Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[DanWalker]

Ireland 2nd innings showed a notable improvement compared to their first innings struggle. Despite a low total of 172 runs in the first innings Ireland's batsmen displayed resilience and determination. Andy McBrine  performance in particular stood out showcasing his potential as a Test player with an unbeaten inning of 86 runs. Mark Adair also showed promise, considering his relative newness to Test cricket. While England experience was evident as they scored 524 runs and secured an easy victory Ireland growth and individual performances provide optimism for their future in Test cricket.

England team made a big score in the first innings which was a big equation for Ireland team. Ireland have just started their journey in Test cricket so they are certain to lose against England. However, some of the positives that the Ireland team has shown in the Test match have been encouraging. At the moment as much as they gain experience they will be more efficient. While playing against England, the top order of the Ireland team could not do well, resulting in a major disaster in terms of score.

While Ireland outcome was not ideal the England team first innings objective was unquestionably a lofty one. Even though they were playing Test cricket for the first time the Irish players showed signs of potential and tenacity throughout the match. Experience is an important factor in any team effectiveness and the Ireland team will undoubtedly develop and get better as they get more exposure to the longer format of the match. It is crucial to see this setback as a teaching opportunity rather than a massive catastrophe despite the fact that their top order struggled against the English bowlers. Every match offers the participants a chance to hone their abilities adjust to various situations and improve their overall performance.

The Ireland team has certainly shown potential. It was just a lack of experience that actually played a big part in this test match. I know it is not like the experience is always going to prevail.

We saw that with the Bangladesh versus Afghanistan test match in which Afghanistan was playing test cricket for the first time and still managed to beat Bangladesh who has been playing test cricket for almost 20 years.

But I don't think we can compare Bangladesh with England. I know Ireland has shown good potential but I genuinely think that the best approach for Ireland right now is going to be two concentrates on T20 cricket only. That is the future and that is the format which is not easier to improve on.

[1714653487]

1714653487

[1714653487]

1714653487

[1714653487]

1714653487

[1714653487]

1714653487

[romero121]

Ireland 2nd innings showed a notable improvement compared to their first innings struggle. Despite a low total of 172 runs in the first innings Ireland's batsmen displayed resilience and determination. Andy McBrine  performance in particular stood out showcasing his potential as a Test player with an unbeaten inning of 86 runs. Mark Adair also showed promise, considering his relative newness to Test cricket. While England experience was evident as they scored 524 runs and secured an easy victory Ireland growth and individual performances provide optimism for their future in Test cricket.

England team made a big score in the first innings which was a big equation for Ireland team. Ireland have just started their journey in Test cricket so they are certain to lose against England. However, some of the positives that the Ireland team has shown in the Test match have been encouraging. At the moment as much as they gain experience they will be more efficient. While playing against England, the top order of the Ireland team could not do well, resulting in a major disaster in terms of score.

While Ireland outcome was not ideal the England team first innings objective was unquestionably a lofty one. Even though they were playing Test cricket for the first time the Irish players showed signs of potential and tenacity throughout the match. Experience is an important factor in any team effectiveness and the Ireland team will undoubtedly develop and get better as they get more exposure to the longer format of the match. It is crucial to see this setback as a teaching opportunity rather than a massive catastrophe despite the fact that their top order struggled against the English bowlers. Every match offers the participants a chance to hone their abilities adjust to various situations and improve their overall performance.

The Ireland team has certainly shown potential. It was just a lack of experience that actually played a big part in this test match. I know it is not like the experience is always going to prevail.

We saw that with the Bangladesh versus Afghanistan test match in which Afghanistan was playing test cricket for the first time and still managed to beat Bangladesh who has been playing test cricket for almost 20 years.

But I don't think we can compare Bangladesh with England. I know Ireland has shown good potential but I genuinely think that the best approach for Ireland right now is going to be two concentrates on T20 cricket only. That is the future and that is the format which is not easier to improve on.

Thats a wrong choice to compare Bangladesh team with England team. Afghanistan have got good domestic cricket and have been playing for a long. Both Ireland and Afghanistan have got to be full members of ICC during the year 2017. As Ireland is within England the importance for cricket hadn't come particularly from Ireland. Now they've formed separate team and playing.

T20 might be the future of cricket. One thing we need to understand, T20 is the easiest to improve. Another thing, it is the match in which even a solo performance could change the match result. Compared to T20 format of cricket, test cricket is the hardest to improve..

