Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[TalkStar]

During the 1990s, and even during the first decade of 2000, international travel was more or less unaffordable for the vast majority of the South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans.etc). So there was no organized fan army for these teams, unlike the case with England and Australia. But nowadays there are hardcore fans from South Asia, who make sure to attend each and every match played by their team. And they have formed groups, similar to the Barmy Army.

Every single team have their die hard fans and some of these groups travel entire world to support their national teams. English fans are so much interested in test matches where on the other hand its so much hard to get tickets during twenty/20 matches between INDIA vs PAKISTAN. Even the situation is same during the matches between other teams like AUSTRALIA vs ENGLAND, SOUTH AFRICA vs INDIA. Its works like a addiction for their fans who don't wanna miss any matches and they don't bother about travel expenses. Specifically IMO Indian foreign communities are too much forward in this.

Wahab Riaz is now available for Pakistan in Whites (Test) after PCB approached him, still not in team though. Wondering who's next in line, Amir? Would be great for Pakistan if he joins the ranks one more time.

 
Good news for Pakistan cricket fans and he is one of the experienced fast bowler who have good skill of wicket taking fastest yorker deliveries. Although he slightly struggled with his fitness but he is definitely a fear for opponent. Pakistan have some good young fast bowlers and their performance in test matches against Australia was quite good. I think their young speed stars will be able to learn a lot from Wahab Riaz.    

[Vishnu.Reang]

Wahab Riaz is now available for Pakistan in Whites (Test) after PCB approached him, still not in team though. Wondering who's next in line, Amir? Would be great for Pakistan if he joins the ranks one more time.

Pakistan needed me, it was time to repay: Wahab on retirement reversal

Wahab Riaz is obviously a good bowler. But he played his last test almost 2 years ago and his recent performance in the 4-day domestic competition was not that good. Pakistan needs to stick with the younger bowlers, such as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah and Muhammad Hasnain. They were not very consistent in the recent matches, but many of them showed promise. If the PCB give them regular slots, then they may become the backbone of Pakistan bowling attack. Going back to 34-36 year olds is not a good option.

[ene1980]

Wahab Riaz is now available for Pakistan in Whites (Test) after PCB approached him, still not in team though. Wondering who's next in line, Amir? Would be great for Pakistan if he joins the ranks one more time.

It is a welcome comeback as Pakistan is struggling to produce any legit young fast bowlers that could replace Wahab Riaz and hopefully the PCB could persuade and bring back Mohammad Amir so that they could groom the young generation because both of these players retired all of a sudden to concentrate on the shorter format.

When Wahab Riaz is in good form he is one of the best bowlers out there but most of the time he plays like an ordinary bowler.

[eaLiTy]

~
When Wahab Riaz is in good form he is one of the best bowlers out there but most of the time he plays like an ordinary bowler.

I do not remember any performance in the Test format but i still remember the spell he bowled against Australia in the 2015 Cricket World Cup and that was the best bowling i saw in a very long time and i think he is struggling with injuries and so is the reason he is not able to perform like that all the time. Good to see that PCB is able to convince him to return to the Test level because Pakistan team does need a leader to help the younger generation.

[7788bitcoin]

~
It's natural for teams to have their own fan armies. Even domestic teams in IPL like the CSK etc have dedicated fan armies who go crazy for their teams.

If a team have a dedicated fan following they will have an army of people travelling where ever they play, the IPL is a different thing of fan following like football clubs like the Gooners for Arsenal or the Kopites for Liverpool and is there any specific name of the armies in the IPL if so i would like to know.

~
During the 1990s, and even during the first decade of 2000, international travel was more or less unaffordable for the vast majority of the South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans.etc). So there was no organized fan army for these teams, unlike the case with England and Australia. But nowadays there are hardcore fans from South Asia, who make sure to attend each and every match played by their team. And they have formed groups, similar to the Barmy Army.

That would be cool if they have dedicated members who are participating in matches, if there is a specific name of the group i would like to know.

[Haunebu]

is there any specific name of the armies in the IPL if so i would like to know.

Check this out:

The Whistle Podu army is easily the biggest IPL fan club.
https://mobile.twitter.com/cskfansofficial?lang=en

This link talks about the different fan armies around the world.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/sportstar.thehindu.com/cricket/icc-cricket-world-cup/world-cup-2019-cricket-fan-groups-barmy-army-swami-army-bharat-army-india-australia-england-ashes/article27225642.ece/amp/

[JSRAW]

For clarification _ I forgot to mention in my previous post that he took retirement from the Test cricket only, not the limited over cricket (Some might think that he already retired from the International cricket) . Now Test cricket retirement is reversed.

