Australia vs. India (in Australia)
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Topic: Australia vs. India (in Australia)
Posted By: Mikey
Subject: Australia vs. India (in Australia)
Date Posted: 11 December 2011 at 8:17am
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It's going to be a fantastic summer of cricket, with India touring Australia this summer! The make up of the Indian side has been made clear, and the fast bowling attack is very worrying, while the Indians will be missing the expertise of Anil Kumble - who has always been a handful! Watson and Marsh will be welcome inclusions for Boxing Day, while we might see Harris and Cummins back. Thus , India may be facing a full strength Australian side. Australia's far superior pace attack, and the emergence of Lyon will prove to be a challenge to the ageing Indian batting line up. And I think with Watson and Marsh back the Australian batting line up will be able to combat the mediocre fast bowlers of India. I also think Ashwin's finger spin, as with most overseas offies, will not be particularly useful. |
Replies:
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 11 December 2011 at 9:17am
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Shewag,Gambhir,Dravid,Tendulkar,Laxman,Rohit,Dhoni,Ashwin,Zak,Ishant & Umesh ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 11 December 2011 at 9:39am
| The key for India is for Zaheer and Ishant to hit their straps. If they play close to their best, then India are a very good shot at taking out the series. I'll be interested to see how Laxman and Gambhir perform, I think those two guys haven't performed as well of late as they normally do. |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 11 December 2011 at 10:13am
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Frankly except RD of late , others have not performed to the level they are expected to in Tests. Ever since NZ's tour of India last Nov '10, Indian batting line up has suffered loss of form as a collective unit, there were many instances where lower order had bailed them out.I hope it is the time for all the guys to come good.Infact they should be very good to pose any sort of challenge.
Harris,Pattinson,Cummins and Lyon is a very good bowling lineup. I like this guy "Pattinson", I suspect he has a great career like McGrath (Ya, I am overstating too much , but I feel he among all the youngsters is a real deal for Australian future). His line and length is fanstastic. He looks very much like one of the current english bowlers (as he has some english connection). ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 11 December 2011 at 10:17am
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James' parents came to Australia from England 5 years before he was born. But I don't think he has played any cricket in England or anything like that. Not sure what you mean by 'English connection'. If someone spoke about English connection with regard to fast bowlers 5 years ago they would have laughed. England have come a long way with their fast bowlers and I reckon Australia is catching up, fast. Pattinson's pace is very promising too, hitting 150kph on occasion and I think he's actually faster than Cummins. Should be a dangerous combination and Harris, when fit, almost always gets wickets. Siddle has also been a great spearhead this series and he has impressed be immensely! Bollinger is also in the wings, Cutting and Starc aren't far off and Copeland is still around. What about Hilfenhaus? Can't complain at the moment with fast bowling stocks. I agree with Raj, India's batting, especially in England, has been many pegs below what they're capable of. Gambhir, Laxman have good records against Australia and so do Dravid and Sachin. Should be an interesting series. I think India will either capitulate or win. Have a feeling it won't be a close series and one team with dominate most of the games. |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 11 December 2011 at 10:33am
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Maybe becasue I knew his parents migrated from England to Australia, but somehow he looked English to me among Aussie lot. It was just a superficial comment , not to be taken seriously. Mikey England bowlers have been good/decent from 2004 , but they often broke down or lacked the seriousness at times or maybe you were comparing those English bowlers to "McGrath,Lee,Gillispie and Warne" combination - which happens once in a lifetime. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 11 December 2011 at 12:28pm
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5 years is a poor comment, more like 10. Sorry. Most of the Australian team probably have some English origins. Besides Jason Gillespie and Dan Christian (who are both only partly Aboriginal), basically everyone in the Australian side is not indigenous to Australia. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 11 December 2011 at 6:00pm
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Mikey, I expect Lyon to be treated no different than what Hogg, MacGill, Krejza faced recently. Aussies best bet is to get pitches like what they had in Brisbane and now at Hobart. A typical Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth deck like the last decade, then India will more than compete. I expect both sides bowlers to take a hammering at Adelaide! ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 9:34am
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Spin I agree to an extent, but only if the Indian batsmen bat to their potential, not like they did in England. India must be spewing Praveen Kumar is injured. His medium pace swing is what has been undoing Australia of late, just ask Bracewell and Philander.... |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 5:42pm
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England and Australia is much different mate. The bounce is Aussies is more true with less all day swing, typically. Places like Gabba will put India in a lot of trouble, but luckily for them, they're always playing in Adelaide, Sydney etc, due to Aussies first season test always at the Brisbane, and India usually playing the 2nd leg. And yea, I do agree, Kumar is a big loss. I too don't expect Ashwin to make much of an impact. Off spinners can't thrive in Australia due to the bounce. Batsmen can easily play you off the back foot, which I find that's what Aussies basically have done to Murali, Swann, Harbhajan etc in Australia, with no fear of getting LBW. ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 6:43pm
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after Australia's defeat to NZL today I must say India will fancy their chances, however I think given the Australian conditions the NZL attack was better than India's although India's batting will be far more superior to that of the Kiwi's. This should be a hard fought series, I do not see a complete domination of any one side, I see this as a close contest and I would just edge it in favor of Australia. 2-1 to Australia is my prediction. AUS winning at Melbourne and Perth, India winning at Sydney and a high scoring draw at Adelaide. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 6:49pm
| I agree completely sam, 2-1 to AUS sounds about right. India's betting is better than Australia's but Australia's bowling is superior to India's. At the end of the day, I just can't see India's bowling causing the Aussie batsmen too many problems. Australia's pace attack is really developing nicely in the absence of Johnson and will trouble the Indians if conditions are favourable. Despite the problems Australia have been having, I still make them favourites. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 7:01pm
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Another reason is India's aged batting line up BP, we saw that in ENG that they failed to cross 300 even once, now that to me was quite shocking. Against WI at Home it was covered up to some extent but even in the WI series India's batting collapsed on more than one occasion. This Indian batting is no longer the one that used to score 400-500 on 4 out of every 5 innings, Instead they have become a team that scores 400-500 once in every 5 innings. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 7:13pm
They were probably the only team to show grit and determination down under, even when Aussies were a force in Tests.
