Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Little Mouse]

Without him the Australian team is looking very poor. England now has the best chance to come back to the series and equalize the result. I really hope that Smith recovers soon. This injury is not looking good at all.

Without him Australia was poor even in last year, after his ban, in 2018, Australia won only one test in 2018, it was against India.
In addition, 2018 was the worst year for Australia in test format in the last decade, probably in the last 2/3 decades.
It's pretty clear how poor Australia team is without him.

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[akram143]

But when someone take long break then it is very hard and almost impossible to get into the playing squad again in the team like Australia that is why he want to continue his good career but we need to consider our life more than our career.

LOL... That is definitely not the case. He was out of the squad for well over an year for that ban from ball tampering and once the ban was over, he was automatically picked for the playing XI. What you said may be true for some of the other players, but definitely not for Steve Smith.

Well this will not work every time for even the most best batsmen on the squad because form is very important like skills so when someone lacking good form in the long run due to the body fitness they will slowly fade away from the team that is why he would like to avoid but he was ruled out on the third match.

[FIFA worldcup]

Steve Smith being ruled out of the third test match is a huge blow for the Australian team but I think it is the right decision as he needs to rest and hopefully be right for the fourth test. Labuschagne will come into the team which is a good replacement for Smith but I think England will win the match and square up the series.

Although smith is a main player for the Aussies but there is no benefit if they opt to play him when he is not completely fit. Aussie has no option but to drop him for this test.
We all are hoping England to win the test but every time England fails to do so or the weather conditions help the Aussie to save the test.

[AB de Royse777]

And I feel Warner could be back in his form

I really hope he comes back if he was chosen for the first eleven for the 3rd test. Warner is the most experienced batsman after Smith and he needs to take responsibilities. It's gonna be hard for him but he needs to show his personality in this match.

However, I still back my selection.

3 fold odd @3.26

[Indymoney]

And I feel Warner could be back in his form

I really hope he comes back if he was chosen for the first eleven for the 3rd test. Warner is the most experienced batsman after Smith and he needs to take responsibilities. It's gonna be hard for him but he needs to show his personality in this match.

However, I still back my selection.

3 fold odd @3.26

Without Smith Australia is not good enough to win match but still they have some good players which can handle pressure now this third test is going to be very interesting I am also going with England as they also can bounce back at home now we have less then 24 hours lets see what happen I am also placing this 3fold because like this.

[AB de Royse777]

~snip~
I am also placing this 3fold because like this.

WAIT!

Do not blame me if you do not win. :-P

Seriously, I am not a professional tipster. In fact I have not place a bet yet in this selection. Not sure if I will be. I am just taking a break from gambling. But if I were to bet then I would go for it.

[Indymoney]

~snip~
I am also placing this 3fold because like this.

WAIT!

Do not blame me if you do not win. :-P

Seriously, I am not a professional tipster. In fact I have not place a bet yet in this selection. Not sure if I will be. I am just taking a break from gambling. But if I were to bet then I would go for it.

I am not going to blame you because I also love these teams and adding some soccer matches as well so my this 3fold is already have 7 teams from soccer leagues also please don't worry about I am going to blame you if losing 

[Avirunes]

I only heard about Smith that he is not playing in the third match.

Now that's a major blow to Australian side. It's a safe decision to rest out Smith for the time being after that incident. Now with Smith gone, it's hard to see a big score especially when most of Aussies batsman are out of form.

Hope that starting order come to their senses and atleast try to stick against the England bowling attack. Khwaja and Warner are both brilliant in tests and I am hoping that they could be a backbone for Aussies in 3rd test for a change.

[ene1980]

Khwaja and Warner are both brilliant in tests and I am hoping that they could be a backbone for Aussies in 3rd test for a change.

It is time for Warner and Usman to perform in this series and pose a challenging total for England and for England it is the best opportunity to win the test match and level the series and if they are not able to do that then Australia will walk away with the Ashes with ease. Both teams have quality bowlers but Australia will have the upper hand if the pitch starts turning as they have Lyon who is a legit spinner .

[vella85]

Khwaja and Warner are both brilliant in tests and I am hoping that they could be a backbone for Aussies in 3rd test for a change.

It is time for Warner and Usman to perform in this series and pose a challenging total for England and for England it is the best opportunity to win the test match and level the series and if they are not able to do that then Australia will walk away with the Ashes with ease. Both teams have quality bowlers but Australia will have the upper hand if the pitch starts turning as they have Lyon who is a legit spinner .

I agree Warner needs to perform in this test match because he's spot in the team is on the line. Khwaja in the past has shown that he can make a lot of runs after having a dry spell so this is the test match for him to bounce back and make the runs that Australia will need. Australia will be depending a lot on their bowlers if the batsman can't score big totals for England to chase.

[Raja_MBZ]

Khwaja and Warner are both brilliant in tests and I am hoping that they could be a backbone for Aussies in 3rd test for a change.

It is time for Warner and Usman to perform in this series and pose a challenging total for England and for England it is the best opportunity to win the test match and level the series and if they are not able to do that then Australia will walk away with the Ashes with ease. Both teams have quality bowlers but Australia will have the upper hand if the pitch starts turning as they have Lyon who is a legit spinner .

Aussies 'expecting the very best David Warner this week'

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/david-warner-opener-runs-form-broad-archer-expectation-tim-paine-leeds-slips-catching-third-test/2019-08-21

Seriously, with all the "out-of-form" talk, I'm sure that David Warner must be facing some very extra pressure, which usually only ruins the things further. IMO, there is very less chance that Warner will perform better in this third test, as there's so much focus on him. Moreover, if he still doesn't perform, he's probably gonna get a big rest of a few months.

