***Official*** Australia in New Zealand

[Zinzan]

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.

Good call Blaze............We are the champs at losing when in a winning position..no doubt about it. Not only against Australia, but we did it in at least 3 games against S.A just a month ago.

The crazy thing is..........that if NZ had of needed 12 off the last over, you get the feeling they would have got 10...and still lost by 2 runs.

A couple of months ago we had a disagreement about who had more natural talent out of Vincent and H Marshall....Wonder if your view has changed yet?? Although he plays in a risky fashion these days, IMO Vincent is as clean a hitter as anyone going around at the moment. Last nights innings along with a couple in the S.African series were as good as you get for clean hitting through the line.

 

[mavric41]

This might explain something:

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

Its always hard to breathe when you're choking.

 

[ClownSymonds]

Poor New Zealand. Australia's treating these matches as practice ones.

 

[Josh]

So, after training this evening, the coach called all the players together into the rooms. He had a talk about general stuff and then moved on to what we were there for.

"If Mick could see how many people were in this room right now he'd be absolutely stoked." and he turned on a videotape of the last over from last night's game, a great over by Mick and a good way to finish his debut.

Great moment.

Some people are suggesting the run-out wasn't out in the media today. Doesn't the ICC have 2 stationary cameras fixed on the crease at each end?? Why did we not get to see that angle?? Are we allowed to see that angle??

 

[Mister Wright]

on cricinfo Lee is listed to come in ahead of Hogg - wonder if that will actually happen

It happened in the first game, can't see why it won't happen in the future (when Lee is fit).

 

[andyc]

It happened in the first game, can't see why it won't happen in the future (when Lee is fit).

I'd much rather Lee coming in in the last 2 or 3 overs personally.

 

[Josh]

I'd much rather Lee coming in in the last 2 or 3 overs personally.

Yeh Lee can blast away from the start. Hogg only blasts away if he's made it past 30, which hasn't happened in a while.

 

[Mister Wright]

Lee's gone home sick and Mitchell Johnson has been selected as his replacement for the last game, which means it is pretty much certain that he'll play otherwise they wouldn't have called anyone up with only one game to go. All I can say is good luck!

I hope Australia forget about Hodge in the ODI team and give Symonds the number 4 slot permanently. Oh, forgot about Martyn...he should keep number 4, anyway get rid of Hodge.

 

[Pratters]

Meaning 30-35% rubbish then

I will not go into the categorisation of the remaining part. But for India in the series it would be 70% of a pressure at least. How much was it from England in the Ashes?

Any way the whole idea of discounting Australia because they have 'never faced a good attack' - if we fail to consider India as a good attack - is ludicrous because there have not been any that good attacks by your defination if you even do not consider India in India as a good attack.

In one instance a team loses a close series and it is considered poor against good attacks? More instances have to be available for that conclusion.

 

[honestbharani]

Clarke's run-out was one of the best I have seen, under pressure. Quite frankly, that won them the game. It's all very well to criticise the batsmen but when a guy knocks the stumps over at the bowlers end from way down at point..thats almost genius.

NZ's confidence is low, its remarkable they even made it to 300 but 5 or 6 players dug deep and they can at least go to Christchurch knowing they have restored some pride.

McMillan is an idiot, he has to go, it's as simple as that. James Marshall needs to go back to Domestic level and there is the possibility that Hamish needs a break too. Astle is a concern, but out of all of them..I reckon he's the most likely to come good.
Kyle Mills has impressed me, ok he got hammered in his final 2 overs but up until then he had been bowling really well so hopefully he continues some good form.

I am not taking away any credit from Clarke's performance, but if you ask me, it is much easier to shoot down the stumps at the non striker's end from point than the stumps at the striker's end... You get all 3 stumps to aim at and sometimes (like Yuvraj got once or twice) you get a really good bounce. It also helps if you are a left hander, your momentum is going in with the throw and you don't have to move around much to get in position to throw down the stumps.



But I didn't see the Clarke run out. I am just talking generally.

 

[Jono]

exactly, i dont see how he can be called the dumbest bowler after one bad performace like that after he has been bowling absolutely superbly in ODI's all year, he just simply lost it yesterday.

Aussie he's not dumb for going for 80+ runs.

Rather his actions in the 49th over prove he seriously lacks a cricket brain, or even logic, at times. I mean if he bowled good length balls and got carted for 20 runs, people wouldn't come here and claim he was an idiot. Eg. Kaspa got smashed for over 20 runs last year when NZ went to Aus which ended up costing Australia the game. No one came here and said he was stupid, he just bowled badly.

