Group C - Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies

[Smith]

Got to feel for White. Made a roundtrip around the world in 4 days for no use.

 

[shivfan]

I don't think the Australians are that good at Twenty20, they certainly haven't shown it yet. Whether it be through poor selection or just a poor approach to the game I think the WI, SL, India and SA at least are better than us. SL get in due to today's result as I haven't followed them closely in the format.

Twenty20 is what it is and it throws up more uncertainty than other formats. Not a bad thing in my opinion.

Yeah, I agree with that....

 

[Trumpers_Ghost]

Watson's bowling was terrible, Hodge shoulda been playing in his place.
Also think that our bowlers seemed to have no idea on how to restrict hitting at all. The worst bowling attack at the tournament maybe?

Perhaps Mcdonald who offers something different and is accurate would have been a good call to open the bowling. Would love to have a bowler like Ian Harvey (in his prime). And to those who continually harp on about "Bracken should be in the test team," well I rest my case.

Orthodoxy in tactics and strategy are not conducive to this form of the game. Australia need to wake up or fall further behind.

 

[chaminda_00]

Isn't like Australia lost to Ireland or the Netherlands, they lost to two very good limited overs nations. Don't see what the big problem is.

Aye, not sure what the shame in losing to two legitimate LOI teams is. They picked a shoking lineup, star players didn't turn up and were soundly beaten. Losing to Holland is a completely different level of embarrasing.

Come on guys lets be serious here they got Muburak'd. That is worse then losing to Ireland or Holland. Atleast Ireland and Holland have first class standard players. This guy barely park standard.

 

[shivfan]

you didn't get the point

Neither did Mubarak!

That said, the SL middle-order does look brittle on paper. Sri Lanka have a good top four, and probably the best bowling attack for this form of the game....

IMHO, they might just be the team to beat at this tournament.

 

[Langeveldt]

Love the fact that Australia suck at these poor imitations of real sport.. Kind of like them sucking at Rugby Sevens, I don't think they should be too worried about this collective early bath, concentrate on the Ashes

 

[chaminda_00]

With the way the seedings work for this tournment. Does that mean Australia will likely be in another group with two main nations next WC. Considering they will take Windies ranking of 9th.

 

[shivfan]

I think it's stupid of the ICC to rank teams solely on results in the World 20/20 champs....

That's why we've ended up with unbalanced Super Eight groups. The Windies have been a much better 20/20 side since the last 20/20 champs.

There should be a more reliable ranking system....

 

[chaminda_00]

I think it's stupid of the ICC to rank teams solely on results in the World 20/20 champs....

That's why we've ended up with unbalanced Super Eight groups. The Windies have been a much better 20/20 side since the last 20/20 champs.

There should be a more reliable ranking system....

Watch Australia have a cry and whinge and they will change the ranking format. Though by the time the next Twenty20 WC comes around most of sides should have played enough matches to have a proper ranking system.

 

[Goughy]

Isn't like Australia lost to Ireland or the Netherlands, they lost to two very good limited overs nations. Don't see what the big problem is.

(Besides Warner being a useless tosser, Athlai out)

The problem from my POV is this-

Australia have not been beaten since 1999 (an unbelievable unbeaten run of 29 games, 28-0-1) in ODI WC games. An amazing record that has been build on the right talented players, strategy and mentality.

Two back-to-back losses may not be the end of the world but it is sharp contrast to the dominance of the 50 over game. It is a fair assessment to make that the talent level of the players has declined and that the strategy and selection has been poor. Nothing earth-shattering there but it is still a poor and disppointing performance from Australia. They should have done better.

As for WI being a 'very good limited overs nation', is this the same WI that just lost series home and away to a pretty ordinary England team?

 

[shivfan]

The problem from my POV is this-

Australia have not been beaten since 1999 (an unbelievable unbeaten run of 29 games, 28-0-1) in ODI WC games. An amazing record that has been build on the right talented players, strategy and mentality.

Two back-to-back losses may not be the end of the world but it is sharp contrast to the dominance of the 50 over game. It is a fair assessment to make that the talent level of the players has declined and that the strategy and selection has been poor. Nothing earth-shattering there but it is still a poor and disppointing performance from Australia. They should have done better.

As for WI being a 'very good limited overs nation', is this the same WI that just lost series home and away to a pretty ordinary England team?

