Cricket Thread

[mrbrownstone]

Fuck it's hard to be a New Zealand cricket supporter, it really is. Here I am thinking oh wow NZ are actually making some strides towards being a decent test cricket team, we managed two hard fought draws against India, the number one team in the world, in India. Then just when I think that, bam we get bowled out for 275 and 110 by Pakistan and get absolutely fucking destroyed.

Just a shocking performance, these guys need to realise this isn't a one day game they are playing. I mean look at some of the dismissals, McCullum is looking good for a hundred, he makes his way to 56 and he throws his wicket away playing an upper cut to deep backward point, just pathetic test batting. Same with Guptill he makes his way to a scratchy 50, sure he wasn't always convincing but the important thing was he was still there then he gets a waist high full toss that he could hit anywhere and he hits it to cover, just a fucking soft dismissal. Mcintosh is the worst though, he just looks so far out of his depth at test level that it isn't even funny, he needs to be out of the team immediately.

The only shining light amongst this is the discovery of Kane Williamson. He actually looks to be a genuine test specialist, as opposed to the norm in NZ of one day specialists who play tests on the side. He looks full of class and like he would be more than capable of batting long periods of time. He should be persisted with and I could eventually see him being our permanent number three with everyone else dropping down a spot.

Now what would I do to the team to help fix it? First off Mcintosh is out, I'm not particularly sure who is available to replace him but surely there is a better option out there somewhere.

Second Reece Young can be dropped, he didn't look all that good of a Wicketkeeper to me he dropped a catch off Vettori, not an easy one but at international level it should have been taken he also missed a stumping chance and just overall looked less than impressive with the gloves, he also looked nothing special with the bat. As for his replacement, McCullum can take the gloves back, I'm sick of him being a whiney little fuckhead who dosen't want to keep anymore, if I was the coach I would tell him he has to keep or he will be dropped from the side, he is by far the best keeper in the country so he should be keeping, end of fucking story. That would also free up the number seven spot where Franklin would come in, he has been in terrific form with the bat and still has a lot to offer with the ball no reason why he shouldn't be in the side.

Finally I would bring in Adam Milne in place of Arnel, sure Arnel had a good time of it last game but I don't see it lasting long it was more bad batting on Pakistan's part than good bowling from him. Milne on the other hand is quick, he is capable of bowling 150 KP/H which is something we have been missing since Bond retired, sure he is only young but I say get him into the side now while he is still quick and see how he goes, it is definitely worth a shot if he leeks runs so be it but he is a definite wicket taking opportunity.

 

[Барбоса]

I think there is a very good swinger bowler in Ben Hilfenhaus is he was to make a slight change in his action. His posture has a tendency to crumble on delivery with his arm falling away, leading to him getting early, mostly harmless swing. If he were to correct that, perhaps looking at how Jimmy Anderson has rectified his problems from earlier in his career, I think that he could get swing off the pitch rather than out of the hand and could be a dangerous new ball bowler.

Stuart Clark is another unfortunate case in the world of seam up bowlers. I would put him in the same bracket as Simon Jones - could have been an excellent first change/old ball Test bowler but injuries have come at the worst possible time and taken their toll on his Test career. Without those injuries I think he could even have been a replacement for McGrath with his very English, wicket to wicket style.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Fucking hell, another top order collapse for New Zealand. These guys need to learn how to bat in a test match, they aren't playing one day cricket. If you analyse the dismissals then for the most part today the players got themselves out, it wasn't exceptional bowling just poor batting.

McCullum left alone a ball he should never have left, sure it may well have gone over the top in hindsight but you can't blame the umpire for giving it out.

Williamson played at a ball that he probably should have left alone, I have a bit more sypmathy for him here as it was a fairly good ball, so I don't place too much blame on him here.

Guptill played a horrible shot, he got frustrated because he hadn't scored in a while and flirted at a wide one he shouldn't have played.

Ross Taylors was by far the worst, he was set on 78 and NZ desperately needed a hundred out of him and what does he do play an expansive shot at a wide ball, very poor test match batting.

Franklins was horrible too, he could have smashed that anywhere or left it alone but he gets a knick on it straight to the keeper.

