Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[sureshnsnet]

finally, day 4 paly has been called off without a single ball due to bad weather maybe tomorrow we can see some game there because of the forecast is good and I am happy to say that my bet going to pass as a draw match.

[JSRAW]

Good read on Misbah's short stint as a head coach and selector for Pakistan.

tl;dr : selection of Umar Akmal and Ahmad shehzad against SL. followed by Mohammed Irfan- Usman Qadir and now dropping Yasir shah.

Recall Umar Akmal? Drop Mohammad Abbas? What was Misbah-ul-Haq thinking!

Now how much lead will they take before declaring.  500 or even more?

2 scenario. declare today or declare tomorrow. declaring tomorrow looks logical to me but who knows what Aussie captain is thinking and might do.

Still 25+ overs left today so if Australia makes 80-90 runs then their score would be around 440-455 end of the 3rd day. then we have 2 more days to go and declaring on 450 runs can be tricky gamble if by any chance Kiwis batsmen gets set ( if it happens then there is good chance of NZ win or good contest, i would say) so Australia might want to bat one more session tomorrow or waste some time and add 100-130 runs on the scoreboard. after that they have 1 full day and 2 session to get NZ out with 550-580 runs on the scoreboard.

[Indymoney]

Good read on Misbah's short stint as a head coach and selector for Pakistan.

tl;dr : selection of Umar Akmal and Ahmad shehzad against SL. followed by Mohammed Irfan- Usman Qadir and now dropping Yasir shah.

Recall Umar Akmal? Drop Mohammad Abbas? What was Misbah-ul-Haq thinking!

Now how much lead will they take before declaring.  500 or even more?

2 scenario. declare today or declare tomorrow. declaring tomorrow looks logical to me but who knows what Aussie captain is thinking and might do.

Still 25+ overs left today so if Australia makes 80-90 runs then their score would be around 440-455 end of the 3rd day. then we have 2 more days to go and declaring on 450 runs can be tricky gamble if by any chance Kiwis batsmen gets set ( if it happens then there is good chance of NZ win or good contest, i would say) so Australia might want to bat one more session tomorrow or waste some time and add 100-130 runs on the scoreboard. after that they have 1 full day and 2 session to get NZ out with 550-580 runs on the scoreboard.

Right now they are leading by 391 and 17 overs left so I am feeling they will bat today and tomorrow for touching 500+ and then give batting to New Zealand as still plenty of time left in this match and Aussies bowlers can take ten wickets without any problem in 3 or 4 sessions.

edit: Labuschagne out on fifty and now Smith on crease. New Zeland bowlers have no place to go.

[mersal]

Now how much lead will they take before declaring.  500 or even more?

2 scenario. declare today or declare tomorrow. declaring tomorrow looks logical to me but who knows what Aussie captain is thinking and might do.

Still 25+ overs left today so if Australia makes 80-90 runs then their score would be around 440-455 end of the 3rd day. then we have 2 more days to go and declaring on 450 runs can be tricky gamble if by any chance Kiwis batsmen gets set ( if it happens then there is good chance of NZ win or good contest, i would say) so Australia might want to bat one more session tomorrow or waste some time and add 100-130 runs on the scoreboard. after that they have 1 full day and 2 session to get NZ out with 550-580 runs on the scoreboard.

418 is the most successful run chase ever in the test cricket history so anything more than 450 will gave them enough hope to win the match or get drawn if NZ played their best.And best score of fourth Innings is 450 but RSA lost that match.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

418 is the most successful run chase ever in the test cricket history so anything more than 450 will gave them enough hope to win the match or get drawn if NZ played their best.And best score of fourth Innings is 450 but RSA lost that match.

I am now confused why the Australian captain is not declaring the innings, when Warner was batting at 300 plus he declared the innings even with plenty of time left and now the Australia is leading over 400 runs and still they are not planning to declare the innings and they have a bowler short and they need to bowl 30 plus overs and try to pick the maximum wickets and the bowlers will get a good rest and then they will finish off the match the next day, but they are still playing with 6 wickets down .

