Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Theones]

Australian batsmen were very much settled yet sadly got all out for 391 runs. Australia having upper hand but Naseem shah have bowled so well like never before. Every wicket that fell was a pure class. Excellent spell from Naseem, he has improved his fitness and bowling skills. Now Pakistan team have to bat really well because Aussies almost score 400 runs and pitch is additionally turning out to be somewhat slightly slow.

With Shaheen and Naseem both done some good work and takes 4 each wicket on this pitch mean tomorrow we can expect some good magic from Australian pacers as well because they are much experienced and have good quality and skills to manage things in positive way now all depend on Pakistani batsmen how their response in this inning if they capable to cross 500+ then surely we can expect some results because most chances on fourth and fifth day we will have some more help for bowlers which is interesting and taking lead in first inning could be very helpful for any team.

If Australia successful to catch Pakistani batsmen in quick way then surely this time they will have good result not like Karachi test.

I didn't believe last Time when most of the members bet on drawn series between India and Pakistan. Now many people are making bet that this series will be a drawn as well. And I would like to listen and go with the majority - because every time I make my own assumption it goes wrong. I hope I do not fail this time

[JSRAW]

~snip~
Scared of the opponent sounds bit overstretch here. Yeah there might be some concern in Pakistan's camp because some of their bowlers were not fit to play but they are playing at home conditions, they could have easily introduce some young guy from the domestic, its not like there is shortage of gun speedster in the pakistan.

Another possible argument could be that they wanted to make sure game goes for all 5 days due to this historic series and end up making roads (Saying this because creating international cricket pitch take more than 1 month).  Although as Indian supporter i'm happy that they didn't gave any spin practice to Aussie batting line up (Already staring at BG trophy).  

Actually, I didn't mean to say they are scared of the opponent . I meant to say that they got scared because of their own injury problems. They had a few injuries Right before the series started.

So, that might have had a big impact on how the pitch was prepared. Before the series started I thought it is going to be a really close matter and the teams are going to have their work cut out but it was another story altogether. But the third test seems to be shaping up to have a result in my opinion.

Fair enough but some would argue that Pakistani seamers got injured just before the series and pitche takes long time to prepare ( minimum 10-15 days or max 2-3 months). So ground staff must be preparing for the roads long before the series started (in that case their players getting injured).

~snip~
I think the world test championship was not the best idea to give Test Cricket a boost. And I think all the cricket fans know and agree that out of anything the ashes was the best test series ever played.
So, instead of introducing the world test championship, I think it would have been better if the ICC could do something like the ashes. That would have been a lot better for test cricket in the long run.

WTC is not holy grail but its best possible solution to address test cricket's existing problems.

Before WTC, Bilateral test series had no relevance and no one was interested in tests, unless it's their team (Ashes, BT Trophy, Freedom Trophy and Ind vs Eng were outliers -Eyeballs +Revenue-) but due to WTC point system every series has some weightage and it play big part because now fair amount of fans keep an eye on the point table/random series because other teams can also dent their fav team's standing.

Even ICC know that it has many flows but its a more like WIP kind of situation for them and could take time to mature, given they keep updating the format or learn something from each WTC cycle. If not then i believe Relegation & Promotion Proposal is the solution.

IPL 2022 Starts in

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Looking forward!

[Sithara007]

Are you sure Pakistan is weak team? They have one of the best boys these days. They don't play IPL that doesn't mean they are weak. Pakistan these days is as good as any best team these days. So far 11 wickets have been fallen and seems like we are having a result for this match. Trust me no one is interested in WTC, you yourself always criticise test cricket.

IF Pakistan was not a weak team, then they would have prepared good pitches and attempted to defeat Australia. Afterall, they were having the home advantage and some very good bowlers like Shaheen Shah. What have they done here? They prepared substandard pitches and tried to make sure that all of the matches ends up in draw. If they are not a weak team, then what is the need for this? If this is the way test cricket is being played, then within a few decades it will exist only in the archives of the Wisden magazine.

