Rest of the World

First topic message reminder :

I figure a thread for cricket stuff from around the world that doesn't warrant a series-thread is useful

Lyon and Labuschagne have done a good job to keep Pakistan to 278/9 as the new ball becomes due...

Two batsmen narrowly missing centuries and not much else. Enough encouragement for the spinners and I fancy this one might spin a bit more than Dubai in the later stages ; we will see.

Starc takes the new ball immediately :

Aus did very well......but Pak has a fighting total and Aus has to bat last.
Labuschagne took a 3-for and that's a big bonus from your 5th / 6th bowler
He did OK with the ball in T1 also

That Pak did not bat 2 days like the did in T1 means that draw is almost out of the equation

Lots more twists and turns to come in this one, a far more interesting series than expected for sure!

Those two wickets right at the end have tilted the balance in Pakistan's favour.

--Watched extended highlights and find  these UAE pitches are slow & low, juts like they were in Asia cup and ...and like these have been for last few year whenever I have see a game here
Not the raging turners, that crumble and jump off a length in BD, India and Lanka

These are more like the flat pattas we had in India in 1980s and 90s and even now get many time in ranji.....& while scoring fast isn't easy......survival is possible...because you can stand back and adjust to the slow turn.

--and that's how the dubai game turned out to be a draw and even here Aus could get 400 and Pak get 370 second time and game turns out to be draw
Less likely....but not impossible

graveyard for seamers & very credible that Aabbas plucked out 2 wickets.....lucky to get Khwaja
Abbas is like Mo Asif and Philander medium pace in & out.....swing / seam bowler

--Holland is absolutely the most mediocre specialist spinner you'd see...no flight, no loop, little pivot
Lauberchagne has more potential...if he can develop a googly ( which is not easy for a part-timer)...but at least a top-spinner that goes straight or skids in as a variation.

His basic leg-break is good, loopy and spins...and hence has been good enuf to pick 5 wickets in 3 innings so far

last when I saw Siddle he was 135-142kph....now he is 130-134kph.....that's what you call "losing a yard of pace"...he's a stock bowler now...and Mitch Marsh should do more sharing of seam bowling.

Pak played really atrocious cricket to give those 7 wickets to spinners....if they lose the game, it would be because they didn't get the par 400

--I expect Aus to take lead...while Khwaja was due for a failure, Siddle a tailender......expect Marsh(es) to score
and as I said above...all results including a draw is possible although win/Loss more likely

KPF whilst I agree with you that Pkaistan clealry lost the plot a bit for a period in that game and scored far less than they shouldve, and chucked wickets away against the spinners I think you are massively underestimnating how bad the Australians are.
Its 68-4 now with one Marsh out already, a lead is going to be a tough ask from here.

I also dont see a draw here, Pakistan batted out 164 overs in just the first innings, Aus are already halfway through theirs with less of the game gone. Even then it took an historic anamoly to get a draw.

Of course we cant ever right them off as shown in the last game, but its not looking like they will pass 250 at this point.

Gooseberry wrote:KPF whilst I agree with you that Pkaistan clealry lost the plot a bit for a period in that game and scored far less than they shouldve, and chucked wickets away against the spinners I think you are massively underestimnating how bad the Australians are.
Its 68-4 now with one Marsh out already, a lead is going to be a tough ask from here.

I also dont see a draw here, Pakistan batted out 164 overs in just the first innings, Aus are already halfway through theirs with less of the game gone. Even then it took an historic anamoly to get a draw.

Of course we cant ever right them off as shown in the last game, but its not looking like they will pass 250 at this point.

Goose - I'm getting increasingly concerned that I'm increasingly agreeing with you.

Also, I'm not so keen as KP_f to give Mitch Marsh the ball. I accept Siddle must be near to (if not beyond) his sell by date but he has more accuracy and nous than Marsh can ever aspire to.

75-5 , both Marshs out
Finch continues to surpass expectations with stickability though. I dont think anyone had him pegged as the new Boycott.

Finch gone now and Australia in big trouble. So much time left as well - the game has cantered with 16 wickets falling in less than 4 sessions.

I look at the score-card and think to myself
Ohh My Gawd

This one is all over folks - 91-7 at lunch, dreadful session for Australia.

Can't say I'm surprised. Australia did brilliantly to save the first match ; but they remained very much the underdog , in my eyes , for these conditions. Once Pakistan recovered from that Lyon miracle spell I reckon they were favorites here...not that they've won yet ! If any team in world cricket can butcher an apparently unassailable position it is Pakistan

Good effort from Starc and Labuschagne now spoiled by a sleepy failure to keep his bat grounded by the latter
128/8.

