Today Australia crushed Bangladesh to take a 1-0 lead in the 3 match ODI series.
Sent in to bat by Bangladesh Skipper Mohammed Ashraful, the wicket did prove to be slow and testing.
According the grounds man 250 was the safe route to go with setting the target.
After losing James Hopes (22) in an attempted pull and then Michael Clarke (14), who attempted to settle himself in for a long one, it seemed the run rate was slipping and the Bangladesh bowlers were pushing Australia into a low score zone.
Shaun Marsh continued to prove his position in the squad at the top of the order as he managed to play a great leading knock of 76.
Enter Michael Hussey. Huss continued his good streak with the bat in hand and managed to put together a very determined, hard working 85, in the end from 87 deliveries!
Brother David Hussey chipped in to add 24 to the total.
While there was some notably good bowling from the bowlers, credit must be given to Keeper Dhiman Ghosh. He was quick on his feet, very alert and had some great reflex moves.
The end total, due to some hard work at the end of the innings saw Clarke’s men reach 254.
Bangladesh opener, Tamim Iqbal, lashed out a quick fire 21 but his fellow teammates could not follow in any similar manner.
They ended up with their lowest ODI total of 74.
I expect more from this young side, who need to somehow find the path to step it up.
I found Michael Slater’s commentary on his guitar lessons on tour’s ‘back in the day’ the most entertaining part of the innings!
All the bowlers were brilliant. Debutant Brett Geeves ended up with 2/11 and a catch to seal a solid start to his ODI career.
Stuart Clark was exceptional with the ball and also in the field. His figures were 1/18, including a catch and a direct hit to send Alok Kapali back to the showers.
Cameron White picked up his best ODI figures of 3/5, and Michael Clarke complemented those wickets with 2 great catches in the slips.
Like Hussey, Mitchell Johnson continued his good form from the warm-up match and ended with 2/10.
Brad Haddin’s wicket keeping was flawless!
A victory by 180 runs seemed too easy for the Aussie’s but I do hope from an entertainment value for the Bangladesh supporters, their side offer a bit more substance to the attack.
But for Australian cricket supporters it was great to see a less familiar team really rise to the occasion and do themselves proud!
Michael Hussey was man-of-the-match.
The next ODI will be played this coming Wednesday in this 3 Match ODI series.
In more controversial news, Andrew Symonds has been sent home by order of the senior members. According to the commentators and reports, the current reason is he missed a team meeting, which was stated to be compulsory, to enjoy some time fishing.
So Roy has gone home ‘n gone fishing…say the sources.
A player of his class should not be this poorly disciplined, and as harsh as it is I have to stand by the decision against Roy as it is not on, more so these simple actions let down supporters and his fans. But these things happen, pity Roy is in the midst of it again.
More news on this soon, I’m just glad history didn’t repeat itself today!
Source (1) and (2) regarding above mentioned story.
2 comments:
Ian,
Came across your blog and wanted to share my thoughts. I am a big Australian cricket fan as well and I feel they are the greatest team to have every played in the history of the game.
They made it look easy in the first ODI. Bangladesh have got to be the worst team ever. They have been playing cricket for about 20 years now and have no record to back it up.
How about Mr Cricket huh? loved how we got a chance to hear him through the stump mics. He said "whitey no more 3s" ahaha that cracked me up. It goes to show that Hussey is human as well!
Roy has been on the edge for the past two years or well we can even go way back in 05 against Bangladesh as well. He needs to be disciplined and I feel he has been let off the hook quite a number of times. Roy is a beast and loved how he took down the streaker in the match against India. He has a presence that none have in the field and I hope he does make up his mind and show some respect to his team mates, his opponents and lastly and most importantly his fans.
On the other hand, England has been kicking some major ass against SA. 4 - 0, they will be second in the ranking if they make it 5 - 0.
Keep up the good work dude. I will be visiting your blog as often as I can.
Hey! Thanks so much for the kind words and taking the time to write mate! I agree with the greatest team tag, sure we have some changes now, but its a good change!
Yeah Bangladesh have had plenty time, dont know whether its the way they promote the game, financial funding, youth development? But yeah I dont see any reason not to win 3-0 if our boys play to their strenghts.
That was so funny with Huss. 'Eh Whitey, whitey no more three's' he was exhausted but he played such a determined role. Funny guy, just read his book 'Mr.Cricket', will review it soon, what a hard worker!
As for Roy, yes I was firm about this decision that it is correct. He needs to show 100% commitment, especially with the younger players being around. He is such a funny bloke and a real entertainer for the game with great ability which I don't believe he gives entirely. His return will be good and his attitude will be great for the side. I agree with your comment there entirely!
Yeah SA getting a good wake up from KP and his crew. His leadership has sparked them. Will make the Ashes exciting but we'll make them fight for it. 5-0 is possible, very possible. SA seniors not stepping up and all the chopping and changing tampers with team momentum and morale.
Thanks again and please keep reading, always enjoy feedback from readers.
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