It's just not cricket old boy.

[Atticus_Finch]

Did England bring the game into disrepute last night by deliberately wasting time at the end of the first test?
I felt it was unnecessary, and has taken the edge off what was a great stand by the two tail-enders.
What would your thoughts be if it were the other way round and Ponting had called on the 12th man in order to waste time and survive?

I'm not saying here that England got a draw because of the delay (it was because it rained) but if it WAS a deliberate delaying tactic then it's a sad day when cricket, the gentleman's game, has reverted to this.

What next? Golf?
Is coughing on your opponent's downswing soon to be acceptable?

 

[Sneds]

Sad day that Cricket has reverted to this? When Australia bowled underarm in 1981? To be honest, I would have not been surprised if Ponting had done the same in situations reversed.

In this day and age with media hounding the players (look at KPs dismissal) and financial opportunities to the victors I believe that players and teams are going to do all that they can to win.

 

[KeefG]

You're damn right Ponting would've done the same if the roles were reversed, no question about it.

When it means the difference between a loss & a draw these captains/teams will do, and have shown to do, anything in their powers to make stuff happen.

Instead of bitching on about it in the way that he has, why doesnt he instead ask questions of his bowling attack and their inability to remove 2 of Englands tail-enders and especially the unbelievably rubbish at batting Monty!

He only has himself to blame and nobody else.

 

[RGDave]

I'm SO pleased someone has posted on this.

Australia deserved to win, but basically should have given themselves more time to bowl us out, so a draw is the result.

If there was any time wasting or general gamesmanship from England, then that seems fair enough, that's using rules to your advantage.

Were there any rain delays over the 5 days? If so, I believe that all the stop-at-6.40 was a nonsense. The game is played over a set time, if some of that time had been lost, then play until it's too dark....get a proper result....

England were lucky.....if it goes this way again, I expect to see the Aussies give themselves longer, even if it means batting the 2nd innings.

 

[GB72]

To be fair the delay probably only lost one over at the most. Even if Australia had taken the last wicket in that over, they would have needed to hit nearly 20 off one over to win which seems unlikley.

Do not think it reflects well on England and it was a bit unnecessary but I do not think it changed the outcome of the match.

 

[toonarmy]

Time was added on, that's why they played until 6.50. You can't just keep on adding overs because you have the light to do so. Set overs dictate length of game - all fair.

I didn't hear Punts moaning when Specsaver Doctrove gave Bopara out to a shocker on Saturday evening which *could* have changed the result. Punts always whinges when he loses, just look at his flipout when Pratt ran him out in 2005. Great batsman, highly suspect tactical captain. Who else would have given North 2 of the last 4 overs of the day?

Gamesmanship? A bit. As bad as what goes on around the stumps? Hell no. Worse than Haddin having his gloves ahead of the stumps on a catch? No. Cost about a minute tops, which wouldn't actually have made any difference to the number of overs bowled in the end, so all just a bit of Punts deflecting attention away from a shocking failure to win a Test that was on a platter.

What's he moaning about anyway? They always win at Lords!

 

[freddielong]

The Australians will do anything to win and would have done the same thing - finally an English team that is willing to do whatever it takes not to lose. Good on them the showed some nuts for a change.

Loseing is something the English tend to find to easy and think as long as they show charactor and appear to try hard then all is well.

losing is something done by losers

 

[viscount17]

cricket ceased to be a gentleman's game when they let the riff-raff from the colonies and professionals (!) into the locker room as other than boot boys

 

[StuartD]

You're damn right Ponting would've done the same if the roles were reversed, no question about it.

I would agree that Ponting likes a good moan (as has been mentioned) but I can't seem to remember him doing this in the third test at Old Trafford in 2005 when Lee and McGrath were desperately hanging on as England searched for the match winning wicket.

Was this because England had still not bowled enough overs or because he played within the spirit of the game?

It was a pretty poor show in my opinion, but a good result. Can't stand the Aussies

 

[CVG]

Did England bring the game into disripute? No not in my opinion, I think it's interestuing that you ask the question though. It's as if it's not the done thing for the england team to try anything to win.
I think the Aussies may have tried something similar if the roles had been reversed, and they are considered to be amongst the best in the world, so why can't an english team pull the odd stunt? Give them a taste of their own medicine, but as we're British it seems to leave a bad taste in the mouth?
I don't think it made much difference to the result, as others have said the aussie bowlers couldn't even get past Monty's bat, so i think it was a fair result.

