RITZ & BINGA'S NERVES OF STEEL IN A THRILLER!

Well I may have been stating otherwise had we not won this match, but it has given a punch of excitement to the 50-over game. I watched the match and for the first time in a very long time I was unable to sit down due to serious nerves, with my heart-racing and frantically wiping my brow after every delivery bowled. It was a thrilling match and it is no surprise that the TV ratings rocketed in India as they held their hopes for a Pakistani victory. Thankfully Nathan Hauritz and Brett Lee remained composed and tactfully, yet boldly, got us over the finish line with a victory!
There was a close encounter against the Windies last year in the 5 match ODI series, where Shane Watson bowled a brilliant last over but we had already won the series 3-0. It was a close encounter though, and the other that comes to mind was the controversial Test match at the SCG against India in the Border-Gavaskar series where Michael Clarke picked up 3 wickets in the final over which put us at 16-on-the-trott. That was soon put off the trott sadly after a remarkable string of victories came to a close at the WACA in the 3rd Test.
But this game was special as it was in an ICC event where we are not only the defending Champions, but also a side that has been on the receiving end of a 1st round knocked-out in the ICC T20 trophy, two ODI series losses against the Proteas and then the Ashes. So to progress is a positive and while it was by no means a run-chase to be proud of our tail enders did the dirty work needed.

A big congratulations to Mitchell Johnson who picked up his 100th One Day International wicket.
After a heavy-hearted Ashes campaign for Mitch following a dream Test series against the Proteas, it is pleasing to see Mitch reeling back in his lost aura.
From the relatively unknown to most Mitch I saw debut at the end of 2005 in Aussie colours, to becoming one of the most ferocious competitors in Test and One Day cricket (who can break a couple fingers too), it is an achievement to be proud of too see another bowler reach the One hundred wicket mark, who has really built himself into such an entertaining cricketer purely upon his natural game!
The bowlers were the heroes today in the bigger picture as they gave us the best possible chance to reach the semi's, and due the a freakish collapose in our middle-order their efforts could have been painfully worthless.
Binga was awesome! He managed some fast pace off the wicket and economically he was outstanding, especially at the death of the Pakistan innings.
The fielding was energetic with alot of runs cut-off and this factor gave the bowlers added pressure to work with. James Hopes and Mitchell Johnson took skillful catches which required intense judgement and ideally those two wickets of Shahid Afridi and Younis Kahn were crucial. A few of the Pakistani batsmen made some beneficial starts but failed to carry their bats allowing our bowlers a task where they looked to choke the run-rate as opposed to knocking over all 10 wickets.
I really felt that our bowlers did an excellent job to restrict Pakistan to a below par score and Nathan Hauritz and Shane Watson delivered match defining spells of their own.

The batting! Well Michael Hussey deserved Man-of-the-match after a 'flashback in-form Hussey innings' of 64. Back to back fifties for Huss will be giving him the boost in confidence needed to carry on inspiring the middle-order, hopefully, as we near the crucial stages of this tournament. It's important not to forget that his ODI form has been consistent!
Huss is latching onto the strong pull shots and free flowing cover drives with quick action and an energetic presence at the crease. When he plays to his best it is incredible the ripple effect he can generate, but ideally Ricky Ponting needed the same contribution as we all know the impact Punter's batting can have in either ODI's or Test matches! The good news is that Punter's strong form is still there and I'm still really stoked that he's making contributions and playing well.
Tim Paine and Shane Watson are due for a big partnership which will come at the right time! Trust me, if they don't, revert back to this and sledge me but I am really confident that they have alot to add still!
The wicket became a bit of a beast to bat on, and the Pakistani bowlers showed true class in the middle stages of the innings.
They really played well, thinking about it they really blew my mind how they just turned on the engines and cruised through our batsmen to expose out tail-enders.
I won't waste my paragraph writing about how the batsmen made a mess of a basic run-chase as they will already know how the rectify the situation. Always a solution, there's always a solution!
But when Mitchell Johnson was dumbfounded by a sneaky delivery by Ajmal, Nathan Hauritz probably stumbled out onto the Centurion turf trying to understand why the heck was it up to him to save our hopes in reaching the semi-finals!
But he played conservatively, cautiously and even managed a gutsy on-drive to grab himself a boundary adding the worthy recognition Ritz deserves, but often overlooked. But Brett Lee had a superb game and while his batting has probably been a bit touch and go in recent times, his watchfullness for the yorkers and sharp identification for quick singles was what really got us over the line.
A 19 run partnership which shouldn't have occurred in the first place, but it did, was exciting from the 9th wicket pair!Peter Siddle will be sleeping easy tonight knowing he didn't need to step out to determine the fate of the tournament.
Victory in the end and Australia, Pakistan, England or New Zealand will lift the ICC Champions Trophy on Monday! I think we can be honest here that this what not what most of us were expecting the final four to be! The Proteas and India were the most likely favourites to go all the way, but things can turn on you in this game of cricket very, very quickly.

But with the conclusion of a great game of cricket, guess what?
We get to play England, again, for the 8th time in One Day cricket in less than a month! How exciting! No, to be honest I'm bored of England but it's a different tournament and the English squad will be alot more enthusiastic than the deflated ODI side we terminated 6-1.
Time to try do it again to Strauss and company (including their Irish secret weapon).
In the meantime a two day break and if you want to make some predictions, have your rant or just share a though feel free to do so in the comments section.

FIRST BRACKEN, NOW MICHAEL CLARKE!

The unwanted just keeps on occuring for the Squad in crucial situations.
I just found out that Michael Clarke will be returning back to Australia following a lower back injury with the pain so intense he has not participated in any of our practices.
While Pup's strike rates have been a concern in the One Day game, he has been very consistent with his run-scoring, regularly making strong contributions as well as leading positively as a senior squad member in England.
So no point in Pup hanging around but this is another big loss to our squad.
However the guys have done a good enough job without our Vice-Skipper.
Yesterdays performance against India was very encouraging even without Pup and a major relief given that we all know he is out of any further progression of the tournament.

The NSP are just awaiting the go ahead from the ICC as to whether a replacement may be sent over. I don't quite see the need for a replacement with Adam Voges already there, who is a flexible enough batsman in the order but if they (the NSP) were to call up someone with the permission of the ICC I'd imagine it to be David Hussey as first pick or by some massive surprise Brad Hodge.

Weather reports don't suggest any fantastic forecasts for remainder of the Champions Trophy so it is looking rather gloomy on the weather front.
So now we have another wait and see on this aspect but hopefully any rainfall present is just a minor shower.

THE RAIN FALLS UPON A PROMISING EFFORT

"This is just absolutely typical for Australia", is what most of the regular blokes who participate here at the Baggy Green would be thinking.
A victory in this game would have guaranteed us a semi-final spot. Frustratingly we will have to wait for our upcoming game against Pakistan after the clash against India was rained out.
I feel really good about our upcoming game, and indeed the standings are very exciting now, especially seeing The Proteas tossed out of an ICC tournament yet again, yet not surprisingly. And Eoin Morgan, that Irish lad, I warned you all about him briefly a few months back! He made a good impression on me somehow in the 2007 World Cup and in English colours he is showing it off. He has been one of the key players for Middlesex, who Phillip Hughes played a brief stint with. What an innings by Eoin!
I will gladly share my opinions on that match when my team has a better standing in the tournament!
The way it is folks, is that a victory against Pakistan or no result will give us the edge ahead of India to have that semi-final spot. If India beat West-Indies (please no) they would have to beat them by a massive margin to boost their net-run rate. All Ricky and the crew require is one point! That is it! Bring on Pakistan!
But it's a pity as mentioned that we wouldn't have seen a conclusion to this game, as I was keen for a bit of payback after last years Commonwealth Bank series, notably Gilly's anti-climatic exit from One Day cricket.

