2004 Team v 2024 Team

[Googly]

Terry I've said less people in Zim play cricket, not worldwide.

It's fine to get off topic slightly, it's an interesting discussion.

Eugene you may well be right, mostly due to us not playing much international cricket and due to poor admin and disastrous selection policies and a poor coaching and playing environment here. Less to do with a few good players we've got and probably a couple more coming here in due course. Turps is tastier than vitriol

[Googly]

Quick half hour net session to get used to the feel of these modern bats and a run down on what white ball bowling is about and old Bradman would boss it I reckon. In the absence of video analysis, wikipedia reckons he was stepping outside of leg to manufacture golf and tennis shots into the offside to counter bodyline. Using the crease like that and playing unorthodox shots in 1930 is a total boss move couple of deliveries to get his eye in and he’d be taking 16 off Faraz every over easy.

He was clearing to leg because he shat himself
Larwood was actually pretty quick.

[Googly]

Actually Larwood is another guy worth mentioning. Some claim he bowled 145-150. You just have to watch the clips and compare them to Akhtar and Brett Lee steaming in to know that he maybe got it up to about 135 if he downed a litre of hot bull semen at high tea.
Means the other quicks of that era were 125. We've got faster spinners

[Googly]

Here's another urban legend.
Bradman hitting a golf ball with a cricket stump.

https://youtu.be/9o6vTXgYdqA?si=R2bKMZYwJtblx9mP

I'm better than that

I know players that can do that with ridiculous skills.

[Googly]

https://youtu.be/XGgIWp1FN-U?si=OhKL239_z7wgFWlY

Master class from Bradders, he had may as well be swinging a sadza pot.

A little glimpse of AB

https://youtu.be/q56Bm10rNa0?feature=shared

I'm being facetious, I know, but there's just no comparison.
I could find a clip of a 10 year old Indian prodigy that leaves The Don's skills in the dust.
We just need to be honest about cricket more than 50 years ago.

[Jemisi]

Really, we're now trolling Bradman?

I know everything and everyone sucks but trashing the Don seems like a good time for some self-reflection

[eugene]

This thread has reminded me how remarkable Jimmy Anderson is. The fact he is still steaming in after 20 years is astounding, fast bowlers typically have the shortest shelf life of cricketers.

[Googly]

Really, we're now trolling Bradman?

I know everything and everyone sucks but trashing the Don seems like a good time for some self-reflection

Ow!
Everything is OK my side. Just calling it as it is.

[Pat_Bee]

This thread has reminded me how remarkable Jimmy Anderson is. The fact he is still steaming in after 20 years is astounding, fast bowlers typically have the shortest shelf life of cricketers.

Jimmy is interesting. However I’d have to say he falls into the Ervine camp of being an old bloke who couldn’t adapt. He hasn’t played an ODI in nearly 10 years and hasn’t played a t20i in 15 years. Whether he couldn’t adapt and was sick of getting smacked around or genuinely believe he could extend his test career by focusing on that, I have no idea.

His test career is crazy and he has statistically improved, however even that isn’t straight forward. When the coaches messed with his action back in the day he was a worse bowler so obviously he would improve on that and his later years are probably a truer reflection of his bowling. Give him his credit though, practically none of his wickets are against us, unlike Murali. He’s worked hard for them.

He’s lacked potency in recent years but still kept it pretty tight. It’s said he can only do it on green English decks under cloud and there’s probably some truth to that. He himself was moaning about the roads prepared for bazball last year. I wouldn’t fancy facing him in the morning at HSC

[Googly]

He must be worth a shed load of cash. North of 20m I reckon.