Ryder is the only one who I don't place blame on for his dismissal, he got a gem of a delivery first up and there wasn't much more he could have done with it.

Overall a bad day for NZ but it can be resurrected if these two at the crease and Tim Southee can bat well and get them to 320+ then they are in with a chance.

 

[Барбоса]

Well, well, well.

The world of cricket may have just witness one of the greatest giant killings ever along with one of the best one day innings ever - move over Sachin, Brian and Viv: Kevin O'Brien has taken his place with not only the biggest 6 of the World Cup so far but also the fastest century in World Cup history helping his Ireland team overhaul the highest run chase in World Cup history in the process to beat England.

Even though I thought Rankin, Johnson and Mooney bowled really well at the death after Stirling had returned fine figures earlier on to restrict England to 327 (less than India could restrict them to) I have to say that I gave our boys little or no chance of getting such a total. With Potterfield going first ball and the rest of the upper order getting in and then getting out to reduce the team to 111-5, reaching 200 was looking unlikely but then Big Kev (not Pietersen) let loose and with excellent support from Cusack and then Mooney, he brought up his century in just 50 balls, eventually being run out (he was completed wrecked) for 113 off just 63.

Even then I was still not backing our guys but once the target got below 50 to win, I started to believe. Some poor bowling from England was capitalised upon by Mooney and then Johnson and in the end they made it look ridiculously easy.

UNBE-FUCKING-LIEVABLE

 

[Burnout]

Right on,

Kevin O'Brien was awesome today, I stopped getting live updates when it was 111-5, and I couldn't believe it when I heard they had won. Truly astonishing match, If this doesn't help Irelands plea's for test nation status, I don't know what will. Now, the match just shows how Ireland should have crushed Bangledesh, and since we didn't get the victory there, the Super Eights are an unlikely target, unless we can defeat India or South Africa or the Indies, all of which is an incredibly tall order for the purple haired lads.England are only a point ahead, so we need to hope that they lose to S.A, the Indies, and we need Holland to upset them, which they have done before. The Indies are our best bet for another upset, we just have to go slow and grind out a good score.

Hoping for a miracle to see Ireland through, will be a damn pity if we don't after today's performance.

 

[neiljhonson01]

Betters say India and England are gonna be in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Even i expect England to be in the final despite yesterday's defeat by Ireland.

 

[Барбоса]

Some more astonishing hitting in the World Cup today, this time from Ross Taylor of New Zealand. To be fair the Pakistan bowling was shocking, far worse than Kevin O'Brien faced from England. Veterans like Akhtar and Razzaq wilted under the pressure and bowled some real filth - full tosses to a man who had already shown his ability to clear the leg side fences but take nothing away from New Zealand. To score over 100 runs in 5 overs, the bulk of which came from Taylor, is sensational.

Makes me wonder why New Zealand have not kicked on as a one day side. Taylor has not scored the runs that he is clearly capable of on a regular enough basis. Vettori is a fine captain and one of my favourite bowlers. Mills and Southee are good line and length bowlers although I do not think they have replaced the express pace of Shane Bond yet while the likes of the MacCullems, Oram and Styris are good all rounders (perhaps too many all rounders and not enough specialists?) while the Kiwis have always been a good fielding side.

 

[Burnout]

A bit late with this,

Ireland fought valiantly against India, the 2nd ranked team in the world. We had a poor start, losing two wickets rather quick, but we really steadied ship and batting like a top team getting back to 122-2. Then we started to fall apart. India stepped up the bowling a notch, and once they got Kevin O'Brien out, we were doomed. Our last few batters are rather poor(bar Mooney and Johnston), especially Rankin, so they fell with relative ease. We bowled well, for our standards. We limited them to a low run rate, with some great overs bowled by Rankin and Dockrell. Rankin is usually pretty dodgy with the bowling, bowling plenty of no balls and what not, but he held it together today. After we got the 5th wicket, I started to think we could do it, but then, a 16 run over killed us completely with some great batting by Pathan. If that over didn't go that way, we had a reasonable chance of winning, if not, we would have left them with very few balls to spare. If we had knocked off 250, we would have had a good chance of winning. Ireland need to start churning out 250 as a minimum each time if they bat first, anything less just isn't competitive against the big nations. Several players need to step up their batting, Like Rankin and Dockrell, and even Striling(he has plenty of potential, but just hasn't shown enough of it yet.)

