Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Clement Kaliyar]

Its a shame that rain has ruined another test match and so far the English summer has been nothing but a disappointing one when it comes to cricket as most of the matches have been affected by rain. I really think England would of won this test as they had all the momentum and Pakistan were struggling once again under pressure. Well at least we got to see James Anderson became the first fast bowler to reach 600 Test wickets, congrats to him.

It is disappointing to see that the matches are interrupted by rain, may be Pakistan was lucky in this situation if not they would have lost the series by a bigger margin. The first Test would have been Pakistan's match until they lost the momentum in the second innings and if they could have played better they could have won the series as the rest of the matches were washed away by weather.

 James Anderson getting his 600th wicket and Stuart Broad getting his 500th wicket was the highlight in this rain interrupted series.

[FIFA worldcup]

A new twist in game England takes 4th wicket through Root now Anderson going with new ball can they take remaining 6 wickets in 18 overs very interesting end of this rain hit match.
Edit: now we have 17 overs left and Babar and Fawad on crease Anderson and Broad on ball

The match ended as another boring draw, which is a great injustice to the sport. It is a loss to everyone. The fans waited patiently despite the numerous rain interruptions and ground inspections, the English players were left frustrated as this was the last test for the year 2020 and finally the TV broadcasters couldn't believe their bad luck. Can the ICC just ignore this issue? So many matches are getting wasted as a result of rain. Don't they want to take any actions?

Take action against whom ? Rain is in no one control and the weather in England is unpredictable and you cannot scheduled matches according to the weather forecasts. Yes, it was disappointing because we wanted to watch the teams in action after the long pause because of covid-19.

[JSRAW]

Skipper Azhar Ali is not wrong tho. Pakistani squad must be thinking the same and kicking themselves now. It could have been 1-0 in favor of Pakistan only if.... well.

Azhar Ali rues one bad session after series loss
"The (loss in the) first Test obviously cost us the series. The way the weather played a role, had we won the first Test then we would have won the series."

[Haunebu]

Only thing if can be done in such cases is that either play in the closed stadium during such times or else not to play matches during rain time.

I discussed this matter several times in recent times. Closed stadiums is the way to go, but ICC doesn't really care at this point.

Skipper Azhar Ali is not wrong tho. Pakistani squad must be thinking the same and kicking themselves now. It could have been 1-0 in favor of Pakistan only if.... well.

Azhar Ali rues one bad session after series loss
"The (loss in the) first Test obviously cost us the series. The way the weather played a role, had we won the first Test then we would have won the series."

It is true that Pakistan could have won the series if they won that 1st test, but most people including me wouldn't consider that a legit win since rain helped Pakistan survive 2 losses in a row. It is actually embarrassing that he feels that it would have been a legit win.

[7788bitcoin]

It is true that Pakistan could have won the series if they won that 1st test, but most people including me wouldn't consider that a legit win since rain helped Pakistan survive 2 losses in a row. It is actually embarrassing that he feels that it would have been a legit win.

You really cannot blame the captain as he might be under immense pressure loosing a series and luckily for him two matches was a draw and in the first match they could have won the match if they could have put a good second innings and he needs to convince himself and the team to have the confidence. The positive aspect is that the bowlers bowled some good spells and the captain was able to make a crucial century when the team needed. 
Find of the series was Zak Crawley for England, i did not expect him to be selected and he played a wonderful innings.

[Indymoney]

It is true that Pakistan could have won the series if they won that 1st test, but most people including me wouldn't consider that a legit win since rain helped Pakistan survive 2 losses in a row. It is actually embarrassing that he feels that it would have been a legit win.

You really cannot blame the captain as he might be under immense pressure loosing a series and luckily for him two matches was a draw and in the first match they could have won the match if they could have put a good second innings and he needs to convince himself and the team to have the confidence. The positive aspect is that the bowlers bowled some good spells and the captain was able to make a crucial century when the team needed. 
Find of the series was Zak Crawley for England, i did not expect him to be selected and he played a wonderful innings.

