Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[onrise]

Know what? There is a limit up to which the weather can help. A huge amount of time was lost to rain interruption. And still the Brits won the match comfortably. I missed the last day of action, as I was in office. When I reached home, it was all over and I was surprised to see that Keshav Maharaj was the top-scorer for the South Africans with his 71. Well.. that sums up everything I guess. 

It was just a sarcastic hope for the South African i mentioned  . If South Africa is able to find batsman like Keshav Maharaj then they can have some hope in the future other than that their entire batting line up is a failure for a very long time and there are news coming out that Faf du Plessis will be retiring from Test cricket pretty soon.

De-villers presence in the team and his battings skills used to change lot of things for SA and now once he is not their in the team they are definitely missing some one of his likes which is impacting them and can be clearly seen. Hope SA will bounce back and find the right combination in the team.

[akhjob]

1st Test between SL and Zimbabwe has started in Zimbabwe and batting first Zimbabwe had scored 358 runs . Top order played well and just that they could not capitalise it for the long innings. SL started their innings and are now 42/1 . SL would like to take some lead in the first innings to put pressure on Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe played really well to get to 358 runs, they were taking a lot of time to score these runs and it is a good approach and if they are able to pick wickets then it will be interesting to see how the Sri Lankan players will cope to the pressure and who will be rising and perform better, if they are able to bat till the third day then Zimbabwe can look for a draw, i know this is just the second day and it all depends upon how the Sri Lankan players are going to approach the game.

I am sure that Zimbabwe is looking for a draw at the moment, nothing more. They took their sweet time while batting and managed to putup 350+ runs on board. And while bowling, they avoided bowling few overs by not opting spin. Currently SL are batting well at 113/2. The only chance for SL to get a result is to post a big lead something around 250+ for ZIM and try to wrap them up within a days play which will be a tough task considering how they batted in the first innings.

[onrise]

1st Test between SL and Zimbabwe has started in Zimbabwe and batting first Zimbabwe had scored 358 runs . Top order played well and just that they could not capitalise it for the long innings. SL started their innings and are now 42/1 . SL would like to take some lead in the first innings to put pressure on Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe played really well to get to 358 runs, they were taking a lot of time to score these runs and it is a good approach and if they are able to pick wickets then it will be interesting to see how the Sri Lankan players will cope to the pressure and who will be rising and perform better, if they are able to bat till the third day then Zimbabwe can look for a draw, i know this is just the second day and it all depends upon how the Sri Lankan players are going to approach the game.

I am sure that Zimbabwe is looking for a draw at the moment, nothing more. They took their sweet time while batting and managed to putup 350+ runs on board. And while bowling, they avoided bowling few overs by not opting spin. Currently SL are batting well at 113/2. The only chance for SL to get a result is to post a big lead something around 250+ for ZIM and try to wrap them up within a days play which will be a tough task considering how they batted in the first innings.

Mendis & Matthews partnership has helped SL to reach 184 runs with loss of 3 wicket. Mendis would be disappointed as he was really building his innings so well and got out at 80. Zimbabwe would now require to pick up 2 quick wickets so that they would be back in the hunt and try to make them all out quickly and take some first innings lead.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

I am sure that Zimbabwe is looking for a draw at the moment, nothing more. They took their sweet time while batting and managed to putup 350+ runs on board. And while bowling, they avoided bowling few overs by not opting spin. Currently SL are batting well at 113/2. The only chance for SL to get a result is to post a big lead something around 250+ for ZIM and try to wrap them up within a days play which will be a tough task considering how they batted in the first innings.

Either Zimbabwe has to pick up wickets and Sri Lanka is also batting really slow as they do not feel the need to increase the run rate either and as long as Angelo Mathews is in the crease they will build a huge total and they still behind 153 runs and they can reach those runs and this is the third day and unless there is a collapse in the second innings it is going to be a draw.

[mersal]

I am sure that Zimbabwe is looking for a draw at the moment, nothing more. They took their sweet time while batting and managed to putup 350+ runs on board. And while bowling, they avoided bowling few overs by not opting spin. Currently SL are batting well at 113/2. The only chance for SL to get a result is to post a big lead something around 250+ for ZIM and try to wrap them up within a days play which will be a tough task considering how they batted in the first innings.

Either Zimbabwe has to pick up wickets and Sri Lanka is also batting really slow as they do not feel the need to increase the run rate either and as long as Angelo Mathews is in the crease they will build a huge total and they still behind 153 runs and they can reach those runs and this is the third day and unless there is a collapse in the second innings it is going to be a draw.