Shane Watson is on a strange dip all of a sudden. Sylvester, a regular poster on the site, commented on Watto's performances and brought me to the realisation that Watto has made a duck in his last 3 innings. To be honest, I am not too worried. His experience is so critical in this series, and I am just going strongly along the belief that given his performances against Pakistan a few months back, and the knowledge that the form is there when thinking back to some not to distant solid performances. Watto will bounce back, and his bowling has been a massive addition to our bowling ranks which is even more important with Nathan Bracken out of the picture.
Tim Paine is just doing a great job at the top of the order and unfortunately fell after just reaching his half-century. He takes his chances, improvises and really guards his wicket like a meant-to-be Opening batsman.
His confidence is starting to show, and it was quite something to see two Tasmanians leading the way, not for the first time in recent matches too! Ricky Ponting and Paine in 5 innings together average 52.80 runs and experience and youth is what I want to be seeing as this team, Punters team, develops. When Brad Haddin returns he will be most certainly taking back his place, but Tim will be keeping an eye on that spot, and I really hope he is given a similar chance like Had's was when Gilly was our front-line Keeper. Hads was used on many occassion as a specialist batsman and often had a few matches with the gloves.
Graham Manou on the other hand must remain the Test reserve Keeper as the man is an outstanding glovesman! More on this another time though!
Punter is on song and played another fine innings showing why he really is to so many the best batsman in World cricket! He anchored the innings, wasn't complacent and played his shots freely with the intent to wear down India's bowlers by keeping things ticking along. Momentum developed nicely and Punter looked due for another century. But not for the first time were Michael Hussey and Punter involved in a run-out in a really strong position.
Atleast Huss managed to reach his fifty, and carry onto 67, but like Punter he was deadset on a century undoubtedly.
Huss leaped onto some trademark pull shots and was as always quick with the singles to keep his momentum hyper-active. Like Punter and Paine he was out very cheaply!
Gutted for Punter though as he has been batting in a way that I have missed in the One Day game. He is proving just how important he is to Australian critics, and it's another reason I want to win this Trophy. So all the Ponting critics may learn where respect is due towards not only a maestro of the game and a living legend of Australian cricket, but a bloke who really takes alot of responsibility as Captain who is leading an Australian team that is in a very unique position. Not since Allan Border's days any how!
India on the other hand look a little fried, especially Ishant Sharma who really made a good impression on me the way he came onto the International scene against us in the Border-Gavaskar series last year. Amit Mishra was effective, but other than that I would have enjoyed the last 8 overs against their attack. I like the powerplay strategy too. Instead of a hit-out, Huss and White used it to knock out the singles and wisely clip away anything poorly delivered. I like the strategic element of the power-play and I am all for it.
But the 50 over game is in no threat, I do believe the media is making it seem worse than it is, and the minor tweaks are enough now. Three powerplays, free-hits and a mandatory ball change is all we need. Now the ICC must just ensure that the formats are moderated. Been down this road before though, we'll revisit it soon!

Cameron White was into the swing of things and rather chuffed he clubbed a six that distanced at 98 meters! Ah, when the Bear hits it out the middle, as a bowler you can take a breather and watch the fireworks.
But then the rain seemed to fall upon Centurion at such a fluent rate the water build up resulted in the promising efforts amounting to nothing more than 1 point!
But it is important to have it none the less, and now the big task is ahead!
Our progression in this tournament depends entirely upon our efforts against Pakistan!

A TOUGH SLOG BY A HEROIC MITCHELL JOHNSON

It was indeed a tough slog to get a total that was daunting enough for the West Indies team to chase down, but Mitchell Johnson really had to show some real toughness to slog the boys out of a rather concerning situation.
But with no warm-up matches and a bunch of rather tired cricketer's it did show.
The Wanderers wicket seemed to be a bit of a battle-field at first with inconsistent bounce and plenty assistance for the spinners to get some tricky bounce.
So the Windies won the toss and it is safe to say they played very positively together but not collectively enough to cause an upset. I'm not complaining, I actually couldn't deal with another Bangladesh/Zimbabwe scenario.

Shane Watson can consider himself unlucky after he received a screamer of an inswinger from Kemar Roach first ball!
Even some of the best would have struggled to sort out that one. So Watto's tournament is still waiting to be opened up with the bat, but he was highly effective with his dubbed medium pace bowling. Watto is looking 'bowling fit' so hopefully the best of the injuries are behind him now.
Ricky Ponting played another master-class innings.
What ever it is he did in that time off after the Ashes, it really has worked!
I don't just declare it a master-class innings because it's Punter logging in his 69th fifty, but the way he handled the conditions showed his class. Tim Paine played a sensible knock up front and is settling in nicely to the One Day opening role, but will learn with time his own art to building an innings from the starts he is consistenly generating. But in contrast to Punter you could see how the conditions were tough. Tim took a couple to the grill and his hands took a good couple knocks too (his Keeping was still brilliant)!
Not to say Punter wasn't in the red zone, but the way he handled it was impressive.
Sensational timing and confident stroke play paved the way to 79 runs, but not for the first time has spin undone Punter's excellence at the top of the order.
Nikita Miller, who played against us in the Windies last year, was brilliant. In 10 overs he only conceded 23 runs with no boundaries against his name and with two prize wickets, that is very admirable. Luckily for us Nathan Hauritz followed the trend to perfection and played a key role in the bowling defences. Sorry, but Ritz has the defensive title to his name once again, and for very good reason too!
The middle order collapsed a bit, with Callum Ferguson managing a nifty 20, but things seemed to dip very quickly and quite dramatically!
This may be concerning when you consider the facts that India have a strong spin bowling unit and if our middle order don't do their homework I just feel India could cause some problems. But if Michael Clarke were to make a comeback his strong ability against spin bowling will be valuable, but the situation seems to suggest that he will not be featuring. Not to rule out our middle order who are more than capable of big contributions individually, but it's just a good point to discuss.
I don't think the boys have been playing to poorly against spin recently, but they really need to be on top of it with two massive games in the waiting.

But where there is fault, there will be correction but time to talk about the exciting power of Mitchell Johnson in the lower order.
It was in March that Mitch walked out to bat against the Proteas in the 1st Test at the 'Bull ring' and he played a crucial knock of 96. He has the shots, that cannot be argued with! His clean hitting, powerful striking and athletic energy with the quick singles really raise the intensity to the lower order and his innings was crucial in the end. Without that quick fire 73* - featuring 3 crisply hit sixes - the Windies would have possibly snuck over the line. But he went for the slog and with Brett Lee playing a slightly passive innings in support, their partnership was not only an exciting one but the match defining passage of play.
Mitch has remained very humble and respectful when approached by the media, and I'm proud of the way he will never exclude his batsmen for their contributions.
But come on Mitch, give yourself a pat on the back mate! The Wanderers stadium has something special going for Mitch!

