*Official* Australia in India 2010

[Edged&Taken]

Well Rain can abandon this match.................... But hoping for India to win the Toss at least this time.....

Dhoni should practise his flip through the night, Ponting always calls "Heads"

 

[Manee]

Dhoni should practise his flip through the night, Ponting always calls "Heads"

Reminds me of a funny story. The first time I tossed up (which drew much laughter when I recalled this story to the team), the coin slipped out my hand and landed on its side. No one will believe this, but it happened and was truly embarassing. It was a school vs old boys of the school game too and so the oppo captain, who is a bit of a legend in the old boys school community looked at me as if I was such an idiot.

 

[Furball]

nope. you are not winning frequently because you dont have great bowlers. a johnson and a hilfenhaus and a bollinger and a hauritz dont look good enough to play 30 tests together. whenever australia was on top in world cricket they have had at least two world beating bowlers. and they played in 20-30 games together, at least. must be true for all successful test teams in history. india's best phases coincided with the peaks of bedi/chandra and kumble/bhajji. australia's best in recent times were when lillee/thomson, mcdermott/hughes and mcgrath/warne were doing well series after series. the bowling attack of the present team doesnt look settled. a few shakeups later we may find a working unit. but the present one has the feel of a temporary line up written all over it.

Nah, disagree with that.

I haven't checked each and every scorecard, but I'd wager that every Test Australia have lost or come reasonably close to losing since the home series vs South Africa in 2008/09 will have featured a spectacularly bad batting collapse. In that time frame, I can't recall too many bowling failures where the opposition has racked up huge scores.

 

[Furball]

The transition occurred from 2006-2008. Maybe 2009 at a stretch.

Post McWarne, I'd argue there's been several stages of transition:

The initial post McWarne era was actually reasonably settled, with Mitchell Johnson replacing McGrath and a merry go round of spinners replacing Warne. What happened between Warne and McGrath retiring was Johnson finding his feet at Test level and the gradual decline of Stuart Clark and Brett Lee - I'd argue that the transition properly started when a clean break was made with the McWarne era in South Africa 2008/09. Since then, Australia's bowling attack has been pretty damn good, while the batting, which had been fairly constant with only Jacques and then Katich replacing Langer, had gradually deteriorated - Andrew Symonds' indiscretions saw him kicked out of the side and replaced inadequately, and Ponting and Hussey have declined spectacularly in the last 2 years, not to mention Hayden's post injury decline.

The batting is most definitely in transition, it's not out of the question that Ponting, Katich and Hussey might ride off into the sunset post Ashes, which will leave Australia's batting needing remodelled the same way that the bowling needed remodelled on the South Africa tour.

 

[aussie tragic]

Hussey and North are under the most pressure and I've just realised that their partnershp record is also terrible with 7Inn, 138 runs @ 19.71 over the last 12 months.

Interestingly, Clarke and North have 6Inn, 482 runs @ 80.33, so maybe Clarke and North were a better pairing for # 5 and # 6?

 

[Burgey]

Dhoni should practise his flip through the night, Ponting always calls "Heads"

 

[aussie]

Pretty tough test for Peter George. Don't quite think he is the finished product yet, but still has the ability to cause some damage at the higher level. Awkward bowler to face because of his height. Traps many batsman in two minds if to play forward or back. Not a bowler suited to India, but all the best as he deserves to play.

Also it's nice to see the return of the terrible tailender. George is about at the standard of McGrath 1995.

Was afraid somebody one you AUS who had seen him bowl would say this. This is why i now will say i would have picked Pattinson - if its typical flat wicket. But if the conditions become seamer friendly due to the weather, i reckon George could be fine.

The overcast conditions should help the Indian bowlers more than the Aus bowlers with the exception of Hilfenhaus.

Johnson will get his inswingers going if the conditons do indeed become overseas - which will make him super dangerous. Watson also will have a big role to play.

 

[Manee]

Nah, I think you've stretched things a bit far there.

 

[Manee]

Nah, I think you've stretched things a bit far there.

 

[Shri]

Johnson will get his inswingers going if the conditons do indeed become overseas - which will make him super dangerous. Watson also will have a big role to play.

Johnson doesn't need overcast conditions to get swing. He needs the cricket balls that were used in SA and the rhythm that he had on that tour. If you believe he can do well with overcast conditions alone check out his performances in England recently. He looked and bowled like ****.

 

[Spark]

Nah, disagree with that.

I haven't checked each and every scorecard, but I'd wager that every Test Australia have lost or come reasonably close to losing since the home series vs South Africa in 2008/09 will have featured a spectacularly bad batting collapse. In that time frame, I can't recall too many bowling failures where the opposition has racked up huge scores.

