Australia v India - 4th Test, Day 2
Day 2 of this must win test for India, they'll be looking to put on 400+ however will be up against it with this 1 over old ball and a firing Lee and Johnson.
Live coverage is here.
I'm still confused by Punters tactics at times, last night it was like he just wanted the day to end as he persisted with the old ball well into the 80's. Then he took it for 1 over, and had Clark rushing back to his mark to try and make it 2 overs.
Well, at least that's what I presume happened, as we don't get to see live test matches in this country. Thanks again Channel 9 for 'saving my sport', that pathetic Current Affairs show you persist with is an insult to our collective intelligence.
That however is a blog for another time, today there's a Test match to win.
| Posted by Moses on Fri 25 Jan |  44 comments |
India's intentions clear from the outset, 12 off the first 8 balls!
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 11:39:08
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 11:39:08
and that's the end of Dhoni Kebab
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 11:50:55
89.4 Johnson to Dhoni, OUT, caught in the deep! It was a short ball outside off stump, Dhoni goes for the cut and doesn't try to keep it down, he's hit that very hard but Ponting has placed Symonds at deep point and the ball flies straight to him, Australia have broken through within the first half hour
MS Dhoni c Symonds b Johnson 16 (64b 1x4 0x6) SR: 25.00
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 11:50:55
I like how the crowd gave Dhoni a standing ovation cause they thought it was Tendulkar who'd got out - the scoreboard had his name highlighted. Possibly the biggest crowd response to a score of 16.
Posted by JC on 2008-01-25 12:14:05
Posted by JC on 2008-01-25 12:14:05
Do you mean to say that nobody in Australia can watch the match live? Cracking drive to bring up Sachin's 150...
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 12:20:29
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 12:20:29
India's tail is wagging, much to Punter's discomfort. (405/7 at lunch.. Bhajji on 30*, Kumble on 23*)
Bhajji is flaying his arms, legs, and thereby his bat too... and continues to make runs, I wonder how!
As long as the runs come, it doesnt matter how they come, right?
SO, here's hoping that Indians will play another session, and take the score past 450.
That should bring another crease to Ponting's face/// (Have you guys noticed that Ponting's face at times of worry, resembles that of US Pres George Bush?)
Cheers
Posted by Mahesh on 2008-01-25 13:50:11
Bhajji is flaying his arms, legs, and thereby his bat too... and continues to make runs, I wonder how!
As long as the runs come, it doesnt matter how they come, right?
SO, here's hoping that Indians will play another session, and take the score past 450.
That should bring another crease to Ponting's face/// (Have you guys noticed that Ponting's face at times of worry, resembles that of US Pres George Bush?)
Cheers
Posted by Mahesh on 2008-01-25 13:50:11
It is the 102nd over.. and this happens:(Courtesy: www.cricinfo.com)
101.4 Clark to Harbhajan Singh, FOUR, Harbhajan moves forward to defend a good length ball from Clark and gets an outside edge towards third slip, there's just the one slip in place at the moment so the ball runs down to the third man boundary
Harbhajan was looking at the ball as he went for the run and ran straight into Clark. He apologises and goes on his way.
During the lunch break, Ravi Shastri and Bhogle discuss the above incident on TV.
Bhogle says this could have been a different scene if it had happened in Sydney; he said Bhajji tapped Brett Lee on his back in apology, but Symo took up the issue, complained , Bhajji retorted,, and the rest is history.... to which Shastri says "this should have been handled this way in Sydney too... Players should not be running like little squirrels to the match referree and the umpires and complain about everything.. If this continues to happen, there would be very little cricket on the field"
I cant argue with Shastri. What Bhajji said became the central issue, and the incident that sparked the issue was forgotten.
Cheers
Posted by Mahesh on 2008-01-25 14:06:10
101.4 Clark to Harbhajan Singh, FOUR, Harbhajan moves forward to defend a good length ball from Clark and gets an outside edge towards third slip, there's just the one slip in place at the moment so the ball runs down to the third man boundary
Harbhajan was looking at the ball as he went for the run and ran straight into Clark. He apologises and goes on his way.