[7788bitcoin]

I don't like the Aussie skipper not talking the follow on. He would have won the match with an innings to spare and that is termed as a big win in Test Cricket.

The decision to bat was to give the bowlers some rest as  Hazlewood is injured and Starc and Cummins had to lead the bowling attack and then there is Lyon to hold one end and they need some rest as they cannot keep on bowling as they will get injured if they are not getting any rest and the decision not to enforce the follow on is understandable but they would have declared the innings a bit earlier to give a few overs before stumps rather than batting the rest of the day.

[onrise]

418 is the most successful run chase ever in the test cricket history so anything more than 450 will gave them enough hope to win the match or get drawn if NZ played their best.And best score of fourth Innings is 450 but RSA lost that match.

I am now confused why the Australian captain is not declaring the innings, when Warner was batting at 300 plus he declared the innings even with plenty of time left and now the Australia is leading over 400 runs and still they are not planning to declare the innings and they have a bowler short and they need to bowl 30 plus overs and try to pick the maximum wickets and the bowlers will get a good rest and then they will finish off the match the next day, but they are still playing with 6 wickets down .

What a game we are witnessing where OZ in first innings made 416 and in second innings are now 167 for 6 . But NZ are now trail by 417 and still 4 wickets of OZ is left and this means very high chance the match is already in OZ favour .

[JohnBitCo]

I don't like the Aussie skipper not talking the follow on. He would have won the match with an innings to spare and that is termed as a big win in Test Cricket.

The decision to bat was to give the bowlers some rest as  Hazlewood is injured and Starc and Cummins had to lead the bowling attack and then there is Lyon to hold one end and they need some rest as they cannot keep on bowling as they will get injured if they are not getting any rest and the decision not to enforce the follow on is understandable but they would have declared the innings a bit earlier to give a few overs before stumps rather than batting the rest of the day.

As witness in most cases, when captain takes a strange decision he has to pay for it. Australia are now struggling in their 2nd innings and have made 166 runs with 6 wickets down. Australia may still win this match because their overall lead is 400+ but this 2nd innings will shake the confidence of the Australian batsmen in next matches.

[Vishnu.Reang]

I don't like the Aussie skipper not talking the follow on. He would have won the match with an innings to spare and that is termed as a big win in Test Cricket.

The decision to bat was to give the bowlers some rest as  Hazlewood is injured and Starc and Cummins had to lead the bowling attack and then there is Lyon to hold one end and they need some rest as they cannot keep on bowling as they will get injured if they are not getting any rest and the decision not to enforce the follow on is understandable but they would have declared the innings a bit earlier to give a few overs before stumps rather than batting the rest of the day.

Even without Hazlewood, Australia will be able to restrict New Zealand for less than 200-250. So ideally they should have enforced the follow on. It is disappointing because Tim Paine has an impression as a captain who is not afraid to take risks. But his decision today went against the norm. Anyway, there is no hope for New Zealand. I really doubt they will be able to score anything more than 200.

[UmerIdrees]

I don't like the Aussie skipper not talking the follow on. He would have won the match with an innings to spare and that is termed as a big win in Test Cricket.

The decision to bat was to give the bowlers some rest as  Hazlewood is injured and Starc and Cummins had to lead the bowling attack and then there is Lyon to hold one end and they need some rest as they cannot keep on bowling as they will get injured if they are not getting any rest and the decision not to enforce the follow on is understandable but they would have declared the innings a bit earlier to give a few overs before stumps rather than batting the rest of the day.

The players and the bowlers at the international level need rest specially when they belong to one of the best cricketing team. Strange 
You are suggesting that they are tired after playing just 2 days of cricket ? 

