaction of a 401 from his many "fans" lol. 

Screamer from Paine to dismiss Ifkithar off Starc! 

Pak 5-89!

Where are those knockers of Paine's keeping now. He still has it with the gloves does the old fella.

Starc the recipient of three very poor shots. If he is not mopping up cheap tail wickets he is getting gifts to lift his wicket tally. Meanwhile CA and the media are gushing all over him.

I wanna know where has the swinging pinkie gone.

Is this a question of Starc being a much better bowler in Aus than England? 

Hence, the domestic attention?

I know we've seen a lot of the likes  of Warner and Starc overseas, tempering our  judgement.

I seem to remember Starc bowling quite well in the Subcontinent, but I could be wrong. 

He did well in Aussie's disaster tour to SL in 2016. He kept attacking the stumps and went well. The rest of the team had a horror tour.

Starc is a real enigma. On song he can rip thru a side with sheer pace. Then he produces a spell where he has trouble landing the ball on the cut surface.. ala Mitch Johnson. Like Johnson he gets a lot of his wickets with bad balls but he can produce the unplayable spell that can net him a brace such as we saw in the first innings tho several of those were due to poor batting or rather impatient batting.

 I love watching Starc bowl. I always sense something exciting is going to happen when he is tossed the ball.

I heard he has the 2nd highest strike rate in history!

I’ve just read something like this for those who have taken 200 wickets. 

Now Rizwan caught by a regulation catch off Starc! 

Pak 6-89.

Paine catching another. 

Fancy Yasir Shah scoring a century, plus him and Abbas putting together a huge partnership do late in the Pakistani innings. 

Shows you how benign this deck is. About the flattest pink test pitch I can recall seeing.

Looks to have more life now with twilite here. Hazlewood.. specially looking good. Is back to his suffocating best after looking somewhat out of  rhythm in the first innings.
Smart captaincy by Paine enforcing the follow on and giving our quicks use of the dusk conditions. Those Paine haters can crawl back under their rocks.

There are always haters out there! 

Pakistan are now 8-280! 

Hostile, short pitched bowling from Cummins to dismiss Abbas and nearly getting Musa in the same over. 

Marnus just dropped his second easy catch of the day at bat pad off Lyon. Aussie fielding has been awful today with so many dropped catches. 

Musa just played a huge pull for 4 off a Cummins thunderbolt! 

I’m surprised Australia has enforced the follow on after struggling to take wickets today. 

The bowlers must be tired. 

DC..think about it. This is a pink test which usually means there is something for the quicks after dusk. Tim made the correct choice as he now has our quicks belting down a new cherry in the twilight hours. His decision has now been vindicated with three cheap wickets all from the moving ball. Hazlewood back to his best tonite.

I’ll bet Paine was disappointed it rained, Baggers! 

Those ideal conditions and the rain has intervened. 

3-39 means they only have three specialist batters to score 250 odd runs to make Aus bat again. 

Hazlewood bowled very tightly at times today too.

He was suffocating at times.Tough batting for Pakistan against this combo of him and Lyon.

Got to agree that Paine is a very good keeper (especially to spin) and Captain. Good batting average for a keeper also. A shame about the injuries or he might have had the keeping job many years ago. Not very good with drs though.

Not being brilliant with DRS is not sufficient reason to replace a captain doing well - surely? 

Who wants him replaced? Even if we did, we haven't got anyone near as good behind the stumps to replace him with. I just wish he would pass drs duties on to Smith or someone who is going to be realistic about it. I noticed when he sent a decision to drs the other day his tally at that time was something like 20 failures, 2 umpires call and 2 successes. That's ordinary lol.

Some on this forum have called for him to be replaced. 

They think he hasn’t made enough runs, even though he had the third highest batting average of any keeper a few Tests ago, and, he is easily the best keeper -and - captain. 

I’m now wondering if fatigue will be a factor if Australia struggles to remove a few early wickets playing during daylight on a good pitch? 

Pakistan have serious scoreboard pressure though. 

Question mate. Why did Paine lose the Tassie gloves. If you dont know ask one of the TCA boys.. Jack perhaps he will know. I am having a debate on WP and need to make a point about Timmy.

Which time? The Ben Dunk time, or the Matt Wade time?

Its normally about a lack of runs with Paine where he lost his entire spot in the team I imagine seeing as he only had one FC century before this season and that was scored before Darren  Lehmann's last.

Weird anyone would let Wade keep ahead of Paine, but he was the more recent/current test keeper at the time I guess?

Good point. They are after all in their second strait innings. I think Tim has handled his bowlers well. No long spells.. and time off while the slowies have their trundles. No doubt picking a fourth quick was needed.. but Tim was not to know that he'd be enforcing a follow on. 

The rain delay has meant the Aussie bowlers are toiling in the day, not the evening. 

The pitch is good too. 

I think there were good arguments either way, Baggers. 

You beauty! 

Asad caught at leg slip with the extra bounce of Lyon. One more wicket and we are into the tail or keeper. 

GOAT also has plenty of energy left. 

Pakistan still 132 behind our first innings total with only 5 wickets left. 

Interesting that GOAT is going around the wicket to the right handers. 

I wonder what the strategy is behind this move?

Labu could have just dropped a hard one at silly mid on! 

A good pressure over from GOAT in that last one.

I think he is getting good loop, dip and bounce. 

H is bowling some tight line and length too, Good bowling in partnership. 

Trailing by 99, could Pakistan put Aus under pressure if they managed a lead over 130? 

On TV they just showed how Josh H’s balls nearly all hit the same spot of good line and length about the size of a hanky against right handed batters.

Impressive! 

Send the clip to Mike.

Rizwan clean bowled Hazlewood. 

I think Rizwan played down the wrong line under lights. 

9-235 under lights with only 1 wicket to go playing against the new ball. 

I saw a little tail in DC. Beaut delivery. 
Lyon stole the quicks thunder. His 5 for came out of nowhere. Some poor execution and two clever balls.. specially the one that removed Yasir Shah.

Starc stole the first innings.. Hazlewood the second. Cummins a rather quiet game.

Now for the Black Caps in 10 days. Another day/niter me thinks.

There was some criticism of the pink ball from pace bowlers. They think it gets too soft too quickly and needs more work.

Do you think H bowled better than Lyon in the second dig, Baggers?

I definitely like the pink ball Tests and think if the ball is easy to play during daylight hours, it compensates by doing more at dusk.

Paine said he has difficulty not with direction, but depth of the pink ball when catching. He said the ball hits the gloves slower or quicker than he anticipates. He attributed the  pink ball's unique characteristics  to some of the dropped catches.

IMO the pink ball is a another variable just like  different types of pitches are prepared in different countries.