[Webetcoins]

First of all, I think it is not going to be interesting if they decide to prepare a flat deck. It actually might end up in one of those boring draws. That is something which the spectators certainly do not want to see. And for some reason, if they do decide to actually prepare a flat track everything is going to fall on the shoulders of the fast bowlers and it will come down to how fast they can actually bowl. And of course, bouncers are going to be the way to go. But for the sake of entertainment, I hope they do not repair a flat track.

I agree because if they are going to prepare flat pitches then surely it's not going to be interesting but still results are possible with Bazball cricket because they will not stop hitting and surely with this we will have mistakes from them as well which helps bowler.

Still if ECB is thinking about flat pitches then surely this is going to be big mistake and surely Aussies will be beneficiary from this as well because they are well-prepared for all conditions, and they can do good, but England can face trouble specially now after Leach is also out of the series, so this is going to be disadvantage for them and their well organized pace attack could be also on Back foot in this situation most chances ECB will not take any wrong decision.

[DanWalker]

The Ireland team has certainly shown potential. It was just a lack of experience that actually played a big part in this test match. I know it is not like the experience is always going to prevail.
We saw that with the Bangladesh versus Afghanistan test match in which Afghanistan was playing test cricket for the first time and still managed to beat Bangladesh who has been playing test cricket for almost 20 years.
But I don't think we can compare Bangladesh with England. I know Ireland has shown good potential but I genuinely think that the best approach for Ireland right now is going to be two concentrates on T20 cricket only. That is the future and that is the format which is not easier to improve on.

Thats a wrong choice to compare Bangladesh team with England team. Afghanistan have got good domestic cricket and have been playing for a long. Both Ireland and Afghanistan have got to be full members of ICC during the year 2017. As Ireland is within England the importance for cricket hadn't come particularly from Ireland. Now they've formed separate team and playing.

T20 might be the future of cricket. One thing we need to understand, T20 is the easiest to improve. Another thing, it is the match in which even a solo performance could change the match result. Compared to T20 format of cricket, test cricket is the hardest to improve..

Test cricket is obviously the hardest to improve. So I don't think any new team should concentrate on improving in the test format. Especially when we already know that test cricket is not going to stay alive for a long period of time as it is already very unpopular among the fans.

Meanwhile, T20 is the most popular format of cricket. It is also easier to improve on. So, any new team or any smaller team should actually concentrate on improving in the T20 format. No reason to think about improving in something that is not going to be very sustainable in the future. The T20 format is the future of cricket.

[Sithara007]

Final of the ICC World Test Championship will be played tomorrow at the Kennington Oval in London. India is still wondering whether they want to go with 4 pacers (+ Jadeja) or 3 pacers + Ravichandran Ashwin + Ravindra Jadeja. Australia on the other hand is likely to go with 3 pacers and Nathan Lyon. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are confirmed as the seamers and the third bowler will be chosen between Scott Boland and Michael Neser (preference would be for the former, but Neser has impressed a lot of people recently in the county championship).   

[fullhdpixel]

Test cricket is obviously the hardest to improve. So I don't think any new team should concentrate on improving in the test format. Especially when we already know that test cricket is not going to stay alive for a long period of time as it is already very unpopular among the fans.

Meanwhile, T20 is the most popular format of cricket. It is also easier to improve on. So, any new team or any smaller team should actually concentrate on improving in the T20 format. No reason to think about improving in something that is not going to be very sustainable in the future. The T20 format is the future of cricket.

Now mostly fans are losing their passion with red-ball cricket due to fall in quality and long term of this game five days are surely too much for watching this game and having entertainment ICC is also never been interested to improve things for this format as well because few are feeling not good about this format in this which is surely never been good deal for this format but still we will be able to have this format alive for few more years.

Players are preparing for the shorter format because they are feeling comfortable with this and also having better earning in less time which is good for all stakeholders even fans are also enjoying hopefully we will have reduction in teams for the test format due to finances and having not enough quality players which could surely big dilemma and even death of this format as well.

[Sithara007]

Although Test cricket can be challenging to improve it has a unique role in cricket. But England transformation playing Tests like T20 matches has added excitement and attracted a wider audience. T20 cricket popularity doesn't mean Test cricket will fade away.

