Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Sithara007]

In the first Test against South Africa, the West Indies lost all their wickets by just 97 runs. I was surprised to see the West Indies batting. I did not expect such a bad game. South Africa scored 216 runs and lost 6 wickets. If South Africa can maintain their destructive bowling in the second innings, they can easily win.

And the most surprising thing was that it was Lungi Ngidi who took 5 of those wickets. The West Indian batting lineup just collapsed against the pace of Rabada, Ngidi and Nortje. IMO, they should stop playing in the test format, as they are good only for T20 cricket. It looks as if the shorter format of the game has killed test cricket in West Indies. The way they got dismissed for a total of less than 100 was just shocking. And even in the second innings they are not doing much better. They are trailing by 143 runs, and have already lost 4 wickets.

[Maidak]

In the first Test against South Africa, the West Indies lost all their wickets by just 97 runs. I was surprised to see the West Indies batting. I did not expect such a bad game. South Africa scored 216 runs and lost 6 wickets. If South Africa can maintain their destructive bowling in the second innings, they can easily win.

And the most surprising thing was that it was Lungi Ngidi who took 5 of those wickets. The West Indian batting lineup just collapsed against the pace of Rabada, Ngidi and Nortje. IMO, they should stop playing in the test format, as they are good only for T20 cricket. It looks as if the shorter format of the game has killed test cricket in West Indies. The way they got dismissed for a total of less than 100 was just shocking. And even in the second innings they are not doing much better. They are trailing by 143 runs, and have already lost 4 wickets.

West Indies players are less interested in playing Tests. They feel more comfortable playing in the T20 format. Their patience is low. They can’t stay at the crease for long time. I think the West Indies board should have separate teams for different formats. I don't see the possibility of the West Indies doing well in the Test format unless a separate team is formed for the Test format.

[pakhitheboss]

In the first Test against South Africa, the West Indies lost all their wickets by just 97 runs. I was surprised to see the West Indies batting. I did not expect such a bad game. South Africa scored 216 runs and lost 6 wickets. If South Africa can maintain their destructive bowling in the second innings, they can easily win.

And the most surprising thing was that it was Lungi Ngidi who took 5 of those wickets. The West Indian batting lineup just collapsed against the pace of Rabada, Ngidi and Nortje. IMO, they should stop playing in the test format, as they are good only for T20 cricket. It looks as if the shorter format of the game has killed test cricket in West Indies. The way they got dismissed for a total of less than 100 was just shocking. And even in the second innings they are not doing much better. They are trailing by 143 runs, and have already lost 4 wickets.

West Indies players are less interested in playing Tests. They feel more comfortable playing in the T20 format. Their patience is low. They can’t stay at the crease for long time. I think the West Indies board should have separate teams for different formats. I don't see the possibility of the West Indies doing well in the Test format unless a separate team is formed for the Test format.

Moreover, WI players are getting paid more for playing T20 tournament than ODI or Test Cricket. They are good at playing T20 formats, most of the top batsmen in T20 come from WI. Also, T20 matches are more often played nowadays than Test cricket. The WI board needs to create a separate team for playing Test Cricket.

[eaLiTy]

Moreover, WI players are getting paid more for playing T20 tournament than ODI or Test Cricket. They are good at playing T20 formats, most of the top batsmen in T20 come from WI. Also, T20 matches are more often played nowadays than Test cricket. The WI board needs to create a separate team for playing Test Cricket.

West Indies is having different teams for Test matches and shorter format cricket, i am not aware of their pay scale in different formats but the players are making a huge amount of money from franchise T20 tournaments around the globe and most of the West Indies players are in demand in these tournaments and we know that the players will priorities franchise cricket over playing in the national team.

[7788bitcoin]

South Africa won by an innings and it was expected but what i did not expect is England struggling in their second innings as they lost 7 wickets for 80 runs and they still trail by 5 runs and it looks like the match will end today as New Zealand just need to pick the last 3 wickets left and it is just a matter of time that the match will end and they still have 17 overs left in the day.

[LittleBitFunny]

Moreover, WI players are getting paid more for playing T20 tournament than ODI or Test Cricket. They are good at playing T20 formats, most of the top batsmen in T20 come from WI. Also, T20 matches are more often played nowadays than Test cricket. The WI board needs to create a separate team for playing Test Cricket.

West Indies is having different teams for Test matches and shorter format cricket, i am not aware of their pay scale in different formats but the players are making a huge amount of money from franchise T20 tournaments around the globe and most of the West Indies players are in demand in these tournaments and we know that the players will priorities franchise cricket over playing in the national team.