The bowlers did a good job I thought, but the extra's are a pain. 36! Yeah, 36 extra's. May as well have been the contribution from Dale Richards who was unable to carry on playing. But I reckon Nathan Hauritz is just doing a fantastic job, and a bit like Callum Ferguson, the two of them have done their work quietly and stealth-like while being instrumental in the team setup.
Ritz cleaned out the tail-enders quickly and the game was wrapped up in style.
Binga was a touch expensive but the no-balls weren't an issue, so that was a very pleasing factor. The bowling is a wait and see case still, with Doug Bollinger in the mix now too, whereas the batting needs an injection of aggression and tight partnerships. Let's not forget, Indian spinners aside, there is the Gambhir, Tendulkar combo to deal with and Rahul Dravid is far from rusty.
And MS 'Capitalise' Dhoni is an ODI specialist and as the Skipper I choose to rather not underestimate him.

There will need to be immediate adjustments to the performances, but Punter has stated this clearly in the media. India are always up for a fierce encounter and Pakistan are playing a very ambitious brand of cricket which is certainly giving them plenty confidence to go to the finals. But the good news for us is that if we beat India, it would be an almost certain progression to the semi-finals.
I'm not going to get into the 'if's and hows', because there's only one thing to do. Win, win, and win again to retain that Trophy.
Still alot of hard work ahead, and improvement to do. It's an important time to be confident in the team, especially against India and Pakistan.

BRACKEN RULED OUT OF THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY

Another injury blow to the squad. This time it is Nathan Bracken.
There has been an on-going knee injury occurence for Bracks, but it shouldn't come as a surprise that it has struck just a few days before the teams first game against the Windies, as this is a frequent pattern of bad luck.
Wicket-keepers, batsmen, pace-bowlers and now our medium-pace swing weapon is out of the scene. What a pity!
Bracks didn't have any special performances in the ODI series against England, but he certainly had better control of his bowling, which is what has set him so high in the ranks. But he would have been a big part of the bowling plans, so a set-back once again.

This certainly puts Nathan Hauritz in the starting XI, rightly so, but it would seem Peter Siddle would be first choice over Ben Hilfenhaus as a pace option, purely on the fact that Hilfy's "no-ball" issues could cause a problem with Brett Lee almost expected to give away two or three free-hits.
Although with Bracks out, Hilfy could provide the similar type of dynamic but hopefully he will sort out the fundamental errors.
Who to send over though is the question?
Well cricinfo stated that Doug Bollinger, Stuart Clark or Brett Geeves will be the replacement. I wonder whether the NSP will bother flying over a replacement in the first place, but if they were I'd have to say Doug Bollinger.
The left-arm seam will be useful and I'd be confident seeing him take the new ball with Brett Lee. Then again if they fly him over - or another bowler - would he be match ready for Saturday? Unlikely, and what if the bowling attack against the Windies can deliver the goods against the likes of Pakistan or India?
All in all the injury just came at a terrible time.

Judging by their performance against Pakistan, the Windies shouldn't cause us too many hassles, although I immediatly think of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe when it comes to looking at the 'weaker' teams in big-event contests and come Saturday I hope the boys are well alert and prepared to battle hard, no matter if it's a Windies B or C team.
They should be hungry to fight for victory and why wouldn't they?
It's a squad with a whole stack of guys playing in their first major 50-over tournament with the motivation already there to defend the title of the event.
And as always there is always someone waiting to claim their moment! After all, the legends involved in the last Champions Trophy are now in the next chapter of their lives, so the void is there for plenty of these guys to start a fresh chapter of their own!

FAR TOO MUCH CRICKET, NOT ENOUGH QUALITY CRICKET

"I've always been against seven-match series," Ponting said after Australia's loss in the last game. "Every other team is in South Africa playing practice matches while we're finishing off this series. We know the reasons for it, but seven games head to head is a bit too many." (source: Cricinfo.com)

Punter stating the above like it is, which is something we can all agree with.
Maybe the 7 matches is to give the English crowds a fair share of the entertainment, maybe is to increase the revenue to the associated grounds or the ECB? Maybe it is there too give some leverage to 50 over cricket?
But it is still clear that 7 back to back ODI's is too much cricket, especially after an Ashes series.
Being so close to the Champions Trophy, as Punter stated, the ODI series hasn't given the players much time to re-energise their batteries and get in some warm-up games like the other six teams have been able to do! While not a serious issue it can be concerning for the players. But it wasn't too long ago the team was in South Africa so it shouldn't be too tricky, not to mention there was a rotation policy amongst the squad during the recent One Day series.
5 ODI's is with little doubt the correct setup for teams, worthy teams to combat, to battle for a result that can be bashed in away in a little more than a week of cricket, not exhausting players and likely to keep viewers' interest levels up.
England were already 5-0 down by the 5th ODI and the motivation was rather dull for them with two games to have to go out and try see it till the end.
Furthermore while I do believe in backing your team till the end, even if victory is not in sight, it can't be easy for English fans to keep showing up to all the games when the series was not only dominated by Aussie, but more so to see England constantly getting washed to shore time and time again. While I am proud the boys cleaned them out in the series, it is something to seriously consider shortening despite the mentioned possibilities for the 7 matches.

The ICC has to make a serious plan to adjust the tournaments that occur in a calendar year. For example, after the Champions Trophy, which I really believe to be a very effective tournament, Australia head over the India for 7 ODI's!
Another series of overkill cricket, in what can be at the best of times very intense conditions to play in and for what purpose really?
5 ODI's is still highly adequate.
Also bear in mind some these guys in the team have been on the road since the South African tour started! If that doesn't wipe you out?
Sure they get to do what they love, some people envy them and wish they could have their paycheck and the experience in traveling and playing cricket in so many wonderful places etc. But when you seriously slow down and think of the different variables that build pressure around a high-profile International cricketer along with the very real fact that they too have a personal life outside the game, it is bound to hammer a players energy levels! I reckon we get much better cricket if players weren't so heavily worn out, which means player rotation policies often result in the best team not playing and results in some younger fans of the game not seeing their heroes.
If you can, just empathise for a minute on this point from a players perspective.

The above mentioned also ties together what I intend to articulate by the title of this article.
It is not intended to give the impression that I personally believe there is not quality cricket played. Far from true, in fact we have seen some unbelievable cricket in the past 2 years and with some changes in the International scene it has made it an exciting landscape. But with the amount of cricket and the notable impact too much cricket can have on the games enthusiasm levels including the players, this can be the impact upon QUALITY within cricket due to TOO MUCH cricket.

I can understand developing Nations in cricket getting their run against the top teams, but 3 Test matches is too much cricket in such an event, and even 5 ODI's is one too many.
One proposal would be to have a format for the bigger teams where 3 Test matches are played (The Ashes must not change as I believe history has a strong place in cricket) as we have seen against The Proteas and the Windies, and then only a maximum of 5 ODI's are played. Two Twenty20's is fantastic, and perhaps if an ODI series is shortened to perhaps 3 games, then 3 T20's would give sufficient entertainment? Twenty20 is seen as its own format, but it really can hype 50 over cricket!
The 50 over game will be given such a benefical boost if a structure is in place that will not only increase the viewership and interest in the format, but there may be better possibility for Marketing to take effect to give the game stronger leverage, which ultimately promotes the World Cup.
Fresher cricketers with better motivation levels, alongside stronger performances will ensure the concerned organisations see their beloved Return on Investment or free-flowing revenue. This is something the Windies could use really urgently.