[mersal]

418 is the most successful run chase ever in the test cricket history so anything more than 450 will gave them enough hope to win the match or get drawn if NZ played their best.And best score of fourth Innings is 450 but RSA lost that match.

I am now confused why the Australian captain is not declaring the innings, when Warner was batting at 300 plus he declared the innings even with plenty of time left and now the Australia is leading over 400 runs and still they are not planning to declare the innings and they have a bowler short and they need to bowl 30 plus overs and try to pick the maximum wickets and the bowlers will get a good rest and then they will finish off the match the next day, but they are still playing with 6 wickets down .

What a game we are witnessing where OZ in first innings made 416 and in second innings are now 167 for 6 . But NZ are now trail by 417 and still 4 wickets of OZ is left and this means very high chance the match is already in OZ favour .

Not really,because you will know why if you read my above quote again,418 is the most successful chase ever in test matches means even if they score 2 more runs then Aus will hit 419 so OZ need to break world record to win this match.

I guess 2nd innings of OZ also won't last long because when days passes pitch will assist to bowlers so high chances for wickets to fell in quick sessions.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

Not really,because you will know why if you read my above quote again,418 is the most successful chase ever in test matches means even if they score 2 more runs then Aus will hit 419 so OZ need to break world record to win this match.

I guess 2nd innings of OZ also won't last long because when days passes pitch will assist to bowlers so high chances for wickets to fell in quick sessions.

The point here is that New Zealand will not chase anything beyond 300 runs as the pitch will not be that easy to bat on, you can see how the Australian players struggled in the second innings as the New Zealand bowlers were peppering them with short balls and it was not that easy to bat on and in that case how can we expect them to chase a total like that and they have a good spinner in Lyon to contain one end.

[7788bitcoin]

What a game we are witnessing where OZ in first innings made 416 and in second innings are now 167 for 6 . But NZ are now trail by 417 and still 4 wickets of OZ is left and this means very high chance the match is already in OZ favour .

The only thing New Zealand can do is to defend for a draw and it is impossible to defend for a long period of time and you really do not need this much runs to win the match.

but this 2nd innings will shake the confidence of the Australian batsmen in next matches.

Let us see if New Zealand will collapse in the second innings too then you can understand that it is not an easy pitch bat.

But his decision today went against the norm. Anyway, there is no hope for New Zealand. I really doubt they will be able to score anything more than 200.

Not sure why he delayed the declaration when they are in a good position. They should have put New Zealand to bat with 10 overs left in the day.

The players and the bowlers at the international level need rest specially when they belong to one of the best cricketing team. Strange 
You are suggesting that they are tired after playing just 2 days of cricket ? 

Australia is playing a Test match with three bowlers as Hazlewood is injured, Starc, Cummins and Lyon, what do you expect they rotate these bowlers and enforce the follow on and let them bowl like a machine so that they will be out of the game for the next few months because of injury .
If you have any idea about how many overs a fast bowler bowls in a spell you will not have this thought of international players being super humans .

[Vishnu.Reang]

The point here is that New Zealand will not chase anything beyond 300 runs as the pitch will not be that easy to bat on, you can see how the Australian players struggled in the second innings as the New Zealand bowlers were peppering them with short balls and it was not that easy to bat on and in that case how can we expect them to chase a total like that and they have a good spinner in Lyon to contain one end.

Not just Lyon, but Marnus Labuschagne is also there as the spin option. During the first innings of New Zealand, he had taken the crucial wicket of Mitchell Santner. But that said, with both Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins bowling in peak form, I don't think that the spinners may get much opportunities to bowl their spells. If everything goes as per the plan, then Starc will finish with another 5 wicket haul and New Zealand will lose the match by a considerable margin.

[mersal]

The point here is that New Zealand will not chase anything beyond 300 runs as the pitch will not be that easy to bat on, you can see how the Australian players struggled in the second innings as the New Zealand bowlers were peppering them with short balls and it was not that easy to bat on and in that case how can we expect them to chase a total like that and they have a good spinner in Lyon to contain one end.