Personally, I've always felt that the WI are poor at ODIs, but they have been good in recent 20/20s. And, since this is a 20/20 competition, that is what counts....

 

[Goughy]

Personally, I've always felt that the WI are poor at ODIs, but they have been good in recent 20/20s. And, since this is a 20/20 competition, that is what counts....

I agree, but I was responding to a post that mentioned the umbrella of Limited Overs Cricket rather than T20

 

[Top_Cat]

Aye, not sure what the shame in losing to two legitimate LOI teams is. They picked a shoking lineup, star players didn't turn up and were soundly beaten. Losing to Holland is a completely different level of embarrasing.

That they were beaten by two good sides is tangential to the point; it's speculation of course but it's entirely feasible they would have lost to any of SL, WI, SA, Pakistan, India or NZ on the squad they chose. A W/L in T20I's of just over 50% is pretty awful for a team who had better options.

 

[R_D]

How many mistakes can Hilditch and the selection panel make before they are sacked? And to add salt to the wound, they are not even full time selectors, just as our Test and ODI players are not taking T20s seriously.

It didn't look like that last night.... its just they were beaten by better team in both matches.
There's a case for selectors not taking it serious by picking up such crap T20 team but players not taking it serious ? They looked like they were taking it serious... watch Ponting when they were about to lose it.

 

[four_or_six]

Australia just haven't had the chance to prepare properly, though. If it wasn't for that Pakistan series, for example, a lot more of their players would have been playing in the IPL... Hopes, Watson, Mussey, Bracken, Dussey and Lee (more games). Possibly even Clarke would have gone if he'd been available for the full season. This would have proven extremely valuable imo.

Also, Australia are the only team who had the IPL/T20WC book-ended by two of it's biggest test series. I don't think that helped.

Add that to the fact that they had no chance in the tournament to get themselves into the group stage by beating a minnow, thereby being able to develop through the tournament. After all, we saw them make easy work of Bangladesh in the warm-ups.

Not trying to make excuses for them, but I do think they were up against it.

 

[chaminda_00]

Australia just haven't had the chance to prepare properly, though. If it wasn't for that Pakistan series, for example, a lot more of their players would have been playing in the IPL... Hopes, Watson, Mussey, Bracken, Dussey and Lee (more games). Possibly even Clarke would have gone if he'd been available for the full season. This would have proven extremely valuable imo.

Also, Australia are the only team who had the IPL/T20WC book-ended by two of it's biggest test series. I don't think that helped.

Add that to the fact that they had no chance in the tournament to get themselves into the group stage by beating a minnow, thereby being able to develop through the tournament. After all, we saw them make easy work of Bangladesh in the warm-ups.

Not trying to make excuses for them, but I do think they were up against it.

It not as if West Indies had better preparation. They also had a Test and ODI series that effected their ability to play large parts of the IPL. Three of their players missed the IPL to be fit/prepared for the England tour. Gayle, Bravo and Edwards played as much of the IPL as some of the Aussie players.

 

[Langeveldt]

I don't think you can compare prowess at the 50 over format to that of the 20 over format.. 50 overs being long enough for a better side to establish themselves and you can build a valid judgement of a side on form in said format.. 20 overs to me is just too short to build a game, a couple of wayward overs and you're on the plane home, I don't think thats the way it should work..

 

[Son Of Coco]

Right on cue.

They keep cropping up.

 

[brackenNY]

I don't think you can compare prowess at the 50 over format to that of the 20 over format.. 50 overs being long enough for a better side to establish themselves and you can build a valid judgement of a side on form in said format.. 20 overs to me is just too short to build a game, a couple of wayward overs and you're on the plane home, I don't think thats the way it should work..

If it means Aussies go home first round, it's how it should work

 

[Trumpers_Ghost]

Love the fact that Australia suck at these poor imitations of real sport.. Kind of like them sucking at Rugby Sevens, I don't think they should be too worried about this collective early bath, concentrate on the Ashes

Yeah but Cricket is a REALLY big sport in Australia. Rugby however for all the success we may have had, is only a really a minor sport (probably not much bigger than cricket is in Ireland or the Netherlands).

For this reason, we Aussies care alot more about the fortunes of our Cricket team in all competitions, wheras most couldn't give a stuff about the Rugby Sevens.

cheers