 

[RGDave]

Time was added on, that's why they played until 6.50. You can't just keep on adding overs because you have the light to do so. Set overs dictate length of game - all fair.

If time was added on.....then fair's fair.

My original comment was that if some time had been lost, why not continue past the time. If no time had been lost, then OK.

 

[nomadpaul]

IIRC , Ponting was fined 25% of his match fee in their series win in South Africa for a very slow over rate when SA were batting to win a game.....pot , kettle , black ?

 

[madandra]

I am a bit fed up with people 'bending' the rules.


Rules are black and white but the bit in between is not the GREY area the bit in between is the SPIRIT of the game. You know when you are getting gamesmanship and sportsmanship mixed up.

England should know better and I am sure they will be reminded of the ethics that made cricket the sport it is.

 

[stevek1969]

It was different in 1981 when they played New Zealand and Chapell told his brother to bowl the last ball underhand ,they should dry there eyes and get on with it they should have declared earlier.

 

[Imurg]

Can I make the point that Anderson and Monty shouldn't have been in the position that required these tactics?
If the top order had played cricket instead of rounders it would have been a lot easier on the old ticker!

KP is a wassock - World Class batsman? Not on that showing. What on earth did he think he was doing.

Now I see Flintoff's injured again. Time to put him out to grass and let some young blood come in that can run all day.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I agree and think Flintoff is living on his icon status a bit like Shearer did (one season too many??) and that there are others performing better and are fitter in the county game.

I think it was perhaps going right to the edge of the line but not sure England crossed it. To be fair in the last few overs neither Anderson or Monty looked in too much trouble and I think they could have stuck around for an extra over if the umpires had deemed it necessary.

That said the timing of test matches is pretty laid in stone and so 6.50 was the finish and 6.40 the cut-off to get England out. They couldn't do it and so we knicked an undeserved draw.

 

[krokodil]

England as the founders of the game should know better, then again, as founders of football, allegedly, as hosts of the 1966 World Cup they used their powers to play all their games at Wembley the only host nation to do such a thing.....I'm not surprised in the slightest by the cricket team's shenanigans.

 

[toonarmy]

I would agree that Ponting likes a good moan (as has been mentioned) but I can't seem to remember him doing this in the third test at Old Trafford in 2005 when Lee and McGrath were desperately hanging on as England searched for the match winning wicket.

Was this because England had still not bowled enough overs or because he played within the spirit of the game?

Or because it was Sunday afternoon and there was still a full day's play left?

Punts is no stranger to gamesmanship when it suits.

And it was Lee and Kasprowicz as Pigeon was still sidelined after tripping over a ball in warm-up from the previous Test.

 

[dangermouse]

the full allotted number of overs were bowled in the day.

Is it unsporting of England to take as much time over those overs as they needed to ensure the batsmen could focus properly, or is it unsporting of Australia to try to charge through their overs in order to sneak at lest one more in than was agreed prior to the match starting?

Most on here are quick to criticise the likes of Ferguson for trying to sneak an extra minute or two into his football matches - was Ponting not trying exactly the same thing by increasing the over rate? The same Ponting who has been fined on umpteen occasions in the past for slow over rates when Australia have been protecting a total rather than trying to take wickets?

The England behaviour was absolutely fine on the day (if the overall performance wasn't).

The thing I found to be terrible was the celebration of a very poor draw as though we had won the world cup - extremely small time in my opinion - the team should have looked suitably sheepish rather than the all-conquering heroes some of them seemed to think they were.

 

[StuartD]

I would agree that Ponting likes a good moan (as has been mentioned) but I can't seem to remember him doing this in the third test at Old Trafford in 2005 when Lee and McGrath were desperately hanging on as England searched for the match winning wicket.

Was this because England had still not bowled enough overs or because he played within the spirit of the game?

Or because it was Sunday afternoon and there was still a full day's play left?

Punts is no stranger to gamesmanship when it suits.

And it was Lee and Kasprowicz as Pigeon was still sidelined after tripping over a ball in warm-up from the previous Test.

Think you are getting your tests mixed up McGrath missed the Second test which England won taking the last wicket on the Sunday with one day left.

In the final day of the third test Australia batted all day for a draw with Lee and McGrath keeping England at bay for the last wicket. Ponting was at the crease most of the day. Maybe there was delaying tactics by the Aussies i.e walking down the pitch taping it with the bat to ensure England could not get any extra overs in. Doing it this way is still the same tactic just not so obvious