The fight that India face is injuries to key players & form of batsman , that is the only worry. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 7:15pm
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Sehwag and Sachi bhai wasn't in the caribbean Sam. Aussies will be much more easier territory for the Indians. Simply put, I just fancy any team to beat this current Aussie side. Luckily they found Warner, so someone else to help score runs. ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 7:26pm
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Raj in Wonderland
 .........4-0 if Indians stay fit and all of them victory by an innings ... is what I wish for.- Rohit sharma gets a look in , scores 4 centuries which includes one big double century.
- Another Man of Series to Rohit Sharma
- One triple ton to Gambhir
- Sachin,Shewag and Gambhir 2/3 centuries each
- Dhoni,Lax and RD 1/2 centuries and 2-3 80/90's
- Umesh to get a Hat-trick to clean up tail
- Ishant and Ashwin to get 2 qucik 5'fers
- Zak,Ishant,Umesh and Ashwin to equall share all the 80 wickets. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 7:28pm
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Now I sign off as a good omen till the end of Aussie tour , so that above wish comes true! ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 12 December 2011 at 7:39pm
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Raj, all i'll say is that you've been smoking before that post!!
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: zuhair_abbasi
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 7:16am
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Smoking? Has to be something else for sure. Although, 4-0 could still become a reality to be honest ------------- http://thecricketinsight.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 8:43am
| If anyone wins 4-0, it will be Australia. I just can't see how you guys are neglecting India's terrible bowling attack. Australia may be in a bad run of form but they couldn't come across an easier attack to score off unless they were playing Bangladesh. If India are to win the series, they will have to pile on some massive scores to give their bowlers adequate runs to play with. |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 10:19am
------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 10:26am
Even if Rohit makes a 50 he would be very very lucky and i really really hope Kohli gets injured so Rohit can play ahead of him and gets 8 ducks in a row and that too golden ducks  and if Watson and Marsh gets back India would struggle to get 20 wickets. ------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 10:27am
I agree BP and this is the perfect time for Ponting to get back in form against this attack. ------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 11:15am
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Even if Zaheer Khan is fit, I don't think he'd cause that much damage - he has no match practice and we saw how easily Australia dealt with Steyn. The issue for Australia are those dibbly dobbler medium seam/swing bowlers. Praveen would have been a decent choice. Australia's strength is it's bowling and I'm going to go on a limb and say they have one of the best attacks in the world - Harris, Pattinson, Cummins, Siddle and Lyon will be a handful! If Australia can consistently find runs, which they haven't of late then India has no chance. |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 11:43am
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Milky are you sure Cummins is fit? i saw in the news that he is out till Feb i might be wrong.
------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 12:07pm
| I think Cummins is extremely unlikely for the first two Tests. Mikey - how did Australia negotiate Steyn easily? Aside from the last innings of the second Test, he had fantastic figures in all the other three innings and could have had more wickets if all the catches were taken. He was causing the Aussies problems, albeit not as much as Philander. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 2:26pm
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That's why I added Siddle to the list, you'll see I mentioned 4 fast bowlers and Lyon. I was more referring to the 4th innings in the last test when Australia won, Steyn was basically useless and I think Australia was able to dent his effectiveness. Except for that wicket he got near the end, he almost ended the innings wicketless, which would have been rather rare for him. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 3:00pm
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Zaheer Khan is more skillful that Steyn Mikey. With Steyn, its basically late outswing. With Zaheer, its both swing and reverse swing. No team has found Zaheer easy to play for the last few years. Lack of match fitness will be the only thing in Aussies favour as far as facing him is concerned.
