Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[savetheFORUM]

Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga were the last world class players to represent Sri Lanka. The current squad contains players like Wanindu Hasaranga and Angelo Mathews, but I will not consider them as world class players, due to their inconsistency. Some how Sri Lanka has slipped behind other test nations, and one of the reasons may be the factor that I mentioned in my previous post (club-based domestic system). The rout should be stemmed before it is too late, else it will be difficult to justify their full member status.

Yeah, best thing is they needed to start from school level and then surely having regional teams is also needed of the time and for the strength of their sporting system which is needed to be developed for the current required situation because if you fail to have things which must for having better results then surely you are going to suffer badly still one thing is good as they are producing good talented players, but they also need to established better which is possible with high performance centers which are currently not available.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can do much better than their current potential but these both needs bold decisions and good investment which is just possible in case of having better and strong system.

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[Ayers]

Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga were the last world class players to represent Sri Lanka. The current squad contains players like Wanindu Hasaranga and Angelo Mathews, but I will not consider them as world class players, due to their inconsistency. Some how Sri Lanka has slipped behind other test nations, and one of the reasons may be the factor that I mentioned in my previous post (club-based domestic system). The rout should be stemmed before it is too late, else it will be difficult to justify their full member status.

Yeah, best thing is they needed to start from school level and then surely having regional teams is also needed of the time and for the strength of their sporting system which is needed to be developed for the current required situation because if you fail to have things which must for having better results then surely you are going to suffer badly still one thing is good as they are producing good talented players, but they also need to established better which is possible with high performance centers which are currently not available.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can do much better than their current potential but these both needs bold decisions and good investment which is just possible in case of having better and strong system.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh certainly have a lot of potentials. But that potential needs to be unlocked. The amount of corruption that goes on in these countries are absolutely unbelievable. And that is why both of these countries are being held back quite a lot. Bangladesh has a lot of talented players. But just because of corruption and favoritism, a lot of players are not even getting the chance to play. And it's not like they are bad players. Good players are not getting the chance to play.

[justdimin]

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh certainly have a lot of potentials. But that potential needs to be unlocked. The amount of corruption that goes on in these countries are absolutely unbelievable. And that is why both of these countries are being held back quite a lot. Bangladesh has a lot of talented players. But just because of corruption and favoritism, a lot of players are not even getting the chance to play. And it's not like they are bad players. Good players are not getting the chance to play.

Even in subcontinent people love cricket up yo the level of madness but sadly from the five test playing nations we have just one team and board with enough sources and money to have ideal setup for all formats and pool of players which can give them top quality performance and it's India with all others are having different issues like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are having not regional system and good facilities for shining technique and improve quality with Pakistan is also unpredictable not only in game with their system is mostly had too much interference from government, so they are not able to have any ideal domestic setup which helps them for having better results Afghanistan is also suffering and not able to play games at home even now their status is also under threat due to Taliban regime.

Good things could happen for the better future of this game but internal issues are also creating feud and ACC is also not powerful to settle things for better future of cricket in this region which is surely one of the worst thing for cricket for sure.

[Ayers]

Even in subcontinent people love cricket up yo the level of madness but sadly from the five test playing nations we have just one team and board with enough sources and money to have ideal setup for all formats and pool of players which can give them top quality performance and it's India with all others are having different issues like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are having not regional system and good facilities for shining technique and improve quality with Pakistan is also unpredictable not only in game with their system is mostly had too much interference from government, so they are not able to have any ideal domestic setup which helps them for having better results Afghanistan is also suffering and not able to play games at home even now their status is also under threat due to Taliban regime.

Good things could happen for the better future of this game but internal issues are also creating feud and ACC is also not powerful to settle things for better future of cricket in this region which is surely one of the worst thing for cricket for sure.

The only way cricket is going to be saved is if ICC takes matters into their own hands. If they keep the other people and clubs, especially the big four to run things, it is not going to be very good for the future of cricket.

But at the same time, I don't see ICC taking matters into their own hand. After all, if they try to do that, India is going to cause some problems. And of course, we know that India is the one generating the most amount of money for the ICC.

[Vaskiy]

Even in subcontinent people love cricket up yo the level of madness but sadly from the five test playing nations we have just one team and board with enough sources and money to have ideal setup for all formats and pool of players which can give them top quality performance and it's India with all others are having different issues like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are having not regional system and good facilities for shining technique and improve quality with Pakistan is also unpredictable not only in game with their system is mostly had too much interference from government, so they are not able to have any ideal domestic setup which helps them for having better results Afghanistan is also suffering and not able to play games at home even now their status is also under threat due to Taliban regime.