During the lunch break, Ravi Shastri and Bhogle discuss the above incident on TV.
Bhogle says this could have been a different scene if it had happened in Sydney; he said Bhajji tapped Brett Lee on his back in apology, but Symo took up the issue, complained , Bhajji retorted,, and the rest is history.... to which Shastri says "this should have been handled this way in Sydney too... Players should not be running like little squirrels to the match referree and the umpires and complain about everything.. If this continues to happen, there would be very little cricket on the field"
I cant argue with Shastri. What Bhajji said became the central issue, and the incident that sparked the issue was forgotten.
Cheers
Posted by Mahesh on 2008-01-25 14:06:10
We can watch the match live if we live outside of radelaide or if the news or latest fat burning creams arent being discussed.
Posted by cricketwithballs.com on 2008-01-25 14:08:40
Posted by cricketwithballs.com on 2008-01-25 14:08:40
Pretty much, despite having the top pay tv contract available in Australia, in NSW and I'm guessing Victoria and Tasmania as well we can see the first two sessions and the first 90 minutes of the third session.
Unfortunately this is also the time when I am among the 90% of Sydney's population who have a job and work during business hours, without a TV. When I get home at 6.05pm the damn news is on, and to add insult to injury they follow this up with the most pathetic excuse for a current affairs show.. so we miss at least the final 30 minutes but when the day is extended due to slow over rates we miss the final hour.
It doesn't matter that Foxtel are sitting there idle and willing to cover the matches, unfortunately legislation has been passed in Australia that gives the first rights to many sporting events to the 5 Free To Air channels (ABC, SBS, 7, 9 and 10).
This allows them to buy the rights without any competition from paytv, and also provides them exclusive right to NOT broadcast the cricket, league, tennis.
The argument for this ridiculous law is that not everyone can afford Pay TV. Well, surely these people can afford to go to a pub and watch the telecast during the times that the commercial channels don't wish to cover it?
As it is, there is NO WAY to see the cricket in Sydney when it's played in Australia, and apparently this is for the good of Australians.
Then, to add insult to injur, the commercial television networks have the hide to run this "save my sport" campaign where the premise is that allowing Foxtel to show the cricket will mean that only people with Foxtel will be able to see it.
I'm a strong supporter of USE IT OR LOSE IT. Sure, give the commercial channels first bite of the cherry, but if they can't show the events live, then the coverage should be onsold to anyone else who is prepared to broadcast it.
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 14:48:57
Unfortunately this is also the time when I am among the 90% of Sydney's population who have a job and work during business hours, without a TV. When I get home at 6.05pm the damn news is on, and to add insult to injury they follow this up with the most pathetic excuse for a current affairs show.. so we miss at least the final 30 minutes but when the day is extended due to slow over rates we miss the final hour.
It doesn't matter that Foxtel are sitting there idle and willing to cover the matches, unfortunately legislation has been passed in Australia that gives the first rights to many sporting events to the 5 Free To Air channels (ABC, SBS, 7, 9 and 10).
This allows them to buy the rights without any competition from paytv, and also provides them exclusive right to NOT broadcast the cricket, league, tennis.
The argument for this ridiculous law is that not everyone can afford Pay TV. Well, surely these people can afford to go to a pub and watch the telecast during the times that the commercial channels don't wish to cover it?
As it is, there is NO WAY to see the cricket in Sydney when it's played in Australia, and apparently this is for the good of Australians.
Then, to add insult to injur, the commercial television networks have the hide to run this "save my sport" campaign where the premise is that allowing Foxtel to show the cricket will mean that only people with Foxtel will be able to see it.
I'm a strong supporter of USE IT OR LOSE IT. Sure, give the commercial channels first bite of the cherry, but if they can't show the events live, then the coverage should be onsold to anyone else who is prepared to broadcast it.