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 5:01pm
I don't agree that AUS will be easier territory spinny, India have never really won a series in AUS since I don't know when. AUS might be a little weak at the moment but still are favorites to win at home against this Indian side that has very weak bowling options and an aged batting line up. If you see the series against ENG, India couldn't score runs, they couldn't take wickets, they struggled big time, I don't know how they can turn it all around in Australia. The reason why I think India will win a test is because AUS have their own weak links in batting and bowling (a very inexperienced bowling against the most experienced batting perhaps in history of the game) and again experience of these players, despite their old age may help them win a test. lastly, If India win this 4-0, I'll retire from the forums for good! ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 7:22pm
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Mikey - that's just one innings. I don't see how on the basis of an isolated case, you can conclude that Steyn was dealt with easily and therefore, Zaheer shouldn't cause too many problems. I agree that Zaheer won't be that effective but Steyn's performance in one solitary innings against the Aussies has nothing to do with it. spinny - Are you honestly trying to say that Zaheer is a better bowler than Steyn? OK, Zaheer swings it both ways but that doesn't necessarily mean he is going to be more effective than Steyn. Outstanding, fast late out-swing is a lot harder to play than not so outstanding, not so fast swing both ways from a bowler who is short of match practice. Steyn is far better than Zaheer and it's not even close. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 13 December 2011 at 11:34pm
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No BP, my point was that teams nowadays can't render Zaheer ineffective. He will always trouble you due to him being able to use all form of swing. It's just like Flintoff, teams couldn't really beat him around, but his wicket taking column wasn't on par with some others. I'm sure you wouldn't say Flintoff was ineffective.
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 14 December 2011 at 5:47am
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I'm surprised by Mikey's comments on Steyn - I was at Newlands and Clarke apart , he troubled all the Aussie batsmen. Bowling figures can distort a performance , Steyn had excellent rhythm , bowled well within himself and still generated terrific pace but with little reward. Tomorrow sees the start of the Sri Lankan series at Steyn's old hunting ground of Centurion Park and there's little doubt that the Lankan batsmen will not be exactly chomping at the bit to see the lad steaming in.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 14 December 2011 at 11:39am
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Man, this sick leave is going to come in handy. At least I will see Cricket on 2 working days. Sledge, does Centurion get affected with late afternoon thunderstorm which is common with Cricket in South Africa? That could be a dampener to my watching.
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 14 December 2011 at 11:58am
| Yeh I think I overemphasised how well Philander bowled. Steyn is still the best in the world in my opinion. Happy to retract my statement. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 14 December 2011 at 12:59pm
| Anyone got a link to a video of Dravid's Bradman Oration? |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 15 December 2011 at 7:12am
Yes it does SW , but even after torrential rain they are rarely off for more than an hour - great drainage at Centurion. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: zuhair_abbasi
Date Posted: 15 December 2011 at 7:22am
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Indian bowlers got a real hammering on the first day of the practice game. Not looking too much into it but 400 is quite a score. Why is Zaheer Khan not bowling - if he has to play the boxing day test he should be bowling by now or else he will go out with a hamstring just like he did in England ------------- http://thecricketinsight.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 15 December 2011 at 7:52am
| Cooper has made a huge score. He played for Holland in the last world cup, what do you guys reckon? Another Dirk Nannes? Definitely one of the best talents around... |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 15 December 2011 at 3:52pm
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Tough day for Indian bowlers as expected, agree with Zuhair, if Zaheer is still not bowling then well he better bowl in the 2nd warm up else it's a huge risk playing him on Boxing day. I'd be disappointed if Cooper turns out for Australia Mikey, is there a chance he will? I think Cooper and Ten Doeschate can at least help Holland challenge a few top teams in the next WC. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: sporty007
Date Posted: 15 December 2011 at 3:55pm
| im really hoping we step it up a notch. i think we can get it back and beat australia. will be interesting to see how warney does in the big bash. maybe we can get him to come back. don't think lyon is the answer. wasn't cam white meant to be the new spinner why doesn't he bowl more. i'm living in barbados now but get to watch all the aussie cricket. do you guys reckon ponting and hussey should go now? not sure khawaja has what it takes |
Posted By: sporty007
Date Posted: 15 December 2011 at 3:56pm
| i mean i think we can beat india (i'm from syndney) |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 15 December 2011 at 4:28pm
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Something tells me that Zaheer Khan isn't fully recovered yet, more so that they're hoping he will recover fully in time some point in Australia before the start of the first test.