Good things could happen for the better future of this game but internal issues are also creating feud and ACC is also not powerful to settle things for better future of cricket in this region which is surely one of the worst thing for cricket for sure.

The only way cricket is going to be saved is if ICC takes matters into their own hands. If they keep the other people and clubs, especially the big four to run things, it is not going to be very good for the future of cricket.

But at the same time, I don't see ICC taking matters into their own hand. After all, if they try to do that, India is going to cause some problems. And of course, we know that India is the one generating the most amount of money for the ICC.

Let India hold the control, but it also need to support the development of cricket and bring more teams. For now we can't blame on this, because several leagues of qualifiers were happening around and one by one teams are getting the recognition. When it comes to infrastructure and technology requirements, if is the sole responsibility of ICC to support the countries that weren't able to do things as the financial source isn't good.

ICC being controlled by few cricket board, but they aren't that bad as a dictator. There'll be considerations and partiality which is based on the influence they've got over the board. Anyhow it takes time for the rest of the boards to unite and stand against the power.

[noormcs5]

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh certainly have a lot of potentials. But that potential needs to be unlocked. The amount of corruption that goes on in these countries are absolutely unbelievable. And that is why both of these countries are being held back quite a lot. Bangladesh has a lot of talented players. But just because of corruption and favoritism, a lot of players are not even getting the chance to play. And it's not like they are bad players. Good players are not getting the chance to play.

Even in subcontinent people love cricket up yo the level of madness but sadly from the five test playing nations we have just one team and board with enough sources and money to have ideal setup for all formats and pool of players which can give them top quality performance and it's India with all others are having different issues like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are having not regional system and good facilities for shining technique and improve quality with Pakistan is also unpredictable not only in game with their system is mostly had too much interference from government, so they are not able to have any ideal domestic setup which helps them for having better results Afghanistan is also suffering and not able to play games at home even now their status is also under threat due to Taliban regime.

Good things could happen for the better future of this game but internal issues are also creating feud and ACC is also not powerful to settle things for better future of cricket in this region which is surely one of the worst thing for cricket for sure.

So far so good as i do not think ICC is in any sort of panic situation right now. Unless and until the big three cricket boards are united, there is no threat to the game. Yes, if any time in the future, these three boards have different of opinions or clashes between them, then ICC will need to play to role but if ICC isn't strong they cannot influence any board.
For this reason, i must say that ICC shouldn't be influenced or controlled by the big 3 boards and should keep its own decision power in its own hands.

[Sithara007]

You are right. After players like Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga and Sanath Jayasuriya went on retreatment I have not seen any world-class players in the Sri Lankan squad. The Sri Lankan board has completely failed to find suitable replacements for their star players. Mathews is a very talented player. But he cannot help the team responsibly and at the moment when the team needs it. Also, Sri Lanka's bowling line-up is quite weak now. Spin and pace are not doing well anywhere. A good performance is not expected from the Sri Lankan team in the upcoming ODI World Cup.

First of all, it needs to be seen whether the Lankans will be able to qualify for the ODI World Cup or not. It is almost certain that they need to play the qualifier tournament (everything will be clear in another 2-3 days). Here we are discussing about the test performance from Sri Lanka. When was the last time they managed to defeat a pig-4 side in test format? During this cycle of the ICC World Test Championship, they had big wins against the weaker teams such as West Indies. Apart from the solitary win against Australia, during the matches against pig-4 they simply got whitewashed.

[Iranus]

You are right. After players like Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga and Sanath Jayasuriya went on retreatment I have not seen any world-class players in the Sri Lankan squad. The Sri Lankan board has completely failed to find suitable replacements for their star players. Mathews is a very talented player. But he cannot help the team responsibly and at the moment when the team needs it. Also, Sri Lanka's bowling line-up is quite weak now. Spin and pace are not doing well anywhere. A good performance is not expected from the Sri Lankan team in the upcoming ODI World Cup.

First of all, it needs to be seen whether the Lankans will be able to qualify for the ODI World Cup or not. It is almost certain that they need to play the qualifier tournament (everything will be clear in another 2-3 days). Here we are discussing about the test performance from Sri Lanka. When was the last time they managed to defeat a pig-4 side in test format? During this cycle of the ICC World Test Championship, they had big wins against the weaker teams such as West Indies. Apart from the solitary win against Australia, during the matches against pig-4 they simply got whitewashed.