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 14:48:57
Bhajji's cruising towards his first Test century. ;-)
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 14:55:20
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 14:55:20
Hmmmmmmm! Strange to know that in a country like australia too people struggle to see the full coverage. It used to annoy us in india too initially when these pay channels took over but nowdays almost everybody can afford these pay channnels in india so no more problem with coverage at least. Talking about cricket i think 441/7 now is quite safe now but you never know so just hang in there i think dhoni didnt deserve place in this squad really and i dont know why PUNTER is so obsessed by johnson everytime i see johnson is back on to the attack. He bowled almost 40% of overs from aussies in this series. HARBHAJAN 50 congrats. 449/7 INDIA.
Posted by Jatinder on 2008-01-25 15:05:08
Posted by Jatinder on 2008-01-25 15:05:08
As far as I'm concerned, all important international sporting events that a country participates in should be broadcast live, and on a free channel too. I understand the monetary implications. However, if you want to encourage kids to watch and get involved with the game then there's no better way than providing them with the opportunity to watch full live Test cricket involving the best players from their country and the rest of the world.
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 15:05:58
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 15:05:58
Moses - got to agree with you...
It is such a joke...
Posted by Ace on 2008-01-25 15:09:41
It is such a joke...
Posted by Ace on 2008-01-25 15:09:41
Mate I'm all for them showing it on Free To Air channels, but when those channels are given exclusive rights to DENY the population any coverage, that's just wrong.
Foxtel would happily show the hour that we miss, they'd probably even pay for the chance. Channel 9 can still show all they want to exclusively, and the people who can't afford Foxtel can go to the pub.... or worst case they can miss out like they do already.
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 15:15:11
Foxtel would happily show the hour that we miss, they'd probably even pay for the chance. Channel 9 can still show all they want to exclusively, and the people who can't afford Foxtel can go to the pub.... or worst case they can miss out like they do already.
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 15:15:11
Finally, Singh is out!
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 15:25:01
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 15:25:01
I see your point. At the very least, Foxtel should be allowed to show the match when Channel 9 aren't bothered to. Boy am I glad I'm in India!
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 15:32:17
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 15:32:17
mate it's pathetic that we can't see the cricket here. I just wrote a blog on this, thought I better get it all out before I sobered up.
Just 1 more wicket.. can't let you get 500 now...
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 15:58:22
Just 1 more wicket.. can't let you get 500 now...
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-25 15:58:22
Australia have already given away 100 runs from dropped catches. How many will it be be when they are finally all out?
Posted by MT on 2008-01-25 16:07:36
Posted by MT on 2008-01-25 16:07:36
I would say India are at par - 500 is decent but nothing special...
They are still i nthe game from my perspective but need to be aggressive and take early wickets to have any chance...
Australia needs to match India's score - If India leads by more than 50 it is going to be tough for us in the last innings...
Pitch will crumble and anything over 220 is going to be tough going.
Still the match should be a cracker given how quickly we score...
Is anyone else concerned by how ordinary our attack as a whole has looked this summer - the Lankans nearly chased down 400 + in Hobart and India in Sydney and here are cruising along...
Food for thought...
Posted by Ace on 2008-01-25 16:13:00
They are still i nthe game from my perspective but need to be aggressive and take early wickets to have any chance...
Australia needs to match India's score - If India leads by more than 50 it is going to be tough for us in the last innings...
Pitch will crumble and anything over 220 is going to be tough going.
Still the match should be a cracker given how quickly we score...
Is anyone else concerned by how ordinary our attack as a whole has looked this summer - the Lankans nearly chased down 400 + in Hobart and India in Sydney and here are cruising along...
Food for thought...
Posted by Ace on 2008-01-25 16:13:00
Wonderful .. tiring the bowlers down to bits .... one last hour of bowling with 2-3 wickets for India, game in the bag comfortably !!!
Way they go ... 506/9, love the way Ishant sways for all those binga bouncers !!!
Posted by Ghurram on 2008-01-25 16:19:12
Way they go ... 506/9, love the way Ishant sways for all those binga bouncers !!!
Posted by Ghurram on 2008-01-25 16:19:12
Methinks, Kumble deserves his second century. If this happens, then what a career for him it will be. 600 + wickets, century against the Aussies in Aus and against England in England. He will suddendly become an allrounder. I also think he and Bhajji should come in before Dhoni.