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 15 December 2011 at 9:45pm
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I don't understand this tactic employed by India. Don't you want your bowlers to run in and get some practice behind them, get accustomed to conditions, take a bit of confidence from claiming some wickets? Instead, you have Rohit, Kohli and Ojha bowling a lot of overs and Ishant just walking off after 5. As expected, Vinay Kumar and Mithun proving to be the buffet bowlers; fill your boots time for the aging Aussie batsman if any of these blokes get a game. I expect Ishant, Zaheer and Yadav to play though alongside Ashwin. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 16 December 2011 at 4:24pm
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I think Ojha should play ahead of Ashwin, not so sure if Ashwin will really be a threat in Australia. And Sporty, I think both Hussey and Ponting have plenty of cricket left in them, rumors are that even Simon Katich is being considered for a comeback!!! That may not happen though with Warner scoring a century. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 16 December 2011 at 5:06pm
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Ashwin obviously has a lot of talent with the bat as well, which may be useful, as India's tail will otherwise be quite long. I think they'll go with Ashwin, but I agree with Sam - slow left armers do very well against Australia, heck even Paul Harris has a 6-for against the Aussies. This practice match that has just been played was a bit of a mismatch to be honest, over 2 days against what you could consider a quasi-Australia C team and an Indian side playing at about 20% capacity, particularly with the ball. Zaheer Khan has to be 100% fit to be a threat, if he's not at full throttle then he will be dispatched as the 4 grounds being used are batting tracks , with the exception of Perth which may provide some assistance (as per Johnson's left arm swing success there against SA and England). Although there are a lot of runs to be scored in Perth still. The Indian batsmen will love Adelaide with the short square boundaries and placcid conditions, and Melbourne's drop in pitches are always disappointing. I'd also expect India to pick two spinners at Sydney, can't see their third seamer option doing any damage. The other seamers outside of Sharma and Zaheer are quite mediocre, but we'll just have to wait and see how they go with selection. The fact that Sharma is inconsistent to the same extent like Mitchell Johnson will not assist, but if he finds his rhythm then he's dangerous - just ask Ponting from a couple of years back. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 16 December 2011 at 7:00pm
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I wonder how Lyon will be used against the Indians. I should imagine pretty defensively given the Indians' forte is playing spin but Clarke has shown he isn't afraid to use him as an attacking option. I agree with sam and Mikey, Ojha is the better choice ahead of Ashwin but I think Ashwin will get the nod. His batting adds strength to a rather weak batting tail. Not that batting is much of an issue for India but runs down the order may end up being crucial in a tight series. The problem with Ashwin is that I don't think he can bowl tight lines and hold up an end, he seems to be an attacking bowler who can leak runs if the wicket is not conducive. The WI series isn't much of an indication as he was playing pretty poor batsmen on helpful tracks, Oz will be a completely different kettle of fish and I'm unsure if his game is suited to those conditions. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 17 December 2011 at 1:01am
Trust me, after Australia's first bowling day, that mindset of his will change. ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 17 December 2011 at 4:03am
| I'm going to wait and see how Lyon goes before making any pre-judgment. I know Hogg wasn't exactly torn apart last time the Indians toured. Albeit, in Hauritz's last series, which was in India, he was nailed to the ground by the Indian batsmen and hasn't played test cricket since. I don't doubt that the Indians will try and attack him to dull his effectiveness, but nonetheless he seems to be a smart bowler and I think if he's attacked that suits him, because he gets wickets in those situations. I wouldn't totally rule out Lyon's effectiveness and none of the Indian spin options are better than him either. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 17 December 2011 at 6:20am
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It's difficult to see Lyon do really well against the Indians, Lyon will want the pace bowlers to make some early inroads for him to be able to attack or put some pressure, if there are no early breakthroughs then Lyon will struggle. Sehwag and Gambhir are going to be the key early on, I don't think Dravid, sachin or VVS will do that well in this series because they aren't young enough do well on tracks like in Australia. Kohli/Rohit and Dhoni may do well so it's going to be a test I think for the Indian batsmen. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 17 December 2011 at 9:09am
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Never really thought about the whole 'age' card, but you might be on to something. Older batsmen haven't really done well here. I can think of Gooch, Gatting, Stephen Waugh, Hayden, etc... all struggled at the end and you could probably throw Ponting into that list. You could probably correlate that to slower reflexes, which are more exposed on faster tracks. I agree with Sam on the topic of Lyon, he has a very good knack of cleaning up the tail and his best utility may be just for that. The pace bowlers have to do the job and I reckon Australia will pick Dan Christian as 4th pace bowler if Watson can't bowl and Khawaja will make way for him. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 17 December 2011 at 5:10pm
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I haven't seen Dan Christian in 5 day cricket but I haven't been overly impressed with what I have seen of him. He was a disappointment for Deccan earlier this year, his batting just looks like a typical LO player and his bowling just appears to be fairly hittable with nothing much going for it. As I said, I haven't seen him at all in FC cricket and who knows, he could be a similar case to Warner but from what I have seen, I don't think he should be representing AUS at Test level. Also, Ishant is someone who is overrated. He is capable of great bursts as evidenced by his troubling of Ponting, WI series earlier this year, but more often than not, he doesn't look particularly imposing. He is tall, bowls with fairly good pace, can get bounce; he seems to have a lot of attributes that a great fast bowler would typically possess. However, I don't think he has the talent to consistently trouble as there is nothing special about his bowling. His promise is overrated by Indian supporters I feel. He is an OK bowler, nothing more than that. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 17 December 2011 at 6:29pm
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Yes I agree with BP, I really don't think Dan Christian is test match material. Warner and Watson must open, Hughes has to go as simple as that. Marsh should come in for Khawaja but if Marsh is Injured then I'd stick with Khawaja rather than Dan Chirstian. My line up would be something like this: Warner, Watson, Marsh/Khawaja, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Haddin, Siddle, Pattinson, Cummins, Lyon... but if Cummins is also injured (along with Johnson) then I think someone like Bollinger or Hilfenhaus should get the nod rather than Starc, I think the experience of Hilfy or Dougie will be useful and you can't play a bowling line up as inexperienced as Pattinson, Starc and Lyon against one of the most experienced batting line ups ever. I mean someone as gifted as Cummins yes, but not Starc over Bollinger or Hilfy. On the "Age" factor, well Mikey I agree, almost every Old player has struggled to do well in AUS on fast tracks, Sachin, Rahul and VVS, with all due respect (and remeber I just love VVS) are old players who have gone well past their peak period, there is nothing much left in them and are on the brink of retirement, I don't see them continuing for long.
