New Zealand v Australia

Even with a very much second string side Australia managed to restrict New Zealand to 233. New Zealand started off fairly well but then practically collapsed. James Hopes (debutant for Australia) managed to pick up a couple of wickets of Australia and Glenn McGrath took a couple too to equal Shane Warne's all time record for wickets for Australia against New Zealand in One Day International cricket. Australia are cruising in reply chasing 234 and it looks as if its 4&0 to the Aussies.

Speaking of the Test Series Darren Lehmann has been ruled out and will now undergo surgery for his troubled shoulder but he hasnot said that this will be the end of his career in fact on the contrary - he wants to be fully fit for the upcomming Ashes series and this will help safe guard his fitness ahead of the tour of England in the summer. Three Tests at the moment would probably be too much with the pain that his shoulder is giving him and surgery will help rid him of that pain. So more injury troubles for Australia who are already missing Hayden through shoulder trouble and Shane Watson could be out for the rest of the year and even with all these problems they seem to be destroying any opposition in sight! Incredible!

More changes are set to be rung in for the final One Dayer of the series, with practically all the semior New Zealand players being rested. I think Flemming and Cairns mayne the only 2 to actually play. Australia will stillbe without Hayden though Ponting is set to return though Lee may be rested with the possibility of him being called up into the Test team.

Yeah i think the Test Series will be very One sided, as have the last few Test series that Australia have played in. Since Ricky Ponting has taken the reigns Australia have only lost 1 Test Match and that is the space of over a year, and they have won every single series which is now 5 in a row. Australia do seem to deal better with injuries than mist sides, you just look at the way that England fell apart without Flintoff and the way India usually do without Sachin or Harbajan. I think England are still abysmall in the One Day game even with Fintoff though. Though that is what makes champions, everyday can have that run of fantastic results and that sort of period of greatness but its performing when the chips are down and grinding out those tough results and getting those results when you play badly which Australia seem to do more than most and on a more consistant basis. I believe that the thing that accounts for that more than anything is the fact that player for player Australia seem to be better than the rest of the world. More often than not their statistics alone back that up but i just think the players that Australia have in reserve would make it into any other nation's first team. Other than Australia could you ever see anyone dropping both the Waugh brothers concurrently? Or could you see them dropping Shane Warne or somebody like Darren Lehmann or Michael Bevan? Yet Australia have given all of those players the boot at one point or another and some of them more than once, Steven Waugh was dropped 3 times from the Test side incredibly and twice from the One Day side. Darren Lehmann only became a regular member of the team a couple of years back and he didn't last long. Look how long it took Michael Kasprowicz to get back into the team. Martin Love scored a hundred in his final Test and got dropped and still hasn't made it back into the team even though he now has a First class (domestic) Triple Hundred to his name. Everybody says that as sportman you have take whatever opportunities come your way and make the most of them and that is never more so true than with the case with cricketers who play for Australia. Could you see Martin Love or Brett Lee or even Simon Katich struggling to make it into any other team in the world. Would any other team drop a player who averages over 53 and at one point averaged 60 in the limited version of the game? Would any other country actually do the right thing and ban one of their players for drug abuse before the start of the biggest tournament the game hosts? And at that their best spinner in history, and without a doubt the best spinner of all time. The reason that the Australians seem to perform so much better when they throw out a second string team is because they know that they (the reservist players out there) may never get another opportunity and that they have to make the most of it. That more than anything gives the inspiration and motivation and that's why i think player for player they are just better than any other nation's team or squad anywhere in the world. I don't know if any other's agree with me on this or not but i am one of the people (and the only one (that i know off anyway) at the MCC) who thinks that this year's Ashes series will be just another walk in the park for Australia. Even without half their star players (Lehmann is going to have surgery on his shoulder and we don't know what state Matthew Hayden's shoulder is in and Shane Watson is out for the rest of the year) they could wipe the floor with England. Just say that Flintoff isn't fit and doesn't take part in the series? Surely that would then be it for England no? At the moment i can't see anything but the usual torrential British Weather stopping Australia from winning all 5 Tests. They've beaten every side with both homefield advantage and on the road with their recent win in India within the 5 year period of ICC laws stating that every side must play each other within so now what would be their objective? To whitewash every nation home and away? They've already done that to Bangladesh and would have done the same to Zimbabwe had Zimbabwe not been barred from Test Cricket for the bulk of last year. They beat Pakistan 3&0 before the World cup in 2003 (well it was more toward the end of 2002) and just beat them with the same scoreline a couple of months back. They beat New Zealand 2&0 recently and now have the opportunity to whitewash them on the road. They beat Sri Lanka 3&0 last year in Sri Lanka and came close to whitewashing them in the series in Australia but only won that 2 Test series 1&0 due to Ricky Ponting's failure to declare soon enough on the final day. I think now this Australian team can be talked of in the same sentance of the West Indian side that was led by Clive and of England led out in the late 1800's by W.D. Grace as truly unplayable sides, and i think that this one goes down as the single greatest of the lot of them, and the greatest of all time now.