Posted by ssukhdial on 2008-01-25 16:27:58
Posted by ssukhdial on 2008-01-25 16:27:58
Definitely food for thought, Ace. Without taking anything away from the application that Kumble and co. have shown, this is one of the poorer bowling and fielding performances from the Aussies in recent times. And as they day wears on, they're beginning to look a tad shabby.
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 16:31:20
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 16:31:20
Mukund
We used to run through tails - especially India's tail when your attack cant dismiss 9, 10 and J you dont have much of a chance of winning games...
There is a new found steel in the Indian team and while its good to see its worrying how much potency we have lost.
Even Stuart Clark has looked ordinary, Ponting's captaincy is awful, he seems like a man out of his element...
I get the sense when he is in form with the bat he is a better captain, but honestly he doesnt seem like much of a thinker..
We need to really address our attack before the end of this year - especially if Pakistan and West Indies manage to draw a Test or two...
I still dont see us losing a series, but it just puts a lot of pressure on the batting when u cant bowl the opposition out - which is what happened with the Lankans when they came here...
Posted by Ace on 2008-01-25 16:38:35
We used to run through tails - especially India's tail when your attack cant dismiss 9, 10 and J you dont have much of a chance of winning games...
There is a new found steel in the Indian team and while its good to see its worrying how much potency we have lost.
Even Stuart Clark has looked ordinary, Ponting's captaincy is awful, he seems like a man out of his element...
I get the sense when he is in form with the bat he is a better captain, but honestly he doesnt seem like much of a thinker..
We need to really address our attack before the end of this year - especially if Pakistan and West Indies manage to draw a Test or two...
I still dont see us losing a series, but it just puts a lot of pressure on the batting when u cant bowl the opposition out - which is what happened with the Lankans when they came here...
Posted by Ace on 2008-01-25 16:38:35
Any thoughts on Dhoni's place in the Test side?
He has been a pretty big disappointment why not give Karthik a run for a while?
Or perhaps even bring Parthiv Patel back...
I know Dhoni's keeping has been decent and that is his primary job, but he is just not an international standard number 7.
Posted by Ace on 2008-01-25 16:39:55
He has been a pretty big disappointment why not give Karthik a run for a while?
Or perhaps even bring Parthiv Patel back...
I know Dhoni's keeping has been decent and that is his primary job, but he is just not an international standard number 7.
Posted by Ace on 2008-01-25 16:39:55
This is starting to remind of the Chappell-hadlee series in NZ when we couldn't buy a wicket for love or money! mcGrath and Warne are definately missed. Says something that Johnson has been the best bowler.
Posted by MT on 2008-01-25 16:40:37
Posted by MT on 2008-01-25 16:40:37
Yes, Ace. I couldn't agree more. This is not the Australia we've grown accustomed to watching over the past decade or so. I still think Pakistan and the West Indies don't stand a chance in hell of winning a series Down Under, not in the next five years, anyway.
About Dhoni, he did well in England and has been fairly consistent with the bat for some time now. I can see why the selection panel stuck with him. But in future, it is definitely worth considering playing Karthik because he can open the batting, and he's proved his calibre at the top of the order. There's no doubt that Karthik has a far superior batting technique than Dhoni and is therefore the better Test batsman. It was foolish to open with Pathan and that's obviously not a permanent solution. Removing Dhoni and replacing him with Karthik (as an opener) would also create an opening to play an extra batsman or bowler.
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 16:54:53
About Dhoni, he did well in England and has been fairly consistent with the bat for some time now. I can see why the selection panel stuck with him. But in future, it is definitely worth considering playing Karthik because he can open the batting, and he's proved his calibre at the top of the order. There's no doubt that Karthik has a far superior batting technique than Dhoni and is therefore the better Test batsman. It was foolish to open with Pathan and that's obviously not a permanent solution. Removing Dhoni and replacing him with Karthik (as an opener) would also create an opening to play an extra batsman or bowler.
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-25 16:54:53
Finally, India all out 526. Next, we find out whether the Indian bowlers can swing the ball better than Australia did.