[coinism]

IF Pakistan was not a weak team, then they would have prepared good pitches and attempted to defeat Australia. Afterall, they were having the home advantage and some very good bowlers like Shaheen Shah. What have they done here? They prepared substandard pitches and tried to make sure that all of the matches ends up in draw. If they are not a weak team, then what is the need for this? If this is the way test cricket is being played, then within a few decades it will exist only in the archives of the Wisden magazine.

You are just sticking with one point i.e. pitch condition. People like you went silent when Pakistan team was all out on 148 in second test. When Pakistan came back in second innings you people again start criticising the pitch. You are very senior member in terms of contributing posts here, but saying that Pakistan is weak team really shows your hate for this team nothing else.

[kro55]

The pitch is a batting-friendly pitch. I expected better scores from the Australian batsmen. 391 runs on such a pitch does not seem to be enough. The Australians needed to collect at least 450 more. It is foolish to think that Pakistan will lose all their wickets very soon. We have seen Pakistan batting in the last two Tests. They have played very well in the previous two Tests.

You are right. The pitch is a batting pitch. And 391 runs on such a pitch is not enough. Pakistan lost their first wicket by just 20 runs. And till today they have collected 152 runs so far without losing any other wickets.
Abdullah Shafique is unbeaten on 75 and Azhar Ali is on 56. And their striker rate is less than 40. They are batting very well. Since today is the third day and looking at Pakistan's batting style, it looks like they will be able to bat all day today. So the match is most likely to be a draw.

[galambo]

You are right. The pitch is a batting pitch. And 391 runs on such a pitch is not enough. Pakistan lost their first wicket by just 20 runs. And till today they have collected 152 runs so far without losing any other wickets.
Abdullah Shafique is unbeaten on 75 and Azhar Ali is on 56. And their striker rate is less than 40. They are batting very well. Since today is the third day and looking at Pakistan's batting style, it looks like they will be able to bat all day today. So the match is most likely to be a draw.

It's very much likely that this match will end in a draw and series will end in a happy note for Pakistan i.e. they remain unbeaten at there home by mighty Aussies. One good thing that comes out from this series is Opener batsmen Shafique. He is playing consistently and scoring runs unlike the nepotism based opener Imam.

[romero121]

You are right. The pitch is a batting pitch. And 391 runs on such a pitch is not enough. Pakistan lost their first wicket by just 20 runs. And till today they have collected 152 runs so far without losing any other wickets.
Abdullah Shafique is unbeaten on 75 and Azhar Ali is on 56. And their striker rate is less than 40. They are batting very well. Since today is the third day and looking at Pakistan's batting style, it looks like they will be able to bat all day today. So the match is most likely to be a draw.

It's very much likely that this match will end in a draw and series will end in a happy note for Pakistan i.e. they remain unbeaten at there home by mighty Aussies. One good thing that comes out from this series is Opener batsmen Shafique. He is playing consistently and scoring runs unlike the nepotism based opener Imam.

The final and third test match is going to be a draw. Australia managed to score good, but Pakistan on the other side makes a much better start than Australia. In this match Smith has now become the record holder for most runs after 150 Test innings with 7993 runs. Previously this records were with Sachin Tendulkar and Sangakkara.

[galambo]

]
The final and third test match is going to be a draw. Australia managed to score good, but Pakistan on the other side makes a much better start than Australia. In this match Smith has now become the record holder for most runs after 150 Test innings with 7993 runs. Previously this records were with Sachin Tendulkar and Sangakkara.

Aussies finally got first wicket of third day by dismissing Shafique on 81. If wickets keep falling with such pace then definitely we will have a draw. But you cant predict Pakistan team they may got out in blink of the eye. Pakistanis are playing too slow and with this pace they will score 250 runs by stumps.

