Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[YinShuiSiYuan]

That was almost three decades ago. The problem is that Sri Lanka has remained where they were in 1996, and all the other teams have surged ahead of them in the meantime. A test nation can't simply progress at international level if all the cricket activity is concentrated in just one city. The same can be said about Bangladesh as well. Sri Lanka needs first class teams and facilities outside Colombo, in cities such as Kandy, Jaffna, Galle and Trincomalee. The SLCB needs to take the initiative and they can't blame the ICC everytime.

Forget about Srilanka for the moment right now, they have much more serious issues to discuss at home rather then restructuring there domestic cricket setup. I don't think Bangladesh deserve test status at first place, they were wrongfully given this status. Afghanistan is much better side then Bangladesh for test status.

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[pakhitheboss]

That was almost three decades ago. The problem is that Sri Lanka has remained where they were in 1996, and all the other teams have surged ahead of them in the meantime. A test nation can't simply progress at international level if all the cricket activity is concentrated in just one city. The same can be said about Bangladesh as well. Sri Lanka needs first class teams and facilities outside Colombo, in cities such as Kandy, Jaffna, Galle and Trincomalee. The SLCB needs to take the initiative and they can't blame the ICC everytime.

Forget about Srilanka for the moment right now, they have much more serious issues to discuss at home rather then restructuring there domestic cricket setup. I don't think Bangladesh deserve test status at first place, they were wrongfully given this status. Afghanistan is much better side then Bangladesh for test status.

Australia will be visiting Srilanka in the month of June this year. They will be playing three T20, 5 ODI and two test matches. Now my concern is that in the present economical situation will the Australian naide cancel this series or will they visit that country. I am not sure how will they be able to conclude this series wherein the country doesn't have electricity supply or fuel & food supply. I am eager to know what ACB does now as on the past they have cancelled tournaments due to COVID19 or terrorism.

[Sithara007]

Forget about Srilanka for the moment right now, they have much more serious issues to discuss at home rather then restructuring there domestic cricket setup. I don't think Bangladesh deserve test status at first place, they were wrongfully given this status. Afghanistan is much better side then Bangladesh for test status.

Well.. one thing that I would agree is that Afghanistan doesn't deserve to be in tier-2 of the test format. They are at least as good as other teams such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is very unfair for them to be relegated to the second division, and that means that they hardly get any opportunity to play the 5-day version. IMO, there should be at least 3 divisions in test cricket. The fist division should be comprised of big-4 and one other team that can compete against them (maybe Pakistan?). Second division should be comprised of all the remaining test nations minus Zimbabwe. Then there should be a third division, comprised of Zimbabwe and some of the associate nations such as Nepal and Namibia (and please, not the ones comprised entirely of foreigners).

[laurenB7742]

Mominul Haque steps down as Bangladesh Test captain

I think it is one of the best decisions for the Bangladesh team right now. We know that the Bangladesh team is very weak in Test format. Mominul Haque is a very talented player but his performance in the last few series is very weak. He is not able to concentrate on batting as he is due to perform the duties of captain. As a result, his captaincy and batting performance is deteriorating further. If he resigns from the captaincy, he will be able to give his full attention to improving his batting. This will be beneficial for both Mominul and Bangladesh teams.

[kro55]

Forget about Srilanka for the moment right now, they have much more serious issues to discuss at home rather then restructuring there domestic cricket setup. I don't think Bangladesh deserve test status at first place, they were wrongfully given this status. Afghanistan is much better side then Bangladesh for test status.

Australia will be visiting Srilanka in the month of June this year. They will be playing three T20, 5 ODI and two test matches. Now my concern is that in the present economical situation will the Australian naide cancel this series or will they visit that country. I am not sure how will they be able to conclude this series wherein the country doesn't have electricity supply or fuel & food supply. I am eager to know what ACB does now as on the past they have cancelled tournaments due to COVID19 or terrorism.

I think this will be good for the Sri Lankan cricket board because they will be able to generate some revenue from this tour but what I am concerned about is that is Sri Lanka going to generate a good enough revenue because of the current situation in Sri Lanka? I don't think too many people are going to go to the stadium to watch cricket.
But I believe Australia is going to visit because they have canceled before and it will be a field day for the press if they cancel again.

