Will Australia keep the pressure on with a dead rubber? 

We had better. Have a habit of losing dead rubbers.

I’m hoping that with every Test counting towards a Championship culminating in a final, there will be incentive to perform. 

You can bet we will wanna get every last WTC bonus point to not let India get any further ahead of us. 

I'm really worried about extreme temperatures and smoke haze, Baggers.

Aren't we all DC. Inhalation of fine smoke particles can cause breathing difficulties in some. I read that prolonged exposure to smoke haze is equal to smoking 50 ciggies. That is not good. These fires are killing our people and they dont even know it.

I'm amazed we are second ranked ATM.

There was an article in today's Murdoch tabloid suggesting that Paine's captaincy is a new recent high for a leader, given where we were in SA when he took over as captain  and where we are now.

Again he has the third highest batting average of 32 for any Aus keeper - 1 behind Haddin and daylight behind Gilchrist. The article also claimed how  slick he was  compared to Watling staring up close  to the stumps , with two slick stumpings and some superb catching.

After 30 Tests Paine has 131 dismissals - the most in Test history for a keeper  after 30 Tests.

I don't think it will have any  influence on the haters on Whirlpool though. Sadly, i think  this phenomenon occurs with  groups  who band to getherr to vilify some sportspeople.

The fact Paine has a Test batting average of 32 after 30 Tests, whilst Marsh and  Healy have an average of 28, and Paine has accrued 131 dismissals after 30 Tests, captained the side to success and has regained the Aus public's respect is remarkable.

The cricketing milieu are very  proud  Paine in Tas, but  not as much for Ponting ( who left the state, and spat the dummy under pressure as Aus captain, like Clarke and Smith) and Wade ( for petulant behaviour in his embryonic  career).

Paine is great mates with George Bailey - and George's positive influence has rubbed off.

It is terrible.

A lot of current mainland  visitors  here are appreciating clean air.

I've read that  play will be called off if the smoke gets too much. Player and spectator safety should be paramount.

How are you coping  in your neck of  the woods? Is it similar at the SCG?

don't know how much is paine, how much is langer and how much is just the new personal but we have shown mental strength even in hopeless situations sometimes and have been enjoyable to watch even when losing

its been a nice change

I think it is a  combination of both.

I've read that the other players love Paine's calmness under pressure. He never spits the dummy - like Mark Taylor. Both led as statesmen even when they are/were playing poorly - although Paine's keeping at worst has still been acceptable.

Langer has been charged with developing a new culture. I've been told through TCA contacts that he was a stern disciplinarian when he took over coaching in WA. He kicked house break and enterer, Tom Triffet, and a WA team-mate out, of the WA squad.  Langer also suspended the Marsh brothers for inappropriate behaviour.

A mate of mine,  a former   Shield umpire,  surprisingly  claimed  Langer was an awful player to umpire. He  claims he always swore at the umpire for giving him out - and  never a accepted a dismissal in good grace! Yet he presents well in the media.

That is pretty unsporting behaviour, its interesting he has been successful thus far creating a different culture!

Mate post this on Whirlpool. That'll shake up the Paine haters.

DC I posted it. So I will again cop all the flack.. Used to it by now.

Only just saw this! 

Too many cynics on there for my liking. Also, the Whirlpool haters are short on genuine cricket knowledge. 

I don’t know much about cricket either, but at least I quote former and current cricketers I know,  and  articles written by people who do know a bit about the game, plus impartial stats to support my opinions. 

I really wish people would stop using dismissals as any way to quantify the quality of a keeper.

This was one reply. 

Only just saw this!  Check your inbox too.

Don't get the Paine negativity either. He is a very good keeper as he is demonstrating this series. Most top line keepers are ok to quicks, so all things being equal keeping to spin is the real test for a keeper. Paine really is very tidy. People calling for Carey because of his batting must have forgotten how bad Haddin and Wade were (Neville not so much), he looks something similar. 

An average above 30 is perfectly acceptable for a good keeper. Are people expecting another Gilchrist?

We're just starting to get back on track and people want to upset all of it by dropping our keeper/Captain? Surely he is here to stay for a while, unless he calls it quits himself.

Read an article that claimed we will leapfrog the kiwis on the ICC rankings with 2-0, when they are updated. So we don't want to let them back, 3-0 is the way to go. While they're down, keep them down even further if possible.

I've responded on W, Baggers.

I don't want to denigrate another cricket forum, but some of the posts  on W cricket  are the most stupid I've ever seen posted on a sports forum in 14 years!

It is almost as if  most of the forum have never played cricket, but are cyber geeks who  play video games on cricket and  have had no other experience of the game.  

I’ve written this before but there is more cricket knowledge on this forum amongst posters than some other sports forums. 

Jazy Jim is keen to get Paine away from the team, and Paddles moots the Carey case, but these are isolated views. 

Some other  criticism of Paine as captain on W is that even though Australia has won successive series against SL, Pakistan and NZ at home over the last year, and, retained The Ashes away, is that the opposition was not good. 

If one looks at the current Oz batting line up, outside the recent class of Labu, plus Warner and Smith, one being in form, whilst the other is/was out of form in England and in Aus, the other three batters in the top 6 have technical weaknesses in vertical shots with two big a gap between bat and pad. 

This is not a strong batting Aus side despite having a potent attack. 

Good point about keepers standing up to the stumps, FS. 

Another argument against pushing players up the order to include an all rounder, that I’ve advocated, is it puts batters under more pressure to score runs. 

The belief is they don’t relax as much at the crease. 

I would like to see Swepson, the wristy, get a run,  with Neser as the all rounder and drop a batter and a fast bowler. 

A bit like saying a batsmen can’t be rated on runs scored! 

The bloke who posted it must be winding other posters up. 

Reading this post J Jim and Paddles still know a lot about cricket, despite their opinions on Paine not being commonly held here. 

Yes KW they hunt in packs.. the troll pack.. never constructive. Oh how I wish IC had its traffic tho. That is the ONLY reason I post there. I will use your comment to reply to that other. If you dont mind

That mob over on WP. I was replying to some troll.. with "then you trolls had better watch out as the mods will get you" and the mods deleted my post. 

This site is a veritable graveyard between matches.

We don’t have the traffic, but I usually learn a bit from other posters on this site. 

On Whirlpool I get really irritated by a number of posters. 

They seem uninformed. 

On their Weight Training site it is the antithesis. 

It seems the Sydney wicket is unlikely to take spin.Robert Cradoch is calling for a spinners’ wicket to simulate our imminent Subcontinental tour. 

Check your inbox too.

game day! Glad there are no dead rubbers!