Sri Lanka had a big decline. In recent memory, I can only remember them winning against Bangladesh. And that was also when Bangladesh was not performing well at all. I thought that was going to work like a confidence booster for Sri Lanka. But that certainly did not boost the confidence enough. I am pretty sure that if Sri Lanka plays against Bangladesh in t20 format right now, they are going to lose.

Anyway, I am actually doubtful about Sri Lanka being able to qualify for the ODI world cup. At least the performance is not giving confident vibes.

[Sithara007]

Sri Lanka had a big decline. In recent memory, I can only remember them winning against Bangladesh. And that was also when Bangladesh was not performing well at all. I thought that was going to work like a confidence booster for Sri Lanka. But that certainly did not boost the confidence enough. I am pretty sure that if Sri Lanka plays against Bangladesh in t20 format right now, they are going to lose.

Anyway, I am actually doubtful about Sri Lanka being able to qualify for the ODI world cup. At least the performance is not giving confident vibes.

If you look at their performance during the last 3 years, you can witness a clear pattern. They have performed well at times. Back in 2021, Sri Lanka whitewashed West Indies 2-0 in a test series that was hosted by them. But then, the next series was held in India against Indians, and the outcome was predictable. To their credit, after that they had an away victory against Bangladesh. But in terms of capability, Bangladesh is considered as one of the weaker teams. Their best win in this season came against Australia at Galle, when they defeated the visitors by an innings and 39 runs in 2022.

[BobK71]

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh certainly have a lot of potentials. But that potential needs to be unlocked. The amount of corruption that goes on in these countries are absolutely unbelievable. And that is why both of these countries are being held back quite a lot. Bangladesh has a lot of talented players. But just because of corruption and favoritism, a lot of players are not even getting the chance to play. And it's not like they are bad players. Good players are not getting the chance to play.

Even in subcontinent people love cricket up yo the level of madness but sadly from the five test playing nations we have just one team and board with enough sources and money to have ideal setup for all formats and pool of players which can give them top quality performance and it's India with all others are having different issues like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are having not regional system and good facilities for shining technique and improve quality with Pakistan is also unpredictable not only in game with their system is mostly had too much interference from government, so they are not able to have any ideal domestic setup which helps them for having better results Afghanistan is also suffering and not able to play games at home even now their status is also under threat due to Taliban regime.

Good things could happen for the better future of this game but internal issues are also creating feud and ACC is also not powerful to settle things for better future of cricket in this region which is surely one of the worst thing for cricket for sure.

So far so good as i do not think ICC is in any sort of panic situation right now. Unless and until the big three cricket boards are united, there is no threat to the game. Yes, if any time in the future, these three boards have different of opinions or clashes between them, then ICC will need to play to role but if ICC isn't strong they cannot influence any board.
For this reason, i must say that ICC shouldn't be influenced or controlled by the big 3 boards and should keep its own decision power in its own hands.

I don't want to give too much importance to the board. Because if the people in charge of the ICC remain strict in their position, then there will be no adverse reaction, besides, big countries also have representatives. So whatever decision they take must be taken in consultation with the Big 3. But if there is any kind of convergence between them then there will be big changes will be held in ICC. I'm sure it would be worthless to think of anything like that soon.

[JSRAW]

Sri Lanka had a big decline. In recent memory, I can only remember them winning against Bangladesh. And that was also when Bangladesh was not performing well at all. I thought that was going to work like a confidence booster for Sri Lanka. But that certainly did not boost the confidence enough. I am pretty sure that if Sri Lanka plays against Bangladesh in t20 format right now, they are going to lose.

Anyway, I am actually doubtful about Sri Lanka being able to qualify for the ODI world cup. At least the performance is not giving confident vibes.

-Sri Lanka ranks 5th in the 2021-2023 WTC table ahead of New Zealand and Pakistan.
-They have drawn the home series against Australia, Pakistan and whitewashed the Windies 2-0
- Almost won the first test match against Kiwis.
- They are defending champion of the Asia cup.

[Iranus]

If you look at their performance during the last 3 years, you can witness a clear pattern. They have performed well at times. Back in 2021, Sri Lanka whitewashed West Indies 2-0 in a test series that was hosted by them. But then, the next series was held in India against Indians, and the outcome was predictable. To their credit, after that they had an away victory against Bangladesh. But in terms of capability, Bangladesh is considered as one of the weaker teams. Their best win in this season came against Australia at Galle, when they defeated the visitors by an innings and 39 runs in 2022.

Bangladesh is even weaker than Afghanistan in test format. So getting a win against Bangladesh is supposed to be very easy for a team like Sri Lanka. It can be considered an achievement when Sri Lanka can win against bigger opponents like India, Pakistan, or anyone from the top four.

