**Official** Australia in Bangladesh

[FaaipDeOiad]

That shot that Ashraful played to get out is one of the worst batting displays I have ever seen at test level. What the hell was he trying to do? That was a Craig McMillan shot.

Anyway, this pitch suits Australia much more. More bounce and decent pace (at least now, might slow up). There's no much turn again but the bounce probably means more to all of Australia's bowlers anyway.

Bangladesh's lower order is a worry. You have to feel that once they get 5 or 6 down it's not going to be long before Australia are batting.

 

[Ikki]

As for Gillespie, do you reckon... Ashes?

 

[aussie]

well i slept through the 1st sesson. Intersting selections in this game, kind of surprised to see Martyn dropped, but i guess the selectors are sending the signal to him that he needs to be more consistent with the ashes coming up, thus is gives pup a chance to show some decent test form. Nice to see Jaques and Cullen playing though..

 

[aussie]

As for Gillespie, do you reckon... Ashes?

for me once bowling this well, he should be a sure pick.

 

[kwigibo]

Martyn has tennis elbow, he wasn't dropped. He made a hundred 2 matches ago, how could they drop him.

 

[age_master]

They were talking on Fox about a game where Macgill, Miller and Robertson played against Pakistan as the most recent time Australia had 3 front line spinners inthe side. from about the same time period though i think.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

They were talking on Fox about a game where Macgill, Miller and Robertson played against Pakistan as the most recent time Australia had 3 front line spinners inthe side. from about the same time period though i think.

Yep, Australia played 3 spinners in that game too, but it was before the SCG Ashes test by a couple of months.

http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Matches/MatchScorecard.asp?MatchCode=1438

 

[aussie]

Martyn has tennis elbow, he wasn't dropped. He made a hundred 2 matches ago, how could they drop him.

oh well, now i know i slept through so i thought he was dropped.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Martyn has tennis elbow, he wasn't dropped. He made a hundred 2 matches ago, how could they drop him.

Brad Hodge scored an unbeaten double-century two matches before he was dropped.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

That is one of the most absurd series of events I have ever seen on the cricket field. What the hell was going on?

Aftab Ahmed edges a full toss on to his boot, it flies up and Gilchrist catches it a metre or so off the ground. The only doubt is whether it hit the boot or the ground, so the umpires call for a replay.

The replay shows at a simple glance that the ball came clean off the boot and that it was out, but no decision is given. After what felt like about 10 minutes of delay, the third umpire inexplicably turns on the green light and the batsmen celebrate a let off. The Australian players look completely bewildered since they would have all known it was out and that it would have showed on the replay, so Ponting walks over to Dar and Howell and presumably asks them what the hell is going on, at which point they get back on the walkie-talkies, talk to the third umpire for about 30 seconds and then give the batsman out.

I repeat - what the hell?

 

[aussie]

That was some crazyness there, it was obvious that Ahmed was out, the look of the players said it all Anyway i wonder if Cullen with get a bowl in this innings.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

It was obvious that he was out, yeah. I don't think that's really the issue.

There are two weird things for me.

Why on earth did the third umpire say it was not out? The only possible doubt on the replay was about whether or not there was an edge on the ball, but the umpires can't ask the third umpire about that anyway... only about whether or not the ball hit the boot. It obviously did, from every replay, so the decision was an easy one, yet it took 7 minutes to make.

Secondly, why did the decision get changed? The only explaination I can imagine is that Ponting asked them why it was given not out, and the umpires went back to the third umpire to query the decision and his explaination involved doubt about the edge and not about the ball hitting the boot. I can't imagine that he went over there and asked for a review and they gave it to him, so it must have been a decision they made independantly after speaking with the third umpire. Either way, it's completely ridiculous that they can't get across a simple question like that and get a correct answer. It wasn't even a lineball decision.

 

[Ikki]

Weird, I thought maybe Ahmed had said something and that's who Punter kept pointing to. After the wrong decision was made, you can see Saleh start nodding his head and talk to Ahmed. Seemed to me it was kinda like "Don't worry if they got it wrong, it happens, don't say anything and play on".

 

[Ikki]

Beauty by Macgill to get Saleh.

 

[aussie]

whoa, that was a tremendous flipper form MacGilla well bowled

 

[Jono]

The confusion between the umpires regarding whether Aftab Ahmed was out is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen on a cricket field.

 

[kwigibo]

It's bade enough they keep letting Dar umpire matches but this Howell fella is utterly useless.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Give Cullen the ball for gods sake. He did the same thing to Cameron White in one of his few ODI appearances.

 

[aussie]

haha, Rafique it was just a matter of time.

 

[Ikki]

Bloody hell, that Wrong-Un from Macgill. How's the batsman supposed to pick that? Pfft, what a bowl.