But it's essential the supporters and cricket enthusiasts are taken into consideration with the future programs, as are the International cricketing bodies of the major teams.
It's about time the supporters are given what they deserve and that the logic of passion for the game should overpower the worthless barrage of glamour, cash, glitz and desperation that has placed every cricketing format under serious rethinking.
If the ICC, along with the Marketer's and the creative minds could just consider what would be best for the game of cricket, and what has worked, we may see a turnaround not only for the game itself and supporters, but the players too who go out there game by game to ensure they can entertain us.

THE RESULTS FOR THE 2009 TOUR OF ENGLAND

And to wrap up the Chirps for the English tour of 2009, below are the results with my bite-sized views:
CLICK HERE to read more on the 7th ODI of the One Day series in my previous article.

THE ASHES
1st Test @ Cardiff: Drawn
We batted so well in this Test with the four centurions Punter, Katto, North and Had's, playing memorable innings', showing their true class. Sadly our monstrous score of 674 amounted to a drawn result, where our bowlers failed to pick up the last standing English wicket. Monty Panesar and Jimmy Anderson survived, Brett Lee's injury really hit home, and that 10th wicket would end up haunting the rest of our Ashes campaign.

2nd Test @ Lords: England won by 115 runs
Andrew Strauss' 160 set the tone for the Test, and after our 1st innings was wrapped up for 215 it was a tough hurdle to leap over and after a courageous fight back with a century to Michael Clarke in the 2nd innings, we fell short by 115 runs. England lead the Ashes 1-0.

3rd Test @ Birmingham: Drawn
Nothing too spectacular in this game where time became an issue, but Michael Clarke scored another century, while Marcus North lucked out on another. Andrew Flintoff had a moment to shine with the bat when he made 74 runs in Flintoff like style!

4th Test @ Leeds: Australia won by an innings and 80 runs
A crushing victory that I really believed was going to give the guys every bit of confidence to take the series. Marcus North cashed in on another century, while Michael Clarke ended up lucking out. The 5th Test was to be the decider as the teams traveled to the Oval where the Ashes were poised at 1-1!

5th Test @ The Oval: England won by 197 runs and won the Ashes 2-1.
A sad, sad Test match where we lost the Ashes. Stuart Broad delivered a freakishly lethal spell where our 1st innings was shamefully closed with 160 runs on the board. The chance to keep the Ashes in our cabinet was slipping away. And it did. Despite a heroic effort from Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, Punter's run-out was the nail in the coffin. Huss battled on to score a well needed century, which I knew he'd get, but it was all too late for the boys and England lifted the Urn.
Bloody aweful, but good for Test cricket.
England win the Ashes 2-1, and while the teams individual stats were far better, England performed better as a collective unit.

THE REMAINS ODI SERIES:
One ODI vs Scotland: Australia won by 189 runs
David Hussey scored his maiden century in for Australia, but unfortunately he wasn't going to play any further part in the 50 over series against England. Adam Voges made his first fifty for Australia but also lucked out in the series where he didn't play in any of the games. Unfortunate, yes, but on the bright side it shows that there is healthy competition for squad selections!

1st ODI: Australia won by 4 runs
This was a really exciting game that came down the final over. Nathan Bracken stayed calm and made sure there were no further upsets to the tour of England. Callum Ferguson scored his career best of 71 and the series looked like it would be a closely fought contest.

2nd ODI: Australia won by 39 runs
After a fairly modest innings, with Fergal once again being the main contributor after a slow start from the top order, our bowlers did a fantastic job to bash away the English middle order. It became a pattern for England and is what ensured they didn't get back into the series.

3rd ODI: Australia won by 6 wickets
Cam White scored his maiden century in this match, and with Michael Clarke managing a half-century, the two of them grafted and showed real determination to make sure we had a chance to keep on a par with England's scoring rate. It was then an easy slog out to get to victory! Michael Clarke had led us well to 3-0 as Skipper.

4th ODI: Australia won by 7 wickets
Ricky Ponting took over the Captaincy from Vice-Skipper Michael Clarke, and how awesome was it too have Punter back in the team. After all the flack he was given with the Ashes it was inspiring how he lead the team with his performances and hope he shut a few of the critics up!
Tim Paine scored his first half-century, and the victory ensured a 4-0 victory.
And how about Brett Lee's 5 wicket haul! His second at Lord's in One Day cricket, and it was another special moment to the Brett Lee story and it was the series win for the team!
After all the off-field pressure for Binga over the last year, and his struggle to get back in the side with injury burdens, not too mention the disappointment in not playing in the Ashes, he has shown his true colours and his determination is nothing but genuine!

5th ODI: Australia won by 4 wickets
Punter stole to the spotlight in this match. England batted really well to score 299, but their hopes of victory were shattered when Punter strode out to conquer their bowlers. His innings of 126 was one of the best innings' I have seen in his One Day career, and it was refreshing to see Punter back in the gear he has been out of for quite some time. That gear is simply cruise control! 3 sixes and some classy fours resulted in his 27th century in ODI cricket as well as a 5-0 lead to the team.
He was brilliantly supported by Michael Clarke!

6th ODI: Australia won by 111 runs
Tim Paine scored a brilliant maiden century, showing few flaws and confident shots. Michael Hussey played a strong support role at a run a ball, and like Punter did in the 5th ODI, Huss showed signs of his true class. Strong bottom hand pull shots, nifty sweep shots and very enthusiastic running to keep the board ticking. It was another good batting display from the boys. The fielding was a highlight in this match, and we moved back to the number one ranking, alongside the Proteas.

7th ODI: England managed to finally win a game by 4 wickets.
Yes, England did it. 6-1 was the series result, and my previous article wraps up this game in more detail.
Time for the Champions Trophy now!

7th ODI: ENGLAND MANAGE TO WIN ONE

Well the boys missed the 7-0 whitewash target by a fairly dull performance with the bat, but 6-1 is a brilliant victory for the series, considering the rather dreadful summer in England!
Dreadful in the results, yes, but as for the actual cricket, there has been some terrific cricket from both teams, but for the One Day series it was the Green and gold pretty much all the way!
Cam White was awarded man-of-the-series due to his early impact in the series with the bat and his maturity shown when he stepped into the number 3 role in Ricky Ponting's absence. He fielded well in the slips, and even in the only Twenty20 that had any action he made a half-century followed by some more powerful contributions in the 50-over games, included a cracking maiden-century! Under the circumstances with the Ashes in mind and the series still open for either team to claim, Cam stepped up with his opportunity and having been in the lower order on and off, getting 7 games in a row will pick up his belief in his place within the team.
It was a tough call for man-of-the-series as it has been predominantly based on a team-effort as opposed to notable individual efforts, which has been a pattern to many One Day series bloopers over the last few months. Each player had a moment where they stepped up significantly and contributed to a victory which is especially pleasing as the team is looking more like a compatible unit where the squad both experienced and new to the order are knowing their role!