Test cricket is not going to fade away, but it will get restricted to a few countries. Obviously BCCI, CA, ECB and CNZ are going to give a lot of importance to test format. But ZC, CI and ACB (those at tier-2 in test cricket system) are only playing 1-2 test matches per year at the most. Now comes those in between, such as the WICB, CSA, PCB and BCB. These countries are also against spending a lot of their time and resources in test format. So in the long run, I don't think that there is a future for test cricket outside the pig-4.

[Litzki1990]

Ireland have recovered well in second innings. They are now 259/6 and trail by 93 runs.Andy McBrine and Mark Adair are on the crease and they both have added 100 runs to the total. Definitely Ireland are not in a position to win this game, the best result for Ireland will be to avoid a loss by an innings. Mark Adair is highest run scorer for Ireland in this game as he is not out on 61 (50).

Ireland 2nd innings showed a notable improvement compared to their first innings struggle. Despite a low total of 172 runs in the first innings Ireland's batsmen displayed resilience and determination. Andy McBrine  performance in particular stood out showcasing his potential as a Test player with an unbeaten inning of 86 runs. Mark Adair also showed promise, considering his relative newness to Test cricket. While England experience was evident as they scored 524 runs and secured an easy victory Ireland growth and individual performances provide optimism for their future in Test cricket.

There is nothing to beat England in Tests. Because we all know what kind of team England is in cricket. But Ireland lost against England but this loss was a big achievement for them. 

Ireland did not do well in the first innings but in the second innings they did better than expected i.e. they proved that they are capable of playing Test cricket and if they are guided well then this team will do better than many teams in Test cricket. When the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh took place, I saw that there was enough effort among them to do well and those who try, definitely succeed. All the best for Ireland Test Cricket.

[JSRAW]

Final of the ICC World Test Championship will be played tomorrow at the Kennington Oval in London. India is still wondering whether they want to go with 4 pacers (+ Jadeja) or 3 pacers + Ravichandran Ashwin + Ravindra Jadeja. Australia on the other hand is likely to go with 3 pacers and Nathan Lyon. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are confirmed as the seamers and the third bowler will be chosen between Scott Boland and Michael Neser (preference would be for the former, but Neser has impressed a lot of people recently in the county championship).   

10 years of drought and here comes another ICC tournament. 

Some reports are coming out and from the pitch's pictures, it does look like a seam-friendly wicket but it would depend on overcast conditions too. If the weather is clear then it should balance out and for India, team balance would depend on it. Aussie's attack seems alright even with Hazelwood.

[pakhitheboss]

Some reports are coming out and from the pitch's pictures, it does look like a seam-friendly wicket but it would depend on overcast conditions too. If the weather is clear then it should balance out and for India, team balance would depend on it. Aussie's attack seems alright even with Hazelwood.

Rain is expected but not tomorrow, if the wicket is seam friendly then Umesh Yadav will be part of the playing 11. They won't leave Jadeja and Ashwin I am guessing. If India opts for bat first then who do you think will be opening up with Gill. Will be Rohit or will it be someone else. I still think it will be Rohit, looking at his form I also believe it is a bad idea.

[Juggy777]

Final of the ICC World Test Championship will be played tomorrow at the Kennington Oval in London. India is still wondering whether they want to go with 4 pacers (+ Jadeja) or 3 pacers + Ravichandran Ashwin + Ravindra Jadeja. Australia on the other hand is likely to go with 3 pacers and Nathan Lyon. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are confirmed as the seamers and the third bowler will be chosen between Scott Boland and Michael Neser (preference would be for the former, but Neser has impressed a lot of people recently in the county championship).   

10 years of drought and here comes another ICC tournament. 

Some reports are coming out and from the pitch's pictures, it does look like a seam-friendly wicket but it would depend on overcast conditions too. If the weather is clear then it should balance out and for India, team balance would depend on it. Aussie's attack seems alright even with Hazelwood.

@JSRAW do you feel that IPL fatigue will hurt Indian player’s as the match reaches its pinnacle stage because I have a feeling that they may underperform due to this fatigue. Furthermore I feel that team India should go with 4 pacers due to the seam conditions we usually see in England and further they should add Jadeja too cause he’ll give them an extra bowling option plus score important run’s too for the team.

[Litzki1990]

Some reports are coming out and from the pitch's pictures, it does look like a seam-friendly wicket but it would depend on overcast conditions too. If the weather is clear then it should balance out and for India, team balance would depend on it. Aussie's attack seems alright even with Hazelwood.

