Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[pakhitheboss]

~snip~
In general English pitch are more suitable for pacers. I doubt whether South African spinners will be that effective on those pitch. South African have a good batting depth but they lag it in bowling. On the other hand England has both as proven in previous test match played by them in their homeground earlier this year.

I would also point out the recent trajectory of pitches and ball in last 4 tests in England.  

Pitches are becoming an absolute road after 2 days of play and less we talk about the balls the better (hope new batch of balls get better). If these 2 factors remains the same then i think chasing won't be that tough in last inning for both teams.

I am not someone who goes into technical evaluation. Saying that! Doesn't a test match pitch degrade after the second day? Once you play on the same pitch after two days it will degrade and that is normal.  This is where a test playing cricketer, bowler/ batter is evaluated based on the skills.
Although the performance of the pitch depends a lot on the field staff on how they make that pitch to make it effective for a any team playing a 5 day match.

Interestingly the English grounds and their pitches are far better than those we have in south east asia. I still believe the team that is chasing has a greater chancee of winning a test match. I might be wrong! But if you have stats to pull up then it would be an enlightenment for all of us.

[eaLiTy]

Out of the three tests, I am expecting James Anderson to play in at least two of the matches. At this point, he has 657 test wickets. If he gets another 10-12 in this series, he will move closer to the much hyped 700 test wicket milestone. Right now he is at #3 spot, behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) and Shane Warne (708). And he is the top-wicket taker among pace bowlers. There is a huge gap with second placed Glenn McGrath (563) and third placed Stuart Broad (552). Just hoping that ECB won't mistreat Anderson by refusing to include him in the squad.

As long as James Anderson is fit, he will be in the team and i doubt even he is having any plans to retire until he reaches the milestone of 700 wickets. Either way it is an outstanding career and i never expected him to play this long being a fast bowler as majority would retire at 35 years and James Anderson is going forward even at 40 years which is incredible.

[Smack That Ace]

Out of the three tests, I am expecting James Anderson to play in at least two of the matches. At this point, he has 657 test wickets. If he gets another 10-12 in this series, he will move closer to the much hyped 700 test wicket milestone. Right now he is at #3 spot, behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) and Shane Warne (708). And he is the top-wicket taker among pace bowlers. There is a huge gap with second placed Glenn McGrath (563) and third placed Stuart Broad (552). Just hoping that ECB won't mistreat Anderson by refusing to include him in the squad.

As long as James Anderson is fit, he will be in the team and i doubt even he is having any plans to retire until he reaches the milestone of 700 wickets. Either way it is an outstanding career and i never expected him to play this long being a fast bowler as majority would retire at 35 years and James Anderson is going forward even at 40 years which is incredible.

James Anderson is surely one of the best cricketer in recent time at the age of 40 he is still doing amazing job for his country currently he is at sixth spot in test bowler ranking which is also having great achievement for him at this age with this all most chances he will stay at second number in all time wicket takers and first in fast bowlers list and second record which is he going to achieve and ECB will allow him after watching his fitness and performance is that currently he is second in most test played list and need 28 more test matches to go with Sachin Tendulkar for me, he also can achieve this as well because he is the best bowler for England, and they need him for next few years as well with this performance and fitness.

@eaLiTy, I think there is no reason for the England cricket team to not play James Anderson in the test match. I believe he should be participating in all three test matches. Unless he is unfit to play. He is the only player I have seen reach his 40s and still swing the ball. But it is undeniable that age is taking its toll. I really hope that he will be able to continue for a short while longer, at least until he gets the 700 wickets.

@wiss19, I think we heard that England is looking for a replacement for him. But when he is playing well I really don’t think there needs to be a replacement done for him.


Regards

Duke

[tbterryboy]

As long as James Anderson is fit, he will be in the team and i doubt even he is having any plans to retire until he reaches the milestone of 700 wickets. Either way it is an outstanding career and i never expected him to play this long being a fast bowler as majority would retire at 35 years and James Anderson is going forward even at 40 years which is incredible.

Right now James Anderson is super fit and available for test cricket which mean there is nothing special happen for anyone with this all ECB is also not in rush to bring something good for replacing him, but good thing is still going with these two legendary bowlers now they are bringing few others as well which are giving good results like we have in last series against New Zealand and India Mathew Pots and Ollie Robinson these two are also performing good and can go through for some more time with take good experience and then can do better after these legendary bowlers will be retired a good combination and system which is going to help England for long time in test format.

[fuguebtc]

I would also point out the recent trajectory of pitches and ball in last 4 tests in England.  
Pitches are becoming an absolute road after 2 days of play and less we talk about the balls the better (hope new batch of balls get better). If these 2 factors remains the same then i think chasing won't be that tough in last inning for both teams.