[JohnBitCo]

Are you sure Pakistan is weak team? They have one of the best boys these days. They don't play IPL that doesn't mean they are weak. Pakistan these days is as good as any best team these days. So far 11 wickets have been fallen and seems like we are having a result for this match. Trust me no one is interested in WTC, you yourself always criticise test cricket.

IF Pakistan was not a weak team, then they would have prepared good pitches and attempted to defeat Australia. Afterall, they were having the home advantage and some very good bowlers like Shaheen Shah. What have they done here? They prepared substandard pitches and tried to make sure that all of the matches ends up in draw. If they are not a weak team, then what is the need for this? If this is the way test cricket is being played, then within a few decades it will exist only in the archives of the Wisden magazine.

Don't know if we can call it a dead pitch or perhaps both Australia and Pakistan team are strong teams and it is not easy to bowl them out.
I feel no issue if the three test matches are drawn. This shows that both teams were competitive and therefore both of them didn't gave any opportunity or showed any weakness against the opponents and the tests resulted in a draw.

[noormcs5]

Are you sure Pakistan is weak team? They have one of the best boys these days. They don't play IPL that doesn't mean they are weak. Pakistan these days is as good as any best team these days. So far 11 wickets have been fallen and seems like we are having a result for this match. Trust me no one is interested in WTC, you yourself always criticise test cricket.

IF Pakistan was not a weak team, then they would have prepared good pitches and attempted to defeat Australia. Afterall, they were having the home advantage and some very good bowlers like Shaheen Shah. What have they done here? They prepared substandard pitches and tried to make sure that all of the matches ends up in draw. If they are not a weak team, then what is the need for this? If this is the way test cricket is being played, then within a few decades it will exist only in the archives of the Wisden magazine.

Don't know if we can call it a dead pitch or perhaps both Australia and Pakistan team are strong teams and it is not easy to bowl them out.
I feel no issue if the three test matches are drawn. This shows that both teams were competitive and therefore both of them didn't gave any opportunity or showed any weakness against the opponents and the tests resulted in a draw.

You cannot call it a dead wicket. Australians took 7 wickets in the third session today while giving only 20 runs and thus once again shifted this test match in their favor. Now, like the previous test match, Pakistan team will have to play last and survive again if they want to save this test match.

In my opinion, Australians can give 350+ runs target to Pakistan if they bat at a good run rate in the first two sessions tomorrow on the 4th day.

[Mahdirakib]

Don't know if we can call it a dead pitch or perhaps both Australia and Pakistan team are strong teams and it is not easy to bowl them out.
I feel no issue if the three test matches are drawn. This shows that both teams were competitive and therefore both of them didn't gave any opportunity or showed any weakness against the opponents and the tests resulted in a draw.

All the credit goes to the dead pitch, both teams aren't strong enough to bat in this way. However, Pakistani batting lineup has collapsed today. Probably no one expected the collapse like that. Pakistan is all-out in 268 runs from 248/3. These test matches are nothing else than boring. Australia has started with the lead of 123 runs. This match will end as a draw if Australia makes the runs slowly.

[onecall123]

Don't know if we can call it a dead pitch or perhaps both Australia and Pakistan team are strong teams and it is not easy to bowl them out.
I feel no issue if the three test matches are drawn. This shows that both teams were competitive and therefore both of them didn't gave any opportunity or showed any weakness against the opponents and the tests resulted in a draw.

All the credit goes to the dead pitch, both teams aren't strong enough to bat in this way. However, Pakistani batting lineup has collapsed today. Probably no one expected the collapse like that. Pakistan is all-out in 268 runs from 248/3. These test matches are nothing else than boring. Australia has started with the lead of 123 runs. This match will end as a draw if Australia makes the runs slowly.

Pakistan totally surrendered the so-called home advantage. After the conclusion of this series, Australia would be more satisfied. Pakistan will seek a similar result. From the way they started batting with such a defensive attitude, it didn't appear that we are playing for a win. Now, it appears that Australia has the upper hand. Australia leads by 134 runs at the end of Day 3. The third test draw is currently underway!