Rain is expected but not tomorrow, if the wicket is seam friendly then Umesh Yadav will be part of the playing 11. They won't leave Jadeja and Ashwin I am guessing. If India opts for bat first then who do you think will be opening up with Gill. Will be Rohit or will it be someone else. I still think it will be Rohit, looking at his form I also believe it is a bad idea.

India's probable squad against Australia in the World Test Championship is discussed below. And this squad I made entirely from my own experience, my thoughts may not match with Indian coach and captain of Indian team but I am revealing my possible XI,
opener will be Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, due to off form Rohit Sharma will be will replace by Cheteshwar Pujara can be seen for opener.
If Cheteshwar Pujara does not bat at number three, Virat Kohli can be seen at number three position, Ajinkya Rahane will come down to bat at number four, if Rohit Sharma does not open, he will come down at number five, and if he opens at number five, wicketkeeper batsman Srikar Bharat will come down to bat for India. Ravindra Jadeja will drop at number 6, Ravichandran Ashwin at number 7, Mohammad Siraj, Mohammad Sami and Umesh Yadav will lead the fast bowling unit.

[JSRAW]

Some reports are coming out and from the pitch's pictures, it does look like a seam-friendly wicket but it would depend on overcast conditions too. If the weather is clear then it should balance out and for India, team balance would depend on it. Aussie's attack seems alright even with Hazelwood.

Rain is expected but not tomorrow, if the wicket is seam friendly then Umesh Yadav will be part of the playing 11. They won't leave Jadeja and Ashwin I am guessing. If India opts for bat first then who do you think will be opening up with Gill. Will be Rohit or will it be someone else. I still think it will be Rohit, looking at his form I also believe it is a bad idea.

Yaar even they don't know what their bowling combination is lol but in the batting department top 5 all spots are settled for finals.

Gill-Rohit (openers) although I heard that Rohit got hit on the hand during the practice session, otherwise these 2 guys are fixed.

For a 3-4-5 batting position, they would go with an old and tested combination which is Pujara, Kohli and Rahane.

@JSRAW do you feel that IPL fatigue will hurt Indian player’s as the match reaches its pinnacle stage because I have a feeling that they may underperform due to this fatigue.

Absolutely but these guys can't make any fatigue excuse. They chose to play in the IPL, no one forced them to so it's on them and management.

[Haunebu]

India would be making a big mistake if they dropped Ashwin for the final just because it's a seam friendly wicket since he is an amazing all-rounder plus bowler. Him and Jadeja are a legendary combo.

Australia's batting line-up looks insane when compared to India's at the moment(Marnus, Usman, Steve etc) which is why I feel that they have the edge in this contest.

Pant and Bumrah would have boosted the Indian lineup substantially if they were available. Bad luck!

[Sithara007]

Absolutely but these guys can't make any fatigue excuse. They chose to play in the IPL, no one forced them to so it's on them and management.

LOL.. they can play in IPL for 3 months on the trot. But then spending 5 days for the WTC final is too hard. I know that IPL is the major revenue earner for these players. In that case, they can ask the management to grant them break during the WTC final, or even retire from the test format altogether. IMO, asking the same players to get involved in all the three formats is a bit risky. India has so many talented players and enough depth in player pool, and therefore can afford to have separate squads for the three formats of the game. It will be beneficial for the younger players as well.

[pakhitheboss]

It has been 10 years that India has won an ICC title. Today they play the finals against Australia at Oval. Considering 10 years gap a lot of pressure might be on the team captain and the veterans in the team.

The playing 11 is yet to be announced, seems like they cannot decide how many pace bowlers and spinners they should have for the finals. The opening pair is also a concern as Rohit has been out of form. Gill is the inform batter. The pressure would be on Gill than on Rohit.

The middle order seems to be good but they have made a habit of getting out cheaply. Lower middle order and tail enders have always come to the rescue but with Panth & Iyer not in the team, it looks difficult this time.

Shami & Shiraz look promising but a third pace bowler looks crucial after looking at the pitch. Umesh Yadav is the third pace bowler but India will surely miss Bhumrah in the finals. Bharath is an okay wicket keeper but not a good batters. Don't know if Kishan would replace him.

Overall a lot of new player will be part of this final. Therefore the pressure to play well would be on the shoulders of veterans.
 