Wahab Riaz is obviously a good bowler. But he played his last test almost 2 years ago and his recent performance in the 4-day domestic competition was not that good. Pakistan needs to stick with the younger bowlers, such as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah and Muhammad Hasnain. They were not very consistent in the recent matches, but many of them showed promise. If the PCB give them regular slots, then they may become the backbone of Pakistan bowling attack. Going back to 34-36 year olds is not a good option.

@TalkStar,Vishnu : I have some doubt if PCB is going to select him in the playing XI. They are sending 25-30 men squad together (including limited over squad) in England's tour so it make sense that they approached Wahab Riaz as well for replacement bowler in the Test format if something goes south like injury for front line bowler etc.

[Vishnu.Reang]

@TalkStar,Vishnu : I have some doubt if PCB is going to select him in the playing XI. They are sending 25-30 men squad together (including limited over squad) in England's tour so it make sense that they approached Wahab Riaz as well for replacement bowler in the Test format if something goes south like injury for front line bowler etc.

In that case, I am OK with the selection. I still remember that during their tour of Australia also they tried with some middle-aged pacers, and it didn't worked too well for them. Looking at the average age of the players, Pakistan may be having the highest average age for any of the test playing teams right now. There is no harm in giving chances to some of the youngsters on a consistent basis.

[Haunebu]

Just found this article while doing some research and am blown away. Check it out guys.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/crickettimes.com/2020/06/top-five-coincidences-in-international-cricket/amp/

The 183 score, double tons and Nelson test were especially insane if you think about it. Some of the rarest coincidences in the world of Cricket.

[7788bitcoin]

For clarification _ I forgot to mention in my previous post that he took retirement from the Test cricket only, not the limited over cricket (Some might think that he already retired from the International cricket) . Now Test cricket retirement is reversed.

I remember Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz retiring from Test cricket at the same time and it was unexpected for everyone and even the PCB was taken by surprise like the rest of the fans.

@TalkStar,Vishnu : I have some doubt if PCB is going to select him in the playing XI. They are sending 25-30 men squad together (including limited over squad) in England's tour so it make sense that they approached Wahab Riaz as well for replacement bowler in the Test format if something goes south like injury for front line bowler etc.

Really he was forced to come out of retirement and play Test cricket again to be a back up player, if that is the truth it is really rude. How is the Pakistan fast bowling line up they have right now, is it good as i have not heard about any upcoming talent.

@Haunebu awesome if more teams have dedicated fans.

[JSRAW]

Just found this article while doing some research and am blown away. Check it out guys.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/crickettimes.com/2020/06/top-five-coincidences-in-international-cricket/amp/

The 183 score, double tons and Nelson test were especially insane if you think about it. Some of the rarest coincidences in the world of Cricket.

I wasn't aware of first 2 "The 183 score" and "Double tons" (153 runs margin). Last 2 are memes for stats enthusiast  " Jacques Kallis's comparsion with Sachin/Zaheer" and Sachin's comparison with Cook/Clarke.

~snip~

Really he was forced to come out of retirement and play Test cricket again to be a back up player, if that is the truth it is really rude. How is the Pakistan fast bowling line up they have right now, is it good as i have not heard about any upcoming talent.

I wouldn't say that PCB forced him. He's member of limited overs squad and all (Test/ODI/T-20) squad traveling together so inclusion in test squad doesn't hurt.

[7788bitcoin]

~
I wouldn't say that PCB forced him. He's member of limited overs squad and all (Test/ODI/T-20) squad traveling together so inclusion in test squad doesn't hurt.

To play Test cricket and to be a fast bowler you need to be really fit and Wahab Riaz knows well about his body and so is the reason he retired from the longer format as he is sore bowling and it is not funny and that is the case with other bowlers who cannot take toll bowling for a longer period and you cannot play the Test format because you are fit enough to bowl 10 overs in ODI and 4 overs in T20.

[Vishnu.Reang]

I wouldn't say that PCB forced him. He's member of limited overs squad and all (Test/ODI/T-20) squad traveling together so inclusion in test squad doesn't hurt.

Obviously a lot of the players are retiring nowadays from the 5-day format, to concentrate on the shorter formats. We can't blame them. The salary is not that great for the test matches compared to what they receive per hour during the ODI or T20 matches. On top of that, the chances of receiving injuries are also higher with the test format, due to its huge effort requirement.

[JSRAW]

^ Retiring at certain age from the test cricket is widely accepted and no one bats eyes on the players in that case, problem arise when quality bowlers like Amir take retirement at early age. This is not good sign for test cricket and sets a bad precedent IMO.

[7788bitcoin]

^ Retiring at certain age from the test cricket is widely accepted and no one bats eyes on the players in that case, problem arise when quality bowlers like Amir take retirement at early age. This is not good sign for test cricket and sets a bad precedent IMO.