------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 18 December 2011 at 12:25am
| Starc looked very ordinary if I am being honest. No way in hell he should play ahead of Bollinger, I can't believe Doug has been overlooked in favour of guys like Starc. I understand Starc is young but he still is nowhere near the class of Pattinson and Cummins, he needs to improve and develop a lot in FC cricket. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 18 December 2011 at 3:01am
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I too agree that there are better options than Starc for Aussies at the moment. Also agree with BP, Dan Christian doesn't seem suitable to fit the all rounder bill. He has ability with the bat, but as far as a bowler goes, he should stick to the limited format, a bit like James Hope. As far as Ishant goes, his main threat was those nasty deliveries seaming back into batsmen or the ones leaving batsmen back of a length with bounce. He no longer does that, so that's why he's not so effective again. I don't find Sharma was particularly very good in the Caribbean, just that anyone could have done what he did against the Windies (wickets is still wickets though). ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 18 December 2011 at 8:33am
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Starc will almost certainly not start. If Cummins is not fit, which is most likely the case, then I think they will seek a different option. Not sure who yet, but we'll just have to wait and see. Perhaps Copeland will receive a recall. I agree on the views above pertaining to Dan Christian, and I for one do not rate him or John Hastings. But I mention his name because he's obviously next in line. MItchell Marsh is one to look out for, and MIckey Arthur likes all rounders. The better choice I think would be Andrew McDonald, whose batting form has been exceptional in the last 2 years and I think his bowling accuracy and his ability to extract seam movement when the conditions allow for it would be very useful. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 18 December 2011 at 2:45pm
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Is Ryan Harris still not fit Mikey? He'd have been ideal at No.8 esp in the absence of Johnson. His batting would have come in handy too. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 18 December 2011 at 3:30pm
| I'm really not sure about Harris - I think he's one of the best bowlers in the world at the moment, but his fitness is always going to be a problem. He really needs to be able to string a whole series together. If he's fit he's a certain starter. Quite proud of the bowling line up we have these days, I dare say it's probably one of the best in the world. If only the middle order could click better... |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 18 December 2011 at 7:24pm
| Not better than ENG and SA but still very good. Easily 3rd best but that's not saying much considering there are only about 8 competitive top nations. They do look very inexperienced without Harris though but how can you criticise Pattinson/Cummins if they keep performing as they have. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 19 December 2011 at 2:48am
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Lets not get carried away with Cummins and Pattinson. They're new to the game, many bowlers have had terrific starts and ended no where. Watch Fidel Edwards, burst on with a fifer but now, speed with the occassion bag of wickets is all that he is worth.
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 19 December 2011 at 6:38pm
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Agree with spinny again, AUS should not get carried away with the performances of Pattinson and Cummins although both look very promising. Aussies do have a bunch of good fast bowlers at the moment which is good to see, what they ned though is a set of 4 bowlers who can cement their places, because at the moment no one is certain, there are plenty who are at par with each other, Aussies will be happy to see a few of them stand out and cement their places. Andrew Symonds, BTW, had given a guest appearance on an Indian reality show Bigg Boss, and I tell you what he is such lovable guy Roy, made us laugh our heads off with his Hindi... fantastic person, such a shame his career ended the way it did. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 19 December 2011 at 11:53pm
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Symonds is to blame for his own demise.
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 20 December 2011 at 9:55am
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Ed Cowan, the 29 year old Tasmanian opener, has made his 4th first class century in a row, this time against India's first choice attack in a warm up games for the Indians. In the same match, Khawaja and Hughes were both dismissed in their 20s and did not look like threatening to make a big score. If Watson is unfit, then I am almost sure that Cowan will debut against India in the Boxing Day Test. Although, even if Watson is fit, Cowan is still a shot to make his debut, as Hughes will almost certainly be dropped for Watson, while Khawaja, Hussey and Ponting , in their current form, surely can't all be included against such a good Indian side. In other news, in the same game, Kohli has made a ton and has made himself a certain started for the Boxing Day test. While Ashwin has taken 4-for and is showing good form. This is particularly important because Zaheer Khan was wicketless and has little match fitness and Ishant has looked poor and lethargic in his recent warm up outings. Bowling is certainly a massive issue for India at the moment, but they'll improve as the summer progresses. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 21 December 2011 at 12:40am
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I know Raj will disagree with me, but I will play Kohli ahead of Rohit Sharma. Kohli looks too outstanding a batting talent to be playing failures like Yuvraj etc ahead of him. Mikey, Warner and Watson will definitely open for Aussies. Tough luck to Cowan but Warner is currently seeing and hitting the ball as good as anyone currently playing the game. ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 21 December 2011 at 12:21pm
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Mate you shouldn't use the word definitely, because Watson is still out injured and Ed Cowan is a certain starter, barring anything else going wrong! Khawaja has been dropped, presumably for Marsh who is in the squad and Hughes is out for Cowan. Thus there are 2 contentious issues: will Christian play ahead of one of Hussey or Ponting and will Starc retain his spot or lose it to the in form HIlfenhaus, on his comeback to test cricket. My feeling is that the team will almost certainly look like this: 1. Warner 2. Cowan 3. Marsh 4. Ponting 5. Clarke* 6. Hussey 7. Haddin† 8. Siddle 9. Hilfenhaus 10. Pattinson 11. Lyon With Starc and Christian being left out. |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 21 December 2011 at 1:01pm
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I'm really not happy with this team why is Copeland out?? he did nothing wrong and Starc and Hilfy were very ordinary still they are ahead of him? ------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 21 December 2011 at 5:32pm
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Mikey's team is the most likely one to play on Boxing day, and I have to say the team has it's weak links, again people making debuts, there have been so many of them in recent days for Australia. It'll be very interesting to see how they go, but India will have their chances, unlike the very strong ENG team they faced in July-August this is a very different side, I wouldn't say weak but as i said they have their own problems. Should be an interesting series this, India have their chance, can they perform though? ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 21 December 2011 at 9:54pm
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Mikey, I thought Watson was passed fit, that's why I used definitely. Well, good news that for India. I think they'd rather Cowan instead of Watson or Warner.