[Gulttam2a2]

It has been 10 years that India has won an ICC title. Today they play the finals against Australia at Oval. Considering 10 years gap a lot of pressure might be on the team captain and the veterans in the team.

The playing 11 is yet to be announced, seems like they cannot decide how many pace bowlers and spinners they should have for the finals. The opening pair is also a concern as Rohit has been out of form. Gill is the inform batter. The pressure would be on Gill than on Rohit.

The middle order seems to be good but they have made a habit of getting out cheaply. Lower middle order and tail enders have always come to the rescue but with Panth & Iyer not in the team, it looks difficult this time.

Shami & Shiraz look promising but a third pace bowler looks crucial after looking at the pitch. Umesh Yadav is the third pace bowler but India will surely miss Bhumrah in the finals. Bharath is an okay wicket keeper but not a good batters. Don't know if Kishan would replace him.

Overall a lot of new player will be part of this final. Therefore the pressure to play well would be on the shoulders of veterans.
 

I agree with you India last won the ICC trophy in 2013 that too under captain Dhoni. After Dhoni's departure,i never saw India lift another international trophy. India lost to New Zealand in the final of the Test Championship last time.  Here as India XI as you said Rohit and Gill will come as openers. India's middle order has batsmen like Kohli and Pujara. But as a wicket keeper batsman I think Ishan can take Kishan as he is a good quality batsman and wicket keeper. On the other hand,Australia is a very good team.  Now let's see how much India can do with this team.

[Sithara007]

I agree with you India last won the ICC trophy in 2013 that too under captain Dhoni. After Dhoni's departure,i never saw India lift another international trophy. India lost to New Zealand in the final of the Test Championship last time.  Here as India XI as you said Rohit and Gill will come as openers. India's middle order has batsmen like Kohli and Pujara. But as a wicket keeper batsman I think Ishan can take Kishan as he is a good quality batsman and wicket keeper. On the other hand,Australia is a very good team.  Now let's see how much India can do with this team.

Neither Kohli nor Rohit can lead the Indian team to a victory in any of the ICC tournaments. I would rather prefer someone young as well as composed, such as Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant (provided they are free from injury). Even Shubman Gill is a good option. Anyway, today the WTC finals will get going. Another golden opportunity for the Indian team to get their hands on a major ICC trophy. But what will happen in case there is rain interruption? In that case both the teams will be sharing the trophy and that will take some excitement out of it.

[Litzki1990]

I agree with you India last won the ICC trophy in 2013 that too under captain Dhoni. After Dhoni's departure,i never saw India lift another international trophy. India lost to New Zealand in the final of the Test Championship last time.  Here as India XI as you said Rohit and Gill will come as openers. India's middle order has batsmen like Kohli and Pujara. But as a wicket keeper batsman I think Ishan can take Kishan as he is a good quality batsman and wicket keeper. On the other hand,Australia is a very good team.  Now let's see how much India can do with this team.

Neither Kohli nor Rohit can lead the Indian team to a victory in any of the ICC tournaments. I would rather prefer someone young as well as composed, such as Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant (provided they are free from injury). Even Shubman Gill is a good option. Anyway, today the WTC finals will get going. Another golden opportunity for the Indian team to get their hands on a major ICC trophy. But what will happen in case there is rain interruption? In that case both the teams will be sharing the trophy and that will take some excitement out of it.

India lost several key players to injuries before the start of the World Test Championship. Notable among them are Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. However, new players have been brought in as their replacements. The team that India toured England with for the World Test Championship final against Australia will no doubt be instrumental in winning the Test Championship against Australia. Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan can be good replacements for injured players. We are about to witness the best competitive Test Championship between Australia and India.

[Sithara007]

India lost several key players to injuries before the start of the World Test Championship. Notable among them are Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. However, new players have been brought in as their replacements. The team that India toured England with for the World Test Championship final against Australia will no doubt be instrumental in winning the Test Championship against Australia. Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan can be good replacements for injured players. We are about to witness the best competitive Test Championship between Australia and India.

India has the best players in cricket, for all the three formats. And despite all this, they have been unable to win a major ICC championship for the last 10 years. Only reason I can think about is the deficiencies in captaincy and coaching. The combination of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri was beneficial for these two guys, but overall it was disastrous for the Indian team. And Rohit is just a clone of Virat. His captaincy skills are similar and only difference is that he behaves a bit more human-like compared to Kohli who behaves like a monkey on field.