Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[justdimin]

After disappointing performance by England in the T20 series with South Africa I hope they win the test series which will start from 17th August. South Africa already tops the point table for the test world cup. England is ranking 7th and if they want to improve their ranking they need to win all the three test matches.

Red ball cricket is completely different from white ball cricket as we already check in last few months many teams doing good job in white ball but struggling in red ball as India also lost only test in England but have good performance in ODI and T20 with this all South African record is also not good in red ball, so we can expect good fight between these two teams in test matches even South African having good results in other two formats and their all players were in good form which is good signal for them.

England is already out of WTC final 2023 and South Africa is at top, so both will try their best for having good result from this series with most chances England will win because right now their batsmen and bowlers are in good form with red ball at home, and they can take good advantage of this as already going 4 - 0 in this season.

[JSRAW]

After disappointing performance by England in the T20 series with South Africa I hope they win the test series which will start from 17th August. South Africa already tops the point table for the test world cup. England is ranking 7th and if they want to improve their ranking they need to win all the three test matches.

T-20 and Test are different settings.

England did good in last 4 tests so they are riding high on confidence. With recent success in T-20, South Africa can only hope that there is some shift on momentum and hope pitches are good for red ball. 

[Sithara007]

T-20 and Test are different settings.

England did good in last 4 tests so they are riding high on confidence. With recent success in T-20, South Africa can only hope that there is some shift on momentum and hope pitches are good for red ball. 

Agreed. For both the teams, they have separate squads for both T20 and test formats. And historically, England has performed better in test format when compared to any other. Countries outside the pig-4 usually perform better in the shorter formats, but they find test cricket a tough nut to crack. One reason may be the quality of 4-day county cricket in England. Anyway, I would say that England are the overwhelming favorites here. Anyway, before that two T20I matches are scheduled against Ireland. If the momentum is still with South Africa, then they should win these matches with big margins.

[Juggy777]

T-20 and Test are different settings.

England did good in last 4 tests so they are riding high on confidence. With recent success in T-20, South Africa can only hope that there is some shift on momentum and hope pitches are good for red ball. 

Agreed. For both the teams, they have separate squads for both T20 and test formats. And historically, England has performed better in test format when compared to any other. Countries outside the pig-4 usually perform better in the shorter formats, but they find test cricket a tough nut to crack. One reason may be the quality of 4-day county cricket in England. Anyway, I would say that England are the overwhelming favorites here. Anyway, before that two T20I matches are scheduled against Ireland. If the momentum is still with South Africa, then they should win these matches with big margins.

@Sithara007 for me England are the favourites because of Brendon McCullum coaching, because now they play test matches with the clear objective to win rather than play for a draw. Further England will have the home advantage and this shall give them a psychological advantage too against South Africa, hence one can safely say that England will probably win the test series easily.

[hichamito37]

T-20 and Test are different settings.
England did good in last 4 tests so they are riding high on confidence. With recent success in T-20, South Africa can only hope that there is some shift on momentum and hope pitches are good for red ball. 

Agreed. For both the teams, they have separate squads for both T20 and test formats. And historically, England has performed better in test format when compared to any other. Countries outside the pig-4 usually perform better in the shorter formats, but they find test cricket a tough nut to crack. One reason may be the quality of 4-day county cricket in England. Anyway, I would say that England are the overwhelming favorites here. Anyway, before that two T20I matches are scheduled against Ireland. If the momentum is still with South Africa, then they should win these matches with big margins.

@Sithara007 for me England are the favourites because of Brendon McCullum coaching, because now they play test matches with the clear objective to win rather than play for a draw. Further England will have the home advantage and this shall give them a psychological advantage too against South Africa, hence one can safely say that England will probably win the test series easily.

Going into the test series England should be their favorite to win considering the previous test performance of England. But I have to say South Africa is going to go into the test match with a lot of confidence. But obviously, test cricket is the absolute opposite of T-20 cricket. And we also know that England has different teams and also different coaches for every format. So I believe that England will be able to do better in the test format.

[Sithara007]

@Sithara007 for me England are the favourites because of Brendon McCullum coaching, because now they play test matches with the clear objective to win rather than play for a draw. Further England will have the home advantage and this shall give them a psychological advantage too against South Africa, hence one can safely say that England will probably win the test series easily.