Graeme Swann delivered a match defining spell where he picked up 5 wickets where we struggled to pick away at him, and ultimately mis-cued shots and some nip off the turf saw the better batch of our batsmen fall.
Punter played another fine innings today. I don't know whether the pressure from Michael Clarke's slow scoring at the other end maybe pushed him to try target Swann in his early overs, but it was another fine knock from the Maestro!
Strong on the off-side, never shy to pull away at anything short, it is exciting to Punter back in the groove, and I hope this rhythm carries on into the Champions Trophy!
Punter scored his 27th century in One Day cricket in this series which was the innings of the series where I saw a flash of master-class intensity I have not seen from him in ODI cricket for a long time now. He's ended on a personal high, with some more youthful like spirit in his fielding efforts. The dead-eye throws are still there!
Michael Clarke has the stats with the bat and has made the runs when needed, and not to forget that he lead the team extremely well in Punter's absence. However it seems his improvement in Test cricket and his maturity in that arena has maybe merged with his One Day game a bit in terms of his strike-rate. He has built some match-winning innings' based upon slow starts with partnerships in mind, but it has also at times seemed to just increase the pressure. No use pointing fingers at him because he has also contributed strongly to the series win and he has stated it himself that his strike-rate is an issue to address. So with 2 wickets down early I understand why he took his time, but the way Punter was moving at the other end, when he was caught it maybe put Pup in a spot of bother as he was run-out soon after.
After that not much went too well. Michael Hussey continued his strong form in One Day cricket and pretty much watched the destruction unfold around him. Wicket by wicket Swann chipped away at us, while Huss kept the ship sailing. Rather gutted he was caught on 49, with 1 wicket left, 1 run short of fifty and in the power-play, but 176 all out was rather crumby none the less! So great to see Huss keeping his head up, but it was a tough score to defend, and didn't give the bowlers a good chance to give us the 7-0 round-up!

We needed early wickets, but it didn't happen. Brett Lee was really good. In 10 overs he was only hit for 33 runs with 3 maiden overs! Only 1 wicket, but that's what we need from Binga, with the other guys building upon the pressure he can put into the oppositions game.
Extreme pace and extreme attitude, that's what we dig about Binga! Yet he is a great sportsman, a great bloke and it's a boost having him back in the squad. If guys like Bracks, Sid's, Mitch and even Hilfy can feed off the energy he brings to the bowling it will be a hungry pack of bowlers for the wickets, with the right man in charge.
Nathan Hauritz has been stealth like in this series but he has been effective. The bowlers have ultimately been the backbone in ensuring our victories were there as they broke down the English batsmen's confidence match by match, and even in the 7th ODI they managed to do this too, but with such a low score to defend it was going to be tough after the start the openers made.
Speaking of Nathan Hauritz he dismissed Andrew Strauss again! Classic! That the 6th time?

I'm happy to have seen a strong team effort, and I like the energy in the team.
Tim Paine has made a good start to his International career. He has good temperament for Tassie in any form of the game, and having been thrown into the deep end this series he has stepped up well. Like Cam White he scored his maiden century this series, and it was a really good one too. He held the fort walls and played an innings where he just stayed true to his game. In Brad Haddin's absence and the difficulty for any Keeper who is in the shadows of the regular Keeper, he has shaped well to his responsibilities and while lucking out in the final game, his wicket-keeping has been tidy, sharp and he took his catches. Very good work from Painey!
Callum Ferguson was rested for the final game, but contributed strongly and is proving to be a big element to the core of the middle order. He adapts with ease to the match situation and is not shy for a few innovative shots here and there. I'm proud to see how he has kept his cool and stepped into the International scene from the Redbacks. Hopefully a lot more to come from Fergal, and he has to play in the Champions Trophy. He is quick to adapt to the conditions and he had a good series in South Africa.
The top order will need to gel a bit better, but I am sure that Shane Watson will have a better time at the top of the order in the Champions Trophy. I guess he needs to with Shaun Marsh and Brad Haddin out of the picture. Both himself and Tim Paine made a considerable number of starts in a fairly conservative manner so all they have to do together is capitalise on their starts!
James Hopes did well, while he is not the type of bloke to deliver eye-opening performances, he does his job in a stealth-like manner at the best of times with the bat, predominantly the ball.

With the strength of the team it may be a bit tricky to have a set starting XI in mind.
For example I just mentioned James Hopes. He has performed well, maybe lucked out here and there with the bat, but his spot is always going to be on the fence with the flexibility the One Day squad has. There are options for openers (Voges, Hopes, Hussey and Clarke), guys who can fill the void for any middle order issues that may arise and bowlers too, including Mitch who can bat a bit!
So heading over the South Africa I am feeling pretty good about this squad's chances.
I won't lie to you. Now all of you who have been reading my Chirps for a while will know I am at time rather optimistic, but I can honestly say a few months back I would have been quite concerned about our One Day team being a threatening sude in the Champions Trophy had it been held in Pakistan, but we have taken some time to rebuild the ranks, and this series has proven a lot to the onlookers.
Our pool is a tough one, not to mention that the playing field is evened out, but the Champions Trophy is a cut-throat series where a few fatal slip-ups result in an exit ticket from the tournament, so after all the momentum the boys have established in this series it would be a major waste to throw it away! I also hope they aren't too fried after the long English summer...as in a lengthy series, not the actual UK summer.
But, I feel really good about our chances, but have your final chirps for the series, and we will discuss the Champions Trophy prospects very soon.

6th ODI: TIM PAINE STEADIES UP FRONT!

Our 6th win of the One Day series, with some exciting performances to echo into the future, and the number 1 ranking (ranks mean only so much at times) is back in our grasp just needing to edge ahead of the Proteas. It will then be a situation in just latching onto it!
Tim Paine will be keeping Brad Haddin on his toes. Had's is the first choice Keeper understandably because of his time on the side's and his notable performances in the One Day game, but Tim has made a considerable impact in his first series!
Graham Manou's Keeping was quite a spectacle in the 4th Test of Ashes, but Hads' batting will always keep him that step ahead. Even if Tim's stay is until Had's gets back from his recovery, it is a bright star in the Aussie Keeping world. Luke Ronchi had a shot at it, but his performances for WA didn't boost a comeback in any manner, and Graham is suitable to the Test scene. So with Tim's performances and pretty active Keeping, Had's will be forced to get his Keeper standards back to where they were a few seasons back. At least the Gilchrist tag is falling away, for his own benefit anyway, one less pressure!

