Remember there used to be tour matches v State teams between Tests (where the Test bowlers definitely wouldn't play). Minimum of 9 days between tests, sometimes longer. Consider it's now Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test on Fri, next Test starts next Thurs.

Zef, I appreciate the short turnaround for this series.... but even then....  enforcing the follow on will usually result in a win within 4 days. That's the whole point of it - to give yourself the chance to definitely win.

Everyone keeps mentioning the Dravid-Laxman "miracle", but people need to understand it's a rarity - about as rare as The Don was. You cant bottle up a technically correct play due to a freak incident. On top of that, AUS could still have drawn that match but they bloody collapsed like a stack of cards.... everyone seems to forget how badly we played the 4th innings. For THAT batting lineup it was pretty disgraceful. 

You dont throw the baby along with the bath water...

If India win this test, its irrelevant what happens in Sydney - they retain the Border- Gavaskar cup. Kohli wants to win the series and so will not want to lose this or the next Test, but he strikes me as a daring captain which is refreshing. 

As I type this Marsh is out (surprise surprise) and AUS lose their 6th. It's almost inevitable for Kohli to not waste time batting.

The only other reason I can possibly think of is they are advised by the organizers and sponsors to make it last into day 5.....

Aussies now in deep trouble.
Their only hope now will be to make the next 140 runs and avoid the FO. Sitting their and not ticking the run rate will just play into Indias hands.

If the lead is only 300 and Kohli inexplicably decides to rest his bowlers and bats on.... they'll only hit another 100 odd runs and set the Aussies 400 odd to chase.

But even if Australia gets to within 230, Kohli will either have to spend more time posting an unsure winning score or if he sends the Aussies in again, we will have a better chance in giving them a chase and hopefully run out of time.

Holding the wicket here is just about the worst mentality here.....

Hahaha.... which mock said it would be a draw this test?

Fess up?


Dman’s best mates the Marsh Bros delivered their usual especially in time of need...

Run rate is the best its been all game since we got to the crease... It hasn't helped... Most of our wickets have been to aggressive strokes... I'd rather we were 2/100 after 40 instead of 6/130...

India batted us out of the game, they ensured they were the only team with a chance of winning, and we've played into their hands by not playing to the conditions against an in form attack...

There's more to kohli batting again than just resting his bowlers, its also about getting ours back out there, and ensuring they don't have to chase 100-150 batting last against the GOAT on this 5th day wicket...

Rain is a minor consideration at best at this stage of the game and series...

Not saying the follow won't work, but that doesn't mean batting again wont work either... Its just a matter of the level of  collateral damage asking your bowlers to toil away for a couple of hundred overs straight, cos I can tell you it won't have done our blokes any favours...

Disgraceful cricket, give up and go to Sydney now...  lololol....

Itll be OK... I'm sending boomerang man down there to see the M Bros now...

This is part of the problem with many of your conjectures... If you don't know you make stuff up that suits...

Virat has enforced the follow five times as captain so if anyone us likely he is... Trying to chase the stats on games, wins etc...

The only batsman who deserves a spot is Kawaja...the others are not worth a pinch of you know what....rarely do one day and 20/20 players have the ability to adapt to test cricket...get Dean Pay in there.

Marki gets another shot at an I told you so... Let's see if it works in his favour this year...
#prayforrain...

Very rare actually, there's Eden Gardens and Botham's miracle, the only two I know of. But both of them changes Test SERIES, Aus up 1-0 v India, India win 2-1. Aus up 1-0 v Eng into the 3rd Test, Eng win 3-1. When the follow-on f***'s up, it f***'s up big.

And consider it from the other side of the coin, how many teams have lost after NOT enforcing the follow-on - tell me when you find one. I did, SA v Aus 1949. And how many teams have NOT won (drawn) after NOT enforcing the follow-on? That I couldn't find but I know Aus has been doing it since Eden Gardens and I can't think of once they didn't get the win. I'd say it's been a 100% success rate for us.

Not enforcing is the percentage play.

Only instance of losing after not enforcing follow on is SA losing to Aus in 49-50... 
So while batting again doesn't ensure you win it, it all but ensures you don't lose it... Which is a nice platform to be working from...
Looking for stats on draws after not enforcing...