Mitchell Marsh has to be one of the worst players in the recent history of Test cricket. Aside from slogging two centuries in 2017-18 Ashes - 320 at 106 - his career average is 20 in the rest of his career

M Marsh rather shocked me with his successful batting in the last Ashes series...it was indeed so out of character one had to wonder if he'd been replaced by a lookalike
(Actually I guess it was a combination of very flat pitches and some inept English bowling )
He's been elevated to vice captain and is seen by a few influential people here as a possible future leader ; but I reckon it is hard to see a place for him in an Australian team that lives up to the national expectations.
His bowling doesn't over impress me either.

alfie wrote:M Marsh rather shocked me with his successful batting in the last Ashes series...it was indeed so out of character one had to wonder if he'd been replaced by a lookalike
(Actually I guess it was a combination of very flat pitches and some inept English bowling )
He's been elevated to vice captain and is seen by a few influential people here as a possible future leader ; but I reckon it is hard to see a place for him in an Australian team that lives up to the national expectations.
His bowling doesn't over impress me either.

He has elite lineage though Alfie - ELITE

145 all out. You'd like to think that, this time, Australia won't escape.

Australia have this obsession with finding their 'Ben Stokes' when in reality Stokes is a once in a generation cricketer.

Mitchell Marsh is inept with the bat and dreadful with the ball.

That said his brother isn't much better either.

How has Renshaw fallen down the peaking order?

Labushchagne's dropped catch of Zaman moments before Lyon's 4 wickets in 6 balls will go down as the deciding factor in this match and the series. The Zaman/Sarfraz partnership took the game away from Australia

Outstanding again from Abbas

In fact the spinners only claimed four wickets unless you count the touched-on runout. A fair bit of bad batting in that...rather like the first innings in Dubai.

Can Australia bat long second time around again ? I'm betting no : this time Pakistan will presumably bat fairly carefully and give their bowlers a nice long rest (not that they'll be exhausted after fielding just fifty overs !). I'm expecting a Pakistan win sometime Friday.

alfie wrote:Outstanding again from Abbas

In fact the spinners only claimed four wickets unless you count the touched-on runout.  A fair bit of bad batting in that...rather like the first innings in Dubai.

Can Australia bat long second time around again ? I'm betting no : this time Pakistan will presumably bat fairly carefully and give their bowlers a nice long rest (not that they'll be exhausted after fielding just fifty overs !). I'm expecting a Pakistan win sometime Friday.

Yeah Pakistan have a chance to bat 150 odd overs here and really grind the Aussies into the dirt - and let the pitch deteriorate

Doubt they will bat 150 overs, but yeah OZ staring down the barrel here...Marsh failed at 6 and 7, so putting him at 4 was never gonna work...and older brother Shaun is awful, bloody useless at international level...Labushcange's leggies are useful, but struggling with the bat, and batting is what he is there to do...

Pakistan on course to get a lead well over 400 and 2 days plus to bowl Aud out.

Surely even they cant blow this position


Meanwhile Dinesh Kaneria has finaly admitted his role in the spot fixing scandal that gor him banned. Amazingly hes still Pakistans all time highest wicket taking spinner, despite losing the las few years of his playing career and not being that great a player.

If Pakistan aren't all out by midway through the third session, it'll be interesting to see if a declaration comes today. I don't think any decision then by Pakistan would be obviously wrong. Nice question for them and their skipper to mull over ....

That Azhar Ali run out is the single greatest cricketing moment of the 21st century

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:That Azhar Ali run out is the single greatest cricketing moment of the 21st century

Just seen it - yep, quite something!

Similar to Ian Bell's run-out in 2011 against India, though that was rescinded. Anyway, it should make no odds to the result.

Lyons bowlwed 67 overs now to add to the 78 in the last game. Pakistan certainly wont be declaring with Babr close toa century, and if they decide to bat on through the last 5 wickets he likely will end up exceeding that total of 78.

There cant be many modern instances of a bowler getting through over 70 overs two games in a row.

Babar LBW 99 to Mitchell Marsh. Dunno what's more hilarious Azhar's run out or Babar getting 99 against a side that's long since given up

Elsewhere news circulating that Usman Khawaja may have done his left ACL for the second time

I would be very tempted to declare soon and give Australia about 14 overs tonight. However, as previously posted, I don't think any decision by Pakistan tonight could be regarded as wrong.

Lyon with two late wickets but Pakistan batting on ...only 531 ahead and a lot of time left.

You'd think they have just about enough

Guess it's time , mainly . They probably only want a short burst tonight ; keep the bowlers - and the ball - pretty fresh for a second attack in the morning.

Bowling for 117 overs can't be doing too much for the Australian players spirits either...

...plus I guess Sarfraz wouldn't mind a hundred. He will need to push on though 'cos he's running out of partners...

537 needed in 194 overs @2.76 RPO

piece of cake on this patta pitch and odds of 34 times return shows bet365
put 5 dollars and get 170 back

was a peach of a delivery to get S. Marsh
on pitches that offer no movement, even a little movement is enough to beat the bat

s. marsh has failed in 4 innings
brother has 1 more inning to redeem

Unfortunate for Australia that the in-form Khawaja is forced to vacate the opening spot.