I will not go to the extent of saying that it will be very easy for England. But I will admit that England is having the advantage here. We also need to consider that they are hosting this series, so may have the ground advantage as well. South Africa remains one of the top test sides outside the pig-4. They have quality players such as Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen and Simon Harmer. And I don't think that the absence of Temba Bavuma will impact the performance negatively.

[wiss19]

Going into the test series England should be their favorite to win considering the previous test performance of England. But I have to say South Africa is going to go into the test match with a lot of confidence. But obviously, test cricket is the absolute opposite of T-20 cricket. And we also know that England has different teams and also different coaches for every format. So I believe that England will be able to do better in the test format.

In upcoming test series, England vs South Africa home team is having good advantage and can win this because they are in good shape and after winning four test matches their confidence level is also very high with South African's are not good in red ball as we already watch them in last few series even they are missing their captain but still they have no enough power to win against home side England which is performing extraordinary in last few test matches specially against India which is going to be great for them.

Even in last few white ball series they are not good, but this is completely different, and they have few quality players those can change things very drastically for them and give them good success South African are going to face tough time here in England and after this they are going to be in Australia for their next test series.

[Minecache]

In upcoming test series, England vs South Africa home team is having good advantage and can win this because they are in good shape and after winning four test matches their confidence level is also very high with South African's are not good in red ball as we already watch them in last few series even they are missing their captain but still they have no enough power to win against home side England which is performing extraordinary in last few test matches specially against India which is going to be great for them.
Even in last few white ball series they are not good, but this is completely different, and they have few quality players those can change things very drastically for them and give them good success South African are going to face tough time here in England and after this they are going to be in Australia for their next test series.

In terms of the current position of the teams, I believe England is obviously better than South Africa in a test format right now. And as far as I know, England has a completely different team and also different coaches for test cricket. But on the other hand, South Africa does not have anything like that.

So, I believe England will have a better game plan for test cricket. Nevertheless, South Africa is entitled to be confident due to its excellent performances. In the last 19 test matches between England and South Africa, South Africa only managed to win six of them. That is not a very favorable record in my opinion.

[Sithara007]

In terms of the current position of the teams, I believe England is obviously better than South Africa in a test format right now. And as far as I know, England has a completely different team and also different coaches for test cricket. But on the other hand, South Africa does not have anything like that.

So, I believe England will have a better game plan for test cricket. Nevertheless, South Africa is entitled to be confident due to its excellent performances. In the last 19 test matches between England and South Africa, South Africa only managed to win six of them. That is not a very favorable record in my opinion.

Winning 6 out of 19 is not a bad statistic, if you ask me. But in the past, South Africa had excellent test players such as Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla. Nowadays they don't have any test specialists. Most of the players are more suited for ODI and T20 formats. But there are a few plus points. Keshav Maharaj has now emerged as a world class allrounder. And South African top order is in good shape. If Nortje and Rabada can bowl consistently, then they will be able to give a good fight to England.

[Minecache]

Winning 6 out of 19 is not a bad statistic, if you ask me. But in the past, South Africa had excellent test players such as Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla. Nowadays they don't have any test specialists. Most of the players are more suited for ODI and T20 formats. But there are a few plus points. Keshav Maharaj has now emerged as a world class allrounder. And South African top order is in good shape. If Nortje and Rabada can bowl consistently, then they will be able to give a good fight to England.

Well, I do believe that South Africa has the capability of giving England a serious fight. But at the same time, things really look rosy for England, to be honest. I really don’t think that winning 6 out of 19 is a helpful statistic for any team stepping into the next match against that opponent.

Another thing is Dale Steyn has been the backbone of South African bowling in test cricket for quite a long time. His absence is obviously a concern for South Africa. Even though South Africa has a lot of things to show for them and they also played well in the shorter format against England. I have to say I have my doubts that South Africa will be able to win in the test format.

[Sithara007]

Well, I do believe that South Africa has the capability of giving England a serious fight. But at the same time, things really look rosy for England, to be honest. I really don’t think that winning 6 out of 19 is a helpful statistic for any team stepping into the next match against that opponent.

Another thing is Dale Steyn has been the backbone of South African bowling in test cricket for quite a long time. His absence is obviously a concern for South Africa. Even though South Africa has a lot of things to show for them and they also played well in the shorter format against England. I have to say I have my doubts that South Africa will be able to win in the test format.

