***Official*** NatWest Series/Challenge

[aussie]

Ashraful & Bashar's stand really. Although, if one were to be hyper-critical, I think Martyn & Clarke could've attacked a little more in the Oz innings. True you were 3 down, but you bat a long way down the order.

I don't think Hogg is up to the job either. At a push he's a 5th bowler for ODIs, but Punter must've gone in today expecting him to bowl a full complement.

All of that could have been avoided if Ponting had done the sensible thing and bowled first, but i wont make that an excuse its Bangladesh

 

[andyc]

well, good on them i guess. looked like a good game. gilchrist seems to be a bit out of form, though
i'm just so happy none of my friends follow cricket!

 

[King_Ponting]

*gape*

Mindblowing. Hope we get a match like that in the final (Oz v Bangladesh, the way things are going )

No england v Bangladesh the way things are going

 

[aussie]

No england v Bangladesh the way things are going

No no i wont be saying that just yet. If they lose to England tomoro then i might start thinking along that line

 

[King_Ponting]

No i mean going on his post. I have apsolutely no doubt that england will be in the final

 

[luckyeddie]

CricketWeb report

 

[Magrat Garlick]

No england v Bangladesh the way things are going

England will find a way to choke. Somehow.

 

[pskov]

Nice front page at the moment:

Australia humbled by Bangladesh

Sorry Bangladesh slaughtered by England

 

[tooextracool]

Ashraful & Bashar's stand really. Although, if one were to be hyper-critical, I think Martyn & Clarke could've attacked a little more in the Oz innings. True you were 3 down, but you bat a long way down the order.

Well the ball did seam around early on, but for me australia seemed to show way too much respect for the bangladesh bowling attack, and both hayden and martyn really lacked the confidence to score runs against them. and Hayden really did look all at sea in seaming conditions early on.
But that doesnt take anything away from bangladesh, that was one of the best structured chases i've seen in a long time. kept wickets in hand early on, attacked the 4th and 5th bowler, took the singles comfortably without taking any risks and in the end it really was a bevanesque lesson of how to chase a target in ODI cricket

 

[tooextracool]

I do think it shows there is talent in Bangladesh, hopefully now it can be harnessed on a semi-regular basis. Let's be honest, if they can beat Australia they can beat anyone.

its just amazing the amount of improvement they've shown throughout the series. the first test they could barely go 2 balls without going for an expansive cover drive. if they had played with such maturity in the first 3 innings of the test series, it might have been something else.

 

[tooextracool]

All the praise and credit to Whatmore would be less in comparison to what the man has done.

That man is indeed a legend.

And Md. Ashraful, Habibul Bashar have their names in cricket history ensured.

well dont forget that it was aftab ahmad who with one clean hit over long on completely destroyed australia's hopes.

 

[tooextracool]

EDIT: Also Ponting's captaincy was horrible, absolutely horrible. Does he know what a third man is?

it was indeed. how in the world could he have brought fine leg up into the circle when hussey was bowling i'll never know, aftab ahmad of course took advantage of it and flicked a leg side ball for 4.

 

[tooextracool]

Ponting: "It's getting close, trust me"

takes an incredible amount of stupidity to not panic after you lose to b'desh, especially when you've just lost to somerset.

 

[luckyeddie]

takes an incredible amount of stupidity to not panic after you lose to b'desh, especially when you've just lost to somerset.

Who themselves were second-best to current World Champions Scotland

 

[tooextracool]

Four to Rafique! 17 off 14, another boundary and the match is basically theirs.

bowl around the wicket to rafique....mcgrath use some common sense.

 

[tooextracool]

That would certainly be the case. I doubt whether any pound notes have changed hands before this game, *and no*cough*pitch reports*cough*.

My gut feeling is that Australia will just sneak it by about 5 runs.

i personally doubt that, you can hardly say that australia werent trying to play at their best and the emotion was too real, unlike akrams " we just lost to our brothers" line in 99.
i think it was botham who brought up the stat that in 4 games here, the team batting first has lost all 4 times.

 

[tooextracool]

Hehe, the excuses and belittling of the game are coming already and Australia haven't even lost yet.

and you can only imagine the excuses that will come in if england are to win the ashes. 'australia werent playing at their best, so the real test for england to be number 1 is now this winter against pakistan'.

 

[tooextracool]

well Bangladesh wont be getting too close to this target. I'm going out to spend some time with my girlfriend and when i return in about 3 hours or so i'll be expecting a big Australian win

*cough*

 

[Adamc]

and you can only imagine the excuses that will come in if england are to win the ashes. 'australia werent playing at their best, so the real test for england to be number 1 is now this winter against pakistan'.

Since you've raised SP's response to something I posted, perhaps you would also like to address the 'excuses and belittling of the game' which I allegedly posted. All of the Australian posters who posted in relation to today's game accepted the defeat graciously, so it is frustrating to have stuff like that being recycled.

 

[luckyeddie]

Surprised none of you pedants didn't pick me up over the match report, where I said that it was the first century by a Bangladeshi in an ODI.

It was the second.