***Official*** NatWest Series/Challenge

[tooextracool]

Massively boosted by 19 not-outs out of 39 innings. He's decent I guess, but Solanki and Jones are certainly much better IMO.

solanki maybe, but jones?
little to much alcohol for you.

 

[tooextracool]

McGrath gets Strauss

dunno how many people noticed, but as soon as mcgrath got his line right and started to get the in swinger to the left hander going, strauss always looked like easy prey, and its not the first time hes had problems with the inswinger this summer either.certainly bad omens for the rest of the summer.

 

[superkingdave]

South African KP the new oneday world star !!! What a record !!!!!!!!!!!

keep fishing, i don't think you're getting many bites..

 

[tooextracool]

God, I was just thinking as I saw no slip there - "What about all those times Gillespie has gotten Trescothick in the slips..."

the irony of it was that it was the fastest ball that gillespie bowled all day(84.6mph), and one of the few that was accurate and went away from the left hander. all this seems to suggest that tresco might still be incapable of playing gillespie if he bowls at his best.

 

[Zinzan]

keep fishing, i don't think you're getting many bites..

 

[Demolition Man]

Possibly a slight exageration looking back at score cards. I'll re-phase that......KP has been the best oneday batsmen for Engalnd by a country mile !!!! As I said earlier ....very Un-english in his approach actually NO fear !!!! I really rate him ...typify's South africa's sporting attitude !!!!

I guess it sorta helps being un-english, when your not english.

 

[tooextracool]

Best ENGLISH ODI team ever, by a mile, because we're usually rubbish.

err no. with vaughan, strauss, collingwood, solanki, lewis and jones records especially.

 

[luckyeddie]

I guess it sorta helps being un-english, when your not english.

Now where's those sour grapes again?

 

[Demolition Man]

I don't wanna go overboard (actually, that's an untruth; I do, but I'll restrain myself for the purposes of decorum & not looking a div when it all goes **** up) but I think this weekend has proved a couple of things, if nothing else:

1) Australia are still a bit underdone on this tour;

2) Australia are a team on the way down.

Now let me qualify that second point, Australia are still a magnificent team; unquestionably the best in the world & will probably have too much for us come the tests. Nevertheless there are signs of fallibility. Mainly to do with Father Time I think. Dizzy & Kasper are both palpably creaking &, as good as McGrath was today, he hasn't looked quite the bowler he was on his last visit. After them the seaming cupboard looks a little bare. As for the blonde fella sitting the ODIs out, well even Mark Waugh has said Warney isn't the bowler he was.

As for SR Waugh... well, Clarke is a good young player, but is he a Steve Waugh? Unfair to compare perhaps, but those are the shoes he is essentially being asked to fill. The little fielding slips are very un-Australian too, although there was a big improvement today.

So, to summarise: Australia to win, but we're no longer beaten before the first ball is bowled! Game on!

1) understatement , but how often on english tours does this occur, 1997, 1999 WC, 2005....
2) umm no, will brazil ever be on the way down in football ??? the answer is no, aussies have cricket in their blood, they will never decline.,

 

[tooextracool]

Afew off the top of my head
 Damien Martyn catching Wavell Hinds at Adelaide oval
 Glen McGrath of Shane Warne Adelaide oval ashes 2002-11-24
 Mark Waugh at WACA against new Zealand
 Mark Waugh VVS Laxman 3rd test India 2001
 Dutch guy catch at ICC championships 2002
 Mark Waugh world cup final 1999
 Adam Gilchrist first season in Australia a few one in famous Bellerive test
 BRAD HOGG AT POINT FOR WA VERSUS UNKNOIWN AROUND 1997 SHIELD GAME AT WACA In 1995-96, he also claimed what some commentators still affectionately dub 'the catch of the century' - diving horizontally to his left to grasp the remains of a full-blooded cut shot from South Australia's Paul Nobes.
 he has often thrilled fans in Perth with his ability to produce the unpredictable, perhaps the best example of this found in a series of wickets and sensational catches in the final two matches of Western Australia's title-winning 1999-2000 Mercantile Mutual Cup campaign.
 And or mike Hussey at point
 Murray Goodwin
 Gilchrist during 16 streak Vs Pakistan Perth and Hobart
 Gilchrist huge run and dive in ashes 2001 Tresco thick in England
 Tyson outfield catch
 Sort of Macmillan versus India 2002 odi
 Andy Bichel versus south Africa odi 2001-2002
 Mark Taylor catch using feet at SCG?
 David boon Warne hat trick
 Laxman vs Zimbabwe at Adelaide oval 2003-2004
 Ponting vs India at mcg leaping high full length 03-04
 Steve Waugh vs Windies classic
 Andy Symond’s heaps
 96-97 sri lanka vs India odi gem gabba Adelaide or tassie
 tillikaratne 4th attempt agains aus 2004-03-16 kandy Symond’s
 m Taylor 4 attempts flicks it of his boot catch
 m Waugh catch with the fingers
 Sinclair catch in outfield verus Australia game one chapel hadlee trophy
 D bravo game 1 VB series 2005, gilchrist catch

