An Australian Story...

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Thanks for the support. I'm glad to see interest in my story.

Re: Clarke. Martyn was out of form earlier in the series and I brought in Clarke. He's been amazing since, so he earned his pick in the final. He got a good 27...

 

[Cloete]

ok... i think i would have gone with martyn for the final. but yeah i guess u had to hope and go for clarke. 27 aint too bad. actually just thinking. i play harvey in every form and he is like 15th on test bowling ratings and like 8th on ODI. also macgill is a champion. he's like 1 and 2. btw harvey is in both for batting as well!! i also like to play Campbell instead of Gilchrist. as i find gilly gets outta form so damn easily. on harvey (AGAIN:P) he is averaging over 30 with the bat in both forms no after 2 years and is about 25 in bowling for both forms!!

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Gilly does tend to lose form easily, but he's in top ODI form currently for me (as you'll see by looking back a few games in my story).

Harvey is in my ODI squad all the time, but he doesn't play very often. Recently in my story you would see that MacGill played alongside Warne in the Tests v SL and replaced Warne (rested) in the ODI's. He's a useful player to carry around.

 

[Cloete]

wat difficulty level u playing on?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Normal.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

**THE 2002 ASHES IN AUSTRALIA**

Pre Series Results:-
England beat NSW by 7 wickets.
England beat Victoria by an innings and 32 runs.

Australian 12 for 1st Test
M Hayden (Test Bat 41.52)
R Ponting (Test Bat 51.29)
D Martyn (Test Bat 47.38)
D Lehmann (Test Bat 44.00)
S Waugh (Test Bat 52.11)
M Slater (Test Bat 44.65) - scored a century against England in the warmup.
A Gilchrist (Test Bat 44.57)
B Lee (Test Bowl 23.27)
S Warne (Test Bowl 25.20)
J Gillespie (Test Bowl 24.20)
G McGrath (Test Bowl 22.16)
A Bichel (Test Bowl 34.76)

 

[Mr. P]

nice mate, interesting to see slater in that line up:rolleyes:

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

1ST TEST at the Gabba - Australia (#1) v England (#6)
Australia- M Hayden, M Slater, R Ponting, D Lehmann, D Martyn, S Waugh (capt), A Gilchrist (wk), S Warne, B Lee, J Gillespie, G McGrath.
England- M Atherton, M Ramprakash, G Thorpe, J Crawley, G Hick, N Hussain, A Giles, S Guy, D Cork, D Gough, A Caddick.
-------
Toss:- Australia - bowl first
-------
DAY 1
Nice conditions for the seamers. I've decided to insert Nasser and his team and knock them over, hopefully before tea.

Score:-
Lunch - England 83/5 (Lee 3/24, McGrath 2/32)
Tea - England 112 ao (G Hick 20, Lee 6/33, McGrath 2/33); Australia 1/0
Close - Australia 105/1 [33 overs] (R Ponting 49*, M Hayden 45*, Cork 1/20)

Needless to say it was a good day for the Aussies. I expect to knock a further 120-150 before lunch and have a 300+ lead by the end of the day.
-------
DAY 2
Still good conditions for the seamers. I expect to knock a further 120-150 before lunch and have a 300+ lead by the end of the day.

Score:-
Lunch - Australia 181/2 (R Ponting 81*, D Martyn 36*)
Tea - Australia 259/4 (R Ponting 115*, S Waugh 25*)
Close - Australia 334 ao (R Ponting 140, Hayden 50, Cork 4/72); England 12/1 (Lee 1/4)

England bowled better than expected, but we still lead by 210 runs going into Day 3 of the Test.
-------
DAY 3
Excellent conditions for the seamers and the spinners. This should be over by lunch.