Markis not about the percentages... He'd have 17 Ben barbas if he could, or in this instance 11 maxwells...
He likes to win technically, and look flashy while doin it...
Marki, I bet you've never laid up, or played an iron off the tee on a par 5...

Head looks to have potential and should be given an extended run... Harris should stay for similar reasons at this stage...
Finch should bat 6 if at all...
But yeah.. We desperately need at least two if not all of the Carpenters back...

Well done Pat Cummins.... he is the teams all rounder without doubt!


We’re still fekked...

Deserved reward, he's been unlucky this series in the wickets column but looked most likely...

Sorry about that, I'm not sure It is all my doing.
Our batsmen made a lot of poor decisions and showed and judgement, they will get another chance 2nd innings, they need to be smarter, most are on thin ice in that regard. Another dumb error might ultimately cost them.
What is needed is to defend the good balls and score off the bad balls, don't take unnecessary risks trying to force the pace, but score when it is safe to do so.

That last part you are very wrong about.
I started playing golf with no woods. None for the first 10 years. Just couldn't hit the bloody things so I just teed off with a 3 iron instead.

F’king hell Finch..... just a terrible shot after surviving the previous ball appeal


Yet another sh1t shot

'm just going to leave this here and hope the mock kicks in...

How good are India.. Even helping select our 4th test team for us...
Selector "Mitch will be selected after our quicks had to bowl 4 days in a row, his bowling will be handy"...

So what in the hell do we do???... We just changed a winning side, leaving a bloke in that should never have been selected to open, dropping a bloke that probably deserved a bit longer, promoting a bloke that has failed to do the job in 10 previous incarnations...

Renshaw or Burns at 1, finch out... Or renno/burns in marsh out and finch to 6 with finch given the SL series to hold his spot...

Head and Harris get the SL series, then we reassess and see which if the three carpenters come back in for who...

How good a cricketer is Cummo...
His effort with the ball this series but this game in particular is as good an effort as I've seen..
His first innings display was one if brute force and stamina... 
Looks like he should bat 5 in this side too...

Just heard on ABC radio finchs last dozen shield games at 6 averaging 50 odd.. Joe burns last dozen games at opener averaging 50 odd...
Maybe its time Trevor H got his own hashtag...

The answer is somehow revamping Shield cricket, easier said than done and I don't know how - but it is the solution. Surely someone can figure out how to.

And I'd even go so far as to spend some of that BBL money on sponsoring our young best and brightest to get four day gigs anywhere on the planet they can. Buy them into England or India or Africa or anywhere else they can play 4 day cricket when we're not.

We've lost a generation of batsman who just can't set themselves to be there at the tea-break tomorrow. They want it all to happen today, think it's GOT to happen today.

Most of the so called experts and leaders  are looking more at how to make 1st class cricket abs even test cricket like bbl...  Day/night (great innocatiob)100 overs per side... 4 days... Coloured clothes... Amongst other ideas...

The players reflect the new target market, NOW, faster, more explosive, bat flips, finished yesterday, bails with lights, telling us they deserve a chance in the baggy green when averaging 36 in shield..... All show and no substance...

Cummins is out there, 8 for and 150 odd to get and he's thinking "I could win this."

4 Day Tests are coming, i reckon within the next 5-10 years. And it won't be 100 overs per inns. They'll try and get 100 overs per day, maybe even a bit more, 105 is technically only an extra hour per day.

So 4 day tests will  only be 30 overs short of a 5 day Test. And if they squeeze in an hour and half a day it'll be the same

You're absolutely right re the tests... The 100 over innings thing has been bandied around for shield...
Wonder what ℅ of tests have been won the last session???..

Re Cummings I'm a massive groupie...

This Pat Cummins reminds me of..... me!

Great with bat & ball



Can Pat Cummins play No.9 for us too?

Wonder how long before we start considering Cummins at 6. Freddy Flintoff did it for 3800 runs and 226 wickets. And there's a lot more wickets and maybe even runs in Cummins.

Once I would've been worried about his body, but he's grown into a war horse.