First test is really solide opportunity for Pakistan to have some good advantage but they lost just in last day and this cost them all series now they have to go in New Zealand and its also not good for them but they have some time to prepare about this series and check mistakes which they done here in England Zak Crawley is really good in last test match and now he can enjoy for some more in near future.

[pakhitheboss]

It is true that Pakistan could have won the series if they won that 1st test, but most people including me wouldn't consider that a legit win since rain helped Pakistan survive 2 losses in a row. It is actually embarrassing that he feels that it would have been a legit win.

You really cannot blame the captain as he might be under immense pressure loosing a series and luckily for him two matches was a draw and in the first match they could have won the match if they could have put a good second innings and he needs to convince himself and the team to have the confidence. The positive aspect is that the bowlers bowled some good spells and the captain was able to make a crucial century when the team needed. 
Find of the series was Zak Crawley for England, i did not expect him to be selected and he played a wonderful innings.

First test is really solide opportunity for Pakistan to have some good advantage but they lost just in last day and this cost them all series now they have to go in New Zealand and its also not good for them but they have some time to prepare about this series and check mistakes which they done here in England Zak Crawley is really good in last test match and now he can enjoy for some more in near future.

Does not matter anymore what the captain decided or what happened on the last day of the first test. A loss is a loss for the records. Yes, there will be pressure on the team and the captain for their next series with NZ all they need to do is to re evaluate their performace and get ready.

[JSRAW]

Azhar Ali rues one bad session after series loss
"The (loss in the) first Test obviously cost us the series. The way the weather played a role, had we won the first Test then we would have won the series."

It is true that Pakistan could have won the series if they won that 1st test, but most people including me wouldn't consider that a legit win since rain helped Pakistan survive 2 losses in a row. It is actually embarrassing that he feels that it would have been a legit win.

True in case of last 2 test which got sacrificed due to rain but on first test Pakistan had a upper hand and real chance of winning the game. Azhar Ali was talking about the first test with some "IF" and "BUT" so giving benefit of doubt seems okay in that context.

[Haunebu]

Found a great article discussing the statistics of Anderson and other test match bowlers. Check it out.

https://www.google.com/amp/m.cricbuzz.com/amp/cricket-news/113935/james-anderson-last-of-a-dying-breed-england-cricket-vs-pakistan-cricbuzzcom

As time passes, there will be way fewer test bowling legends like Anderson and Broad which is a shame, but players need to adapt to changing conditions which is why I don't fully blame them.

[JSRAW]

^^ Good read..

Cricket has changed so much after t-20 and it's really tough for new generation fast bowlers to reach or even touch such milestones. 150+ test and 600 wickets are not easy.  If by any chance cricket boards taking care of their bowlers financially and they are playing only test format then some bowlers has some chance atleast. English bowlers has edge over others as they play 10+ test every year.

[Haunebu]

Cricket has changed so much after t-20 and it's really tough for new generation fast bowlers to reach or even touch such milestones. 150+ test and 600 wickets are not easy.  If by any chance cricket boards taking care of their bowlers financially and they are playing only test format then some bowlers has some chance atleast. English bowlers has edge over others as they play 10+ test every year.

Many players retire early these days due to the hectic schedules and the huge money making opportunities in Cricket these days due to which such huge records such as 600+ test wickets etc will probably never be broken.

Even ODI records are tough to break these days unless you are very consistent like Kohli or Smith. The focus has shifted towards the T-20 format in recent years and only time will tell whether this was the right direction or not.

[Vishnu.Reang]

^^ Good read..

Cricket has changed so much after t-20 and it's really tough for new generation fast bowlers to reach or even touch such milestones. 150+ test and 600 wickets are not easy.  If by any chance cricket boards taking care of their bowlers financially and they are playing only test format then some bowlers has some chance atleast. English bowlers has edge over others as they play 10+ test every year.