Pig-4 teams do have an advantage in test format. Performance in the tests depends on a lot of things, including availability of a large player pool and strong domestic cricket structure. South Africa falls behind in these aspects, but they are boosted by the availability of a number of ex-Kolpak players such as Duanne Olivier and Simon Harmer. They are partially able to fill their gaps in the bowling department due to the availability of such players. But team bonding is an issue with South Africa. And we can expect that, when more than half of the squad is selected on the basis of skin color, rather than merit.

[fullhdpixel]

Pig-4 teams do have an advantage in test format. Performance in the tests depends on a lot of things, including availability of a large player pool and strong domestic cricket structure. South Africa falls behind in these aspects, but they are boosted by the availability of a number of ex-Kolpak players such as Duanne Olivier and Simon Harmer. They are partially able to fill their gaps in the bowling department due to the availability of such players. But team bonding is an issue with South Africa. And we can expect that, when more than half of the squad is selected on the basis of skin color, rather than merit.

Right now, all cricket is in transformation and may this could be good or bad but surely now in near future things are going to be change and most chances we are going into negative way because ICC is in not good situation for having any better solution for this all and big 4 working on their own agenda which is surely not favorable for all members as they have their own sack.

Now as few countries are working hard on franchise cricket, yeah it's going to be good for them as they will be in good financial position rather than those have no strong domestic and franchise set up. From here ICC need to divide these test playing nations into two pools and top eight could be in same boat with other five or six need to play more cricket against each other for having better experience which will help them for long run.

[Sithara007]

~~~
Now as few countries are working hard on franchise cricket, yeah it's going to be good for them as they will be in good financial position rather than those have no strong domestic and franchise set up. From here ICC need to divide these test playing nations into two pools and top eight could be in same boat with other five or six need to play more cricket against each other for having better experience which will help them for long run.

Forming a top group of 8 is never going to work. Because teams such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh simply doesn't have the ability to compete against pig-4 teams such as India and Australia. I would rather form three groups of 5 teams each. My preference would be as follows:

Tier 1: India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan
Tier 2: South Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka
Tier 3: Ireland, Zimbabwe, Scotland, Netherlands, Nepal

The selection of Nepal for the last group can be controversial, as they are weaker when compared to UAE and Oman. But I prefer them, because cricket is very popular in Nepal, and their squad is 100% consisted of natives.

[ilovealtcoins]

~~~
Now as few countries are working hard on franchise cricket, yeah it's going to be good for them as they will be in good financial position rather than those have no strong domestic and franchise set up. From here ICC need to divide these test playing nations into two pools and top eight could be in same boat with other five or six need to play more cricket against each other for having better experience which will help them for long run.

Forming a top group of 8 is never going to work. Because teams such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh simply doesn't have the ability to compete against pig-4 teams such as India and Australia. I would rather form three groups of 5 teams each. My preference would be as follows:

Tier 1: India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan
Tier 2: South Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka
Tier 3: Ireland, Zimbabwe, Scotland, Netherlands, Nepal

The selection of Nepal for the last group can be controversial, as they are weaker when compared to UAE and Oman. But I prefer them, because cricket is very popular in Nepal, and their squad is 100% consisted of natives.

Among the tier-1 teams, Pakistan and New Zealand have had erratic performances in the Test format. A few days ago, Pakistan lost badly against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, the performance of Bangladesh team in Test format is very bad. Even if they play against teams like Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, they will lose. The Bangladesh team can be compared to Zimbabwe or Ireland.

[Minecache]

~~~
Now as few countries are working hard on franchise cricket, yeah it's going to be good for them as they will be in good financial position rather than those have no strong domestic and franchise set up. From here ICC need to divide these test playing nations into two pools and top eight could be in same boat with other five or six need to play more cricket against each other for having better experience which will help them for long run.

Forming a top group of 8 is never going to work. Because teams such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh simply doesn't have the ability to compete against pig-4 teams such as India and Australia. I would rather form three groups of 5 teams each. My preference would be as follows:

Tier 1: India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan
Tier 2: South Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka
Tier 3: Ireland, Zimbabwe, Scotland, Netherlands, Nepal

The selection of Nepal for the last group can be controversial, as they are weaker when compared to UAE and Oman. But I prefer them, because cricket is very popular in Nepal, and their squad is 100% consisted of natives.

I absolutely agree with this system. I would also like to see it being a promotional system. If the teams in the lower tier perform better and get good enough points they should be able to get promoted to the higher tier and one team from the higher tier will get demoted to the lower one. Probably that will bring test cricket back into life again. I am not sure that test cricket is going to find the lost glory that it had but certainly it is going to be a lot more interesting than it is right now. And when there will be a promotion and demotion system teams are going to get more serious about test cricket. Especially teams like Bangladesh who do not honestly care about it.

[JSRAW]

~~~
Now as few countries are working hard on franchise cricket, yeah it's going to be good for them as they will be in good financial position rather than those have no strong domestic and franchise set up. From here ICC need to divide these test playing nations into two pools and top eight could be in same boat with other five or six need to play more cricket against each other for having better experience which will help them for long run.