SL is looking to post a gigantic first innings score and will for ZIM to chase it which will be their plan IMO and even if ZIM scored enough runs then SL can win the leading runs in the last day by scoring at high scoring rate per over.And its important to mention ZIM is really playing well at the moment.

[7788bitcoin]

SL is looking to post a gigantic first innings score and will for ZIM to chase it which will be their plan IMO and even if ZIM scored enough runs then SL can win the leading runs in the last day by scoring at high scoring rate per over.And its important to mention ZIM is really playing well at the moment.

Sri Lanka have the batting to post a good total, not sure whether the pitch is difficult to score runs as both teams are moving slowly, Zimbabwe was going under 2 runs and now Sri Lanka is batting under 3 runs per over and the possibility is a draw by the way the match is going.

[akhjob]

SL is looking to post a gigantic first innings score and will for ZIM to chase it which will be their plan IMO and even if ZIM scored enough runs then SL can win the leading runs in the last day by scoring at high scoring rate per over.And its important to mention ZIM is really playing well at the moment.

Sri Lanka have the batting to post a good total, not sure whether the pitch is difficult to score runs as both teams are moving slowly, Zimbabwe was going under 2 runs and now Sri Lanka is batting under 3 runs per over and the possibility is a draw by the way the match is going.

I'm also eyeing for a draw, infact made a bet on a Draw. Currently Srilankans are down to 233/4. There's still 1-2 hours play left and I'm sure ZIM will try to bowl less overs as they did yesterday. The scoring rate of SL is also not promising. I don't see SL posting around 600 runs on board by tomorrow's tea even if everything goes right for them. And considering, that ZIM played really well, I doubt SL will take all wickets of ZIM within 120 overs.
If anyone is planning to bet on a draw, there is still a chance for 2x  Bet at your own risk though

[Vishnu.Reang]

I am sure that Zimbabwe is looking for a draw at the moment, nothing more. They took their sweet time while batting and managed to putup 350+ runs on board. And while bowling, they avoided bowling few overs by not opting spin. Currently SL are batting well at 113/2. The only chance for SL to get a result is to post a big lead something around 250+ for ZIM and try to wrap them up within a days play which will be a tough task considering how they batted in the first innings.

Either Zimbabwe has to pick up wickets and Sri Lanka is also batting really slow as they do not feel the need to increase the run rate either and as long as Angelo Mathews is in the crease they will build a huge total and they still behind 153 runs and they can reach those runs and this is the third day and unless there is a collapse in the second innings it is going to be a draw.

Too early to give a judgement on this match. We still have two days remaining and the track will start supporting the spinners very soon. Zimbabwean batsmen are not especially known for their patience during batting and if there is a collapse tomorrow, then I think that Sri Lanka has a very good chance of winning the match. That said... this has to be one of the most boring test matches ever played during the last 10-15 years.

[Clement Kaliyar]

De-villers presence in the team and his battings skills used to change lot of things for SA and now once he is not their in the team they are definitely missing some one of his likes which is impacting them and can be clearly seen. Hope SA will bounce back and find the right combination in the team.

The retirement of Kallis, Amla, Smith and AB de Villiers is a big problem for the Test team and they are still struggling to find players that could replace them and the good news for them is that AB de Villiers is willing to come out of retirement to play in the T20 word cup and hopefully they will include him in the team to have some batting power as they are struggling with the team they have now in every format.

[ene1980]

If anyone is planning to bet on a draw, there is still a chance for 2x  Bet at your own risk though

Sri Lanka still trail by 102 runs and they still have 6 wickets and if you calculate by the run rate in which they are going they will probably built a lead by tomorrow in the first or second session and then they will score another 200 runs which will take another couple of session and by the end the 4th day will be over and then the match depends how Zimbabwe bats in the final day and if Sri Lanka is able to pick the wickets then we might see a victory but it is highly unlikely and we might even see Sri Lanka increasing their run rate after taking the lead.

[Vishnu.Reang]

De-villers presence in the team and his battings skills used to change lot of things for SA and now once he is not their in the team they are definitely missing some one of his likes which is impacting them and can be clearly seen. Hope SA will bounce back and find the right combination in the team.

The retirement of Kallis, Amla, Smith and AB de Villiers is a big problem for the Test team and they are still struggling to find players that could replace them and the good news for them is that AB de Villiers is willing to come out of retirement to play in the T20 word cup and hopefully they will include him in the team to have some batting power as they are struggling with the team they have now in every format.