Well.. one thing that I would agree is that Afghanistan doesn't deserve to be in tier-2 of the test format. They are at least as good as other teams such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is very unfair for them to be relegated to the second division, and that means that they hardly get any opportunity to play the 5-day version. IMO, there should be at least 3 divisions in test cricket. The fist division should be comprised of big-4 and one other team that can compete against them (maybe Pakistan?). Second division should be comprised of all the remaining test nations minus Zimbabwe. Then there should be a third division, comprised of Zimbabwe and some of the associate nations such as Nepal and Namibia (and please, not the ones comprised entirely of foreigners).

Afghanistan is a far better team compared to Bangladesh. They are multiple steps ahead of Bangladesh even though they just recently got their test status. It is only a matter of time before they get promoted to tier 1. Actually, they are also better than Sri Lanka.

Can someone tell me know how did the ICC decide to make Afghanistan a tear two team in test cricket? On what basis? Because I don't see them being behind Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

[JSRAW]

Kiwis are warming up for their 3 test matches series, which is starting from 2nd June. I guess this series is part of the World Test Championship (Saying this because both countries have history of playing useless series for no reason just like IND and SL)

Anyway this is BlackCaps squad for the first match. After very long time Kane Williamson is back in the team as Captain.

[Mahdirakib]

Mominul Haque steps down as Bangladesh Test captain
I think it is one of the best decisions for the Bangladesh team right now. We know that the Bangladesh team is very weak in Test format. Mominul Haque is a very talented player but his performance in the last few series is very weak. He is not able to concentrate on batting as he is due to perform the duties of captain. As a result, his captaincy and batting performance is deteriorating further. If he resigns from the captaincy, he will be able to give his full attention to improving his batting. This will be beneficial for both Mominul and Bangladesh teams.

It is a great decision indeed. Bangladesh has performed very badly under his leadership. Mominul don't have the capacity to lead a team properly. I think he has lost his form, which is the main reason for his bad performance. Mominul didn't have enough confidence to take the decisions during a match. Anyway, the first test between Bangladesh and West Indies will start on 16th June. Let's see who gets the responsibility to lead Bangladesh team in test format.

[Iranus]

Mominul Haque steps down as Bangladesh Test captain

I think it is one of the best decisions for the Bangladesh team right now. We know that the Bangladesh team is very weak in Test format. Mominul Haque is a very talented player but his performance in the last few series is very weak. He is not able to concentrate on batting as he is due to perform the duties of captain. As a result, his captaincy and batting performance is deteriorating further. If he resigns from the captaincy, he will be able to give his full attention to improving his batting. This will be beneficial for both Mominul and Bangladesh teams.

I agree with you. Mamunul's decision was correct. As we have seen in the last few Tests, Mominul has been consistently playing poorly. In most of the innings, he returned to the dressing room with zero runs. In this case, he needs to practice more. If he can concentrate fully on batting, maybe his performance will improve further. Let's see how Muminul performs in the next series.