Will Ireland get through, I doubt it now, but if we can beat the Windies, we have a great chance, but I have a feeling if we beat the Indies, Netherlands will end up beating us.

 

[Burnout]

Another fun day in the Cricket World cup.

Game 1: Ireland vs. West Indies.

Firstly, I'll start with my native team up against the W.Indies. This was the real make or break match in Irelands hope to qualify to the Quarter Finals. We started excellently. We had them rattled, and their run rate was only around 3.5 after 30 over’s. Then the slide began when Kieron Pollard stepped up to the crease. Scintillating innings by Pollard, he hit fours and sixes everywhere. We had a chance to get rid of Pollard before he did maximum damage, but we dropped a catch, and Pollard made the most of this misfortune, leaving a healthy total of 275 after Ireland wiped out the Indies lower end batters for only a handful of runs. Then we started the batting. Once again Stirling is out super quick; man he's had a terrible world cup to be brutally honest. Porterfield followed for only 11 runs. Niall O'Brien followed but then Ed Joyce and Gary Wilson steadied the ship and got us to 177/4. It was looking good, but then the run rate started to increase, and it was going to be a huge struggle. Joyce was out, followed by Kevin O'Brien, who has certainly fell from grace in the last two matches. Gary Wilson was wrongly put out. We began collapsing after that odd decision, and went all out for 231. We had the match for the taking, a combination of the Pollard misfield, and some weak batting, and good bowling took the game away from us, but we should have won.

Now Ireland have next to no chance of getting into the super eights, so many things have to happen, there’s around 4 theories, but each theory involves Ireland beating South Africa, and well, that is not going to happen. Hopefully we can smash the Netherlands, and put a real stamp of authority to the ICC, as were are ridiculously better than all the other associate nations.

Game 2: England vs. Bangladesh

Fun game, once again England loses it. Bangladesh were great, and I got chills when they won, with the crowd going absolutely insane. Well done to Bangladesh. England, well good on ye for the way Swann was acting in the game, accept the fact there were beating ye, no need to complain about the ball.

Player of the day: Kieron Pollard.

 

[LilacFray]

Woot! India Vs Sri Lanka - Finals

This is gonna be awesome! India and SL made it to the finals. Ofcourse I'm supporting my country, SL.

But I've got a feeling India's gonna win the World Cup this time. They've improved so much lately! And their level of confidence.!

As much as I hate to think about it. Lol. Oh well, time will tell. Gonna be glued to the TV screen on saturday..!!

 

[unxplainablr2dm]

Still hurt from yesterday's defeat to India and it pains me to say it but they did deserve to win (this is coming from a Pakistani supporter) but if any team deserves to win on Friday, it is Sri Lanka. They have been the best team throughout the World Cup with consistant individual performances helping them out (Dilshan, Murali, Jayawardene to name a few) compared to India, who rely heavily on Sachin Tendulkar so Sri Lanka look like the team to beat in the final. The toss will be a massive factor on Saturday because if India are forced to chase, that'll leave Sri Lanka with the upper hand.

As a neutral for the final, I would love to see an epic battle between the two legends of Murali and Tendulkar with the Sri Lankan winning with an absolute beauty defeating Tendulkar.

 

[LilacFray]

Still hurt from yesterday's defeat to India and it pains me to say it but they did deserve to win (this is coming from a Pakistani supporter) but if any team deserves to win on Friday, it is Sri Lanka. They have been the best team throughout the World Cup with consistant individual performances helping them out (Dilshan, Murali, Jayawardene to name a few) compared to India, who rely heavily on Sachin Tendulkar so Sri Lanka look like the team to beat in the final. The toss will be a massive factor on Saturday because if India are forced to chase, that'll leave Sri Lanka with the upper hand.