Yesterday's game was not just Lee bowling badly, but stupidly as well.

 

[Tim]

yeah but how many international players can still hit the stumps from the position where Clarke was? He was deep at point, pretty much on the circle and McCullum is not the slowest runner either.

I reckon Clarke hits the stumps more than anyone else in international cricket, he is very good.

 

[Blaze]

A couple of months ago we had a disagreement about who had more natural talent out of Vincent and H Marshall....Wonder if your view has changed yet?? Although he plays in a risky fashion these days, IMO Vincent is as clean a hitter as anyone going around at the moment. Last nights innings along with a couple in the S.African series were as good as you get for clean hitting through the line.

Obviously Vincent is playing the better cricket but I still think he is too hit and miss (Auckland to Wellington etc). I think back then I under rated his natural talent for sure and he has plenty of it but so do most of the NZ players. We just can't seem to put consistant performances together.

For example lets hope that Vincent (if he plays) can get another half century. He is obviously in decent form so there is no reason (other than if he gets a great ball) why he can't put another score on the board.

As for Marshall well I have already said in this thread that I think his time is up for the short term. He just hasn't fired for a looooooooong time. Maybe when he got batsman of the year he got ahead of himself and started to think he was invincible. I still think he has a lot of talent though and once he finds some form he should be right.

So in summary yeah, you were justified in thinking that Vincent has more natural talent than Vincent and I underestimated his ability (I said he should not be playing ODI's) but I still think Marshall is a special type of player who has bucket loads of talent and is the type of player we need in the batting line up to balance the big hitters.

 

[Blaze]

Has the team been named for the 3rd game?

Notice how Aus have used this tour to blood some new players yet we are fielding the tried and true line up game after game? How is that planning for the World Cup?

We have lost the series so McMillan and James Marshall can go and we can bring in Fulton and Ryder. We haven't got anything to lose, the aus bowling attack is second string and they can't do worse than the two above.

 

[Sir Redman]

Bond out, Fleming likely to play and Clarke doubtful

Damn.

 

[Tim]

I would probably fall off my seat if McMillan or James Marshall were dropped. If they don't make changes for the Sri Lanka series then there is very little chance of anyone coming in before the World Cup.

Bracewell says he wants to keep the same players, but surely he must be concerned about The Marshall Brothers, McMillan & the back up pace bowlers.

 

[Ming]

I'm disappointed that Bond is out, he's only played 3 ODIs in NZ I think. What a shame.

 

[marc71178]

I will not go into the categorisation of the remaining part. But for India in the series it would be 70% of a pressure at least. How much was it from England in the Ashes?

90% or so.

Any way the whole idea of discounting Australia because they have 'never faced a good attack' - if we fail to consider India as a good attack - is ludicrous because there have not been any that good attacks by your defination if you even do not consider India in India as a good attack.

No it is not, because India's "good attack" isn't consistently through the whole attack, it's 2 men.

 

[aussie]

Lee's gone home sick and Mitchell Johnson has been selected as his replacement for the last game, which means it is pretty much certain that he'll play otherwise they wouldn't have called anyone up with only one game to go. All I can say is good luck!

I hope Australia forget about Hodge in the ODI team and give Symonds the number 4 slot permanently. Oh, forgot about Martyn...he should keep number 4, anyway get rid of Hodge.

word, dont expect him to fly th NZ just to watch the game. With regards to Hodge well yea he might has well be out of the ODI team but thats disappointing IMO because i saw a lot of him playing in domestic OD competions for Lancashire this season gone & i thought he would have made a real ODI option for australia, ah well

 

[aussie]

Aussie he's not dumb for going for 80+ runs.

Rather his actions in the 49th over prove he seriously lacks a cricket brain, or even logic, at times. I mean if he bowled good length balls and got carted for 20 runs, people wouldn't come here and claim he was an idiot. Eg. Kaspa got smashed for over 20 runs last year when NZ went to Aus which ended up costing Australia the game. No one came here and said he was stupid, he just bowled badly.

Yesterday's game was not just Lee bowling badly, but stupidly as well.

well maybe something did really go wronf for him i.e this breathing problem that he has because i have seen a lot of Lee in ODI since he made his debut & i remember 2 other occassions when he went for more than 80, vs PAK at Cardiff in 2001 & vs IND at the gabba in VB 2004 he got carted bowling badly but admitedly neither where as bad as the other morning.

Thats why i say maybe this problem he had was the problem for that stupidity because he was down on pace & really didn't look himself in his final few overs.