"They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7).
Cummins and Starc have been attempting to terrorise English batsmen for the last two series, in this they have succeeded to a large extent. England now have Jofra Archer in the team meaning the game has changed, things have equalised. (Cummins bowled several consecutive bouncers at Archer, not wise.) It is never nice to see a batsman hit a sickening blow on the head. Steve Smith has been taunting the England bowlers with his antics at the crease, waving his bat towards fielders and bowlers in a cavalier fashion, generally behaving like an arrogant little punk. Perhaps being hit on the arm and the nut, two VERY nasty blows, will temper his arrogance and make him a little more amenable towards opponents and when captain, encourage him to reign in his bowlers when they attempt to injure and intimidate opposition batsmen who are unable to reciprocate. Archer is well able to reciprocate and the Australian batsmen and bowlers should by now be well aware of this. Amusing to read in the papers today that Australian pressmen and officials are accusing English fans and spectators of unsporting behaviour in booing the 'sandpaper boys', especially Smith. Never shy in coming forward, Aussie fans and pressmen have been antagonising English cricketers for decades. Now the boot is on the other foot, they can't deal with it. So far as I am concerned, the nasty little trio of blatant ball tampering cheats should be booed for the rest of their careers.
Well said Lincs , seriously English fans are moaning in the grounds about boooooing these cheats I’ve had it in the first two tests ffs boreoff lame muppets we don’t give them enough grief , our players would get it ten times worse out there if they’d done the same .
"They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7).
Cummins and Starc have been attempting to terrorise English batsmen for the last two series, in this they have succeeded to a large extent. England now have Jofra Archer in the team meaning the game has changed, things have equalised. (Cummins bowled several consecutive bouncers at Archer, not wise.) It is never nice to see a batsman hit a sickening blow on the head. Steve Smith has been taunting the England bowlers with his antics at the crease, waving his bat towards fielders and bowlers in a cavalier fashion, generally behaving like an arrogant little punk. Perhaps being hit on the arm and the nut, two VERY nasty blows, will temper his arrogance and make him a little more amenable towards opponents and when captain, encourage him to reign in his bowlers when they attempt to injure and intimidate opposition batsmen who are unable to reciprocate. Archer is well able to reciprocate and the Australian batsmen and bowlers should by now be well aware of this. Amusing to read in the papers today that Australian pressmen and officials are accusing English fans and spectators of unsporting behaviour in booing the 'sandpaper boys', especially Smith. Never shy in coming forward, Aussie fans and pressmen have been antagonising English cricketers for decades. Now the boot is on the other foot, they can't deal with it. So far as I am concerned, the nasty little trio of blatant ball tampering cheats should be booed for the rest of their careers.
Well said Lincs , seriously English fans are moaning in the grounds about boooooing these cheats I’ve had it in the first two tests ffs boreoff lame muppets we don’t give them enough grief , our players would get it ten times worse out there if they’d done the same .
The Aussie fans were giving Leach plenty of stick yesterday, when he was fielding in front of them (far more than any of their's got off England fans).
The same Aussie fans were taunting the English fans all afternoon as well. Tbf it was amusing for the first few hours, but by 5pm it was getting a real pain, with constant shouting of 1-0.
Tbh, its quite a nice feeling knowing they are going to be taunted and haunted by Archer for the next ten years. It also might be very interesting to have Jimmy and archer in the same side for Trent Bridge ? Just need to find another one at that speed in Barbados with a British father. As good as Smith is, he is not going to be the same batsman again, every side with the ammunition is going to pepper him with the short stuff from now on.
I wonder if at some time this year Archer might get up to the magic 100mph mark.? I suppose the best chance is likely to be up in High Veldt at Wanderers later this year (or is it early next year?)
England fans should NOT have booed Smith as he left the field, having been hit. That was very, very poor and absolutely inexcusable.
However, the thin-skinned Aussie press should stop bleating about the booing he received when he went out to bat again. He was either fit to bat - in which case, the booing was absolutely fine - or he wasn't, in which case, he shouldn't have been on his way back to the middle.
The little cheat deserves every bit of booing that's thrown at him, throughout the season, that one episode at Lord's apart.
Obviously I can't speak for everyone else but I know when Smith left the field of play injured there were plenty, my self included, sportingly clapping him off , then the runt that is David Warner appeared on the 'big screen' in the ground whilst Smith walked off and I started booooing and a few others did as well .