Posted by JC on 2008-01-25 17:12:32
Posted by JC on 2008-01-25 17:12:32
JC: Did Aussies swing the ball?
Posted by nike on 2008-01-25 17:15:53
Posted by nike on 2008-01-25 17:15:53
yeah keep the aussie perspective going...
Posted by techmine on 2008-01-25 17:17:45
Posted by techmine on 2008-01-25 17:17:45
Please, please, please! bring back Parthiv Patel.
Posted by Tony on 2008-01-25 17:45:52
Posted by Tony on 2008-01-25 17:45:52
Who the fark is Part hiv Part Hell? If he was any good, then he'd be in the side. Is that not how it works?
I love seeing Ponting in a tizz. He has had too many lucky days and now when he really needs to lead...he can't.
Come on India..give 'em curry
Posted by Yandi on 2008-01-25 18:26:18
I love seeing Ponting in a tizz. He has had too many lucky days and now when he really needs to lead...he can't.
Come on India..give 'em curry
Posted by Yandi on 2008-01-25 18:26:18
Is there going to be telecast after the news for the last half hour or are they going to show Current Affairs?
It is pathetic...
Posted by Day two on 2008-01-25 18:26:51
It is pathetic...
Posted by Day two on 2008-01-25 18:26:51
nike, I didn't watch much of it on TV, was mostly working and listening on the radio but the impression was the Aussies didn't get much movement through the air. But that wasn't the main problem - the main problem was all the grassed catches! We'd likely have got India out for a sub-400 score if we'd held all our chances. Ordinary stuff from the Aussies!
Posted by JC on 2008-01-25 20:47:20
Posted by JC on 2008-01-25 20:47:20
Thats right, they put down 3 today!
Suddenly the roles are reversing, India are playing aggressors, holding onto catches, attacking with the bat and not just hanging around, and are showing some grit and determination, much to my satisfaction. It's amazing to see how much they can achieve if they apply their minds to it, and Anil Kumble being one of the most inspirational yet solid captains in the world has been a big part of this mini-turnaround of sorts.
But methinks this match is heading towards a dull draw. Unless India can get Hayden early or Australia sprint along at 4rpo, there is only one result likely.
After all as the saying goes there are only 3 certainties in life...death, taxes and a hundred at the Adelaide Oval..
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-01-25 21:16:12
Suddenly the roles are reversing, India are playing aggressors, holding onto catches, attacking with the bat and not just hanging around, and are showing some grit and determination, much to my satisfaction. It's amazing to see how much they can achieve if they apply their minds to it, and Anil Kumble being one of the most inspirational yet solid captains in the world has been a big part of this mini-turnaround of sorts.
But methinks this match is heading towards a dull draw. Unless India can get Hayden early or Australia sprint along at 4rpo, there is only one result likely.
After all as the saying goes there are only 3 certainties in life...death, taxes and a hundred at the Adelaide Oval..
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-01-25 21:16:12
there is no draw in that quote ajesh .... my gut feelings tell me its gonna be a close .. a too close finish .... and probably Aussies sneaking ahead ... though my heart stays with India.
Posted by Ghurram on 2008-01-25 22:23:33
Posted by Ghurram on 2008-01-25 22:23:33
Was listening to the Adelaide curator the other day who said Adelaide draws are a bit of a myth - there hasn't been one since the 90's. It could pan out that way with possibly the two strongest batting line-ups in the world facing off at the moment but you never know what might happen over the next 3 days. My guess is one of the teams will flinch in the 2nd innings similar to England last year. Let's hope it's not Australia :-)
Posted by JC on 2008-01-25 23:15:59
Posted by JC on 2008-01-25 23:15:59
Correct, JC. They were showing the average innings scores in the last five Tests at the Adelaide Oval during the telecast on Star Cricket today. My number's might not be 100% accurate but they're good enough to paint the general picture. Here they are...
1st innings: 486
2nd innings: 475
3rd innings: 126
4th innings: 194
It just goes to show that many sides have come unstuck in the 3rd innings. If India can restrict Australia to below 450 in the current innings, then the key will be to ensure there are no batting collapses during our second outing with the bat. I'm really hoping to see an aggressive India tomorrow. I'd be happy with three wickets in the first session.