-Sri Lanka ranks 5th in the 2021-2023 WTC table ahead of New Zealand and Pakistan.
-They have drawn the home series against Australia, Pakistan and whitewashed the Windies 2-0
- Almost won the first test match against Kiwis.
- They are defending champion of the Asia cup.

But Sri Lanka still lost very badly against New Zealand in the test format. They still lost the first match even though it was close. Whitewashing West Indies is not a very huge thing. At least should not be a huge thing for a good team like Sri Lanka.

[pakhitheboss]

-Sri Lanka ranks 5th in the 2021-2023 WTC table ahead of New Zealand and Pakistan.
-They have drawn the home series against Australia, Pakistan and whitewashed the Windies 2-0
- Almost won the first test match against Kiwis.
- They are defending champion of the Asia cup.

What's with your obsession with past records? The days of checking the previous record and then analyzing the present is gone. It doesn't make any sense in 2023. It could have in 2019.

Srilanka for me falls under the category of unreliable, hyper enthusiastic and non professional team. This team has some of the best overconfident players.

Comparing Dimuth Karunaratne with Rohit Sharma
Please don't tell me that my comparison is unrealistic.

• The current captain of the test team Dimuth Karunaratne has played 84 test matches, scored 6000 odd runs with an average of 39.
• The current captain of Indian test team Rohit Sharma has played 49 test matche, scored 3000 odd runs with an average of 45.

I have rounded off those numbers for better clarity. BTW, stats are from Wikipedia and ESPNcricinfo. Which captain do you think is doing better that the other in the present? I am sure you would say Rohit but don't forget he almost had lost the final berth if Srilanka had not lost the test match (which you call as an almost win )

[Lahlad]

It's good that you asked for help on this issue.

[JSRAW]

-Sri Lanka ranks 5th in the 2021-2023 WTC table ahead of New Zealand and Pakistan.
-They have drawn the home series against Australia, Pakistan and whitewashed the Windies 2-0
- Almost won the first test match against Kiwis.
- They are defending champion of the Asia cup.

What's with your obsession with past records? The days of checking the previous record and then analyzing the present is gone. It doesn't make any sense in 2023. It could have in 2019.

Srilanka for me falls under the category of unreliable, hyper enthusiastic and non professional team. This team has some of the best overconfident players.

Because the WTC cycle is for 2 years and performance during this window gives you the opportunity to play in the finals. SL didn't make it but they did a fairly good job in this cycle, at least they did much better job in comparison to Kiwis and Pakis.

Comparing Dimuth Karunaratne with Rohit Sharma
Please don't tell me that my comparison is unrealistic.

• The current captain of the test team Dimuth Karunaratne has played 84 test matches, scored 6000 odd runs with an average of 39.
• The current captain of Indian test team Rohit Sharma has played 49 test matche, scored 3000 odd runs with an average of 45.

I have rounded off those numbers for better clarity. BTW, stats are from Wikipedia and ESPNcricinfo. Which captain do you think is doing better that the other in the present? I am sure you would say Rohit but don't forget he almost had lost the final berth if Srilanka had not lost the test match (which you call as an almost win )

Both are good openers and it depends on the conditions as well. Karunaratne is in better form and if i am not wrong then averaged over 50 in the last 3 years, that's not the case with the latter.

Rohit is like Bradman at home and a better opener in England. Both of them are equally shit in SA and almost identical in NZ.

Rohit is more talented but he hardly did any justice with his career, although hypothetically in a long run I'll choose him over Karunaratne. At the same time, if we go with the current form then Karunaratne is an obvious choice as an opener. Arguably the best opener in recent times, Dean Elgar is another one. Also, keep in mind that the last 3-4 years were not good for any openers.

[elevates]

If you look at their performance during the last 3 years, you can witness a clear pattern. They have performed well at times. Back in 2021, Sri Lanka whitewashed West Indies 2-0 in a test series that was hosted by them. But then, the next series was held in India against Indians, and the outcome was predictable. To their credit, after that they had an away victory against Bangladesh. But in terms of capability, Bangladesh is considered as one of the weaker teams. Their best win in this season came against Australia at Galle, when they defeated the visitors by an innings and 39 runs in 2022.

Bangladesh is even weaker than Afghanistan in test format. So getting a win against Bangladesh is supposed to be very easy for a team like Sri Lanka. It can be considered an achievement when Sri Lanka can win against bigger opponents like India, Pakistan, or anyone from the top four.