The timing of the pic on the screen of the Oz balcony was badly timed. The majority clapped him when he sat up, then stood up, then walked off.
I clapped him back on. Nice to see he was well to play. But I booed him too. He still cheated.
And those commentators (Warne, Vaughan, Aggers etc) who criticised fans for doing so need to stop. They are a little out of touch with the crowd, the cost and the vibe from their catered for media room. Criticising fans for arriving late, for moving between overs, for not coming back after lunch. There isn’t enough time to queue for overpriced food and drink have a wee and get back to your seat for the start. I challenge them to try it!
So they shouldn’t also tell us who to boo and cheer. Yes the majority of fans can appreciate how good he is. But he still cheated and it’s questionable about his punishment and fans have the right to question that.
Cricket, alongside golf, values its traditions and values. These values include respecting your opponents and playing within the spirit of the rules/laws as well the literal interpretation of said rules/laws. Once you deviate from those you can expect a bit of flak from those following the sport.
If you wilfully, deliberately, and deceitfully flout those values of sportsmanship and fair play then you deserve everything that comes your way for as long as you're involved in the game. Cheating in any sport is wrong but in this case Smith and Warner didn't even have the balls to have their fingerprints on the sandpaper, they got the junior member of the team to do their dirty work.
When Smith was struck on the neck, was down injured, and then helped off that naturally caused a suspension of hostilities; a concern for an injured player took priority. Warner was still fair game and once Smith came back out to bat so was he.
Surely England have significant grounds for complaint if Smith plays at Headingly?
The Aussies used the concussion rule to have him replaced with Labuschangne in the 2nd innings at Lords- who basically saved the game for them.
Only to them rule him fit four days later, when the commonly agreed period for such a blow is 7-10 days.
This is why these areas are so difficult, as ultimately teams abuse the system.
Nope.
If the Aussies' medical team assesses Smith as being fit to start the match, England have no grounds for complaint whatsoever. We can leave bleating and whingeing to the Aussies - they're very good at it.
If there were grounds for complaint, it would be around whether they did the right thing at Lord's. Was he really fit enough to resume his innings within less than an hour of being knocked unconscious (albeit briefly)? Some might say he wasn't.
He left the field following an impact to the head, yet continued to bat, showing no ill effects of concussion, but with an obviously injured arm. Then, the following morning, it was decided to replace him with another batsman. Isn't it a bit convenient that a player with an injury to his let forearm can be replaced without recourse to any independent medical examination, due to a concussion? The question is, was he fit enough to bat, other than through his head injury? We don't know. But some people might think the Aussies have played the system. Is Smith the type of player who might allow the laws, rules and conditions of play to be bent? Many people might think so.
If he's ruled fit for Headingley, that's fine, as far as I am concerned. But, if so, it might cast even more shade on the draw at Lord's.
One thing is for certain though. When he next plays, it's going to be a lot of fun watching Archer bowl exocets at him again. I am going to be glued to it. Even if I have to watch from behind the sofa.
I've got no problem with the booing of the sandpaper boys, and Australians in general.
The Australians need to remember how much stick they gave Broad for not walking when he nicked one to slip in 2013. It wasn't his fault the umpire missed the rather big edge, or that Australia had already used their reviews. He was also under no obligation to walk.
As the Australians went on to lose the series, they moaned like hell about it.
And at the start of the next series down under, the Brisbane Courier-Mail even refused to write his name when he took 6 wickets on the first day in the next series, referring to him as "the 27 year old medium pacer" and cutting him out of photos.
The same series Warner described Trott as 'weak' as he suffered mental health issues, while Clarke threatened Jimmy with a broken arm.
It's all part of the entertainment of one of the oldest rivalries in sport. I'm glad we've got a bowler who scares and hurts them.
Well done Archer. He's only played one Test and he's already dismissed Smith in four innings.
To be pedantic,...3 , Woakes got him lbw first innings.
Well, if one were really being pedantic, it would be zero. But, with the license that's often allowed with retrospective commentary, one could argue that it was Archer that precipitated Smith's demise in the first innings at Lord's and forced his missing of the subsequent three innings.