Tim Paine managed to push on his conservative starts and produce his maiden-century for Australia in just his 7th ODI. Match by match he is looking calmer, more focused and is having a blast out there! The key with Australian cricket now is to be patient. You could see Tim was due for a big score, as game by game his totals have improved and his strike-rates have looked more positive. But his innings today was a gem from a bloke in only is 7th game, with very minimal experience behind him in the bigger picture.
He took his time, played his shots, built the foundation, and gradually upped his tempo with much cleaner striking of the ball. He looked a lot more experienced in International cricket out there than his time and age would indicate.
Similar to Callum Ferguson in that regard! Spare a thought for Tim too. It's not like his prospects of selection or playing were that peachy until Haddin was sent home. So I think he has done a mighty good job!
Anytime seeing one of the boys reach a century, get their first wicket, or claim a 5-for is a proud moment as a supporter because you realise all the work they put in to get there and entertain us has paid off in some way. Tim has certainly proven the confidence at International level. He just needs to face some more unique opponents now for the real experience, which I am sure he'll manage with the right seniors to learn from!
On that note, I think batting with Mike Hussey was a big plus for him too.
After Watto's wicket collapsed unfortunately, followed soon by Punter, Huss was promoted wisely so.
As you will see reading through any articles, I have never called for Huss to be axed from the side, nor lost the confidence in his cricket, despite his serious form slump.
I just fail too see how a cricketer who works so hard at his game, is able can inspire his own Captain who is a modern day Legend of the game and having had to wait so long to get his moment, will just bow out with no impact at all.
His One Day performances have been consistent (taking into consideration where he bats) and his innings in the match was terrific. His strike-rate was right up where it needed to be, he kept the scoreboard ticking while Tim grounded the scene, and look at the result! The highest 3rd wicket partnership against England for Aus and another one of these achievements for Huss' records. A solid half-century there Huss!
After seeing that streak in Punter's batting the other night that I have missed in his One Day game, I have equally missed those powerful heaves Huss launches too deep mid-wicket. Like when many critics called for Punter to be sacked as Skipper, I can't bring myself down to that level and the same goes for backing Huss all the way.
Himself and Tim set the innings up. Quick wickets fell, and yes Callum Ferguson lucked out this time, but Cameron White kept the brutality level's up while James 'Catfish' Hopes launched an assault that I didn't expect from him. They raced to a fifty run partnership to push closer to the 300 mark, with Cam White playing that trademark shot for six at least once! The follow through on the shot is so powerful and damn does it fly away! Epic, and backed by Hopes' barrage of boundaries, it proved to be an effective passage of play.
Even Peter Siddle chipped in nicely at the end, but ultimately to see Tim Paine reach a century was a great moment! The third centurion in the series, along with Punter and White.

England were rolled over relatively cheaply. Andrew Strauss had a harsh send off, but at least he didn't have to contend with Nathan Hauritz dismissing him again! I think it summed up Strauss' time as Skipper in this series! Not much going his way, and when he did perform with the bat his team-mates left him stranded. They got the Ashes so he has that to keep him somewhat content I guess.
But honestly, what more can you expect him too tell the media with the performances? But yeah, pretty much a winning performance from the bowlers. Ricky Ponting's sensational fielding is what ultimately got the boys into a winning position. From that century last match, to his youthful like energy in the field, with two lightning bolt direct hits, it was a pleasing sight to see Punter bouncing about and really embracing the moment. Just so much ambition again, and he really looks enthusiastic to be out there.
Otherwise every one chipped in where they had to, and while the fielding appeared to be sloppy at times it was, the job at knocking away the middle-order was done promptly.
Just the tail-enders made a bit of a stay.
Peter Siddle was given another go. While I personally don't see Sid's becoming a regular feature in the One Day team in the near future, he was highly economical and picked up a wicket of his own to be another contributor. He's still there for the Test matches though and has time on his side!
James Hopes was quite awesome with his bowling. He has the knack to get the soft dismissals, but the one's that count! All in all a good game for Catfish after being brought back in to maintain the balance of the bowling unit! All his performance does is boost the strength in numbers of this One Day team. Catfish is always going to be on the fence but when he plays he fights like a dog!
Honestly, you could put together a few combined teams at the moment, as Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson being rested indicates, despite the series standings.
Brett Lee had a bit of a scrappy game, but why read into it? A duck, more no-balls (ok this will be looked at by the team management I reckon) and some daft fielding was very disappointing. It doesn't matter how you win, there will always be something Punter wants to rectify. But it's still exciting to see Binga back out there and after pegging back James Anderson's off-stump, it was such a smack down way to end the match!

So England didn't get anything going again, and you can't blame them.
Besides the fact 7 ODI's is overkill (same deal in India later this year) it can't be easy to comeback being so far down!
However, the boys will be edging to get stuck into the Champions Trophy and defend that title after this game with these performances.
Only thing is that it's a new series to adapt too and quite cut-throat too, so the momentum carried from here needs to backed up with some highly competitive and aggressively tenacious, ambitious cricket the Australian way!
The boys getting back up to the number one ranking in One Day cricket (tie with The Proteas) is pleasing again after such a torrid time over quite a few months, but the Champions Trophy and some more One Dayers will be the real test to prove we have fully earned the title back.
But the boys are looking a more settled, professional outfit, and slowly but surely the departures of Gilly and Haydos are starting to fade away into distant memory as we move towards the future.
6-0 is where we are at, so let's take it to a whitewash!

5th ODI: THE MAESTRO'S 27th CENTURY ENSURES VICTORY No.5

A comfortable lead now of 5-0, and atleast we were given a tight game in the end, but England's score of 299 wasn't enough to give them their first ODI victory!
While we move closer to regaining the no.1 ranking again, we will have a lot to prove in the Champions Trophy for that status. But I will state this. These sort of performances can really inject so much confidence for the younger, less experienced players. They get to experience the big moments in tight finishes as well as being able to articulate their own performances into the teams efforts. It creates the sense of belonging and with some more One Day cricket nearing it just gives that value needed to the team's ethos in moving forward. Guys like Tim Paine, Cam White, Callum Ferguson and even Mitchell Johnson, can take a lot of pride from these games where they have had to step up. After an Ashes series loss, to fightback to be standing at a 5-0 lead is just absolutely outstanding in my mind.

When Ricky Ponting bats well, there isn't any other cricketer I'd rather see playing their shots out there. While he is a Test match living legend, when he gets the game face on in One Day cricket, my word! Those sixes were terrific. Down the wicket, bashed hard with a touch of elegance and the ball just sailed over the boundary! Back to back too, now that' something that's been a while from him! It is a sight of character I haven't seen in our Skipper in a very, very long time. His timing was crisp, his strokes were flashy and the running between the wickets was equally impressive. The break was good for Punter after all the heavy pressure's he has to carry in an Ashes series, one that didn't go well, and it still makes me grin when he shows his aggressive intentions in the 50 over game! So epic and so special every time. I have been fortunate to have followed Punter's career from when he first emerged into International colours, and too see how far he has come from those early predictions and talk of him becoming the next best thing.
The shot selection becomes better, and the execution is awesome! While they are two different cricketers in many respects, Tendulkar is a slightly calmer starter at the beginning of his innings, while Punter is maybe more onto the edgy side (literally). But in the last two games he has come out as a man on a mission.
This is an impressive comeback, and all I can hope is that cutting away Twenty20 cricket, and having a lot of enthusiasm back to his game – especially in his body language – can surely only boost the future performances. Low's are to be expected, but after seeing Sachin Tendulkar score a century against Sri-Lanka this week, I just felt that Punter was due for a big one himself. Spot on, but just a pity I didn't say something before hand on the site.
Michael Clarke has picked up some confidence after his last innings as that strike-rate stays healthy. I think he takes a lot of comfort when Punter is in the line-up, and together they really did pull off a typically outstanding one day innings at about a run-a-ball. Another fifty to Pup's stats, and a good innings at that too. His dismissal was another wicket given away scenario.
Callum Ferguson stepped in really well, once again, too keep the momentum going. He only made 17, but it's that momentum that is so important! Such a learning experience for him when the game was really on, and with Punter in peak form at the other end to guide him along. The thing I have always admired about Callum is that his approach is so stealth like, and in a very mature manner seemingly beyond his age. The step up has been very encouraging to see. He is playing his innings for the team, adapting to the situation and what is needed from him.
So having had someone step up with a big score, being Punter, and some really strong contributions from Pup and Shane Watson (a quick-fire 36), the job for Cam White and Mitchell Johnson was to just bash out a quick partnership to seal victory! Cam White is still running on confidence from the last game, and with some brilliantly placed strokes along with the assistance of Mitch, we made it past 300 to grab another victory!
Mitch finished it off in absoultely fine style! A clean, crisp crack straight for six to the boundary! Sensational!