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 22 December 2011 at 7:34am
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Cowan's first class form for Tasmania has been so good they couldn't leave him out. He's a leftie too , which will give the bowlers more to think about. No real surprise with the inclusion of Ponting , but he will need to fire quickly or he won't see the end of the series.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 22 December 2011 at 5:23pm
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I never heard of Cowan before but then I don't really follow domestic cricket of any nation except to an extent Pakistan and India. lets see how he goes, lefties normally have done well against India, almost all lefties do well against India!!! ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 23 December 2011 at 7:08am
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I haven't seen him play Sam , so that's something I'm looking for ward to - he just has to have a better technique than Hughes !
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 23 December 2011 at 9:24am
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Cowan is known for being quite defensively correct, which is a big difference from Hughes. He is however a a late bloomer. He is actually a fine journalist and I have been following both his articles and tweets in the last couple of years and have been truly impressed. He's a very balanced sort of character, and his maturity and experience will hopefully mean he settles in straight away despite being a debutant. At 29 it's not a bad age, considering some of these debutants lately have been seriously young, yet he's not too old and hence why he gets the thumbs up ahead of the likes of Rogers, Jaques (who hasn't been doing that well anyway) and Voges, who have played for Australia before. Cowan's last two tons were against the India XI and NZ XI in warm up games for the tourists, and while the intensity is lower, it's certainly encouraging to see him make runs against touring teams and not just other domestic attacks. I hope he does well, and any reinforcement at the top order will be welcomed! Also, Shaun Marsh has made a blistering 99* in a BBL (Australian domestic T20 competition) in his comeback match into professional cricket. The innings included 5 sixes and was against an attack that featured international bowlers like Razzaq and Afridi and the likes of Tait and Shaun Harwood (anyone remember him?). He fielded the whole innings too and his running between the wickets was extremely impressive. I am hoping that he is 100% fit for boxing day and by the looks of it, despite the match being a T20, he looks in decent nick. If Cowan, Warner and Marsh can for a strong trio at the top of the order, Australia is in good stead to beat India - particularly with the zippy Pattinson and in-form Siddle in the bowling line-up. Hilfenhaus is the favourite for the 3rd seamer position, and from all reports, he has found a yard of pace and worked hard on his variation and action. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 24 December 2011 at 4:04am
And this is exactly the XI that has been chosen. Any change will only occur if there is an injury before the 26th. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 24 December 2011 at 8:19am
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If Ponting and Hussey can come good, that is a very formidable team, the bowling looks potent more so because of the pace Siddle and Pattinson can generate against 37, 38 and 39 year old middle order batsmen, Hilfy can be quick too. India are likely to play Zhaeer and Ishant, both, and that is what they need because their backups in Vinay Kumar and Mithun are crap. Ashwin won't do much either, they should play Ojha but they won't. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 24 December 2011 at 9:16am
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Ashwin did okay in the warm up match and he'll definitely play - particularly because Australia is playing quite a few left handers. Australia are playing three strong, fit an pacy fast bowlers. While India is playing one excellent, but not match fit pace bowler in Zaheer and the inconsistent and probably injured Ishant Sharma. Interesting to see how they both fair. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 24 December 2011 at 4:45pm
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Actually, Ashwin will do better than Ojha. Ojha is not as good a wicket taking spinner as Ashwin. Ojha will keep it tight, Ashwin will give you more chances of a wicket, plus he can bat well too. If India is only playing one spinner, they will definitely go with Ashwin. A lot of people are taking about the age of the Indian batting, but it seems like people are forgetting that not to long ago, Rahul Dravid was making century after century against the best bowling attack. The Aussie decks may have a bit more bounce but the swing that caused all the trouble in England will not be such a factor in Aussie land. Hilfenhaus and Siddle is no quicker than Finn, Broad, Bresnan - they all bowl around the same speed. ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 24 December 2011 at 7:49pm
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If the wicket doesn't assist spin, Ashwin can leak runs. Sometimes it is better to have a tight, pressure-building spinner than a wicket-taking spinner. It depends on the situation, conditions, opposition etc. Ojha would be a better choice but Ashwin should get the nod because of his performance in the tour game and because of his batting ability. They all bowl roughly around 90mph spinny but Finn was consistently hitting 93/94 in the India ODI series. I'd say he is the quickest based on that series but they are all in and around the 90 mark. England's attack has more consistency and penetration, which should come as some relief to the Indian batsmen. Still fancy an AUS victory though. |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 24 December 2011 at 10:33pm
that's a hell of a long tail....it starts at No 4  |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 25 December 2011 at 1:37am
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Clarke made a ton in his second last match and Haddin made an 80 odd also in that match. Let's be fair Clobber, Siddle is batting a lot better than Ponting at the moment, bit of a shame to put them in the same category