I am not someone who goes into technical evaluation. Saying that! Doesn't a test match pitch degrade after the second day? Once you play on the same pitch after two days it will degrade and that is normal.  This is where a test playing cricketer, bowler/ batter is evaluated based on the skills.
Although the performance of the pitch depends a lot on the field staff on how they make that pitch to make it effective for a any team playing a 5 day match.
Interestingly the English grounds and their pitches are far better than those we have in south east asia. I still believe the team that is chasing has a greater chancee of winning a test match. I might be wrong! But if you have stats to pull up then it would be an enlightenment for all of us.

There are many times when we can see that the pitch behaves very well for the bowlers around the subcontinent area. As a result, the tracks should be able to do what they are supposed to do. With the passing of time, the footmarks of players on the pitch should be able to create some cracks as a test match unfolds. This should make it a lot easier for the bowlers to become much more unpredictable in their bowling. In English tracks, however, it seems to be completely different for some reason. As the test match progresses, the pitches become better and better as the match progresses. The weather always has an effect on the pitch in some way or another. However, I never thought the weather would have the power to completely change the characteristics of a pitch to the extent that it would do.

[JSRAW]

~snip~
In general English pitch are more suitable for pacers. I doubt whether South African spinners will be that effective on those pitch. South African have a good batting depth but they lag it in bowling. On the other hand England has both as proven in previous test match played by them in their homeground earlier this year.

I would also point out the recent trajectory of pitches and ball in last 4 tests in England.  

Pitches are becoming an absolute road after 2 days of play and less we talk about the balls the better (hope new batch of balls get better). If these 2 factors remains the same then i think chasing won't be that tough in last inning for both teams.

I am not someone who goes into technical evaluation. Saying that! Doesn't a test match pitch degrade after the second day? Once you play on the same pitch after two days it will degrade and that is normal.  This is where a test playing cricketer, bowler/ batter is evaluated based on the skills.
Although the performance of the pitch depends a lot on the field staff on how they make that pitch to make it effective for a any team playing a 5 day match.

Interestingly the English grounds and their pitches are far better than those we have in south east asia. I still believe the team that is chasing has a greater chancee of winning a test match. I might be wrong! But if you have stats to pull up then it would be an enlightenment for all of us.

Yes it does but in test cricket pitch degrading means, being tough to bat on as game progress not the other way around.

Just follow the last 4 tests trend and compare them with previous tests series in England (even last one against India), you will find the answer.

Their attitude did changed recently but pitch and new batch of faulty Dukes ball (going soft and losing shape after 20-30 overs) were the major factors. 

[tomos81]

Currently, according to the ICC data, the Australian team is at the top of the points table with the most points in Test cricket. Australia's current score is 128. With 114 points, Team India is at the second position in the Test cricket ranking. A look at these two teams shows how strong they are in Test cricket. No party will ever make such a concession to any other party. I think it is good to have such competition in cricket. Because if there is such a competition in cricket then people's trust and love for cricket will increase many times.

[rugrats]

Currently, according to the ICC data, the Australian team is at the top of the points table with the most points in Test cricket. Australia's current score is 128. With 114 points, Team India is at the second position in the Test cricket ranking. A look at these two teams shows how strong they are in Test cricket. No party will ever make such a concession to any other party. I think it is good to have such competition in cricket. Because if there is such a competition in cricket then people's trust and love for cricket will increase many times.

The problem is the love of people for cricket is not going to increase if cricket cannot offer interesting things. And the problem is that test cricket is not interesting at all right now. That cricket is honestly anything but interesting. Sometimes I wonder if even the players actually remember what the score in test cricket is in the standings. Test cricket is never going to get its glory days back. And I think ok both ICC and the cricket boards should divert the concentration from test cricket to the shorter formats of cricket.

[Sithara007]

As long as James Anderson is fit, he will be in the team and i doubt even he is having any plans to retire until he reaches the milestone of 700 wickets. Either way it is an outstanding career and i never expected him to play this long being a fast bowler as majority would retire at 35 years and James Anderson is going forward even at 40 years which is incredible.

Right now James Anderson is super fit and available for test cricket which mean there is nothing special happen for anyone with this all ECB is also not in rush to bring something good for replacing him, but good thing is still going with these two legendary bowlers now they are bringing few others as well which are giving good results like we have in last series against New Zealand and India Mathew Pots and Ollie Robinson these two are also performing good and can go through for some more time with take good experience and then can do better after these legendary bowlers will be retired a good combination and system which is going to help England for long time in test format.