As a neutral for the final, I would love to see an epic battle between the two legends of Murali and Tendulkar with the Sri Lankan winning with an absolute beauty defeating Tendulkar.

Ah. I was supporting Pakistan yesterday, know that? And yes, it did hurt.. I had high hopes.

Hearing that about SL makes me feel so much better. Lol.

And I agree about the Murali and Tendulkar thing.

By saying Pakistani supporter, are you from Pakistan? If not, where?

 

[unxplainablr2dm]

I live in England, my mother is English and my dad is from Pakistan so I support both teams and after England's... attempt per se I was kinda hoping I would have some sort of hope

 

[Burnout]

I was meant to do something earlier on this, but I just completeyl forgot.

My Irish team review:

William Porterfield: Great captain throughout, didn’t have a great tournament with the bat bar his competitive innings against. He had a decent knock against a poor Dutch team.

Overall-8/10

Stirling: Excellent bowling throughout by Paul, much better than I thought he’d produce. He had a poor enough tournament with the bat but made up for it in the last game. He needs to get a game head and learn when to go after the bowling and when to respect it, but he is going to learn a heap from the tournament. His fielding was good.

Overall-6.5/10

Ed Joyce: He didn’t look his fluent best with the bat. He will be disappointed I’m sure with some of his performances. His ground fielding was superb and really help Ireland limit the big guns.

Overall-7/10

Niall O'Brien: The most consistent and most comfortable looking of all our batsmen in the tournament despite the fact he didn’t really put up any high scores. He looked our best bat all world cup. His keeping was superb as usual.

Overall-9/10

Gary Wilson: Looked in good form with the bat when he got the chance to show it. He will be a tad disappointed with his fielding though with a few drops including a potential tournament changing drop of Pollard.

Overall-7.5/10

Kevin O'Brien: Amazing versus England, just amazing, performance of the World Cup. He was nothing great in the other matches, but who cares when he single handedly crushed England. Bowling was very costly. Good fielding.

Overall-7.5/10

Alex Cusack: Good enough batting. Bowling was very poor, no wickets with a high and costly economy.

Overall-6/10

John Mooney: Bowled well and consistently, showed he can be a good middle to low order bat but didn’t have the same consistency as he did with the ball. I think he will be pretty pleased with his performances though, as I am.

Overall-7/10

Trent Johnston: Bowled his usual consistent nagging wicket to wicket line, and our best seam bowler in the tournament. Fielded well but has more batting ability than he showed granted he never got to come to the crease in a good position to work from. His experience to the squad is invaluable.

Overall-7.5/10

George Dockrell: One of the most impressive spinners in the tournament. The variations and way he kept the world’s finest batsmen in check was nothing short of exceptional. Didn’t disappoint in the field either and for a tailender did better with the bat than I expected. Irish player of the tournament.

Overall-9/10

Boyd Rankin: Poor tournament if I am to be brutally honest. That His fielding was ok and for a number 11 batsmen did ok. He will be disappointed with his overall tournament.

Overall-5/10

Good Tourny for Ireland.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Still hurt from yesterday's defeat to India and it pains me to say it but they did deserve to win (this is coming from a Pakistani supporter) but if any team deserves to win on Friday, it is Sri Lanka. They have been the best team throughout the World Cup with consistant individual performances helping them out (Dilshan, Murali, Jayawardene to name a few) compared to India, who rely heavily on Sachin Tendulkar so Sri Lanka look like the team to beat in the final. The toss will be a massive factor on Saturday because if India are forced to chase, that'll leave Sri Lanka with the upper hand.

As a neutral for the final, I would love to see an epic battle between the two legends of Murali and Tendulkar with the Sri Lankan winning with an absolute beauty defeating Tendulkar.

Come on man that is just now true. I am saying this as a neutral (NZ supported) so don't think I'm biased here. Saying India have relied almost exculsively on Tendulkar is just silly. What about Yuvraj Sing (spelling?), Sehwag and Ghambir. Not to mention Raina who played a crucial innings of 36* the other night at a time when India could have easily been bowled out for 220 odd.