AB de Villiers is currently playing for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL). He retired from international cricket when he was 32 or 33, due to political issues. But will this do any good for South Africa, given that de Villiers have explicitly stated that he is not interested in either the ODI or test formats? This is going to be more like a temporary patch up, rather than a permanent solution.

[deadley]

If anyone is planning to bet on a draw, there is still a chance for 2x  Bet at your own risk though

Sri Lanka still trail by 102 runs and they still have 6 wickets and if you calculate by the run rate in which they are going they will probably built a lead by tomorrow in the first or second session and then they will score another 200 runs which will take another couple of session and by the end the 4th day will be over and then the match depends how Zimbabwe bats in the final day and if Sri Lanka is able to pick the wickets then we might see a victory but it is highly unlikely and we might even see Sri Lanka increasing their run rate after taking the lead.

Sri Lanka position is very good now after 3rd days stumps, they just require to get 250 more runs to get 200 runs lead. Playing 5th day is very hard in any test, so it won't be easy to Zim to save this test until someone will stay in crease long time.

[7788bitcoin]

Sri Lanka position is very good now after 3rd days stumps, they just require to get 250 more runs to get 200 runs lead. Playing 5th day is very hard in any test, so it won't be easy to Zim to save this test until someone will stay in crease long time.

Considering the way in which both team played, the pitch will be difficult to play on the 5th day and it depends upon how much can Sri Lanka put on the score board in quick time in the 4th day and put Zimbabwe under pressure to go for the win or draw the match and if Sri Lanka can do that tomorrow then we might see a result, if not it will end up in a draw.

[Vishnu.Reang]

Sri Lanka position is very good now after 3rd days stumps, they just require to get 250 more runs to get 200 runs lead. Playing 5th day is very hard in any test, so it won't be easy to Zim to save this test until someone will stay in crease long time.

Considering the way in which both team played, the pitch will be difficult to play on the 5th day and it depends upon how much can Sri Lanka put on the score board in quick time in the 4th day and put Zimbabwe under pressure to go for the win or draw the match and if Sri Lanka can do that tomorrow then we might see a result, if not it will end up in a draw.

I would like to remind you that Sri Lanka is still trailing by 63 runs and they have already lost 4 of their most important wickets. Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews have batted brilliantly till now, but in case they lose one or two quick wickets, then the situation can really change. To have a chance of win, Sri Lanka needs a total of around 500. Any total below that, the match will end up as a draw.

[deadley]

Sri Lanka position is very good now after 3rd days stumps, they just require to get 250 more runs to get 200 runs lead. Playing 5th day is very hard in any test, so it won't be easy to Zim to save this test until someone will stay in crease long time.

Considering the way in which both team played, the pitch will be difficult to play on the 5th day and it depends upon how much can Sri Lanka put on the score board in quick time in the 4th day and put Zimbabwe under pressure to go for the win or draw the match and if Sri Lanka can do that tomorrow then we might see a result, if not it will end up in a draw.

I would like to remind you that Sri Lanka is still trailing by 63 runs and they have already lost 4 of their most important wickets. Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews have batted brilliantly till now, but in case they lose one or two quick wickets, then the situation can really change. To have a chance of win, Sri Lanka needs a total of around 500. Any total below that, the match will end up as a draw.

Hahah it's not true, Zim played really very well in 1st inning and we can't expect them to play again that brilliantly. Simple Zim collapse will bring win for Sri Lanka.

[Clement Kaliyar]

AB de Villiers is currently playing for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL). He retired from international cricket when he was 32 or 33, due to political issues. But will this do any good for South Africa, given that de Villiers have explicitly stated that he is not interested in either the ODI or test formats? This is going to be more like a temporary patch up, rather than a permanent solution.

AB de Villiers retired because of the fight between the cricket board about playing in multiple leagues and the scheduling issues and the increasing work load he was undergoing during that period. He wanted to play for leagues but the cricket board was not keen on that as he usually takes break for International cricket and that is the reason he retired early and even in the last ODI world cup he expressed interest to return but it was too late but now he expressed his decision to play in the T20 World Cup and i am sure the cricket board will consider it because of the pathetic situation they are in as all the batsman are struggling across formats.

[Vishnu.Reang]

AB de Villiers is currently playing for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL). He retired from international cricket when he was 32 or 33, due to political issues. But will this do any good for South Africa, given that de Villiers have explicitly stated that he is not interested in either the ODI or test formats? This is going to be more like a temporary patch up, rather than a permanent solution.