S Marsh filling the gap - very briefly . His Tour from Hell ends as it began...though in fairness that was a snorter from Hamza !

No night watchman - yet. Head and Finch together : one of these goes tonight and I could see this over by lunch tomorrow ...

Rumor is Khawaja has torn his ACL - huge blow for the kid if true

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Rumor is Khawaja has torn his ACL - huge blow for the kid if true

its difficult to tear this ligament completely...should be overstretched / inflamed
he will bat....would he get a runner?

--the turn is really slow and pitch keeping low...and there are no deliveries jumping off the length nor variable bounce

--even edges with a relatively new ball off spinenrs were dying to the slips
and you could see Finch standing on the backfoot and adjusting to the googly even when not reading it off the hand

and Pak even on D3 got 400...whihch is the par

I still maintain Pak were 100 and Aus 210 runs short of par in first innings.
Look at how Aus lost their 5 to in-and-out medium pace of abbas and not really to spinners

Aus aught to take the game into the 5th day and that would be a reasonable first objective for them to set themselves

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Rumor is Khawaja has torn his ACL - huge blow for the kid if true

Horrific injury. Very undeserved after his heroics in the first test.

Been some suggestion that Australia were somehow wrong to run out Azhar. But totally down to the batsmen's inattention IMHO.
Can't see Aus getting out of this one. Lyon astonishes me. I've never really rated him, yet he has more than 300 Test wickets which is a tremendous achievement. We sometimes bemoan the England batting line-up: but without Smith and Warner this is arguably Australia's weakest set of batters for years.

Presumably play was dead once Azhar was run out? Just thinking otherwise they could have also run out the other batsman?

I guess the injuries become something of an inevitability when you sprnd so much time in the field two tests in a row.
Lyon 8 wickets ...but its taken him 70 ovwrs bowling to get them.

And yes KPF its pretty evident that both teams made a mess of their first innings. Paksitan just had that terrible blip withe the 4 fast wickets to Lyon....whereas Australias all round weakness just for exposed by consistent high quality bowling from Abbas.
Second innings weve seen Australias fatigue and the real nature of the pitch.
With the injuries as well its hard to see Aus making it to tea or even bothering to show the level of application they did last time round.

It's unbelievable how 125kph abbas continues to run through Aus side on a benighn pitch

I think perhaps England's greatest banter of the past few years was going to Australia and making the Marsh brothers look like test cricketers

Abbas destroying Australia before lunch...

Head and Finch thirty odd each but apart from that...not much. Paine a very bad leave , the hapless M Marsh pinned lbw on review...all happening quite fast.

Appears there will be no Khawaja ; so once this pairing of Starc and Labuschagne is broken you'd think it won't take much longer. Not so much "can they take it to day five ?" as "can they make it to lunch ?"

Haven't had much luck with tosses and injuries ; but despite the Great Escape of Dubai this has been a bit disappointing from Australia. The two more experienced new caps , Finch and Head , have done quite well ; and Khawaja impressed before his injury. But the two Marsh boys sank without trace ; and Labuschagne has so far looked better with the ball than batting...though he is looking OK at the moment.

Suppose they were never expected to do much in UAE anyway. But on two pretty flat pitches I'd have hoped for better than one decent batting effort out of four ...

Starc and Labuschagne still batting - quite nicely. 144/5 : handy partnership.
Noticeable how much easier batting is when Abbas isn't bowling.

But now Yasir gets Starc : yeah that's stone dead... Six down and fat lady warming up...

Made it to lunch...155/7 : Labuschagne making a fight of it at least - and not hurting his own chances - in the forties (Aus top score in the match !)

Only two to go though so won't be too long , I imagine...

Marsh brother have not done any good to their chances......and isn't Mitch the VC too

Smith & Warner's bans ends in April 2019 & that's until when khawaja is also likely to be unavailable

India play all their 4 tests thru Dec and into early Jan

There would be no excise for Kohli to come back without handing them a 4-0 defeat & even then it would be remembered as an achievement with disclaimers

This is showing just how incredible and against expectation Australias 4th innings was last time.

Duty281 wrote:Odds of 5/4 on Pakistan winning the upcoming test series against Australia = absolute dream.

Australia have got zero chance.

Beautiful.

Should have been 2-0, but for that tremendous rearguard action.

10 wickets for Abbas when there was only 19 on offer, and all but one a top 6 batsman (although one would normally be a 7. And the wickets of the Marsh bros should only count as half)

The Australian seamers took 5 between them for about two and half times as many runs.

Im assuming he got MOM?

Dutys bet didnt look so smart half way through day one of this test, but its ended very comfortable for Pakistan.