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Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 25 December 2011 at 1:40am
Pattinson was bowling in the 150s consistently against NZ and Siddle hit 150 a few times I believe... it is also said that Hilfenhaus is consistently bowling in the 140 range as well. Anyway, pace is not an issue unless the wicket is uneven, otherwise the batsmen can adjust. The key is bowling for swing with the new ball and building pressure - something which Mitchell Johnson could never seem to do well. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 25 December 2011 at 2:31am
Ojha will not be effective in Australia. LBW is almost out of the equation. Vettori is hardly effective in Australia. Spinners do struggle in Aussie land, so its best to just choose the one that will get you more chances of wickets. On the speed of pacers, Finn lately indeed have improved a lot on speed. He has developed rapidly in that regard. But, I was more so talking about their most used speeds. Siddle is capable of rocking up higher speeds, but he consistently hover around the 140 KPH mark, just like Broad, Bresnan, Finn. Pattinson however has bowled consistently for periods in the high 140 KPH, so that's why I didn't include his name on the list. Talking about Finn, England I think have a very good bowler in him. Competition is very tight at the moment in the fast bowling stocks but Finn's pace is very impressive, he looks stronger at the crease and getting bounce too. ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 25 December 2011 at 5:02am
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Vettori has done decently in Australia, bagged a few decent hauls. Left armers have a chance of LBW if they go around the wicket to right handers.... Spinners tend to take wickets here, but are expensive and if a spinner can average less than 35 with the ball they've done a decent job. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 25 December 2011 at 5:24am
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England bowlers might be better and more penetrative but I think the Aussies are definitely a touch quicker and the likes of Siddle and Pattinson and later in the series if they play then Cummins and Harris can touch 150 K, they could hurry up 37-39 year old people on pitches that are a bit quicker and offer more bounce than the ones in England, and their reflexes will be tested. India's middle order is the biggest concern for me in this series, more so because you never know what Sehwag will do, he was back in the hut early in the warm up games, he is always edgy early on and unlike the West Indies, the Aussies certainly won't drop catches to give him more chances.
------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 25 December 2011 at 9:05am
joking aside, Siddle has come on a heck of a lot with the bat in the last couple of years, and there is much to admire in the way he is prepared to scrap hard every time he walks out to bat. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 25 December 2011 at 10:01am
The kind of determination he displays makes me wonder why the guys selected for their batting can't apply themselves in the same manner. One of the best examples is how upset Siddle gets with himself when he flays at a ball outside off stump. He has the right attitude and is in my opinion a perfect no. 9. These days you want a really solid no.8, someone who is a bit of a bowling all rounder like a Broad, Swann, Johnson, Ashwin and so on. Hopefully when Harris is back he'll slot back into there, he started his career off as an all rounder and has a bit more ability with the bat then he has shown at the international level. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 25 December 2011 at 10:04am
Speed has never been a massive issue in Australia and I've been saying for ages and ages, and some people dismissed it, but Australia is full of bowlers who can push the ball out at over 140 kph regularly... In saying that, Australia also has a number of very capable Fast Medium bowlers who shouldn't be forgotten, Peter George and Clint McKay who have both tasted test cricket are examples. Australia's biggest problem is batsmen and they are now following what some are terming the "English Standard" by picking guys who average 35-40 in first class cricket. Cowan is an example.... |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 26 December 2011 at 4:08am
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The lack of quality and penetration in the Indian attack is really being exposed now, as I expected. When an out of sorts and aging Ponting is scoring as freely as he is and the bowlers are still serving up short balls on leg-stump, it's fairly evident that this is not an attack that a supposedly top 2 Test nation should be proud of. Zaheer has bowled well within himself, barely hitting 130kph. Yadav has been quite fortunate for his wickets and has bowled pretty poorly after Lunch. Sad for the neutral to see Warner perish when he was blazing away. Cowan looks determined to make a 100 on debut and Ponting won't get a better opportunity to bat himself back into form with a 100. The pitch does look a good one though and India should make a big first innings score although they are likely to face a better, more in-form bowling attack. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 26 December 2011 at 9:31am
| India fought back well although they were aided by some dreadful umpiring decisions. Good partnership between Haddin and Siddle. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 26 December 2011 at 1:53pm
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I think now people can see why I say that Australia is vulnerable to lose to any of the major test teams. Australia's tail is batting with more resilience than the middle order. ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 26 December 2011 at 5:35pm
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both teams will be happy at the end of the day but I think India have had a slightly better day than the aussies, some really poor umpiring decisions once again raising questions about the use of DRS, I hope India get a couple of real shockers when they come on to bat! All in all an absorbing day's play, tomorrow should be even better. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 26 December 2011 at 7:06pm
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I just hope Tendulkar gets a shocker so we can finally get DRS!!!
