Yeah good point. To be honest i would have liked to have seen im given a shot in test cricket. But he’s clearly bee pigeon-holed as a white ball bowler.
Also am i the only ine who starting to get utterly sick of the sight of the Indian team? This to me feels like history repeating itself when in the 80s the West Indies were hear virtually ever second summer.
I think there was an agreement some years back to play a certain number of matches against India per year…all for the interest of Indian TV of course.
I’d be OK with just watching India/Australia/England duke it out in test cricket; that’s the way tests are heading I think, with the rest playing mainly T20 cricket. 50 over cricket doesn’t interest me much anymore, you either have the real stuff (tests) or hit and giggle that’s over quickly (T20). There’s too much dead time in a 50 over match and that hasn’t really changed over the years, and matches where the chasing side is out of the contest quickly become a ‘going through the motions’ exercise.
While it’s definitely not my preferred way forward for cricket for Test Matches to be predominantly AUS/IND/ENG- I do fear that with the power of these T20 franchise leagues that is the way things are headed.
If that were the case I wouldn’t mind seeing a team made up of the best players from the rest of the world competing as a Test side as well (just to add a bit more variety).
I have very fond memories of 50 over cricket from my younger days, unfortunately though in this day and age I can’t see how it has a sustainable future. T20 is a much more marketable product for the casual fan, while hardcore cricket fans are always going to prefer Test Cricket. 50 over games sort of sit in an awkward middle space that doesn’t really captivate the interests of either.
Australia really cut loose in the third and final ODI against South Africa in Mackay this afternoon, despite having lost the series. The home side reached 2/431 from 50 overs, just short of their highest ever ODI score of 434. Travis Head (142) and captain Mitchell Marsh (100) made a 250-run opening stand. Cameron Green (118 not out) made the second fastest ODI century for Australia, he and Alex Carey (50 not out) put on 167 for the third wicket.
Update:
South Africa’s run chase never got going. They were bowled out for 155 in the 25th over. The 276 run margin was the Proteas’ greatest ever ODI defeat. Cooper Connolly took 5/22, the best ever bowling figures by an Australian spinner in ODI matches. Travis Head was named player of the match for his innings of 142. South African spinner Keshav Maharaj was named player of the series for taking six wickets.
Starc’s announcement came as Australian squad for the T20 series in New Zealand was revealed. Cameron Green and Nathan Ellis, who played in the recent T20 series against South Africa, are absent.
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.