[Sithara007]

~~~
Can someone tell me know how did the ICC decide to make Afghanistan a tear two team in test cricket? On what basis? Because I don't see them being behind Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Well... this is an interesting question. In order to receive the "test status", both Afghanistan and Ireland had to make a few adjustments and compromises. The big-4 told them that they would be provided with the nominal test status, but both the teams won't be allowed to play against the full members in test format. In order to formalize this status, the ICC came up with the tier-2 test division, in which Afghanistan and Ireland were placed along with the recently relegated Zimbabwe. There is no promotion-relegation mechanism in test cricket, so it is expected that teams like Afghanistan will stay there forever, no matter how hard they try.

[pakhitheboss]

Kiwis are warming up for their 3 test matches series, which is starting from 2nd June. I guess this series is part of the World Test Championship (Saying this because both countries have history of playing useless series for no reason just like IND and SL)

Anyway this is BlackCaps squad for the first match. After very long time Kane Williamson is back in the team as Captain.

Yes, this test series is part of the world test championship title. Currently the defending champions are ranked sixth and England ranked ninth in the table. This series would be Ben stokes debut as a captain and many have high hopes on him. As it will be played in Lords I feel the English side will have slide advantage.

[Juggy777]

Kiwis are warming up for their 3 test matches series, which is starting from 2nd June. I guess this series is part of the World Test Championship (Saying this because both countries have history of playing useless series for no reason just like IND and SL)

Anyway this is BlackCaps squad for the first match. After very long time Kane Williamson is back in the team as Captain.

Yes, this test series is part of the world test championship title. Currently the defending champions are ranked sixth and England ranked ninth in the table. This series would be Ben stokes debut as a captain and many have high hopes on him. As it will be played in Lords I feel the English side will have slide advantage.

@pakhitheboss this match will also witness the debut of McCullum their new test coach, and I’m eager to see how he can revive the England team in this format. Furthermore I hope that Stokes can balance the pressure of being the captain, and yet keep performing for the team because he’s one of their most important player.

[onecall123]

Kiwis are warming up for their 3 test matches series, which is starting from 2nd June. I guess this series is part of the World Test Championship (Saying this because both countries have history of playing useless series for no reason just like IND and SL)

Anyway this is BlackCaps squad for the first match. After very long time Kane Williamson is back in the team as Captain.

Yes, this test series is part of the world test championship title. Currently the defending champions are ranked sixth and England ranked ninth in the table. This series would be Ben stokes debut as a captain and many have high hopes on him. As it will be played in Lords I feel the English side will have slide advantage.

@pakhitheboss this match will also witness the debut of McCullum their new test coach, and I’m eager to see how he can revive the England team in this format. Furthermore I hope that Stokes can balance the pressure of being the captain, and yet keep performing for the team because he’s one of their most important player.

McCullum will do a lot for England in this format; only he can save it. England has announced their test squad for New Zealand. It is great to see Anderson and Broad have been re-called to England's Test squad. It will be interesting to see what happens in the first test against New Zealand. I'm looking forward to seeing them in action.

[JSRAW]

~snip~
McCullum will do a lot for England in this format; only he can save it. England has announced their test squad for New Zealand. It is great to see Anderson and Broad have been re-called to England's Test squad. It will be interesting to see what happens in the first test against New Zealand. I'm looking forward to seeing them in action.

McCullum is an excellent addition but he doesn't have any magic wand. If they want any success then from now on English batters need to do heavy lifting, they can't always rely on bowlers only.

Atm Broad seat is not confirmed for the first test because management is looking at Overton as he's considered marginally good bat in comparison to Broad.  

Edit

English squad - Broad-Jimmy duo is back. Overton is sitting out.

[laurenB7742]

Mominul Haque steps down as Bangladesh Test captain
I think it is one of the best decisions for the Bangladesh team right now. We know that the Bangladesh team is very weak in Test format. Mominul Haque is a very talented player but his performance in the last few series is very weak. He is not able to concentrate on batting as he is due to perform the duties of captain. As a result, his captaincy and batting performance is deteriorating further. If he resigns from the captaincy, he will be able to give his full attention to improving his batting. This will be beneficial for both Mominul and Bangladesh teams.

It is a great decision indeed. Bangladesh has performed very badly under his leadership. Mominul don't have the capacity to lead a team properly. I think he has lost his form, which is the main reason for his bad performance. Mominul didn't have enough confidence to take the decisions during a match. Anyway, the first test between Bangladesh and West Indies will start on 16th June. Let's see who gets the responsibility to lead Bangladesh team in test format.

It is not disrespectful for the captain to step down voluntarily. However, being out of form for a long time and performing poorly is a disgrace to a senior batsman. Muminul should give his full attention now to his batting. He has to give full effort on his batting. If he continues to practice, he will be able to return to good form. This requires hard practice and strong morale.

[Sithara007]

~snip~
English squad - Broad-Jimmy duo is back. Overton is sitting out.

Finally these two are in the playing XI, and that means that the selectors have finally woke up from their slumber. It was very unfair from their side to drop these two in the first place. IMO, Broad-Anderson, despite their age ranks among the top-3 new ball pairs in test cricket right now. All the other options, including Overton, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Saqib Mahmood would rank at least two levels below them in terms of consistency and wicket taking ability. Archer maybe a better bowler, but I don't even remember the last time I saw him playing cricket.

[kro55]