The tests we've lost:

Mohali - 2nd innings
Headingley - 1st innings (massive), 2nd innings (smaller though)
Oval - 1st innings (massive)
Lords - 1st innings, 2nd innings (although much of that wasn't our fault)
3rd away test SA (can't remember which) - 1st innings (but conceding 600+ doesn't help)
Melbourne 08 - 2nd innings
Perth 08 - that was the last that I can recall where we batted well both digs.

However we've had some big bowling ****ups as well. Conceding 600+ is one, but Lords has to count as another.

 

[Woodster]

Johnson doesn't need overcast conditions to get swing. He needs the cricket balls that were used in SA and the rhythm that he had on that tour. If you believe he can do well with overcast conditions alone check out his performances in England recently. He looked and bowled like ****.

I think even Johnson has given up focusing too hard on getting that inswinger going. It has happened infrequently for him in the past, but I don't think even he knows how or why. Needs to concentrate on the good things he can do, bowl pace, slant the ball across the batsman and bang the ball in. It's unlikely he will ever become capable of bowling the inswinger to order the way his action is.

 

[aussie]

Johnson doesn't need overcast conditions to get swing. He needs the cricket balls that were used in SA and the rhythm that he had on that tour. If you believe he can do well with overcast conditions alone check out his performances in England recently. He looked and bowled like ****.

Test in India & SA use the same kookubura ball. ENG use the duke ball.

Johnson's failures in ENG 09, was a mixture of using the duke ball for the 1st time & off-field family issues.

This year vs PAK. Was just down to having having a bad two test.

Everytime since the SA 08/09 series when Johnson has been bowling well & gotten seaming conditions in either test or ODIs, he has gotten the ball to swing. I'm sure you haven't forgotten this match:

6th ODI: India v Australia at Guwahati, Nov 8, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com

 

[aussie]

I think even Johnson has given up focusing too hard on getting that inswinger going. It has happened infrequently for him in the past, but I don't think even he knows how or why. Needs to concentrate on the good things he can do, bowl pace, slant the ball across the batsman and bang the ball in. It's unlikely he will ever become capable of bowling the inswinger to order the way his action is.

Yes he has certainly given up trying to get the inswinger going. But he certainly knows how to bowl the inswinger now, after trying uselessly to become a swing bowler during that windies tour in 2008. Once he gets the right conditions, he will be in buisness & will get the inswinger to right-handers going.

 

[Spark]

Test in India & SA use the same kookubura ball. ENG use the duke ball.

Johnson's failures in ENG 09, was a mixture of using the duke ball for the 1st time & off-field family issues.

This year vs PAK. Was just down to having having a bad two test.

Everytime since the SA 08/09 series when Johnson has been bowling well & gotten seaming conditions in either test or ODIs, he has gotten the ball to swing. I'm sure you haven't forgotten this match:

6th ODI: India v Australia at Guwahati, Nov 8, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com

Rested for the ODIs so we shouldn't be at all surprised that we was **** in England. It's becoming very predictable (for Johnson, anyway) - Johnson immediately after a long break is dire.

 

[aussie]

Rested for the ODIs so we shouldn't be at all surprised that we was **** in England. It's becoming very predictable (for Johnson, anyway) - Johnson immediately after a long break is dire.

Ye. Johnson is one of those bowlers who just needs to keep bowling to stay in match form.

 

[Woodster]

Yes he has certainly given up trying to get the inswinger going. But he certainly knows how to bowl the inswinger now, after trying uselessly to become a swing bowler during that windies tour in 2008. Once he gets the right conditions, he will be in buisness & will get the inswinger to right-handers going.

How perfect do conditions need to be ? He played in the Ashes in England in 09, played Pakistan in England this year, but very little sign of an inswinger while the other swing bowlers were getting it to go to a large degree.

There will be the odd time it may threaten to shape in, but cannot see him being able to deliver it when he wants to. It would be a most useful weapon, but he needs to focus on the very good strengths he has.

 

[aussie]

How perfect do conditions need to be ? He played in the Ashes in England in 09, played Pakistan in England this year, but very little sign of an inswinger while the other swing bowlers were getting it to go to a large degree.

There will be the odd time it may threaten to shape in, but cannot see him being able to deliver it when he wants to. It would be a most useful weapon, but he needs to focus on the very good strengths he has.

Has i said, using the duke ball for the 1st time & not being accustomed to it along with off-field issues affected his peformances in Ashes 09. He wasn't even doing is "very good strenghts" of hitting-the-deck & angled deliviers across the left-hander with consistently for the majority of that series.

Vs PAK 09. As he has shown in his career to date, after coming off a break he takes while to get back into match bowling rhythm & he bowled poorly in those two tests vs PAK here.

So basically once he is in good bowling rhythm & gets a greentop/overcast condtions in either test or ODIs, as this game: 6th ODI: India v Australia at Guwahati, Nov 8, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com

I 100% expect to get his inswinger to the right-hander going.

 

[Spark]

Can't ever predict anything with Johnson, tbh.

 

[Burgey]

Nah, I think you've stretched things a bit far there.