[JSRAW]

Pakistan really trying hard to keep this test match interesting, some fine and very unexpected collapse i would say on batter friendly track. Aussie pacer are picking up some tricks about how to bowl on flat track - Reverse swing-. Unfortunately this was the Pakistan's main weapon in good ol' days when likes of Wasim Akram-Waqar Younis used to run riots in opposition batting line up.

We have 2 full days left, no major delay so 180 overs ( let's say 170-ish overs due to small break etc). Australia lead is 134 runs so they might want to bat at least 60 more overs and if by any chance they manage to add 180-200 runs, given they keep run rate of 3 rpo then we are looking at 314-334 range. If they are on offensive mode then we could also see 350ish range.

If this scenario pans out then final day is going to be very exciting  or what if Australia also face some sort of collapse tomorrow? After all Pakistan bowlers are not dummy.

[blatchcorn]

If this scenario pans out then final day is going to be very exciting  or what if Australia also face some sort of collapse tomorrow? After all Pakistan bowlers are not dummy.

People are mostly criticising pitch but no one ignoring that these are two top teams of the current era. Pakistan today collapsed after scoring fair amount of runs prior to that they were all out on 148 runs. Australia will definitely try to give target of 350 runs, anything less then that will be really risky.

[JSRAW]

If this scenario pans out then final day is going to be very exciting  or what if Australia also face some sort of collapse tomorrow? After all Pakistan bowlers are not dummy.

People are mostly criticising pitch but no one ignoring that these are two top teams of the current era.

If we're going by the norms then top teams definition is dominating at home and more or less competitive when playing away from home

So atm Pakistan is hardly a top team in the Red ball cricket. They have a long way to go if they want to be a top tier team, ingredients and signs are there to reach the top but they have to play at least 3-4 years of good cricket against top ranking teams.

In future if they manage to conquer at least 2 SENA countries and start dominating at home then i would say yeah they are strong team, till then this sort of statement doesn't hold any weightage IMO. 

[blatchcorn]

If we're going by the norms then top teams definition is dominating at home and more or less competitive when playing away from home

So atm Pakistan is hardly a top team in the Red ball cricket. They have a long way to go if they want to be a top tier team, ingredients and signs are there to reach the top but they have to play at least 3-4 years of good cricket against top ranking teams.

In future if they manage to conquer at least 2 SENA countries and start dominating at home then i would say yeah they are strong team, till then this sort of statement doesn't hold any weightage IMO.  

If Pakistan is not top team then who else is ? India, who lost everything in South Africa tour and then invited Sri Lanka and Afghanistan at home to regain the form. If that's the criteria for being a strong team then I admit Pakistan is a weak team.
There is hardly any cricket in Pakistan in last ten years and they dominated every series played at UAE

[JSRAW]

~snip~
they dominated every series played at UAE

I don't mind getting into discussion but you have to do your due diligence before making any comment, at least simple google search would do the job otherwise we'll end up in useless arguments and it's not productive IMO.

Pakistan record in UAE since 2013.

That's not dominating record looks like imo.

Pak vs SA,   series draw 1-1 (2013-2014)
Pak vs SL,   series draw 1-1 (2013-2014)
Pak vs Aus,  Pak won 2-0 (2014-2015)
Pak vs NZ,   series draw 1-1 ( 2014-15)
Pak vs Eng,  Pak won 2-0 (2015-16)
Pak vs WI,   Pak won 2-1 (2016-17)
Pak vs SL,   SL won 2-0 (2017)
Pak vs Aus,  Pak won 1-0 ( 2018-19)
Pak vs NZ,   NZ won 2-1 ( 2018-19)

You should have used different example other than India when comparing home records, i don't think its fair comparison because India lives up to almost invincible status at least when playing at home. 14-ish consecutive test series since 2013, England was the last team to beat India in test series. After that India has played around 43-44 tests at home and lost 2 match (Eng and Aus) with single digit draws (don't remember the exact number). The second best home winning streak belongs to Australia (10 series).

