hi All,
sorry about the absence from DTW, i had 10 days of internet connection problems.
does anyone want to post regarding the latest ODI defeat in RSA?
i will knock something up soon, as well as post an update on peoples POTD.
thanks for your understanding.
atb
stoph
With Easter and what not I don't think the internet issues have caused that much trouble, Stoph.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen much footage from RSA of the ODIs and good olde ABC hasn't been airing it so I'll speak about the 4 games so far collectively.
In one way I think this tour has been a good advertisement for ODI cricket as noone could predict the result at the start of play. Aus smashed RSA in the first one and this was completely reversed in the 2nd match. What is unusual is that when closely matched teams meet you'd expect games to be alot closer than what we've seen. It seems that innings are either spectacular or woeful: very little in between. Unlike 20/20 there are few opportunities to salvage if you are 5 for bugger all. At least with 20/20 the game can turn in an instant. ODI just seems to fizzle out more these days. As always I think the only benefit for players in a tournament like this is to get practice: Callum Ferguson will be seen again and should tour Eng (but so should Klinger, Hodge and some others.......), Clarke got some runs in the 4th game, some new (not necessarily young) bowlers have had an opportunity. But really, who gives a s*&t? There's so much 20/20 to come before the Ashes that I reckon it will take a while to get used to cricketers wearing whites!
i forgot about the IPL Lefty... deary me, how did THAT happen? :)
ReplyDeletei STILL have the net probs at home (FARGIN B/POND!) so here is a quick question...
if you win the toss, what do you do? I'm looking at you R.Ponting! "It looked like there would be early swing..." claimed Ricky-tails never fail- Ponting. Was the choice to bowl then a denial of RSA to get use of that swing? Because few in the Aus team are truly proficient with it.
it was good to see most of the stalwarts get runs; M.Hussey you are conspicuous in your absence there! Selectors: how many chances do people get to a) Find form, b)contribute to team totals?
Moreover there's so much limited overs stuff Stoph: ODI tour against Pakistan, 20/20 World Cup and then there's the IPL. At least one of these tournaments is in it's scheduled country.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Ponting elected to field first in the 4th ODI. What an idiot. Unless you're staring at a green top or amazingly bowler friendly pitch surely you'd bat first every time.
The problem with having no longer version matches until the Ashes is that blokes like Hussey don't have the real match practice before it. He may well hit some good 50s before then (like he has recently in ODIs - only) and be picked: with selectors justifying this with his ODI form with the bat. Wasn't enough for Bevan to hold a place in the test team. Why? Because they are two different forms of the game. Success in one does not indicate proficiency in the other.
It does seem like the adage that it's harder to get dropped from the Aus test team than to get into it holds true. After being progressive with ODI team selections: ie giving blokes like Ferguson, Warner, Geeves etc a go, we can only hope Hughes is not an aberration in the test team. What annoys me is that in other sports if you aren't performing you get dropped. It doesn't mean the end of your career: it means an opportunity to get better and prove your worth. If it's a case of age playing a factor - ie at a certain age if you get dropped you won't get back in - why are these guys being picked in the first place? If you pick a guy who's 30 thinking 'he's playing very well and will make runs/take wickets for 4 or so years' and 'if he loses form we'll keep him until the time we envisaged he'd retire/get nudged' then you are a shortsighted moron.
Check out Cricinfo guys - great article on Border with links in it to some scorecards from great matches. Sledgie: you are right about Border. My first cricket bat was a Duncan Fernley AB 5 Star. I loved him when I was a kid. He was so committed to Aus cricket and played and captained in a time of turbulence when we were getting belted.
ReplyDeleteMy first decent bat was an AB 5 star too!! Cost me $400 in 1994 but it was truly worth it. I loved it. Strangely it didn't help my batting much though...
ReplyDelete$400! Mine didn't cost that much - what was yours made out of? That's unbelieveable! I moved to Gray nics after that and have never looked back. Hasn't resulted in many runs though.
ReplyDeleteIt was the Allan Border 10000 runs bat. Maybe it was an All Star. English Willow, beautiful. Mark used it to lever the engine back into his bike one day and put oil and huge gouge marks all over it. His excuse was that I never used it, it was winter....
ReplyDeleteI am now using a Puma bat. So light and great pick up. Good for opening with ample power.
Lucky he's not in India: people get shot for doing things like that there.
ReplyDeleteI've knocked in my baby blue Gray Nics Nitro 1000 I got off ebay for $200 less than retail. She is gorgeous: great pick up and swings through well. It feels like it comes through quicker than my old bat so am still getting used to it.
AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! fuggin telstra!
ReplyDeletedoing my head in!
my 1st bat was a Lords Special for xmas when i was 5. I didn't know you hammered the stumps in with the end of the handle and proceeded to whack away with the face, i cried for an hour when i saw the damage!
NL, you should STILL be allowed to crucify Mark for what he did- doesn't surprise me a bit that he did it.
i too have a Puma now and it is very light. i need that as i am soooo slow at shot selection i need all the help i can get!
SCREW TELSTRA!!!
ReplyDeleteWe just got our cable installed last week, now it doesn't work. No internet at home until 30/4.
I HATE THEM!!
I think I had my first bat when I was about 11 or 12...
ReplyDelete