[Little Mouse]

Australia will be depending a lot on their bowlers if the batsman can't score big totals for England to chase.

That will be the worst of all. Australian bowling line up isn't that much of strong if you consider both the team. England has some great bowlers in the current team. Without Smith and Warner getting off form, I can see a big lose for Australia.

[bryant.coleman]

I guess Australia will be in deep trouble today without Steve Smith. During the last two matches, he scored close to 50% of all the runs scored by Australia. With David Warner and Usman Khawaja in such a horrible form, England will be definitely overjoyed today and will go for the kill. I won't be surprised if they ask Australia to bat first (in case Joe Root wins the toss). One thing that I would like to repeat is that Australia needs to include Mitchell Starc in the playing XI. If they want, they can go for an all-pace attack, but including Starc is a must. During the second test, the England lower order was able to put on 100 plus runs, and if Starc was there this could have never happened.

[Juggy777]

I guess Australia will be in deep trouble today without Steve Smith. During the last two matches, he scored close to 50% of all the runs scored by Australia. With David Warner and Usman Khawaja in such a horrible form, England will be definitely overjoyed today and will go for the kill. I won't be surprised if they ask Australia to bat first (in case Joe Root wins the toss). One thing that I would like to repeat is that Australia needs to include Mitchell Starc in the playing XI. If they want, they can go for an all-pace attack, but including Starc is a must. During the second test, the England lower order was able to put on 100 plus runs, and if Starc was there this could have never happened.

Smith will be sorely missed by the Australian team and I hope he recovers soon, and is declared fit to play in the remaining test matches. @bryant.coleman everyone here including me has been rooting for Starc inclusion in the team, his absence hurt Australia in the last match and it would be a terrible mistake to leave him out again. Even if Australia is not batting first England can put up a huge total, and take quick wickets and put the pressure back on Australia.

[Haunebu]

I feel like you guys are underestimating Australia a bit too much here. Smith has saved them in the recent tests, but this in no way implies that they are completely dependent on just him. They have many good players who have simply not stepped up yet.

Dismissing them just because Smith is out is utter stupidity. Also, England themselves are under massive pressure currently. I still don't understand why the selectors would choose Siddle over Starc though.

[JSRAW]

During the second test, the England lower order was able to put on 100 plus runs, and if Starc was there this could have never happened.

The same thingy happened in 1st test too. I agree that there is fierce competition in the bowling department, but I feel selectors neglecting him for some weird reasons. @Vella care to chip in here if you got any insights/info about this? because i am failed to understand the reasoning behind this.

And agree with Haunebu. It's not like that Aussie suddenly became a lousy side after exclusion of Smith and will go down without a fight. Top-order is going with some miserable phase, arguably every test playing nation is going with the same phase but only 1 big inning can change the mood.

SL vs NZ : Sri lanka won the toss and opted to bat

Rain flirting in every game these days. it looks like Rain God is against Cricket, s/he/it might be soccer fan.  

Now Sri Lanka has a real chance of winning this series and gets full 120 points kind of a bummer for Rank 2 Kiwis.  


Edit : 1

Ind vs WI

I completely forgot to add that. India look to maintain 17-year unbeaten streak in Test cricket against West Indies

HIGHLIGHTS
India have not lost a Test series against West Indies since 2002
West Indies lead India 12-9 in the head-to-head Test series record
India have won 4 Test series in the West Indies so far since 1948-49

[vella85]

England have won the toss and elected to bowl first which is an interesting decision. There is a rain delay which was forecast for the morning session which is most likely why Root decided to bowl first however if Australia can get through the first few hours it could become a good batting pitch as it looked a little dry and good to bat on. Hopefully we see some play soon and not get washed out like we saw on day 1 in the last test match. The English summer has been strange this year with a lot of rain which played a factor in the World Cup and now in the Ashes.

[Haunebu]

England have won the toss and elected to bowl first which is an interesting decision. There is a rain delay which was forecast for the morning session which is most likely why Root decided to bowl first however if Australia can get through the first few hours it could become a good batting pitch as it looked a little dry and good to bat on.

This was clearly a great decision so far since Archer got Harris out very quickly and this does not bode well for Australia at the moment. Warner is taking his time, but the pressure will continue mounting on him if he doesn't begin accelerating.

Khawaja, Wade and Paine need to support him with a big partnership if they wish to build a big score. Things are going England's way at the moment.

[Little Mouse]

England have won the toss and elected to bowl first which is an interesting decision. There is a rain delay which was forecast for the morning session which is most likely why Root decided to bowl first however if Australia can get through the first few hours it could become a good batting pitch as it looked a little dry and good to bat on.

This was clearly a great decision so far since Archer got Harris out very quickly and this does not bode well for Australia at the moment. Warner is taking his time, but the pressure will continue mounting on him if he doesn't begin accelerating.

This was expected, I'm expecting an early collapse of Australian batsman in the first innings. Both rain and their batsman's performance are saying so. Warner and Khawaja must be played a long partnership to get a big.

[JSRAW]

Rain again playing a big part in all matches and ruining all the fun. Not sure, What ICC can do in this case, but it's not a favorable situation for Test Championship or Test cricket.  

1. SL vs NZ day 1 wrapped up after only 36 overs.
2. Aus Vs Eng game already delayed and we saw only 4 over so far.
3. Ind Vs WI  Again rain can ruin all the fun, as of now all good.

PS : RIP


Windies Won the Toss and they are going to bowl.

Ashwin sitting out