LOL! your statement is way beyond the understanding of many here. BTW, for those who will read and glance away from my reply the Pakistan T20 team just lost the series against Afghanistan! Once these two countries were known as East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (current Pakistan). They both got separated and started their respective team and eventually in 2023 they both are struggling in test cricket. Jokes apart!

Bangladesh is very bad in tests and so in ODI but they are good in the T20 format. What Bangladesh needs to do is to get those domestic players who are good with tests. The problem here is that they do not have those kinds of players are their talent pool is mostly based to attract their Bangladesh league. This team needs to be chucked out of test cricket but it will not happen anytime soon.

[Sithara007]

Bangladesh is even weaker than Afghanistan in test format. So getting a win against Bangladesh is supposed to be very easy for a team like Sri Lanka. It can be considered an achievement when Sri Lanka can win against bigger opponents like India, Pakistan, or anyone from the top four.

Afghanistan hasn't played enough test matches, so that we can measure their performance. Although I would consider teams such as Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh as lower tier test nations, that doesn't mean that they can't win against teams like Afghanistan. The Afghans are very good in limited overs cricket, but they don't have much experience with the longer format. But the positive thing is that they have a well established 4-day domestic cricket tournament. The future is uncertain though, since the ICC is unable to transfer funds to them.

[mm2543363580]

Bangladesh is even weaker than Afghanistan in test format. So getting a win against Bangladesh is supposed to be very easy for a team like Sri Lanka. It can be considered an achievement when Sri Lanka can win against bigger opponents like India, Pakistan, or anyone from the top four.

Afghanistan hasn't played enough test matches, so that we can measure their performance. Although I would consider teams such as Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh as lower tier test nations, that doesn't mean that they can't win against teams like Afghanistan. The Afghans are very good in limited overs cricket, but they don't have much experience with the longer format. But the positive thing is that they have a well established 4-day domestic cricket tournament. The future is uncertain though, since the ICC is unable to transfer funds to them.

Test format is a different form of cricket and they literally tests the patience , maturity and sensibility of any player .
Pakistan is not good in test format but they are really set in t20 format  so that's the difference.

[Iranus]

Bangladesh is even weaker than Afghanistan in test format. So getting a win against Bangladesh is supposed to be very easy for a team like Sri Lanka. It can be considered an achievement when Sri Lanka can win against bigger opponents like India, Pakistan, or anyone from the top four.

Afghanistan hasn't played enough test matches, so that we can measure their performance. Although I would consider teams such as Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh as lower tier test nations, that doesn't mean that they can't win against teams like Afghanistan. The Afghans are very good in limited overs cricket, but they don't have much experience with the longer format. But the positive thing is that they have a well established 4-day domestic cricket tournament. The future is uncertain though, since the ICC is unable to transfer funds to them.

I understand that Afghanistan has not played cricket regularly for a long time. But I don't think that is going to matter too much when playing against Bangladesh or West Indies or Zimbabwe. Of course, we cannot give any security about the performance of Afghanistan now. But I think we need to remember that Afghanistan beat Bangladesh in their debut test match.

LOL! your statement is way beyond the understanding of many here. BTW, for those who will read and glance away from my reply the Pakistan T20 team just lost the series against Afghanistan! Once these two countries were known as East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (current Pakistan). They both got separated and started their respective team and eventually in 2023 they both are struggling in test cricket. Jokes apart!
Bangladesh is very bad in tests and so in ODI but they are good in the T20 format. What Bangladesh needs to do is to get those domestic players who are good with tests. The problem here is that they do not have those kinds of players are their talent pool is mostly based to attract their Bangladesh league. This team needs to be chucked out of test cricket but it will not happen anytime soon.

Bangladesh needs to face a reality check very soon. At least in test format. Otherwise, they are not going to perform better in the test format. Bangladesh seriously needs to face some serious threat from the ICC that the test status is going to be taken away. Probably after that Bangladesh will concentrate on the test format.

[Sithara007]

Test format is a different form of cricket and they literally tests the patience , maturity and sensibility of any player .
Pakistan is not good in test format but they are really set in t20 format  so that's the difference.

Pakistan used to be one of the best teams in test format, during the times of Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Saeed Anwar. Nowadays there are very few test specialists around the world. Steve Smith and Joe Root are examples. But Pakistan doesn't have any of these specialists. Their players are more suited for limited overs cricket and this is one of the reasons why their performance in the longer format has gone down. When Rameez Raja was the president of the PCB, he revamped the 4-day domestic tournament. Hopefully this will bear fruit in the medium to long term.