------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 26 December 2011 at 7:33pm
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Payback for Sydney 2008???
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 27 December 2011 at 7:35am
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I don't understand how it's payback, Australia didn't control the action of the umpires in 2008. In this series, DRS was available and the Nine Network has the best technology, with regards to cameras and frames per second available for ball tracker. It's an absolute joke to be frank that the Indians can get away without having technology being used and it has definitely cost Australia from making over 400. Bit of a double standard to be honest to allow for the incompetent umpire to check for a no ball via the 3rd umpire, but not allow Hussey or Cowan refer their decisions. In saying that, have we seen the same sort of tantrums from the Aussies as we saw from the Indians in 2008? Certainly not.... |
Posted By: zuhair_abbasi
Date Posted: 27 December 2011 at 8:38am
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Indians in command at stumps on day 2. The big guns have come good - and more to come from Laxman, Kohli and the not out Wall. They could have played an all pace attack with Clarke doing the spin duty. Playing Lyon is not going to do any good to his future prospects - the Indians will absolutely maul him. ------------- http://thecricketinsight.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 27 December 2011 at 9:08am
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Definitely need 5 bowlers against India, I don't know what the selectors are thinking to be honest. In addition, I don't think Dan Christian is the man to be considered when looking at playing a 5th bowler. I'd much rather see someone like Andrew McDonald who has been in marvellous batting form for 2 years now and who is a wicket to wicket seam bowler play, then the erratic Dan Christian. Or even Butterworth, who has been doing a great job for Tasmania for some time. In saying that, Watson should be back in the 2nd test and his bowling will also be quite important. The fast men all bowled well, but the fielding and keeping was poor and cost the bowlers more chances. I thought Siddle was particularly impressive, despite the wicket on a no ball, he hit 150kph at the END of the day and was bowling with controlled pace. He bowled better than his figures suggest. Pattinson was also particularly fast and was given the Indians some trouble, while Gambhir had no idea how to play Hilfenhaus. For me, it was poor fielding and excellent batting that made the day India's... not necessarily bad bowling. Having a young spinner certainly doesn't help, but even so, Warne wasn't that effective against India anyway. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 27 December 2011 at 5:24pm
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India in control but I won't count out an Australian fightback at the moment, esp with sachin gone, a couple of wickets tomorrow morning first hour and AUS could be right back in it. This should be an absorbing test match I reckon. I agree with Mikey, not using the DRS but allowing the umpire to check on the no-ball by making use of technology is absolutely ridiculous and not on, I mean I'm just taking fair, you cannot have double standards like this. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 28 December 2011 at 4:06am
| Agree with everything Sam has said, and he has been spot on. Australia got a couple of wickets and somehow have taken a lead. But nonetheless, the Indians have mitigated the efforts of Hilfenhaus, who has surprisingly nabbed his maiden 5 wicket haul, by taking 4 big wickets. Ponting and Hussey have both made starts now, and if they do get on with it, which is the hope for Australian fans, then the match will be close. Fascinating game, and the fact that Hussey might lose his spot if Watson comes back in the next test means he HAS to make runs. Otherwise Cowan will keep his spot, after a wonderful 68 in the first innings. |
Posted By: zuhair_abbasi
Date Posted: 28 December 2011 at 5:54am
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Ponting goes for another 60 in the match. It should feel like a hundred to him. It is going to be a cracker this one Aussies 200 in lead with 5 wickets down. Really anyone's game. India's batting is pretty good to chase anything within 300 ------------- http://thecricketinsight.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 28 December 2011 at 6:18am
| We've been saying that India's batting is good enough to chase anything near 300 (and it is) but I think their Test line-up is really living on reputation in recent times. Even against WI, their batting looked a bit frail. No one seems to be prepared (barring Dravid) to knuckle down and play a sensible innings. AUS bowling looks class, Siddle has come along a lot in recent times. What a wonderful return for Hilfenhaus and Pattinson is still looking great. If AUS can set IND about 275-300, I fancy AUS for the win. Hell, even 250, I think AUS will win. |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 28 December 2011 at 12:58pm
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Interesting Test match doing on. Can't really say who is going to win. 200 odd runs to win in the last innings always mean the bowling team has a chance. India is good at chasing. If the surface is up and down, Pattinson will be extremely hard to negotiate. In theory, the pitch now should favour India's batting more than the first innings as with wear, it starts to be a bit more sub continent like. And, Zaheer Khan doing as I expected. Still not fully fit but still causing problems to everyone. Also, i'm very impressed by Pattinson. Looks an old fashion fast bowler, tall, wrist behind ball, sending it down on the seam, good areas, movement off the seam. So far, the signs are ominous for opposing team, but, as I always say, its never good to judge after a few test match. ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 28 December 2011 at 1:10pm
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Australia need 300 otherwise its looks very hard and Sehwag will be very important if he gets out early than India will be in big trouble if he gets a start than it will be a easy chase for India i just hope they dont drop any catches which is a habit for them now and Milky i just saw that Watson might miss the full series is it true? they are missing Watson's bowling on this track it was a perfect pitch for him. ------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |