***Official*** Australia in New Zealand

[Jono]

Oh I have no doubt in my mind after today's match that Brett Lee is the dumbest cricketer around today. There is absolutely nothing inside that head of his. I laughed my *** off when he bowled a bouncer which was called a wide. Seriously, a 10 year old wouldn't be that stupid.

And what about Ponting with the 3 men inside the circle? Tsk tsk

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Didn't see the match, but however badly Lee bowled, dropping him would be ridiculous. Coming into this game he had something like 53 wickets @ 18 with an eco of 4.2 for the year. About as good a year for an express bowler in ODIs you will ever see.

 

[Burpey]

Gees, Brett Lee knows how to frustrate people. Fantastic one day, asolutely crap the next. The guy needs to learn to use his head when he's bowling.

Congrats to Clark and Lewis, two inexperienced at international level bowled superbly under pressure. Thought Hoggy should have bolwed a full 10, just one example of Ponting's questionable captaincy today.

 

[MoxPearl]

the new zealand team imho deserve a huge rap...

i mean lets all be honest.. after that first innings im sure most people were thinking it was already all over..

Changes for the next match i HOPE

- H Marshall
- J Marshall
-Mcmillan
-Franklin.. maybe..

DEFINATLY the first 3.. they have now showed **** for the last few months...

 

[Jono]

There really isn't much point playing Franklin if he's not going to bowl many overs. I believe he bowled 6 in the first match, and 4 in the second. Pointless really.

 

[social]

You people down-grading Lee are kidding yourselves!

Aus got 320+

Lee starts the innings by bowling 155 ks.

NZ respond in the only possible manner - they have a go!

Vincent had a slog and got away with it!

People talked about the NZ batsmen being "scared" after the first game (utter rubbish as we all know), but name 1 player that got in line tonight.

Lee bowled seriously quick again tonight.

A person bowling really quick on a tiny ground is bound to go for runs sooner rather than later.

The kiwis had a swing and got away with it.

End of story.

 

[James90]

Would have been a different story though if Lee had decided to think about what he was doing

 

[Jono]

You people down-grading Lee are kidding yourselves!

Aus got 320+

Lee starts the innings by bowling 155 ks.

NZ respond in the only possible manner - they have a go!

Vincent had a slog and got away with it!

People talked about the NZ batsmen being "scared" after the first game (utter rubbish as we all know), but name 1 player that got in line tonight.

Lee bowled seriously quick again tonight.

A person bowling really quick on a tiny ground is bound to go for runs sooner rather than later.

The kiwis had a swing and got away with it.

End of story.

That explains why he went for runs.

That doesn't explain why he almost cost Australia the game due to stupidity though. That's the main point.

Honestly who in their right mind bowls a bouncer miles over the batsman's head, knowing full well it'll be called a wide, immediately after he bowled a beamer full toss which was called a no ball and was gloved away for 4.

 

[Steulen]

You people down-grading Lee are kidding yourselves!

Aus got 320+

Lee starts the innings by bowling 155 ks.

NZ respond in the only possible manner - they have a go!

Vincent had a slog and got away with it!

People talked about the NZ batsmen being "scared" after the first game (utter rubbish as we all know), but name 1 player that got in line tonight.

Lee bowled seriously quick again tonight.

A person bowling really quick on a tiny ground is bound to go for runs sooner rather than later.

The kiwis had a swing and got away with it.

End of story.

0/85 off 10 including the most horrible death bowling in a long time?

Too easy to just 'blame' it on swinging Kiwi's.

 

[Nate]

1/85...

 

[Nate]

This might explain something:

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/nzvaus/content/story/228884.html

 

[Scaly piscine]

This game re-emphasises why I don't rate NZ's chances in the 2007 World Cup, they get down to needing just 6 off the last over against a debutant... and they still lose. What chance are they going to have in a World Cup under much bigger pressure against McGrath or the like?

 

[Jono]

This might explain something:

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/nzvaus/content/story/228884.html

Maybe the lack of air affected his brain?

In all seriousness though, hopefully all is well. I'd like to see him play in the tests against SA.

 

[honestbharani]

How the hell did NZ lose after getting so close? And what is up with all those run outs? I didn't see the match. Can someone explain if it was good fielding or just pressure?

 

[Jono]

How the hell did NZ lose after getting so close? And what is up with all those run outs? I didn't see the match. Can someone explain if it was good fielding or just pressure?

Clarke's run out of McCullum was just about as good as you can get in terms of fielding. I mean he always hits the stumps, but to do it when the team really needed him to was amazing.

James Marshall's was a suicide run, but at the time Aus were still in charge and favs to win and they were just running on anything.

Mills' was tragic.

 

[Pratters]

Not really, because it's still got a minimum of 2 seamers in it (unless Ganguly does his bowling all-rounder thing)

We are talking of Australia in India and spinners bowled around 65-70% of the overs. Thats a very good attack as far as I am concerned.

England in the Ashes 2005 had Giles bowling what proportion of the overs?

Australia showed by beating India in India they could face a good attack.

 

[marc71178]

We are talking of Australia in India and spinners bowled around 65-70% of the overs. Thats a very good attack as far as I am concerned.

Meaning 30-35% rubbish then

England in the Ashes 2005 had Giles bowling what proportion of the overs?

Much less than 30%

 

[Blaze]

Didn't see the match, but however badly Lee bowled, dropping him would be ridiculous. Coming into this game he had something like 53 wickets @ 18 with an eco of 4.2 for the year. About as good a year for an express bowler in ODIs you will ever see.

Yeah atm he is the best ODI bowler in the world IMO. One bad game on a flat pitch where the batsman are going to enjoy the ball coming on to the bat shouldn't mean much.

 

[Blaze]

This game re-emphasises why I don't rate NZ's chances in the 2007 World Cup, they get down to needing just 6 off the last over against a debutant... and they still lose. What chance are they going to have in a World Cup under much bigger pressure against McGrath or the like?

Totally agree. Same thing happened this time last year against the aussies. We will only win in a situation like that 3/10 which is a huge concern. I mean honestly at one stage we needed nearly 9 an over, to get it down to a run a ball off the last over with a couple of wickets in hand and to blow it is a huge concern. We seem very capable at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

In that situation IMO McCullum should have gone over the top and looked for a boundary off the first ball, or two 2's off the first couple of balls bowled. That puts us in a really easy position early in the over.

 

[Ming]

It's not easy trying to look for a 4 in the last over of the game. What a stupid thing to say. Of course it's ideal to go for a 4 or a 6 early in the over, but let's be realistic. When you are in a 6 off 6 situation, most would avoid risks and take singles hoping it would come down to a 2 off 2 where you would then have the chance for going over the 30m circle without any risk.