Amir was not performing like he used to after returning after the ban, his swing is gone and he was not that effective but he was bowling decently in the shorter format because he still has the pace and that might have forced him to retire rather than the cricket board dropping him in Test.

Any idea when Test cricket will return, since there are no matches how about the Test championships, will they delay the finals for that.

[BitSat19]

^ Retiring at certain age from the test cricket is widely accepted and no one bats eyes on the players in that case, problem arise when quality bowlers like Amir take retirement at early age. This is not good sign for test cricket and sets a bad precedent IMO.

Amir was not performing like he used to after returning after the ban, his swing is gone and he was not that effective but he was bowling decently in the shorter format because he still has the pace and that might have forced him to retire rather than the cricket board dropping him in Test.

Any idea when Test cricket will return, since there are no matches how about the Test championships, will they delay the finals for that.

Currently no talk about Test Championship as right now we have hot topic is Twenty/20 world cup as still doubts about this event and for test matches now just 20 more days and we will able to have first test match between England vs West Indies. https://www.espncricinfo.com/scores/series/19497/west-indies-in-england-2020

[JSRAW]

^ Retiring at certain age from the test cricket is widely accepted and no one bats eyes on the players in that case, problem arise when quality bowlers like Amir take retirement at early age. This is not good sign for test cricket and sets a bad precedent IMO.

Amir was not performing like he used to after returning after the ban, his swing is gone and he was not that effective but he was bowling decently in the shorter format because he still has the pace and that might have forced him to retire rather than the cricket board dropping him in Test.

Any idea when Test cricket will return, since there are no matches how about the Test championships, will they delay the finals for that.

He's only 28 year old, played around 35ish test matches so i would say yeah he took retirement way to early. 1 bad season is not correct excuse, when everyone knows he took retirement only because of limited over cricket. Try Imagining Starc, Bumrah, Rabada taking retirement for T-20.

Next month : Windies vs England

And not much clarity on WTC final due to pandemic.

[Vishnu.Reang]

^ Retiring at certain age from the test cricket is widely accepted and no one bats eyes on the players in that case, problem arise when quality bowlers like Amir take retirement at early age. This is not good sign for test cricket and sets a bad precedent IMO.

Players have the freedom to do that, and there is hardly anything the cricket boards can do. T20 format is the money churner now and obviously a lot many of the players are going to skip the demanding test format for the shorter formats. If the boards want to attract players to test format, then they need to increase the salary and benefits by many times. Nowadays no one want to play just to enter the record books.

[JSRAW]

^^ If money is the only driving force and records/respect/representing the country are not priority then why not announce a retirement from the international cricket completely? Become a mercenary cricketer and play in every T-20 league similar to Windies players?

[Juggy777]

^ Retiring at certain age from the test cricket is widely accepted and no one bats eyes on the players in that case, problem arise when quality bowlers like Amir take retirement at early age. This is not good sign for test cricket and sets a bad precedent IMO.

Amir was not performing like he used to after returning after the ban, his swing is gone and he was not that effective but he was bowling decently in the shorter format because he still has the pace and that might have forced him to retire rather than the cricket board dropping him in Test.

Any idea when Test cricket will return, since there are no matches how about the Test championships, will they delay the finals for that.

He's only 28 year old, played around 35ish test matches so i would say yeah he took retirement way to early. 1 bad season is not correct excuse, when everyone knows he took retirement only because of limited over cricket. Try Imagining Starc, Bumrah, Rabada taking retirement for T-20.

Next month : Windies vs England

And not much clarity on WTC final due to pandemic.

Players have the freedom to do that, and there is hardly anything the cricket boards can do. T20 format is the money churner now and obviously a lot many of the players are going to skip the demanding test format for the shorter formats. If the boards want to attract players to test format, then they need to increase the salary and benefits by many times. Nowadays no one want to play just to enter the record books.

^^ If money is the only driving force and records/respect/representing the country are not priority then why not announce a retirement from the international cricket completely? Become a mercenary cricketer and play in every T-20 league similar to Windies players?

@JSRAW I don’t think that money was the motive behind Amir’s retirement, because he would never get to play in IPL or any big league because of his past mistakes (match fixing). Lastly I’m not sure if you’ll read this article or no where he clearly specified that he could not take the work load of playing in all formats, and hence he decided to quit Test cricket, and I feel that he’s correct to play less formats and keep himself fit for the long run.

"I can't roll back that lost time but I can manage my workload to extend my career as much as I can. With every passing day I'm getting older and I know fans want me to play. But if you look rationally I'm human and not an iron man. My passion is still there and I want to be there for fans, serving the country for a long time."

Sources:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27260793/mohammad-amir-announces-retirement-test-cricket

https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/story/indian-premier-league-pakistan-cricket-board-cricket-bilateral-ties-239079-2015-02-06