~~~
Can someone tell me know how did the ICC decide to make Afghanistan a tear two team in test cricket? On what basis? Because I don't see them being behind Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Well... this is an interesting question. In order to receive the "test status", both Afghanistan and Ireland had to make a few adjustments and compromises. The big-4 told them that they would be provided with the nominal test status, but both the teams won't be allowed to play against the full members in test format. In order to formalize this status, the ICC came up with the tier-2 test division, in which Afghanistan and Ireland were placed along with the recently relegated Zimbabwe. There is no promotion-relegation mechanism in test cricket, so it is expected that teams like Afghanistan will stay there forever, no matter how hard they try.

Well, I don't understand what's the point of having a test status if they are not able to compete against better teams. And the bigger question is why will they ever play test cricket if they are not going to be able to get promoted to the tier 1 test division?

This does not make any sense. I hope this will change going forward in the future because if this stays like this the things that are in tier 2 test division are not going to be interested in test cricket at all and it is obviously not going to be good for test cricket because it is already dying.

[JSRAW]

~snip~
English squad - Broad-Jimmy duo is back. Overton is sitting out.

Finally these two are in the playing XI, and that means that the selectors have finally woke up from their slumber. It was very unfair from their side to drop these two in the first place. IMO, Broad-Anderson, despite their age ranks among the top-3 new ball pairs in test cricket right now. All the other options, including Overton, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Saqib Mahmood would rank at least two levels below them in terms of consistency and wicket taking ability. Archer maybe a better bowler, but I don't even remember the last time I saw him playing cricket.

Broad-Jimmy duo should thank the poor show of the Poms in the Windies, although i feel that they didn't had any chance anyway, no matter if they were playing with this duo or not.

Chris Wokes is a beast when playing in England, otherwise he's a dead weight on team when playing away. Archer seems really unlucky, poor guy got injured again.

 

[Sithara007]

Well, I don't understand what's the point of having a test status if they are not able to compete against better teams. And the bigger question is why will they ever play test cricket if they are not going to be able to get promoted to the tier 1 test division?

This does not make any sense. I hope this will change going forward in the future because if this stays like this the things that are in tier 2 test division are not going to be interested in test cricket at all and it is obviously not going to be good for test cricket because it is already dying.

The compromise deal that Afghanistan and Ireland reached with the ICC was that these two teams will receive the test status (and along with that a huge increase in the funds - $5 million per year, which is almost 5-10 times of what they were receiving previously), but will never get an opportunity to play test cricket against the other nations. I would rather say that they got a relatively better deal, when compared to the other associate nations such as Scotland and Nepal. But then tier one test cricket is a closed affair and new additions are strictly verboten.

[CryptoBuds]

England V New Zealand

I look forward to watching the first Test match between England and New Zealand. These two teams are very strong for the Test format. However, New Zealand's performance in the last few series was not as good as we expected. They also lost a Test match against a team like Bangladesh. But the New Zealand players are experienced enough. Hopefully they won't make any mistakes at Lord's. And we will have the opportunity to enjoy a competitive match.

[kro55]

The compromise deal that Afghanistan and Ireland reached with the ICC was that these two teams will receive the test status (and along with that a huge increase in the funds - $5 million per year, which is almost 5-10 times of what they were receiving previously), but will never get an opportunity to play test cricket against the other nations. I would rather say that they got a relatively better deal, when compared to the other associate nations such as Scotland and Nepal. But then tier one test cricket is a closed affair and new additions are strictly verboten.

Yes, I agree that the deal is good but I really don't understand what's the point of having their test status if they are never going to be able to compete with the better teams and also will never have a chance to get promoted to the tier 1 test standings?

ICC could have just given them the money that they will be getting now. The deal obviously looks better right now but in the long term, this is going to be a really shitty deal for any team. At least they should be a promotion system otherwise why will the teams try to win?