Already posted this in here couple of times, may be you missed it.

Last 42 tests in my recent memory.

Indian won 33, lost 2 (Aus and Eng) and 7 draw. There is a reason India is called final frontier.

Yes, India lost against the South Africa but this only prove that they are not invincible and not world beater at all, specially in SENA countries and they need to up their game, despite beating Aussie twice and leading unfinished series 2-1 against England. But if we look at every test playing team's record you'll find that India was best touring team in last 5-6 years. There is a reason India was holding Test Mace since 2016-17. They lost the Mace in 2021 when NZ won the WTC finals.

[savetheFORUM]

Pakistan really trying hard to keep this test match interesting, some fine and very unexpected collapse i would say on batter friendly track. Aussie pacer are picking up some tricks about how to bowl on flat track - Reverse swing-. Unfortunately this was the Pakistan's main weapon in good ol' days when likes of Wasim Akram-Waqar Younis used to run riots in opposition batting line up.

We have 2 full days left, no major delay so 180 overs ( let's say 170-ish overs due to small break etc). Australia lead is 134 runs so they might want to bat at least 60 more overs and if by any chance they manage to add 180-200 runs, given they keep run rate of 3 rpo then we are looking at 314-334 range. If they are on offensive mode then we could also see 350ish range.

If this scenario pans out then final day is going to be very exciting  or what if Australia also face some sort of collapse tomorrow? After all Pakistan bowlers are not dummy.

A very complete and comprehensive statement about this match because I was also totally feeling in this way now this match is very interesting, and we have to watch Australia how they start and response for win this series because they are in better position after today's interesting and unexpected collapse on flat pitch even still I am feeling this match is heading for another draw because Australia will take some time which is very important and target less than 400 is never been good for them as they already know what can happen to them in chase.

So, it's all about mind game which is mostly in Australian hands because they better know how to handle these Pakistani in these situations. Most chances they will try to go through for 400 but 350 is also good target for Pakistani batting line up which can collapse again on this pitch.

[laurenB7742]

~snip~

WTC is not holy grail but its best possible solution to address test cricket's existing problems.

Before WTC, Bilateral test series had no relevance and no one was interested in tests, unless it's their team (Ashes, BT Trophy, Freedom Trophy and Ind vs Eng were outliers -Eyeballs +Revenue-) but due to WTC point system every series has some weightage and it play big part because now fair amount of fans keep an eye on the point table/random series because other teams can also dent their fav team's standing.

Even ICC know that it has many flows but its a more like WIP kind of situation for them and could take time to mature, given they keep updating the format or learn something from each WTC cycle. If not then i believe Relegation & Promotion Proposal is the solution.

But still, it doesn't seem like the popularity of test cricket has changed a lot. yes, a few more people are concerned about test cricket right now and they are looking at the points table from time to time. but it doesn't mean test cricket is progressing as a whole.  there is no denying that test cricket is just too old and it's not for this generation. and honestly even I don't have any idea how to make it interesting again.

[jostorres]

still, it doesn't seem like the popularity of test cricket has changed a lot. yes, a few more people are concerned about test cricket right now and they are looking at the points table from time to time. but it doesn't mean test cricket is progressing as a whole.  there is no denying that test cricket is just too old and it's not for this generation. and honestly even I don't have any idea how to make it interesting again.

No one got any magic to bring back golden days of test cricket now they need to do something for results like good and supportive pitches and nothing else is possible because as you already mention new generation is having no interest in this game because of its nature and surely it's marketing is stand on as we have few years back even now T10 and T20 Leagues are doing very good but still few countries love this and enjoying, so now it's time for ICC to have some rules about this and stop this for new countries with current teams better chances for having some entertaining results and work on other formats which can generate good finances for them hopefully this will survive for some more decades with his this bore and dead system.