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-26 01:02:54
1st innings: 486
2nd innings: 475
3rd innings: 126
4th innings: 194
It just goes to show that many sides have come unstuck in the 3rd innings. If India can restrict Australia to below 450 in the current innings, then the key will be to ensure there are no batting collapses during our second outing with the bat. I'm really hoping to see an aggressive India tomorrow. I'd be happy with three wickets in the first session.
Posted by Mukund on 2008-01-26 01:02:54
If Australia loses in Australia to India, then there is a good chance they will be thoroughly tested in Pakistan as well.
A Pakistani pace attack (if a full-strength one) comprising Akhter, Asif, Gul, and Kaneria will prove to be a stiff challenge (the better in either side!). Only if Pakistan's batting can hold, but then it would be Pakistani pitches where there isn't much. You need all the skill there, such as reverse swing, good wrist spin (Hogg is very average).
Lets see what happens in Australia, but I believe India are firm favorites here. Ponting and Ghilcrist are out of form, and it is just a matter of getting the openers soon as possible. No doubt Harbajan and Kumble will play a big role.
Posted by Deezina on 2008-01-26 02:14:12
A Pakistani pace attack (if a full-strength one) comprising Akhter, Asif, Gul, and Kaneria will prove to be a stiff challenge (the better in either side!). Only if Pakistan's batting can hold, but then it would be Pakistani pitches where there isn't much. You need all the skill there, such as reverse swing, good wrist spin (Hogg is very average).
Lets see what happens in Australia, but I believe India are firm favorites here. Ponting and Ghilcrist are out of form, and it is just a matter of getting the openers soon as possible. No doubt Harbajan and Kumble will play a big role.
Posted by Deezina on 2008-01-26 02:14:12
Australians are tough team and India has to earn each and every wicket. It would be an interesting 3rd day to watch.
Indian selectors need some plan for future test captain. There were plenty of opportunities for Dhoni in this series to show that he is capable of handling the pressure situation while batting. But he simply wasted. Dinesh Karthik seems to be a far better test player and willing to open the batting for India. He can be aggressive some times... With him in the team as a keeper, India will have a good chance to try some youngsters in the middle order. When the big 5 goes, India will be left with a huge hole which will take many years to fill.
Keep Kumble as test captain for some more time and groom viru for captain.
Posted by ms on 2008-01-26 10:17:16
Indian selectors need some plan for future test captain. There were plenty of opportunities for Dhoni in this series to show that he is capable of handling the pressure situation while batting. But he simply wasted. Dinesh Karthik seems to be a far better test player and willing to open the batting for India. He can be aggressive some times... With him in the team as a keeper, India will have a good chance to try some youngsters in the middle order. When the big 5 goes, India will be left with a huge hole which will take many years to fill.
Keep Kumble as test captain for some more time and groom viru for captain.
Posted by ms on 2008-01-26 10:17:16
If Australia loses in Australia to India, then there is a good chance they will be thoroughly tested in Pakistan as well.
A Pakistani pace attack (if a full-strength one) comprising Akhter, Asif, Gul, and Kaneria will prove to be a stiff challenge (the better in either side!). Only if Pakistan's batting can hold, but then it would be Pakistani pitches where there isn't much. You need all the skill there, such as reverse swing, good wrist spin (Hogg is very average).
Lets see what happens in Australia, but I believe India are firm favorites here. Ponting and Ghilcrist are out of form, and it is just a matter of getting the openers soon as possible. No doubt Harbajan and Kumble will play a big role
which bowlers are you talking about? asif and shoaib should have been banned ..they are cheats and gul and kaneria are average bolwers ..remember how we guys got you out in sharjah for 50 odd :) . I think we have a serious chance of getting you guys for under 100 now since our bwling attack has deteriorated to some extent now :)
challenge huh ...
Posted by tony on 2008-01-26 10:21:33
A Pakistani pace attack (if a full-strength one) comprising Akhter, Asif, Gul, and Kaneria will prove to be a stiff challenge (the better in either side!). Only if Pakistan's batting can hold, but then it would be Pakistani pitches where there isn't much. You need all the skill there, such as reverse swing, good wrist spin (Hogg is very average).