Australia completed the 5-0 whitewash today, thumping the Kiwis by 122 runs thanks to an unbeaten 141 from Ponting and then 91 from Gilchrist. Kasprowicz then took 3/36 as New Zealand could only make it to 225/8 from their 50 overs.

Well done JALRC for predicting the 5-0, less so me for thinking it might be 4-1 or even 3-2 !!

Originally posted by -JP- Well done JALRC for predicting the 5-0, less so me for thinking it might be 4-1 or even 3-2 !!

Thanks JP and i think your prediction was probably the more favored and likely supported outcome by most analysts and supporters before the series due to the complacency that Australia generally tend to show every now and again but for some reason i knew this time they'd kick into gear.

A whole heap of records being set, i'll post them in the statistics forum.

By the way sorry for any spelling mistakes as i'm tired and its late and i think i'm jetlagged.

As it turns out Australia go with 3 quicks and Warne but Lee still is left out with Kasprowicz staying in the side, and i think rightly so. If Australia do go with the 7 specialist batsmen then i think Lee should be the one to sit out. Ricky Ponting won the toss and sent the Kiwis in and New Zealand have made a very slow cautious start to the match.

Edited by JALRC

Originally posted by JALRC As it turns out Australia go with 3 quicks and Warne but Lee still is left out with Kasprowicz staying in the side, and i think rightly so. If Australia do go with the 7 specialist batsmen then i think Lee should be the one to sit out. Ricky Ponting won the toss and sent the Kiwis in and New Zealand have made a very slow cautious start to the match.

These comments shouldn't be made here - this is a mickey mouse cricket thread , not the proper stuff at all!!

Great start by the Kiwis but I expect the Aussies will be out of the blocks quickly tomorrow. If Marshall and Astle go early, I can't see anyone else holding the innings together.

New Zealand now 6 down but they have got 400 up on the board and they are certainly putting up some show at the moment. Their run rate has now also progressed to 3 for the first time in the match.

The end of day 2 and Aussie are 141-3. Losing both openers and then the big wicket of Martin just before the close definitely means advantage New Zealand!

    Ponting still there on 41 and Gillespie in as night watchman. S'funny that , Steve Waugh would ahve walked in himself , never believing in the night watchman principal.

     A long way to go before NZ can even think of an upset , there's a fella named Gilchrist on the horizon and an upstart called Clarke......

    Still , a great effort from the Kiwis and another sterling effort from McGrath.

    Should be a fascinating day tomorrow !!

Originally posted by Inducker The end of day 2 and Aussie are 141-3. Losing both openers and then the big wicket of Martin just before the close definitely means advantage New Zealand!

Yeah i thought Australia would runaway with the match when they came into bat but its been anything but.

Originally posted by Inducker Ponting still there on 41 and Gillespie in as night watchman. S'funny that , Steve Waugh would ahve walked in himself , never believing in the night watchman principal.

Yeah it just shows the difference between Waugh and Ponting. Waugh was a leader from the front who believed in fighting to the death where as Ponting where as Ponting tries to worm his way around situations and manipulate the system to his benefit. I know it sounds a bit harsh but it is true.

Originally posted by Inducker A long way to go before NZ can even think of an upset , there's a fella named Gilchrist on the horizon and an upstart called Clarke......

Exactly and before all that they have to get rid of Gillespie. I know you'll think that won't be much of a task but even though his average is only 16 his average suration at the crease is 52 balls per innings so even if they do get him out it could be a fair while in the day's play.

Originally posted by Inducker Still , a great effort from the Kiwis and another sterling effort from McGrath.

Didn't you say a while back that Lee should come back into the Australian side ahead of McGrath? I think there is no question that he is now once again the world's greatest bowler, a spectacle that i doubt many would ever have prophesised about a year back before the tour of Zimbabwe when he spent about 8 months out of the game with an ankle injury.

Originally posted by Inducker Should be a fascinating day tomorrow !!

Yeah unfortunately i won't be able to see it as i have head back to London. And because of the timing i won't even get to see the finals days play in the India-Pakistan match.

I think instead of Katich they should have gone with the 6 specialist batsmen and Lee as the 4th Seamer. Gillespie didn't pick up a wicket and before the match there was talk of him getting the boot but i doubt that'll happen.

Gillespie has now gone scoring 12 of 73 deliveries. As i said he is a difficult batsman to dismiss! Interesting though to see whose hands the slowing down of the game plays into. For the mean time though that's accademic as Adam Gilchrist has walked to the crease.