Comments
boreoff lame muppets
we don’t give them enough grief , our players would get it ten times worse out there if they’d done the same .
The same Aussie fans were taunting the English fans all afternoon as well.
Tbf it was amusing for the first few hours, but by 5pm it was getting a real pain, with constant shouting of 1-0.
Just need to find another one at that speed in Barbados with a British father.
As good as Smith is, he is not going to be the same batsman again, every side with the ammunition is going to pepper him with the short stuff from now on.
I suppose the best chance is likely to be up in High Veldt at Wanderers later this year (or is it early next year?)
However, the thin-skinned Aussie press should stop bleating about the booing he received when he went out to bat again. He was either fit to bat - in which case, the booing was absolutely fine - or he wasn't, in which case, he shouldn't have been on his way back to the middle.
The little cheat deserves every bit of booing that's thrown at him, throughout the season, that one episode at Lord's apart.
I clapped him back on. Nice to see he was well to play. But I booed him too. He still cheated.
And those commentators (Warne, Vaughan, Aggers etc) who criticised fans for
doing so need to stop. They are a little out of
touch with the crowd, the cost and the vibe from their catered for media room. Criticising fans for arriving late, for moving between overs, for not coming back after lunch. There isn’t enough time to queue for overpriced food and drink have a wee and get back to your seat for the start. I challenge them to try it!
So they shouldn’t also tell us who to boo and cheer. Yes the majority of fans can appreciate how good he is. But he still cheated and it’s questionable about his punishment and fans have the right to question that.
If you wilfully, deliberately, and deceitfully flout those values of sportsmanship and fair play then you deserve everything that comes your way for as long as you're involved in the game. Cheating in any sport is wrong but in this case Smith and Warner didn't even have the balls to have their fingerprints on the sandpaper, they got the junior member of the team to do their dirty work.
When Smith was struck on the neck, was down injured, and then helped off that naturally caused a suspension of hostilities; a concern for an injured player took priority. Warner was still fair game and once Smith came back out to bat so was he.
1) He's a cheat
2) He's Australian
3) He has a face like a squashed tomato.
He deserves to be booed.
The Aussies used the concussion rule to have him replaced with Labuschangne in the 2nd innings at Lords- who basically saved the game for them.
Only to them rule him fit four days later, when the commonly agreed period for such a blow is 7-10 days.
This is why these areas are so difficult, as ultimately teams abuse the system.
If the Aussies' medical team assesses Smith as being fit to start the match, England have no grounds for complaint whatsoever. We can leave bleating and whingeing to the Aussies - they're very good at it.
If there were grounds for complaint, it would be around whether they did the right thing at Lord's. Was he really fit enough to resume his innings within less than an hour of being knocked unconscious (albeit briefly)? Some might say he wasn't.
He left the field following an impact to the head, yet continued to bat, showing no ill effects of concussion, but with an obviously injured arm. Then, the following morning, it was decided to replace him with another batsman. Isn't it a bit convenient that a player with an injury to his let forearm can be replaced without recourse to any independent medical examination, due to a concussion? The question is, was he fit enough to bat, other than through his head injury? We don't know. But some people might think the Aussies have played the system. Is Smith the type of player who might allow the laws, rules and conditions of play to be bent? Many people might think so.
If he's ruled fit for Headingley, that's fine, as far as I am concerned. But, if so, it might cast even more shade on the draw at Lord's.
One thing is for certain though. When he next plays, it's going to be a lot of fun watching Archer bowl exocets at him again. I am going to be glued to it. Even if I have to watch from behind the sofa.
The Australians need to remember how much stick they gave Broad for not walking when he nicked one to slip in 2013. It wasn't his fault the umpire missed the rather big edge, or that Australia had already used their reviews. He was also under no obligation to walk.
As the Australians went on to lose the series, they moaned like hell about it.
And at the start of the next series down under, the Brisbane Courier-Mail even refused to write his name when he took 6 wickets on the first day in the next series, referring to him as "the 27 year old medium pacer" and cutting him out of photos.
The same series Warner described Trott as 'weak' as he suffered mental health issues, while Clarke threatened Jimmy with a broken arm.
It's all part of the entertainment of one of the oldest rivalries in sport. I'm glad we've got a bowler who scares and hurts them.
Would score just as many runs and probably safer in the slip corden.
I would move Denly up to open.