If some of the fast bowlers want to play 150 plus test matches, then they need to stop playing the shorter formats. As JSRAW pointed out, very few teams play more than 10 test matches a year. So if someone wants to reach that milestone, then he needs to play continuously for 15 years and at the same time he needs to be included in the squad. Under current circumstances, it is very unlikely that any of the younger players may reach that milestone.

[Indymoney]

^^ Good read..

Cricket has changed so much after t-20 and it's really tough for new generation fast bowlers to reach or even touch such milestones. 150+ test and 600 wickets are not easy.  If by any chance cricket boards taking care of their bowlers financially and they are playing only test format then some bowlers has some chance atleast. English bowlers has edge over others as they play 10+ test every year.

If some of the fast bowlers want to play 150 plus test matches, then they need to stop playing the shorter formats. As JSRAW pointed out, very few teams play more than 10 test matches a year. So if someone wants to reach that milestone, then he needs to play continuously for 15 years and at the same time he needs to be included in the squad. Under current circumstances, it is very unlikely that any of the younger players may reach that milestone.

Now in future its very difficult we will have any player who able to play for 15 to 20 years because now new generation is not capable of this few years back we have too many ledendry players those spent some long time without any serious injury or problem now mostly we have injury porn generation Anderson is one of best players as he is going in record books first fast bowler to achieve this now I am feeling just Broad can acheive this in near future.

[Vishnu.Reang]

Now in future its very difficult we will have any player who able to play for 15 to 20 years because now new generation is not capable of this few years back we have too many ledendry players those spent some long time without any serious injury or problem now mostly we have injury porn generation Anderson is one of best players as he is going in record books first fast bowler to achieve this now I am feeling just Broad can acheive this in near future.

I am 100% certain that Broad would be able to reach the 600 mark, unless some serious injury destroys his career (he had extended injury breaks during his test career in the past). As of now, he has 514 wickets from 143 matches. I don't want him to end up like Dale Steyn. I have always considered Steyn to be the best fast bowler to play the sport of cricket since WW2. But his test career got derailed due to a variety of reasons, including injury and lack of support from the cricket board.

[Swordsoffreedom]

^^ Good read..

Cricket has changed so much after t-20 and it's really tough for new generation fast bowlers to reach or even touch such milestones. 150+ test and 600 wickets are not easy.  If by any chance cricket boards taking care of their bowlers financially and they are playing only test format then some bowlers has some chance atleast. English bowlers has edge over others as they play 10+ test every year.

If some of the fast bowlers want to play 150 plus test matches, then they need to stop playing the shorter formats. As JSRAW pointed out, very few teams play more than 10 test matches a year. So if someone wants to reach that milestone, then he needs to play continuously for 15 years and at the same time he needs to be included in the squad. Under current circumstances, it is very unlikely that any of the younger players may reach that milestone.

It is very difficult to play for 15 consecutive years and stay connected to the team uninterruptedly.  it is really hard because test players are often injured. so, they can't play all the series. on the other hand, teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are not even completing 5 test matches in a year. so, it is just impossible for their players to reach such milestones.

[JSRAW]

Now in future its very difficult we will have any player who able to play for 15 to 20 years because now new generation is not capable of this few years back we have too many ledendry players those spent some long time without any serious injury or problem now mostly we have injury porn generation Anderson is one of best players as he is going in record books first fast bowler to achieve this now I am feeling just Broad can acheive this in near future.

I am 100% certain that Broad would be able to reach the 600 mark, unless some serious injury destroys his career (he had extended injury breaks during his test career in the past). As of now, he has 514 wickets from 143 matches. I don't want him to end up like Dale Steyn. I have always considered Steyn to be the best fast bowler to play the sport of cricket since WW2. But his test career got derailed due to a variety of reasons, including injury and lack of support from the cricket board.

For Broad it should be easy, no more test for England this year so may be he might get close to at least 550 ish next year even if his form goes down, which is unlikely.