The bowling is still coming together. It was a smart move to give Peter Siddle sometime with the ball, and a chance to add to his ODI stats, and of course giving Brett Lee a rest is smart given his fitness is needed for the Champions Trophy, and with the series wrapped up the time is perfect.
Pity though the bowlers were rather expensive as everyone went for over 5 an over.
It was good to see England actually make a good score and the urgency from them is more a pride factor which maybe gave their middle-order a bit more chance for a hit out.
Eoin Morgan was awesome in his half-century innings. The lad is Irish so I give him the credit when he deserves it. I have always found him to be a good batsman, and the move from Ireland to England is probably giving him a better chance to learn quicker and develop his game more with better match-time. He was striking the ball cleanly, and was quite innovative too!
His innings gave England a valuable push to the 300 mark, and after given a lifeline when Huss dropped him on the boundary (a very rare sight from Huss) he cashed in.
I had to laugh with Nathan Hauritz getting Andrew Strauss out again! That's the fourth time this series, although Strauss can consider himself unlucky as it seemed to get an edge.
What more can Strauss say at the post-match presentation? Starts to get a bit numbing after all this!
Still, Ritz gets his prize again and he is doing his job still, highly effectively too! Mitchell Johnson keeps getting wickets, and with the exception of his last over, I think he did a pretty good job in Binga's absence.
Everyone is chipping in with wickets still, and that is very important.

A pleasing victory, and now we wait for Thursday's match. Could we just take the 7-0 now and check out early for the Champions Trophy?

4th ODI: LEE IGNITES VICTORIOUS PACE

How awesome was Brett Lee's bowling in the 4th ODI?
90mph consistently, with a few clicking at around 95mph, and stumps being sprayed, what more could you want for fast-bowling!
Binga picked up figures of 5-49 and while it registered at 5.44 runs per over, it was the effectiveness when Ricky Ponting brought him on just before the mandatory ball change.

Nathan Hauritz' style is proving to be so valuable. He can tie up the batsmen so well, and his defensive tactics (while not wanting to be pigeon-holed as a 'defensive bowler') come in very useful from a pressure perspective. He was only hit out for 23 runs and with 2 wickets behind his name, he has proven that with faith shown in his abilities from the selectors and the supporters, that he may become alot more accustomed to the One Day setup.
Yet again Ritz picked up the wicket of Andrew Strauss, and Strauss was once again the only English batsman to make any impact, with 63 for the second time. Strauss has certainly found greater consistency with his game, but his team-mates aren't doing him any favours! What more does Michael Atherton expect him to say at the Post-match presentations. In 7 ODI's it will probably get to a point where if England keep losing Atherton will just ask the crew to playback his previous comments. Frustrating situation but we were there just over half a year ago!
Brett Lee was the real man of the moment! With Mitchell Johnson sending the pace alongside him, the pace factor is looking really good. Clearly Binga's pace, with the yorkers being bang on target, proved to be too much for the English middle order, and a few scraps of the tail.
It's spectacular to see any fast-bowler deliver a feriocious spell, knocking the wickets down, in any format of the game. So seeing Binga's spell at Lord's was great in the context of not only winning the series, but seeing him looking in top shape for the Champions Trophy.
Maybe giving Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus a go for the 6th and 7th ODI's, to give the likes of Binga/ Bracks and maybe even Mitch a rest before the Champions Trophy, is a move worth considering.

The batting task wasn't going to be too difficult chasing down 220, but it was encouraging to see Michael Clarke score another half-century, but this time at a much better strike-rate. Maybe having Punter leading the side again just gave Pup that edge on his focus needed in order too get the job done.
It can be easy to overlook some of his contributions. His innings reminded me a bit of when he played a similar knock in the 2007 World Cup semi-final against the Proteas. While 150 wasn't a daunting total to win, after losing Adam Gilchrist first ball in the run-chase, with the Proteas highly pumped up to win the match, Pup put his head down and showed what seemed to me his true step up in ODI cricket and his value as a prospective senior player. He is now one of the leader's in the team and his innings what the flank to Tim Paine's fifty which set the stage for Punter and Pup to knock off the runs.
Every batsman had a strike-rate around 80 which is a positive sign after the trend has been a rather dull rate in recent fixtures.
Tim Paine made his first fifty for Australia, and innings by innings in this series he has scored better and looking the part behind the stumps. He is seeming alot more relaxed in the middle, and I am sure having fellow Tasmanian (on rare occassion nowadays) Punter alongside him must have been quite a boost to his opportunity with Brad Haddin resting his battered fingers. While Tim won't be an immediate feature in the squad, I am pretty confident he has good temperament to keep his performances strong for the Tigers and remain Hads' understudy in the ODI squad. Graham Manou must remain the reserve Keeper for Tests in my opinion. The man's glovework is pure quality!
Ricky Ponting batted beautifully for his 48, ideally deserving to go on. When the boundaries start to flow and his enthusiasm kicks in in One Day cricket, he is just terrific. Despite what the critics say, I have been watching Punter's career since his debut in International cricket and when I see him at the crease or leading the boys in the field with Baggy Green or Green and Gold gear on, I am proud to have him out there. He is a master-class cricketer and I do believe when his enthusiasm peaks, it has an immense ripple-like effect on all player's involved. He scored 48, which was enough to ensure Michael Clarke and Callum Ferguson could finish the job off. Once again Fergal was unbeaten and did the job quickly, and promptly with some well placed strokes in the mix!

It is great to have another One Day series win after a slightly bleak last 2 years with mixed one day results. While it is a pity from an entertainment perspective that only the 1st ODI really came down to an exciting finish, it is pleasing to see the results with a big ICC event approaching. I want a 7-0 result, not for rankings primarily but just because it will be such a boost in confidence for all the players concerned, as well as all of us who support the boys game in, game out.
There is WAY TOO MUCH cricket even for my liking, so every bit of support the team gets is refreshing as some really pointless series', unnecessarily drawn out fixtures and a schitzophrenic calendar of fixures and formats, you can understand why the players get a bit low on ethusiasm and continued ambition.
But the pride of the Baggy Green, and the drive to get to the elite level and perform is probably the driving force for the guys to keep playing their best cricket, and entertaining all of us. Spare a thought when you see the schedule, work or play!
A series win in pretty good style I think and there are many crucial performances that stand out...just what we have been lacking in recent times, e.g. "How did we lose the Ashes to England?".