Score:-
Lunch - England 110/1 (G Thorpe 52*, M Ramprakash 42*) - Well played England!
Tea - England 164/6 (G Thorpe 60, M Ramprakash 48, Lee 3/42, Warne 2/46)
Close - England 207/8 (S Guy 25*, N Hussain 30, Lee 3/55, McGrath 2/39)

England have fought better than I thought they would. That said, they enter Day 4 still 15 runs behind...
-------
DAY 4
This time I'm sure that it will be over before lunch!

Score:-
Lunch - England 240 ao (S Guy 40*, Lee 4/63, Warne 3/54), Australia 24/0 [2.3 overs]
-------
RESULT: Australia won by 10 wickets.
MoM: B Lee
COACH'S COMMENTS: 1/ Lee got his career best figures of 6/32 and his second 10-wicket haul of the year. He moves to #2 in the Test bowler rankings, behing Warne and ahead of McGrath completing the Aussie trio.

(Full scorecard is attached.)

 

[bugssy]

nice story mate

i used to do a story with south africa on another cricket web site

keep it up buddy

 

[marc71178]

nice story mate

i used to do a story with south africa on another cricket web site

keep it up buddy

But that site was really really pants!

 

[bugssy]

lol very true hence i stopped it

i got over that site

i absolutely loathe it lol

 

[Cloete]

lol yeah same

 

[bugssy]

mate do u mind if i do an aussie story or would i be ruining your fun.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Sure. Why not. I don't update this very regularly anymore anyway.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

2ND Test @ PERTH (WACA)
Australia XI
M Hayden
M Slater
R Ponting
D Martyn
D Lehmann
S Waugh
A Gilchrist
B Lee
S Warne
J Gillespie
G McGrath

12th man: Andy Bichel

England XI: M Atherton, M Ramprakash, G Thorpe, G Hick, M Ripley (37.77 FC avge; 10 games; 3x50; Test debut), N Hussain, A Giles, S Guy, D Cork, D Gough, A Caddick.

Toss: Australia (field)
Conditions: Help for seamers and spinners in sunny conditions.

Day 1
England 1st innings 163 ao (59.5 overs)
(M Ripley 50, G Hick 38, D Gough 22 not out, G Thorpe 22)
(G McGrath 5/47, J Gillespie 4/39, B Lee 1/17)
An exhibition of high class pace bowling from McGrath and Gillespie as they ripped through the top and middle order. A very notable inning from the debutant Ripley - he could be a star in the making.
Australia 1st innings 90/0 (33 overs)
(M Slater 45 not out, M Hayden 43 not out)
No ball even beat the bat as Hayden and Slater looked at complete and utter ease at the crease.
---
Day 2
Australia 1st innings 335/3 (125 overs)
(M Slater 138, M Hayden 85)
A great day for us. Hayden and Slater added a clinical 188 for the 1st wicket with Slater reaching his hundred and then accelerating.
---
Day 3
Australia 1st innings 515 ao (191.2 overs)
(M Slater 138, S Waugh 86, M Hayden 85, R Ponting 84, D Martyn 80)
(D Gough 3/102, A Caddick 3/118, A Giles 3/131)
Waugh, Ponting and Martyn batted superbly against a very lacklustre showing from the English bowlers. The squeeze is on with a massive 352-run lead.
England 2nd innings 85/4 (32 overs) 267 runs behind
(G Hick 32 not out, N Hussain 15 not out, M Ramprakash 15)
(B Lee 3/19, G McGrath 1/19)
A wonderful spell by Lee. He came and ripped through the top order of the tourists. Young Ripley only managed 7 runs in his second effort on debut.
---
Day 4
England 2nd innings 236 ao (103.4 overs)
(A Giles 46, N Hussain 42, G Hick 37 retired hurt, S Guy 32)
(B Lee 5/65, G McGrath 2/61, Gillespie/Warne/Lehmann 1 wicket each)
Clinical finish. We were at no stage in trouble. Brett Lee took his 15th and 16th wickets of the series as England slumped to a second consecutive defeat. Their bowling was novice but the batting was better. The gap between these two teams is growing increasingly larger...
---
Result: Australia won by an innings and 116 runs (2-0)
[B}Man of the Match:[/B] G McGrath