I saw on a news portal that the West Indies Cricket Board does not pay cricketers properly, or cannot pay. And so the players are more interested in franchise tournaments. And the board has never banned players from playing in the tournament. Many important players play in various franchise tournaments without playing in their international matches. Playing in the t-20 format alone, players are naturally disinterested in big 5-day matches like the Test format.

[Haunebu]

Looks like NZ will win the test series(1 - 0) at this rate. They demolished England in the 2nd innings thanks to Henry, Wagner and Patel primarily. Root continues to struggle currently.

Am excited for the India vs NZ WTC final thanks to NZ's performance against England. Am betting on India to win.

[ene1980]

Looks like NZ will win the test series(1 - 0) at this rate. They demolished England in the 2nd innings thanks to Henry, Wagner and Patel primarily. Root continues to struggle currently.

Am excited for the India vs NZ WTC final thanks to NZ's performance against England. Am betting on India to win.

There is nothing England can do in this match as they are leading by 37 runs and they have one wicket left and plenty of time for the match to get over and the England crowds were huge in numbers and they will be disappointed that the match will be getting over earlier than they expected.

New Zealand is in good form and if they can trouble England in their own ground then they could trouble India as well and the WTC final is going to be a great one and let the best team win.

[Sithara007]

Looks like NZ will win the test series(1 - 0) at this rate. They demolished England in the 2nd innings thanks to Henry, Wagner and Patel primarily. Root continues to struggle currently.

Am excited for the India vs NZ WTC final thanks to NZ's performance against England. Am betting on India to win.

And we need to remember that for the second test New Zealand rested a majority of their players (6 out of the 11 players who participated in the first test). Things are not looking good for England, especially with the Ashes series around the horizon. Stupid decisions in team selection, especially the one to drop Ollie Robinson for a 10-year old tweet played their part in the debacle. I won't be surprised if they gets whitewashed by Australia during the Ashes. The batting lineup looks so hopeless and brittle.

[pakhitheboss]

Looks like NZ will win the test series(1 - 0) at this rate. They demolished England in the 2nd innings thanks to Henry, Wagner and Patel primarily. Root continues to struggle currently.

Am excited for the India vs NZ WTC final thanks to NZ's performance against England. Am betting on India to win.

NZ's current form might destroy India if they play the final of WC. At the moment England is getting destroyed, I am happy that NZ is playing so well.

[Haunebu]

NZ's current form might destroy India if they play the final of WC. At the moment England is getting destroyed, I am happy that NZ is playing so well.

Destroy India? Lol. You are clearly underestimating India here.  They are the number one test team according to ICC currently for several reasons. The final between them will probably go down to the wire.

England is getting screwed primarily because of the low morale in their camp due to ECB's recent moves against their players coupled with the fact that many of their big players are out of form currently.

[JSRAW]

NZ's current form might destroy India if they play the final of WC. At the moment England is getting destroyed, I am happy that NZ is playing so well.

Destroy India? Lol. You are clearly underestimating India here.  They are the number one test team according to ICC currently for several reasons. The final between them will probably go down to the wire.

England is getting screwed primarily because of the low morale in their camp due to ECB's recent moves against their players coupled with the fact that many of their big players are out of form currently.

India is ahead by only 1 point so both teams are equally capable and we can't deny the fact that Kiwis clearly got a better chance here. Fingers crossed for the finals

It worries me that Kiwis exploiting the swing conditions perfectly, on other hand English bowlers looked toothless so far.

I agree this England team is missing few key players ; mainly Stokes and Archer because of their rotation policy / upcoming series against India, Australia But kiwis also made 6 changes in this game.

[7788bitcoin]

Destroy India? Lol. You are clearly underestimating India here.  They are the number one test team according to ICC currently for several reasons. The final between them will probably go down to the wire.

I am also expecting a good battle between India and New Zealand as both have world class bowlers and the match depends upon which batsman is going to perform against challenging bowling line up.

England is getting screwed primarily because of the low morale in their camp due to ECB's recent moves against their players coupled with the fact that many of their big players are out of form currently.

May be England is having issues with the morale because of recent issues and how the board responded to that was excessive. Injury and lack of form is another major issue but it was really disappointing to see how they performed with the bat.

[pakhitheboss]

NZ's current form might destroy India if they play the final of WC. At the moment England is getting destroyed, I am happy that NZ is playing so well.

Destroy India? Lol. You are clearly underestimating India here.  They are the number one test team according to ICC currently for several reasons. The final between them will probably go down to the wire.

England is getting screwed primarily because of the low morale in their camp due to ECB's recent moves against their players coupled with the fact that many of their big players are out of form currently.

India is ahead by only 1 point so both teams are equally capable and we can't deny the fact that Kiwis clearly got a better chance here. Fingers crossed for the finals

It worries me that Kiwis exploiting the swing conditions perfectly, on other hand English bowlers looked toothless so far.