Forming a top group of 8 is never going to work. Because teams such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh simply doesn't have the ability to compete against pig-4 teams such as India and Australia. I would rather form three groups of 5 teams each. My preference would be as follows:

Tier 1: India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan
Tier 2: South Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka
Tier 3: Ireland, Zimbabwe, Scotland, Netherlands, Nepal

The selection of Nepal for the last group can be controversial, as they are weaker when compared to UAE and Oman. But I prefer them, because cricket is very popular in Nepal, and their squad is 100% consisted of natives.

For any fair system there should be no free lunches in grouping.

IMO every grouping should depend solely on ranking system, performance and nothing else. You should earn your place, no matter if big team failing to secure their spot or not, if someone fail then demote them and if lower tier team improving their rank then promote them to up. There should be consequence and incentives for every change.

[Rigon]

Currently, if we consider the Test cricket rankings, then we can see that India, Australia, England, and Pakistan are the top teams. The matches between England and Australia between these teams are truly eye-opening The game between Australia and England means intense excitement.  And although India and Pakistan have never played a series, India and Pakistan games are as exciting as England and Australia.

[rugrats]

Currently, if we consider the Test cricket rankings, then we can see that India, Australia, England, and Pakistan are the top teams. The matches between England and Australia between these teams are truly eye-opening The game between Australia and England means intense excitement.  And although India and Pakistan have never played a series, India and Pakistan games are as exciting as England and Australia.

But I really wonder when we are actually going to be able to see an India versus Pakistan match. In the shorter formats of cricket, we have good chances of watching those matches happen.

Because obviously, we have many tournaments going on in the shorter formats of cricket. But there is nothing like that going on in the test format. It is true that a lot of people are really looking forward to seeing that match. And the Australia versus England match is obviously the best in test cricket for any viewers. There is a reason why ashes test cricket is so much popular even when test cricket is not doing good at all.

[Naficopa]

Currently, if we consider the Test cricket rankings, then we can see that India, Australia, England, and Pakistan are the top teams. The matches between England and Australia between these teams are truly eye-opening The game between Australia and England means intense excitement.  And although India and Pakistan have never played a series, India and Pakistan games are as exciting as England and Australia.

But I really wonder when we are actually going to be able to see an India versus Pakistan match. In the shorter formats of cricket, we have good chances of watching those matches happen.

Because obviously, we have many tournaments going on in the shorter formats of cricket. But there is nothing like that going on in the test format. It is true that a lot of people are really looking forward to seeing that match. And the Australia versus England match is obviously the best in test cricket for any viewers. There is a reason why ashes test cricket is so much popular even when test cricket is not doing good at all.

India and Pakistan are not over with what has happened in 1947 and the bitterness will stay there forever.
Obviously when there is a match between India and Pakistan. The crowd is charged and the whole nation is charged too. They can't accept defeat - not at any cost.

[rugrats]

But I really wonder when we are actually going to be able to see an India versus Pakistan match. In the shorter formats of cricket, we have good chances of watching those matches happen.
Because obviously, we have many tournaments going on in the shorter formats of cricket. But there is nothing like that going on in the test format. It is true that a lot of people are really looking forward to seeing that match. And the Australia versus England match is obviously the best in test cricket for any viewers. There is a reason why ashes test cricket is so much popular even when test cricket is not doing good at all.

India and Pakistan are not over with what has happened in 1947 and the bitterness will stay there forever.
Obviously when there is a match between India and Pakistan. The crowd is charged and the whole nation is charged too. They can't accept defeat - not at any cost.

I am going to say about India and Pakistan I am actually over with what happened in 1947. At least most of the people are. There are only a certain amount of people in both countries who do not want this war to end. So they chose a path of conflict. And we know that the media of both countries are not independent. So the media does the job of pouring petrol into the fire.