It will be stupidity from their part not to use Anderson in at least 2 out of the 3 tests. I assume that he will be rested for at least one test. Potts and Robinson will be under a lot of pressure, especially playing against one of the top sides in test cricket (I still consider South Africa as good in test format). Anyway, Stuart Broad is also included in the squad, and he can relieve some pressure from these younger bowlers (given that he is selected in the playing XI). On the spin department Leach is a tricky selection. He hasn't performed that well recently.

[hichamito37]

Right now James Anderson is super fit and available for test cricket which mean there is nothing special happen for anyone with this all ECB is also not in rush to bring something good for replacing him, but good thing is still going with these two legendary bowlers now they are bringing few others as well which are giving good results like we have in last series against New Zealand and India Mathew Pots and Ollie Robinson these two are also performing good and can go through for some more time with take good experience and then can do better after these legendary bowlers will be retired a good combination and system which is going to help England for long time in test format.

It will be stupidity from their part not to use Anderson in at least 2 out of the 3 tests. I assume that he will be rested for at least one test. Potts and Robinson will be under a lot of pressure, especially playing against one of the top sides in test cricket (I still consider South Africa as good in test format). Anyway, Stuart Broad is also included in the squad, and he can relieve some pressure from these younger bowlers (given that he is selected in the playing XI). On the spin department Leach is a tricky selection. He hasn't performed that well recently.

I believe that the England selectors are not stupid. But if they do not play Anderson in at least two test matches, I might beg to differ. There is no reason to not play an experienced campaigner like James Anderson who can perform better than probably any other player they will play instead of him. But if they win the first test match, they can surely do some experiments.

[pakhitheboss]

England VS South Africa

The first test match between these two teams starts today. The new English test side has been in form lately, it would be interesting to see the outcome of this test match. South Africa is already the top team in the Test world cup points table. Will they be able to hold on to the top ranking will be interesting to watch.

[Sithara007]

England VS South Africa

The first test match between these two teams starts today. The new English test side has been in form lately, it would be interesting to see the outcome of this test match. South Africa is already the top team in the Test world cup points table. Will they be able to hold on to the top ranking will be interesting to watch.

South Africa is in good form and they are on top of the WTC points table. But at the same time, they have played only 7 matches (against 12 played by India and 16 by England). So it is a bit early to say whether they will remain there for long. Facing England on their backyard is always going to be a tough challenge. Even more so, if the main bowlers (Rabada and Nortje) are out of form. South Africa is also dealing with injury issues. Duanne Olivier has pulled out while Kagiso Rabada is doubtful due to ankle issue.

[BobK71]

Right now James Anderson is super fit and available for test cricket which mean there is nothing special happen for anyone with this all ECB is also not in rush to bring something good for replacing him, but good thing is still going with these two legendary bowlers now they are bringing few others as well which are giving good results like we have in last series against New Zealand and India Mathew Pots and Ollie Robinson these two are also performing good and can go through for some more time with take good experience and then can do better after these legendary bowlers will be retired a good combination and system which is going to help England for long time in test format.

It will be stupidity from their part not to use Anderson in at least 2 out of the 3 tests. I assume that he will be rested for at least one test. Potts and Robinson will be under a lot of pressure, especially playing against one of the top sides in test cricket (I still consider South Africa as good in test format). Anyway, Stuart Broad is also included in the squad, and he can relieve some pressure from these younger bowlers (given that he is selected in the playing XI). On the spin department Leach is a tricky selection. He hasn't performed that well recently.

I believe that the England selectors are not stupid. But if they do not play Anderson in at least two test matches, I might beg to differ. There is no reason to not play an experienced campaigner like James Anderson who can perform better than probably any other player they will play instead of him. But if they win the first test match, they can surely do some experiments.

What can be done with a player that is depend on the selection committee. In the last two matches, they could have kept Anderson. Maybe he was not kept for some reason. There are 3 Test matches left in England against South Africa. Perhaps they are not yet thinking about it. Moreover, they won against South Africa in the last Test match. It is not yet known what the selection committee will do ‍about James Anderson.

[DanWalker]

England VS South Africa
The first test match between these two teams starts today. The new English test side has been in form lately, it would be interesting to see the outcome of this test match. South Africa is already the top team in the Test world cup points table. Will they be able to hold on to the top ranking will be interesting to watch.

South Africa is in good form and they are on top of the WTC points table. But at the same time, they have played only 7 matches (against 12 played by India and 16 by England). So it is a bit early to say whether they will remain there for long. Facing England on their backyard is always going to be a tough challenge. Even more so, if the main bowlers (Rabada and Nortje) are out of form. South Africa is also dealing with injury issues. Duanne Olivier has pulled out while Kagiso Rabada is doubtful due to ankle issue.