AB de Villiers retired because of the fight between the cricket board about playing in multiple leagues and the scheduling issues and the increasing work load he was undergoing during that period. He wanted to play for leagues but the cricket board was not keen on that as he usually takes break for International cricket and that is the reason he retired early and even in the last ODI world cup he expressed interest to return but it was too late but now he expressed his decision to play in the T20 World Cup and i am sure the cricket board will consider it because of the pathetic situation they are in as all the batsman are struggling across formats.

There were issues between the two sides for quite sometime. The biggest face-off came during the 2015 world cup semi-final match against New Zealand. And in form Kyle Abbott was dropped and out of form Vernon Philander was included in the side, just to increase the number of non-white players in the side. AB de Villiers was the captain, and he was mad at this decision.

Abbott was the best bowler for South Africa during that edition of the world cup (9 wickets in 4 matches @ average of 14.4). Philander went for 8-0-52-0 in the semi-finals and South Africa lost the match. Abbott signed a Kolpak deal after a few months and said good bye to South Africa.

[Indymoney]

AB de Villiers is currently playing for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL). He retired from international cricket when he was 32 or 33, due to political issues. But will this do any good for South Africa, given that de Villiers have explicitly stated that he is not interested in either the ODI or test formats? This is going to be more like a temporary patch up, rather than a permanent solution.

AB de Villiers retired because of the fight between the cricket board about playing in multiple leagues and the scheduling issues and the increasing work load he was undergoing during that period. He wanted to play for leagues but the cricket board was not keen on that as he usually takes break for International cricket and that is the reason he retired early and even in the last ODI world cup he expressed interest to return but it was too late but now he expressed his decision to play in the T20 World Cup and i am sure the cricket board will consider it because of the pathetic situation they are in as all the batsman are struggling across formats.

There were issues between the two sides for quite sometime. The biggest face-off came during the 2015 world cup semi-final match against New Zealand. And in form Kyle Abbott was dropped and out of form Vernon Philander was included in the side, just to increase the number of non-white players in the side. AB de Villiers was the captain, and he was mad at this decision.

Abbott was the best bowler for South Africa during that edition of the world cup (9 wickets in 4 matches @ average of 14.4). Philander went for 8-0-52-0 in the semi-finals and South Africa lost the match. Abbott signed a Kolpak deal after a few months and said good bye to South Africa.

South African think thank is not going on positive way they always want non white players in with the help of quota or politices this could be worst for them they need to develop acadmies and give training to them for 10 to 15 years then surely this could be helpful otherwise they could be down like neighbors.

[Sithara007]

South African think thank is not going on positive way they always want non white players in with the help of quota or politices this could be worst for them they need to develop acadmies and give training to them for 10 to 15 years then surely this could be helpful otherwise they could be down like neighbors.

Cricket in South Africa is being regarded as a sport that is primarily played by the Whites and Asians. And here is the problem. The Africans mostly prefer sports such as football and athletics. And this creates a shortage of players, when the selectors go for African players. The South African team was the strongest during the late 90s, when no racial quota was in place. Once the quota was applied (sometime in 2000 or 2001), the standards began to plummet. And with each passing year, the number of quota players was increased in the team. As of now, the mandatory number stands at 6 for the national team. That means that out of the 11 players, 5 are selected based on merit and the remaining 6 are selected based on their skin color.

[onrise]

Sri Lanka position is very good now after 3rd days stumps, they just require to get 250 more runs to get 200 runs lead. Playing 5th day is very hard in any test, so it won't be easy to Zim to save this test until someone will stay in crease long time.

Considering the way in which both team played, the pitch will be difficult to play on the 5th day and it depends upon how much can Sri Lanka put on the score board in quick time in the 4th day and put Zimbabwe under pressure to go for the win or draw the match and if Sri Lanka can do that tomorrow then we might see a result, if not it will end up in a draw.

I would like to remind you that Sri Lanka is still trailing by 63 runs and they have already lost 4 of their most important wickets. Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews have batted brilliantly till now, but in case they lose one or two quick wickets, then the situation can really change. To have a chance of win, Sri Lanka needs a total of around 500. Any total below that, the match will end up as a draw.

Matthews is leadings from the front and batting at 92 runs . SL will take a lead in first innings as they just trail now by 63 runs and 6 wickets in hand . Zimbabwe bowling is not that effective and I doubt they would be able to bat again the same like first innings .