**Official** Australia in Bangladesh

[Craig]

I'm still disturbed that Gillespie now has a 201*.

I know he can bat before he made that knock but if Gillespie can make a double ton then surely we must back Pickup to make a career best knock - I don't mean a 50 or 100, I mean 28?

 

[alternative]

Good on ya Dizzy for 2 bday pressies..

 

[SJS]

- 86 batsmen with career batting averages of 45 and above in test matches including some absolute greats namely , Barry Richards, Herbert sutcliffe, Duleepsinhji, Kallis, Vijay Hazare, Archie jackson, Vijay Merchant, Maurice Leymand, Bill Woodfull, Saeed Anwar, Azharuddin, Steve Waugh

- 24 batsmen with 10 or more test centuries (82 if you take 5 or more centuries) including (besides some of the above) Colin Cowdrey, David Boon, Mark Waugh, Haynes, Vengsarkar, Atherton, Thorpe, Stewart, Ian Chappell, Lamb, Kallicharan, Ganguly, Hassett

- 53 batsmen with over 3000 test runs (115 if you take 2000 and above) including 17 with over 5000 runs and one with over 10000

AND

Gillespie does with the bat what these 114 guys (those with 2000+ test runs) couldnt do in a combined total of nearly

12,000 test innings during which they scored

over 400 thousand runs including

over 800 centuries !!

WOW !!

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

To be fair, Steve Waugh did in fact score a test double century... just it was 200 instead of 201.

Good post though.

 

[marc71178]

What makes you so sure they'll opt for a four-man attack though?

No player capable of batting at 6/7 and being 5th bowler?

 

[SJS]

To be fair, Steve Waugh did in fact score a test double century... just it was 200 instead of 201.

Good post though.

I knew someone will spot that.

To be fair, however, I kept out the 9 guys who had a highest score of exactly 201

 

[Dizzy #4]

Just Wasim Akrim to go, that 2nd wave will be coming real soon, I would have to say Zimbabwe will be next to see Dizzy Glory, wait, cancel 2nd double, I back him for 300! if he gets there, maybe 401*.

Dizzy is the 2nd ever batsman to have a HS that's 10 times his average (Wasim is the other one) If Dizzy gets one againest class, watch out England!

 

[aussie]

well the ODI's coming up, i would say rest Lee for all but no, he could play in the 1st one at least. Also why call up Dorey when Dizzy is already there, a nit stupid to me.Here is my 1st ODI team:

Katich
Gilchrist
Ponting
Symonds
Cosgrove
Clarke
Hussey
Hogg
Lee
Bracken
Johnson

 

[Dizzy #4]

are you out of your ****ing mind? Johnson will score a ton, a bowling ton!

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Good side. I think Australia might play 5 bowlers though, with Hogg and Lee at 7 and 8. In that case, Cosgrove will miss out and Cullen will play.

 

[aussie]

yea thats an option as well, but i want to see Cosgrove sooner rather than later.

 

[Dizzy #4]

I much rather Gilchrist Bowling than Johnson, even Gilchirst will get a wicket or 3!

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

yea thats an option as well, but i want to see Cosgrove sooner rather than later.

Rest assured, Cosgrove will play some time during the series. However, I think Australia will stick with five bowlers given the opposition and Lee's batting form.

 

[aussie]

well if i think about it seems as if that will be the likely option.

 

[Matt79]

Yeah, against the 'Deshis are they even going to need all of

Katich
Gilchrist
Ponting
Symonds
Cosgrove
Clarke
Hussey

Alternatively, they might decide that if required, the conditions might suit Clarke bowling a few overs and therefore forego the extra specialist bowler.

Obviously they're not going to field a full strength side against Bangladesh, but you do kind of miss the days when you knew what the one day side would look like from week to week...

 

[Gloucefan]

Yep. Great all round performance. Back to his best. Has to be a certainty for the first ashes test.

Get a grip 8 wickets in two test matches against Bangladesh doesn't signify Gillespie being back at his best.

Congrats to him on his double hundred though, that was a great achievement.

 

[DanielFullard]

Agreed.

Gillespies bowling was good but its far from him at his "best". 2001/2 was a great time for him

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I thought there was a lot more to be happy about than just the 8 wickets. Remember, he may have been bowling against Bangladesh, but the wickets were awful for the seamers. Even when Australia got hammered on day 1 of the first test he kept it tight and took a couple of wickets.

He was swinging the new ball pretty consistently, and bowling with fair accuracy, the two things that really left him last Ashes. Not saying he's back to his best, but there's good signs.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I thought there was a lot more to be happy about than just the 8 wickets. Remember, he may have been bowling against Bangladesh, but the wickets were awful for the seamers. Even when Australia got hammered on day 1 of the first test he kept it tight and took a couple of wickets.

He was swinging the new ball pretty consistently, and bowling with fair accuracy, the two things that really left him last Ashes. Not saying he's back to his best, but there's good signs.

The real thing to watch is not the results, but rather if he's doing anything with the ball. From all accounts, he is. That's a good sign.

He looked dead and buried against England last year. He was bowling fairly accurately, but did absolutely nothing with the ball and looked less capable than Adam Sanford in terms of getting anyone out.

This is one situation where statistics don't tell the full story. He may just be getting Bangladeshis out, but in England last year he didn't even look like getting Harmison and co. out.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Is he getting the ball to move away off the seam? That surely is the thing to lookout for and the thing that was missing during the Ashes.