Test cricket is not like the shorter formats of cricket. Because players will need actual skills to turn a match on its head. But when both teams possess the necessary skills, it is quite easy for both teams to change the outcome in a matter of one session. And I believe both England and South Africa do possess that type of skill. But in test matches, I will keep England ahead while facing South Africa even though South Africa is in good form right now. And I hope that South Africa will be able to bring in the most talented team because they will be playing in England. And the injury news right now is certainly not favorable.

[SirLancelot]

Test cricket is not like the shorter formats of cricket. Because players will need actual skills to turn a match on its head. But when both teams possess the necessary skills, it is quite easy for both teams to change the outcome in a matter of one session. And I believe both England and South Africa do possess that type of skill. But in test matches, I will keep England ahead while facing South Africa even though South Africa is in good form right now. And I hope that South Africa will be able to bring in the most talented team because they will be playing in England. And the injury news right now is certainly not favorable.

Test cricket is completely different from two other formats and it needs good skills and quality as well with recent results clearly favoring England but still it's not easy for anyone to go through easily but here I am feeling England is surely on improving side specially after change of approach and captaincy working for them, we already watch their last four matches which they won, and they were exceptional in both bowling and batting.
 
After win against India their confidence level is surely high, and South Africa is surely not better than India here in English conditions so most chances we will have result of 3 - 0 or 2 - 0 because I am not giving any chance to South Africa against current England side even they are at top on WTC league table.

[Sithara007]

Terrific start by South Africa. Kagiso Rabada got the wicket of Alex Lees in his second over of the match. Now Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley are at the crease and both of them don't look comfortable out there. Lungi Ngidi has also bowled well from the other end. So far there is no sign that the absence of Duanne Oliver is having any negative impact. Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje are also included in the playing XI for South Africa, while Keshav Maharaj is the sole spinner. And Keegan Petersen gets his first test after a gap of 4+ months. 

[Juggy777]

Terrific start by South Africa. Kagiso Rabada got the wicket of Alex Lees in his second over of the match. Now Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley are at the crease and both of them don't look comfortable out there. Lungi Ngidi has also bowled well from the other end. So far there is no sign that the absence of Duanne Oliver is having any negative impact. Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje are also included in the playing XI for South Africa, while Keshav Maharaj is the sole spinner. And Keegan Petersen gets his first test after a gap of 4+ months.  

@Sithara007 England’s batsman are already on the back foot, and Crawley was very well beaten in the last ball of the 6th over, and he could have lost his wicket too which shows how well SA bowlers are pressuring the England’s batsmen early on in the game. However if these two can survive this onslaught, and slowly and steadily build their innings then England may just reach a respectable score by the end of their innings.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Terrific start by South Africa. Kagiso Rabada got the wicket of Alex Lees in his second over of the match. Now Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley are at the crease and both of them don't look comfortable out there. Lungi Ngidi has also bowled well from the other end. So far there is no sign that the absence of Duanne Oliver is having any negative impact. Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje are also included in the playing XI for South Africa, while Keshav Maharaj is the sole spinner. And Keegan Petersen gets his first test after a gap of 4+ months.  

@Sithara007 England’s batsman are already on the back foot, and Crawley was very well beaten in the last ball of the 6th over, and he could have lost his wicket too which shows how well SA bowlers are pressuring the England’s batsmen early on in the game. However if these two can survive this onslaught, and slowly and steadily build their innings then England may just reach a respectable score by the end of their innings.

England lost two wickets to collect 25 runs in just 8.5 overs. Alex Lees collected only 5 runs, and Zak Crawley collected 9 runs. Ollie Pope and Joe Root should definitely build a big partnership. But it is a bit difficult to bat well after suffering such a disaster at the start of the innings.

[JSRAW]

Bazball going according to plan i guess. Produce a batting collapse and let opposition think they are on top of their game. 

And who would've thought that Ollie freaking pope would look like a winning horse in first inning where Rooty and Redhead Bairstow appear as club cricketer.

[Iranus]

Bazball going according to plan i guess. Produce a batting collapse and let opposition think they are on top of their game. 
And who would've thought that Ollie freaking pope would look like a winning horse in first inning where Rooty and Redhead Bairstow appear as club cricketer.

Apart from Ollie Pope and Stokes, no other English batsman could collect 10 runs. But in the last few matches, we have seen that after batting very badly in the first innings, they have won by batting brilliantly in the second innings. I think we will see the same in this match. However, a total of less than 200 will put England in trouble in this match.