I never heard Proteas not supporting Dale Steyn but yeah his test career took a hit due to his injuries. I remember his deadly spell back in 2010 against India in the subcontinent where he single handedly demolished the Indian defense without breaking a sweat.

[Vishnu.Reang]

For Broad it should be easy, no more test for England this year so may be he might get close to at least 550 ish next year even if his form goes down, which is unlikely.

I never heard Proteas not supporting Dale Steyn but yeah his test career took a hit due to his injuries. I remember his deadly spell back in 2010 against India in the subcontinent where he single handedly demolished the Indian defense without breaking a sweat.

2-3 decades ago, the best fast bowlers used to be South Africans. The list is quite long, and includes Alan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Fanie de Villiers, André Nel.etc. Dale Steyn was perhaps the last world class fast bowler produced by South Africa. The current bunch is quite ordinary and that is one of the reasons why South Africa is struggling against the Big 3 teams.

[JSRAW]

For Broad it should be easy, no more test for England this year so may be he might get close to at least 550 ish next year even if his form goes down, which is unlikely.

I never heard Proteas not supporting Dale Steyn but yeah his test career took a hit due to his injuries. I remember his deadly spell back in 2010 against India in the subcontinent where he single handedly demolished the Indian defense without breaking a sweat.

2-3 decades ago, the best fast bowlers used to be South Africans. The list is quite long, and includes Alan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Fanie de Villiers, André Nel.etc. Dale Steyn was perhaps the last world class fast bowler produced by South Africa. The current bunch is quite ordinary and that is one of the reasons why South Africa is struggling against the Big 3 teams.

Its not that they lack talent, they have fair amount of talented players but their politics and racial drama #ucking everything for them.. Just look at the recent drama in CSA management, they are sacking CEO every now then and dragging each other into court rooms.

[FIFA worldcup]

A new twist in game England takes 4th wicket through Root now Anderson going with new ball can they take remaining 6 wickets in 18 overs very interesting end of this rain hit match.
Edit: now we have 17 overs left and Babar and Fawad on crease Anderson and Broad on ball

The match ended as another boring draw, which is a great injustice to the sport. It is a loss to everyone. The fans waited patiently despite the numerous rain interruptions and ground inspections, the English players were left frustrated as this was the last test for the year 2020 and finally the TV broadcasters couldn't believe their bad luck. Can the ICC just ignore this issue? So many matches are getting wasted as a result of rain. Don't they want to take any actions?

Take action against whom ? Rain is in no one control and the weather in England is unpredictable and you cannot scheduled matches according to the weather forecasts. Yes, it was disappointing because we wanted to watch the teams in action after the long pause because of covid-19.

Only thing if can be done in such cases is that either play in the closed stadium during such times or else not to play matches during rain time. Another thing due to Covid matches or series anyways were cancelled so this series happening itself is a good thing though we can say it was bad luck that rain played a vital role in this series.

As i told in my last post, the matches are schedules many months before and therefore we cannot predict on the match day. Secondly, i don't think England has the facility of closed stadiums. If they had then surely the matches wouldn't be affected by the weather.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

I am 100% certain that Broad would be able to reach the 600 mark, unless some serious injury destroys his career (he had extended injury breaks during his test career in the past). As of now, he has 514 wickets from 143 matches. I don't want him to end up like Dale Steyn. I have always considered Steyn to be the best fast bowler to play the sport of cricket since WW2. But his test career got derailed due to a variety of reasons, including injury and lack of support from the cricket board.

Anderson and Broad are playing only one format and they are getting enough rest so that they could play every Test match and avoid getting injured. England have a problem once they retire as they lack good fast bowlers in the longer version that could trouble the batsman.
Dale Steyn is an exceptional talent but to call him the best fast bowler post WW2 when you have Akram and Waqqar Younis and the West Indies bowlers in the 70s and 80s and the fast bowlers Australia had and Glenn McGrath are exceptional in that regard.