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

TEST BATTING RANKINGS
1/ R Ponting 914
2/ S Waugh 812
3/ M Hayden 638
4/ D Martyn 637
5/ M Jayawardene/D Cullinun 613
6/ M Slater 599
7/ H Kanitkar 564
8/ S Karim 556
9/ J Kent 546
10/ G Kirsten 544

TEST BOWLING RANKINGS
1/ B Lee 912
2/ G McGrath 903
3/ P Sharma 870
4/ S Warne 860
5/ A Kumble 834
6/ A Caddick 794
7/ A Giles 734
8/ D Cork 684
9/ J Gillespie 636
10/ D Gough 630

 

[Mr. P]

Good to see Punter on top of the rankings there. Interesting to see Kent up there.:O

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

3RD Test @ -
Australia XI
M Hayden
M Slater
R Ponting *
D Martyn
D Lehmann
A Gilchrist +
A Bichel
B Lee
S Warne
J Gillespie
G McGrath

12th man: Steve Waugh

Bichel comes in for Waugh, who is struggling with an injury.

England XI: M Atherton, M Ramprakash, G Thorpe, J Crawley, M Ripley, N Hussain, A Giles, S Guy, D Cork, D Gough, A Caddick.

Toss: England (bat)
Conditions: Poor for seamers but help for the spinners in sunny conditions.

Day 1
England 1st innings 278/6
(G Thorpe 78, J Crawley 57, M Ripley 56 not out, S Guy 35 not out)
(J Gillespie 4/56)
The bowlers looked flat in the 2nd period, with the ball beating the bat only once and only Crawley's wicket falling. Gillespie got 2 in the last session though, in a fine spell of bowling, but then Ripley and Guy held us up again. Andy Bichel bowled very poorly all day long.
---
Day 2
England 1st innings 377 ao (132.1 overs)
(M Ripley 91, G Thorpe 78, J Crawley 57, S Guy 51 - maiden Test 50)
(J Gillespie 4/74, G McGrath 3/84)
Australia 1st innings 121/1 (53 overs)
(M Hayden 42 not out, M Slater 40, R Ponting 32 not out)
(D Gough 1/28)
---
Day 3
Australia 1st innings 371 ao (134.3 overs)
(M Hayden 153, R Ponting 49, M Slater 40, A Gilchrist 38)
(A Giles 6/140)
Superb innings by Hayden, but no one gave him any support.
England 2nd innings 11/1 (5 overs)
(M Atherton 8 not out, M Ramprakash 2)
(G McGrath 1/5)
A crucial breakthrough in the final session.
---
Day 4
England 2nd innings 292/7 (105 overs)
(M Atherton 48, G Thorpe 49, S Guy 43 not out, D Cork 37 not out)
(G McGrath 3/78, S Warne 2/23)
A tough day as Simon Guy scored runs again to frustrate McGrath and co. Bichel bowled 7 unimpressive overs in play.
---
Day 5
England 2nd innings 336/7 dec. (114 overs)
(S Guy 69 not out, D Cork 54 not out, G Thorpe 49, M Atherton 48)
(G McGrath 3/78, S Warne 2/23)
A tough day as Simon Guy scored his second 50 of the game and of his Test career to frustrate McGrath and co.
Australia 2nd innings 256/8 (84 overs) - target 344 for victory
(D Martyn 58, M Hayden 37, M Slater/D Lehmann 35)
(A Giles 4/76, D Gough 3/76)
Like any Australian coach, I went for the victory. After all, it was just 4 runs an over needed. However, when Ponting was dismissed 128/3, I realized that it would be best to close up shop. Even then, the English bowlers almost pushed home a win, but Brett Lee (12) and Jason Gillespie (17) saw out the final 44 minutes well enough.
---
Result: Match Drawn (2-0 Aus)
Man of the Match: M Hayden
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
Matthew Hayden 150 points and Ricky Ponting loses 9 points as Ponting retains his #1 ranking, but Hayden moves to 3rd. Steve loses 6 due to his sitting out of the Test, but he holds firm at 2nd.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

4TH Test @ -
Australia XI
M Hayden
M Slater
R Ponting
D Lehmann
D Martyn
S Waugh *
A Gilchrist +
B Lee
S Warne
J Gillespie
G McGrath

12th man: Michael Clarke (153* in an FC game recently)

Waugh back for the unimpressive Bichel.