not one of those match adam bachers catch of tendulkar in SA.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Possibly a slight exageration looking back at score cards. I'll re-phase that......KP has been the best oneday batsmen for Engalnd by a country mile !!!! As I said earlier ....very Un-english in his approach actually NO fear !!!! I really rate him ...typify's South africa's sporting attitude !!!!

Just without the choking bit.

Just to check, will you be referring to Symonds as English in the future?

 

[luckyeddie]

err no. with vaughan, strauss, collingwood, solanki, lewis and jones records especially.

Completely and utterly missed the point, TEC, but don't worry. I wasn't very clear.

The word is TEAM - and we've never had one before. We've had a collection of individuals all more concerned with their own performance.

 

[SpeedKing]

If anyone missed that innings today live, there is no point in watching the highlights because you will not manage to get even a tenth of the brilliance you get from seeing it live. That was pure class, it was not chanceless [he had those edges through slip, that top edge that dropped safely with 4 runs to win] but it was brilliant because, for the first time this summer, the aussies got going and started building in confidence and were getting their swagger back, but Pietersen walked in and singlehandedly broke their hearts. He was absolutely nerveless in his approach, even the usually emotionless Duncan Fletcher started scratching around nervously. Even the much vaunted Aussie bowling line up [save for McGrath] fell to pieces in the face of his destruction

he said he has played a better innings than that [the 100 at Centurion] which i didn't see but in my opinion, that is the best one day innings, i have seen in my life. Honestly, My favourite ODI batter is Inzi but KP might be starting to get to the top of my pile. Top stuff KP

 

[BoyBrumby]

1) understatement , but how often on english tours does this occur, 1997, 1999 WC, 2005....
2) umm no, will brazil ever be on the way down in football ??? the answer is no, aussies have cricket in their blood, they will never decline.,

No World Cups between 1970-1994.....

 

[tooextracool]

Five-fer for Harmison, top knock from Hussey though, average of 229 now.

better than pietersen's!

 

[Demolition Man]

KPP I'm trying so hard to hate you, but I can't do it... Congratulations, what an amazing person..

person or player ??

 

[PY]

1) understatement , but how often on english tours does this occur, 1997, 1999 WC, 2005....
2) umm no, will brazil ever be on the way down in football ??? the answer is no, aussies have cricket in their blood, they will never decline.,

To be honest mate, they've got a long way to decline before they become anything other than world-class but they can still decline and countries can still overtake them.

Not in any way am I saying that England have overtaken them because that would be stupid but it is possible for Australia to not be the best team in the world.

 

[marc71178]

not at all with Giles injured and the selectors reluctant to pic batty the best option at # 8 is Kabir Ali and if you remember in SA he looked pretty capable with the bat so # 8 is not too high for him at all.

It makes no sense picking Solanki & batting him at 8, thats just nonsense

I disagree - Solanki is a better batsman than Ali, a far better fielder and Kabir's bowling isn't good enough to warrant a place.

 

[tooextracool]

It can't be an excuse for losing if they won the toss and sent 'em in.

im not really critical about that. IMO NOONE could have forseen bangladesh playing as well as they did, or australia playing as badly as they did in that game. i think that the ideal match practice is to bat first, because you get to bat the entire 50 overs and bowl the opposition out/bowl 50 overs and therefore get theres a chance for everyone to get some match practice. i dont know whether that was ponting's intention, but i dont think anyone would have bothered taking the stat that every team that had batted 2nd won at sophia gardens seriously, considering the thrashing b'desh had received only 2 days earlier.

 

[marc71178]

I can't wait to see Scallywag's reaction after the most bone-headed performance I have seen by an international captain in quite some time.

Which day are we talking about here?