Not just Lyon, but Marnus Labuschagne is also there as the spin option. During the first innings of New Zealand, he had taken the crucial wicket of Mitchell Santner. But that said, with both Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins bowling in peak form, I don't think that the spinners may get much opportunities to bowl their spells. If everything goes as per the plan, then Starc will finish with another 5 wicket haul and New Zealand will lose the match by a considerable margin.

Forcing pacers to bowl more overs will affect their health,many bowlers agreed that most hardest part of test match is for pacers so they should have to rotate their spells with spinners as well to keep them effective.

OZ will struggle more in their second innings due to changes in the pitch its likely the match will end before day four and we will have a result for sure if there is no interruption rains.

[Vishnu.Reang]

OZ will struggle more in their second innings due to changes in the pitch its likely the match will end before day four and we will have a result for sure if there is no interruption rains.

Australia is already having a lead of 400 plus and therefore the pressure on the bowlers will be reduced. The absence of Hazlewood will be neutralized by part time bowlers such as Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. And I don't think that the Kiwis will go in to attack mode with such a huge target on board. They will be defensive from the first ball onward.

[UmerIdrees]

The players and the bowlers at the international level need rest specially when they belong to one of the best cricketing team. Strange 
You are suggesting that they are tired after playing just 2 days of cricket ? 

Australia is playing a Test match with three bowlers as Hazlewood is injured, Starc, Cummins and Lyon, what do you expect they rotate these bowlers and enforce the follow on and let them bowl like a machine so that they will be out of the game for the next few months because of injury .
If you have any idea about how many overs a fast bowler bowls in a spell you will not have this thought of international players being super humans .

Well, if you see the Pakistani team they are  batting for the consecutive 4 days in the test match against srilanka and are still not tired. They are surely super humans.    
They will bat for the fifth day too. I think it will be some sort of a record in the history of test cricket.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

Not just Lyon, but Marnus Labuschagne is also there as the spin option. During the first innings of New Zealand, he had taken the crucial wicket of Mitchell Santner. But that said, with both Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins bowling in peak form, I don't think that the spinners may get much opportunities to bowl their spells.

I think Lyon will play a major role in picking up the wickets in the final two days, if you are talking about part time bowlers then Australia does have some good part time bowlers like Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith as both can bowl decent leg spins and Travis Head is a multi talent who can bowl off spin as well as a good wicket keeper. Australia will win the match with the way they bowled in the first innings and how long New Zealand can prolong the match is the interesting part.

[Vishnu.Reang]

Not just Lyon, but Marnus Labuschagne is also there as the spin option. During the first innings of New Zealand, he had taken the crucial wicket of Mitchell Santner. But that said, with both Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins bowling in peak form, I don't think that the spinners may get much opportunities to bowl their spells.

I think Lyon will play a major role in picking up the wickets in the final two days, if you are talking about part time bowlers then Australia does have some good part time bowlers like Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith as both can bowl decent leg spins and Travis Head is a multi talent who can bowl off spin as well as a good wicket keeper. Australia will win the match with the way they bowled in the first innings and how long New Zealand can prolong the match is the interesting part.

Hmm... I missed Travis Head in my post. He is a wicket keeper with 42 first class wickets to his name!!! So for spin options, they have Lyon, Labuschagne, Smith and Head. Starc/Cummins need to share the pace bowling work load. There are no medium pacers among the batsmen and therefore they should depend on spin in case these two bowlers need some rest. Two days remaining in this match, and therefore we are certain about a result.

[Clement Kaliyar]

Two days remaining in this match, and therefore we are certain about a result.

There is plenty of time for Australia to bowl out New Zealand the second time and they way in which the New Zealand players were struggling to cope up with the pace and only Taylor was able to have some resistance and if they need to draw the match then New Zealand should play an incredible game of cricket we have never seen in the past to even draw the match.