Lets see what happens in Australia, but I believe India are firm favorites here. Ponting and Ghilcrist are out of form, and it is just a matter of getting the openers soon as possible. No doubt Harbajan and Kumble will play a big role
which bowlers are you talking about? asif and shoaib should have been banned ..they are cheats and gul and kaneria are average bolwers ..remember how we guys got you out in sharjah for 50 odd :) . I think we have a serious chance of getting you guys for under 100 now since our bwling attack has deteriorated to some extent now :)
challenge huh ...
Posted by tony on 2008-01-26 10:21:33
If Asif/Shoaib (drug issue) are cheats, then what about Warney!!!
Anyway, I would say, Aussies are strong enough to beat Pakistan. But Will Aussies go to Pakistan?
Aussies would be challenged by SA though..
Posted by ms on 2008-01-26 10:31:05
Anyway, I would say, Aussies are strong enough to beat Pakistan. But Will Aussies go to Pakistan?
Aussies would be challenged by SA though..
Posted by ms on 2008-01-26 10:31:05
Yup they have been banned but so has Warney been banned. The good thing is they can bowl again now, as Warney could. Interestingly Brett Lee is suspicious as well. How can he bowl 7,8 consecutive overs of fast bowling in one spell huh?
He was supposedly injured during the world cup, one of the events in which drug-testing occurs (He wasn't there in 20/20 world cup as well). I am not saying he is a cheat, but it would be interesting what happens in the next event held by the ICC.
In Sharjah the team wasn't good, really playing on the back of one good bowler Akhter. Aus had Mcgrath and Warne and the Pakistani top order was frail. Right now Mohammad Yousof has substantially improved, Younis Khan is much better, Misbah is a good find, and finally a good opener seems to have been uncovered. Remember it was a long while till Australia ever won inside Pakistan and it would take a similar effort to beat them again now.
And bowling isn't easy there, monotonous line and length can only do so much (apart from Lahore where there is something in the pitch).
Posted by Deezina on 2008-01-27 02:57:46
He was supposedly injured during the world cup, one of the events in which drug-testing occurs (He wasn't there in 20/20 world cup as well). I am not saying he is a cheat, but it would be interesting what happens in the next event held by the ICC.
In Sharjah the team wasn't good, really playing on the back of one good bowler Akhter. Aus had Mcgrath and Warne and the Pakistani top order was frail. Right now Mohammad Yousof has substantially improved, Younis Khan is much better, Misbah is a good find, and finally a good opener seems to have been uncovered. Remember it was a long while till Australia ever won inside Pakistan and it would take a similar effort to beat them again now.
And bowling isn't easy there, monotonous line and length can only do so much (apart from Lahore where there is something in the pitch).
Posted by Deezina on 2008-01-27 02:57:46
This game is hardly anything to watch for, when one team is playing with an intention just to have a draw done. Australian's are right now shit scared of seeing a draw on the series.. esp as a draw would be a moral victory for India.
Posted by rookie on 2008-01-27 03:58:06
Posted by rookie on 2008-01-27 03:58:06
well... channel9 is a case in itself...but right now...keeping aside the cricket..i would lke to express my deepest conolences to the Ledger family.....We can talk abt channel9 later...
Posted by spark on 2008-01-27 04:26:18
Posted by spark on 2008-01-27 04:26:18
Guys,
India also would do the same thing if they are in Aussies situation. Remember Last Year's series against England and Pakistan. Indians first ensured that they will draw the match to win the series.
Having said that, Aussies are good enough not to be satisfied just with draw. They'll go for win at some point in this test match
Posted by ms on 2008-01-27 04:27:30
India also would do the same thing if they are in Aussies situation. Remember Last Year's series against England and Pakistan. Indians first ensured that they will draw the match to win the series.
Having said that, Aussies are good enough not to be satisfied just with draw. They'll go for win at some point in this test match
Posted by ms on 2008-01-27 04:27:30
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