 

[unxplainablr2dm]

I re-read my post and yours and I understand what you're saying but if you were to look through the matches which involved India and look at the highest scores, you would see Tendkulkar's name a lot. But I do think that India are slowly breaking out of it because of Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag and the in-form Yuvraj Singh.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

So when all was said and done, on April 2nd 2011 India lifted the ICC Cricket World Cup for only the second time after a gap of 28 long years. With this they dispelled quite a few notions that had already been dispelled time and again but then as some posters have shown in this thread, its hard to get rid of notions that have been drummed repititively into your head.

India showed that they could win without a significant contribution from the incomparable batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin looked good in his brief stay on the crease but unfortunately he could only score 18. Yet while an Indian team of say 1999 would have collapsed almost immediately, the youth brigade of the Indian team held their own in tough circumstances. Gambhir played calmly while Dhoni played the spinners exceptionally well and finished off things with a bang.

As a huge fan of Sachin I would have liked him to score a century in his last World Cup match, in all probability. But I guess fairytale endings are only reserved for, well, fairytales. Still he has had a great tournament and has ended up as the highest rungetter for India in this year's World Cup.

All in all it has been a great day for an Indian Cricket fan.

 

[Барбоса]

After all of the talk about how good India are, they have been blown away by England, who deservedly take over as the World's No.1 Test Team.

I understand that India have been hobbled with injuries to Yuvraj and Harbhajan Singh, although when they were playing in the first test, India were still walloped. Zaheer Khan has been particularly missed from what became a toothless Indian bowling attack. However, least it be forgotten that England have been without the world's best batsman over the last 18 months - Jonathan Trott - and yet it did not alter their dominance.

The Indian batting was particularly useless. No score over 300 in 6 innings for a team littered with high quality batsmen - Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Gambhir, Sehwag etc. Only the likes of Dhoni and Kumar actually showed any guts on a regular basis and even then only when the result of the test was a foregone conclusion. There do seem to be some young batsmen coming through like Virat Kohli (I would like to see a lot of them being blooded in the final test) but I fear for the future of Indian bowling as there does not seem to be too much coming through.

I also understand that this series was played in England in extremely favourable conditions to the England bowling attack. However, this attack has already ripped apart the Aussies in Australia so the only test remaining is on the Subcontinent, although due to security concerns in Pakistan, England have a long time to wait to test themselves there.

This says that England not only have the best First XI, they also have the best Test squad, particularly in the bowling department. When fast bowlers like Chris Tremlett and Steven Finn who would both walk onto any other test side cannot get a start for England, that speaks volumes for the quality that Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower have at their disposal.

The batting line-up is as long as I have ever seen with the Number 11, James Anderson, being the designated Nightwatchman, suggesting that he has a good defensive technique while all of the other bowlers are more than capable of scoring half centuries.

One of the only things I think England could improve further upon is in back up to Graeme Swan in the spin department and even that would not involve adding a player to the squad as I think that with a little more time spent on his bowling, Kevin Pietersen could easily fill that gap. He gets good turn and just needs to add a little more control.

If England can keep all of their players fit and control in the same vein, they could dominate Test cricket for a few years to come.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

It's pretty obvious that England were the ones who were better prepared for this series. I have a feeling that maybe India looked at the World Cup as their endgame. Not that they did not want to do well in England but I think they just got a touch complacent after conquering the World Cup. Also a new coach has come in and he may not have really settled into his groove whichonly adds to the confusion. Such little things matter obviously in a series of such magnitude.

England's preparation is highlighted by the manner in which they have been getting Tendulkar and Laxman out in the series. They have capitalized on Laxman's lack of footwork and his tendency to play the pull shot in the air. With Sachin, their strategy is very similar to the one Australia applied to him in 2003. Frustrate him, bowl the swinging delivery outside off and get him to play his booming cover drive. To be fair to him though, the luck hasn't always been with him in this series and that can be said about the whole Indian team.

The whole team was depending on Zaheer to deliver but he got injured on the first day of the first test itself. Unlike what Barbosa has said, Trott wasn't as important to the England batting as Zaheer was to India's bowling. Also Trott only got injured on Day 2 of the second test. He was fully fit for the first test. Ishant Sharma was another guy whom a lot was being expected from after his great series in the West Indies. But even he has come up short. Ishant is very good but he like a lot of young fast bowlers needs a mentor and Zaheer was that. Ishant and Zaheer could have been a potent bowling unit. Ishant, on his own, however is just not ready. This is in stark contrast to England's bowling unit which has been a settled one for quite some time.