I agree this England team is missing few key players ; mainly Stokes and Archer because of their rotation policy / upcoming series against India, Australia But kiwis also made 6 changes in this game.

Whatever England did with their team has completely gone wrong as they have no clue what to do next in this match. On the other hand NZ looks strong and confident. This will simply would boost their morale.

[bryant.coleman]

India is ahead by only 1 point so both teams are equally capable and we can't deny the fact that Kiwis clearly got a better chance here. Fingers crossed for the finals

It worries me that Kiwis exploiting the swing conditions perfectly, on other hand English bowlers looked toothless so far.

I agree this England team is missing few key players ; mainly Stokes and Archer because of their rotation policy / upcoming series against India, Australia But kiwis also made 6 changes in this game.

The current bunch of Indian players (with the exception of Kohli) have performed poorly in conditions that are more suitable to swing and seam bowling. And New Zealand has some of the best pace bowlers in the world right now, with Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner. Even their reserve strength looks impressive with bowlers such as Matt Henry. I won't be surprised if they go ahead with an all-pace attack. And remember that the New Zealand batsmen have confidently took on the most experienced pace bowling pair in the history of test cricket this month (Jimmy Anderson - Stuart Broad). It is going to be an uphill task for India.

[Haunebu]

India is ahead by only 1 point so both teams are equally capable and we can't deny the fact that Kiwis clearly got a better chance here. Fingers crossed for the finals

Agreed. The plus point here is that we will get to watch an exciting final no matter which team you are cheering for and this positive atmosphere is necessary during these pandemic times.

I am also expecting a good battle between India and New Zealand as both have world class bowlers and the match depends upon which batsman is going to perform against challenging bowling line up.

All eyes are on Pant. The big advantage that India has over NZ are consistent tail-enders like Ashwin etc who can bat when necessary though some of NZ's tail-enders can bat well too.

[Sithara007]

All eyes are on Pant. The big advantage that India has over NZ are consistent tail-enders like Ashwin etc who can bat when necessary though some of NZ's tail-enders can bat well too.

Historically, New Zealand had the best tail end batsmen in world cricket. I agree that Trent Boult and Neil Wagner are more like genuine tail enders. But Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson are the ones who can build valuable partnerships down the order. And regarding Ashwin, I don't think that he will be included in the playing XI, since his record on pitches that don't support spin is not good. In all probability, the first choice spinner for India is going to be Washington Sundar. Ravindra Jadeja will be there as the all rounder and I don't think that they need more spin options.

[Iranus]

All eyes are on Pant. The big advantage that India has over NZ are consistent tail-enders like Ashwin etc who can bat when necessary though some of NZ's tail-enders can bat well too.

Historically, New Zealand had the best tail end batsmen in world cricket. I agree that Trent Boult and Neil Wagner are more like genuine tail enders. But Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson are the ones who can build valuable partnerships down the order. And regarding Ashwin, I don't think that he will be included in the playing XI, since his record on pitches that don't support spin is not good. In all probability, the first choice spinner for India is going to be Washington Sundar. Ravindra Jadeja will be there as the all rounder and I don't think that they need more spin options.

New Zealand are now in remarkable form in the Test format. All of their players are in form now. They have done a great job against England. If the pitch is pace depends then Ashwin will not be able to bowl well. India must be included in the experienced pacer in the squad. It is foolish to keep spinners on the pace helping pitch. They will not be able to perform as expected.

[bryant.coleman]

New Zealand are now in remarkable form in the Test format. All of their players are in form now. They have done a great job against England. If the pitch is pace depends then Ashwin will not be able to bowl well. India must be included in the experienced pacer in the squad. It is foolish to keep spinners on the pace helping pitch. They will not be able to perform as expected.

It will be interesting to see the selection of Indian pacers. Ideally they should go for the most experienced players - Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami. However, there maybe a temptation to opt for bowlers such as Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj, since they can also bat a bit. I would warn against this. Against a strong batting side such as New Zealand, India needs the best and the most experienced bowlers. I don't think that Shardul and Siraj has the temperament to perform against such a strong side.

[JSRAW]

Choosing the Playing XI would be very tough task for the Shastri and Kohli.

I tried to select my playing XI but don't have any idea, who should sit out for the finals. Every player looking match winner due to their recent performance.

Gill, Rohit, Pujara, Kohli, Pant, Ashwin, Bumrah could make into team easily.

Should India chose Sundar and Thakur duo over Rahane-Vihari? Cause they brings batting depth along with their Spin-Pace overs. (or may be drop Vihari and pick seamer Thakur)

Need 2 more seamers and choices are Ishant-Shami-Siraj.

Where should we fit Jadeja here? lol