England XI: M Atherton, M Ramprakash, G Thorpe, G Hick, M Ripley, N Hussain, A Giles, S Guy, D Cork, D Gough, A Caddick.

Toss: England (bat)
Conditions: Poor for seamers but help for the spinners in sunny conditions.

Day 1
England 1st innings 175 ao (80 overs)
(M Atherton 71, N Hussain 29)
(S Warne 4/58, G McGrath 3/26)
Australia 1st innings 26/0 (12 overs)
(M Hayden 18 not out, R Ponting 4 not out, M Slater 4)
(D Cork 1/10)
Some poor strokeplay by the English men in a feeble attempt to be aggressive. Slater was out to an inswinging yorker from Cork which hit him in front, but we're in firm control.
---
Day 2
Australia 1st innings 356/3 (111 overs)
(M Hayden 134, R Ponting 106, D Lehmann 85 not out)
(D Cork 2/69)
Only 55 runs before lunch, but when Hayded reach 100, he took his game up a notch and batting was easy for everyone else who came to the crease. Ponting played superbly for his century.
---
Day 3
Australia 1st innings 614/7 (208 overs)
(M Hayden 134, D Lehmann 115, R Ponting 106, D Martyn 80, S Waugh 76, A Gilchrist 54 off 57)
(A Caddick 2/111, D Cork 2/128)
Another fantastic day for the home crowd. The English bowlers look desperate to return home and Martyn, Waugh and Gilchrist were in no mood to help them out. A fine return to form for Gilly.
---
Day 4
Australia 1st innings 631 ao (218.2 overs)
(M Hayden 134, D Lehmann 115, R Ponting 106, D Martyn 80, S Waugh 76, A Gilchrist 54 off 57)
(A Giles 3/204, A Caddick 2/111, D Cork 2/128)
England 2nd innings 248/5 (83 overs)
(G Thorpe 86, G Hick 76 not out, M Atherton 30)
(S Warne 2/44, G McGrath 2/55)
Thorpe batted very well and Graeme Hick played some nice attacking strokes, but overall England are a long way off, needing 208 runs to make us bat again.
---
Day 5
England 2nd innings 335 ao (132 overs)
(G Hick 136, G Thorpe 86, M Atherton 30)
(S Warne 4/73, B Lee 3/72, G McGrath 3/76)
Hick scored a deserved hundred, but Brett Lee bowled a sharp spell after a flat first session. Well played by the boys as we go to shut out England in the 5th Test.
---
Result: Australia won by an innings and 101 runs (3-0 Aus)
Man of the Match: S Warne

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

TEST BATTING RANKINGS
1/ R Ponting 913 AUS
2/ M Hayden 855 AUS
3/ S Waugh 824 AUS
4/ D Cullinun 698 SA
5/ D Martyn 696 AUS
6/ G Hick 671 ENG
7/ G Thorpe 643 ENG
8/ D Lehmann 609 AUS
9/ M Slater 571 AUS
10/ H Kanitkar 564 IND

TEST BOWLING RANKINGS
1/ G McGrath 900 AUS
2/ S Warne 891 AUS
3/ P Sharma 870 IND
4/ B Lee 869 AUS
5/ A Kumble 834 IND
6/ M Hayward 821 SA
7/ M Muralitharan 804 SL
8/ W Younis 706 PAK
9/ A Donald 691 SA
10/ A Caddick 684 ENG