But no excuses can be made for India's performance. They were underprepared for this series and against a great team like England, it shows. Though I would not say that this is the end of India's brief dominance in World Cricket. The ODI's are still left where India have always delivered regardless of their bowling attack.

It is interesting how the English media is saying that it has been a great thing for the English team, one of the weakest sides a decade ago have become the best team in the World. What they have obviously forgotten is that India was also a pretty weak team at the turn of the decade. They have gotten to the No 1 spot earlier and one team that they have been walloping both home and away has been the English team. Beating India is a good start but they have a lot to prove still. Can they beat India at India for starters? Can they beat South Africa at England or in South Africa? Even Australia will surely mount a stiff challenge for the Ashes this year because they do not like loosing.

I think that people should understand what the "You don't own the number 1 spot, you earn it." line by Dhoni means. It means that one bad series does not make any team a bad team and niether does one good series make anyone a good team. India have been performing well for over a decade now with a few slip-ups here and there while England have really come into their own right now. If history tells me anything, it is that the Indian Cricket team learns fast and with England and South Africa both playing at their peak, it is going to be a great 3 way battle for the top spot in Test Cricket.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think it is great to see England finally fulfil their potential and take over as the number 1 team in test match cricket for the first time in my lifetime.

The boys performed exceptionally well, admittedly in favourable conditions, against and Indian team who never once looked even close to winning a match in the series. To restrict such a formidable batting line-up to less than 300 runs in EVERY SINGLE INNINGS of the series shows just how well England bowled, and every batsman made valuable contributions to a fantastic series win.

After they won the Ashes in 2005, England have always looked capable of becoming a great side, they had the nucleus of a good side back then and have constantly been improving, with the likes of Jimmy Anderson growing each and every year and now being regarded as one of the top bowlers in the world. Stuart Broad looks capable of becoming a genuine all-round superstar and now Matt Prior could arguably be named as the best wicket keeper/batsman in the game. Jonathan Trott is a run-making machine, Alistair Cook is a world-class batman, and the likes of Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen are obviously class players too.

The bowling department is strong too, with Anderson and Broad performing superbly well (Broady answering any critics he may have had this series), and Graeme Swann is proving a magnificent find and being the spinner that we have long been searching for. With the likes of Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett impressing, and Steven Finn a more than capable stand-in, England have a great chance to consolidate their new spot as World Number One over the next few years.

India are an aging team, Australia are in a process of rebuilding, and England are constantly looking stronger and stronger. The days of collapsing after losing a couple of wickets look to have finally gone. It's a great time to be an England fan!

 

[SD619]

So now that India have been whitewashed in the test series and with the loss of the no. 1 ranking(they have now dropped to 3), I think that their morale will be quite low for the ODIs. I think that they will win one or two matches, but lose the series.

The only positive that India can take from this series has to be Dravid's form. He was quite brilliant and without his contributions India would have struggled to reach 250 in any of the innings. He should play a few similar knocks in the one-days as well and will hopefully be well supported.

I think that the main reason that England are such a quality side in almost all conditions as compared to India is their domestic structure. Their domestic test squads and matches are miles ahead of the Ranji trophy. The pitches in England suit all kinds of bowlers and also have something for the batsmen as well. India also need to prepare such pitches at the domestic level.
Another major difference is the presence of senior players with international experience(like Marcus Trescothick etc.) in the English county squads. Indian seniors like Ganguly or Kumble must also play for their respective teams in order to nurture the youngsters(much like Warne did with the Rajasthan Royals). Playing with such players will be a great learning experience for the youngsters.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

It's been another very disappointing series for an Indian cricket fan as the Indian team has been literally blown away 3-0 by Australia and look to be heading towards yet another series whitewash. They played the fatigue card and the lack of preparation card in England as an excuse for their defeat but they have run out of excuses here. There was a pretty long gap between the home series against the West Indies and the tour of Australia and they have also had two tour matches to play and were in Australia almost three weeks before the series began. I guess they will play the complacency after winning the World Cup card now. Tigers at home, kittens abroad is the maxim that used to plague the Indian cricket team in the 90's and it certainly looks like those days are back again.

The experienced batsmen have been wasted on this tour. Laxman, once the biggest nightmare of the Aussie bowlers, looks lead footed and past his prime. Dravid seems to have lost the form he showed in England and looks vulnerable against the incoming ball. Sachin looks to be under pressure to complete his hundredth ton and even though he has been timing the ball well, he is unable to convert his starts into big scores. Sehwag seems to be hiding behind his "natural game" excuse and been getting out too many times in the same fashion than any international batsman should. Gambhir looks iffy outside his off stump and even though he has tried to rectify that problem of his by playing more positively he still has this tendency to fish outside his off stump after a while which is causing his undoing. Ironically, the guy who was supposed to be dropped, Virat Kohli, seems to have worked the hardest at his game and looks to be putting a price over his wicket. His undoing earlier in the tour seemed to be his a penchant to play shots that were not required but he seems to be bridging the gap. Dhoni however still looks unsure as to how he should approach batting in a test match, whether to attack or defend.

India's bowling has done better than its batting but again the bowling unit has let crucial moments slip out of their hand. The Aussie batting was under the kosh in both the innings' as Melbourne but got away and they should have never been allowed to get 149 on the first day at the WACA. The WACA is a difficult wicket for everyone to bat on but the Indians seemed shell shocked by their own dismal display to focus on the situation at hand.

The Aussies did have their fair share of problems coming into the series but they seem to have rectified most of them. Ponting and Hussey look good enough to play cricket for another 3-4 years and Warner has been a great find at the top of the order. He looks like someone who can change the game in the space of 15 overs or so. Hilfenhaus, who probably would not even had played had Pat Cummins not been injured looks like a bowler set to dominate Test Cricket for a long time. His outswinger starts from leg stump due to his slightly round armed action and that makes it almost an unplayable ball for any right hander. He also seems to be able to move the ball both ways. The lack of a quality spinner seems to be their biggest concern at the moment and they could struggle in the sub continent because of that. I really thought that Steven Smith, the all rounder, had some potential to become a good leg spinner.

All in all I believe that the crowd have been the biggest losers here. Australia/ India test series have always been very intense and had it not been for a few exciting Ashes series in the last 5-6 years, Australia vs India would have replaced the Ashes as the blue ribbon rivalry of cricket. But it hardly seems to be the case in this terribly one sides series.

 

[Khalifa]

It has definately been disappointing for India but awesome for us Australians. To me it just seems India aren't interested and it has seemed like that the whole time they have been here. They aren't even doing extra practice despite there very lackluster performances so far. Instead they are going out and complaining about what we Australians are doing before the test. It has been a great sign for some of our bowlers especially since they are all trying to keep there spot.

I also really admire Michael Clarke for not going on to beat Don Bradmans record of 334 runs (I believe thats it) for his own ego in test 2. Instead he retired after Hussey got his 150 and Clarke was on 329. He did it for the team which is what every captain should do. Things are finally looking up for the Australian cricket team and the next ashes is looking like it will be a good matchup if both teams keep strong.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I stopped following the series after the 2nd test. It was bad, really bad. I mean for India to fold up like that was pitiful. I have absolutely no idea, how the young generation deserves to be heralded as great. I have sneaky suspiscion of heridetary-scared-stiff-of-bounching-pitchosis has been passed down. Atrocious.

I agree with the Rattler that the fans have been thoroughly disappointed in all this as we expected a very close encounter, and we were given an anal sex tape of Micheal Moore and a picket sign.

 

[LilacFray]

The Sri Lankan team's performance has been terrible and they've let me down so many times the past month or two. What with everyone wanting to have Dilshan removed from Captaincy on top of other issues, everything's just messed up. I wish Sangakkara hadn't given up his spot just like that. Watching all those matches in which they lost so lamely just made me lose interest in a way.