3rd ODI: CAM WHITE MAKES THE GRADE!

3-0 in the series, and England are looking rather deflated at the moment.
It was another great performance from the bowlers, backed by some flawless fielding. Some of those catches were not easy, and from a consistency and intensity level, our fielding standards are lifting too a good level again. Mike Young must keeping the boys hard at work! Having a slightly younger unit of players, as well as a few of the other guys getting back into the International circuit has certainly increased the energy quite a bit out there!

Cameron White has really taken his opportunity with total ambition, visible in our younger ranks, at the number 3 role.
Cameron's contribution's have been on the ascendancy since his innings in the first Twenty20. I have always been eager to see himself and David Hussey in the One Day side squad lists, and while David Hussey didn't make the cut this time around (he'll be back), Cam White has really shown such determination after being given his chance to spend time in the middle before the international crowds to see just why we regard him as such a fine ODI prospect!
He has made the Grade for ODI cricket, but his place in the squad is still a match up to the conditions, available players and also the individuals' form.
He has always had the reputation to the International onlookers as a monster hitter, but it was fantastic to see him take his time out in the middle on that wicket, which needed some hard grafting too get the runs.
Himself and Michael Clarke gave themselves a lot of work to do by pacing the inning's out at a very slow rate, and had they lost the partnership 150 runs shy of victory, the required rate may have become quite a matter to deal with.
But he stuck to his guns and after launching that six in the 80's it was certain he would reach the triple figure mark, his debut ODI century!
It was quite an achievement for him, when you take into consideration he has been stuffed into the lower middle order repeatedly (not too mention a rough entrance to Test cricket in India...no thanks to the NSP there), and this has given him the best possible chance to mould a future place for himself in this team. Even better is that it could boost his flexibility in the batting line-up when needed, and the benefit is we also get a specialist slip fielder. He drops very few there!
This is been a very positive payoff for the team, and at the right time this team may be starting to peak.
I can't exclude Callum Ferguson, the Redbacks finest!
Apart from being the One Day find last summer, he is increasing his chances at a future Test call-up! His ability to adapt to the match situation (and conditions too), yet play with an 'under the radar' profile, is setting him up nicely as a great future prospect to the side, where Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting will not be around forever.
His style isn't flashy to the onlooker, but the way he plays his shots almost in motion feels like he moulds his shit around each delivery on merit, with little fuss, just doing what is required. I think Fergal is an excellent cricketer, and I am very proud of what he has achieved. He still has plenty challenges ahead!
Even his inning's in the match was so well tuned. He kept the singles coming, bashed away some poor deliveries square of the wicket, and it was good to see him there at the end even though Cameron and Pup had put in all the ground work.
Michael Hussey came in and without fussing about too much knocked down the remaining runs to wrap up the match and give the team a 3-0 lead in the 7 match series. Huss is in the running's for ODI cricketer of the year, and while Punter's return will cause some chopping and changing in the batting line-up, he has performed very well in One Day cricket!

With Ricky Ponting out for the last 3 games, and now a few question marks regarding the batting order (on a positive note)for the remaining games, Cameron's performances have actually made it quite a tough situation now with Punter returning into the side. Who will make way for him, how will the order shift, these are interesting points to look at.
Firstly, it is very important Punter gets match time in 50 over cricket, as he will not only be leading the squad in the Champions Trophy, but it has been a while since he wore the National colours.
Secondly, it's important he resume his place at number 3 in order to get back into the role with the other players around him.
It will be refreshing to see Punter back in the team, especially to see how his intensity levels are. Michael Clarke has done a fine job as Captain! He is analysing his team strategically and has been able to match his field tactics to not only the bowler operating, but also to the English line-up.
I like the aggressive tactics that he has been using. He hasn't been shy in his tactics, or conservative, so it's put him in a good position. I think he needs a bit more confidence in his own abilities as he seems to be handling the job really well.
But he has grown up under Punter's leadership, so the desire to keep playing and learning as a senior squad member there is understandable.

Shane Watson, for the first time in a while, didn't cash in on a big score with the bat in hand but his bowling has been the most effective return of form in the ODI scene.
After he was given a few overs in the Ashes, he looked pretty far below average of what I believe Watto is capable of.
But he has been bowling to his capabilities and doing what we need from him. He's getting wickets and managing to deliver the goods really well while giving enough pressure for the other bowler's to do their job comfortably.
James Hopes is doing a similar job to Watto and his fielding was particularly impressive!
Another good reason to have both Shane Watson and Brett Lee is this team is they are full of the aggressive Australian characteristics we have been lacking...never afraid to shy away from the competition and always keen to share a few words of gesture!
Nathan Hauritz seems to be after Andrew Strauss' wicket a fair bit!
Strauss is a really good batsman so it's great Ritz' is pegging him!

7-0 in this series is a result I don't see it as unreachable, but that intensity would need to be held together when heading off the South Africa for the Champions Trophy.
The series is not secure yet, and I still want to see a lot more cricket in this series from each member of the squad who goes out there as one of the 11 players.
So I am not complaining there is a fair bit more left in this series, but I have to agree that 7 ODI's is a bit much after an Ashes series.
Five would be enough, surely!

2nd ODI: MITCH DELIVERS AN ALL-ROUNDERS GAME!

A victory in the second ODI has put the boys nicely on track to win this 7 match ODI series.
It was an impressive victory given the total of 249 seemed a bit short, and England did bowl well. But when the par score of 218 was determined, from the last 10 ODI's at Lord's, it seemed that there was enough fight to take the match.
With another good field display and a stronger looking bowling unit, the team did well to win by 39 runs.

Callum Ferguson was solid, yet again, in anchoring the innings and adapting his game well to the circumstances. His consistency is the addition of value that has been lacking in our One Day game since the Commonwealth Bank series against Sri-Lanka and India where things started to look a bit out of sorts.
From improvised shot selection to his ability at changing the tempo of his innings by running the ball into the gaps, as well as varying the pace on the ball with the usage of soft hands, he really has the making to be a huge role in driving this young team forward to 2011! Another fine knock from Fergal, and I really hope he can manage to keep any 'hype' under cover to avoid any unnecessary pressure, like David Warner and Phillip Hughes have had to deal with.
From judging him at State Level, I just think he isn't that sort of a character, and I strongly believe he adds a major X factor to the batting line-up that he can continue to configure into his own role. The results from his debut show! I think he has surprised many from the his time with the Redbacks to the ease at which he seems to be handling International pressure. It is refreshing and encouraging to see a bloke at 24 years of age just take his opportunity for Australia, and make any contribution he can.
At the same time Mitchell Johnson has quite quickly brushed aside any Ashes blues and has been playing the similar role to Ferguson. Both of them played massive parts in these 2 matches and Mitch is stepping up his ODI game. My first observation is his arm seems to coming over a lot straiter, and less 'slingy'. His accuracy really is assisting the other bowlers to do their job, and with 5 wickets thus far, it's looking good for Mitch.
The best part of his game – the defining reason for his man-of-the-match award - was with the bat though! That innings (43 off just 23 balls!) ended up making the winning difference in the end, and the way he used the power-play was not only exciting, but perfect given the circumstances how reaching any score close to 250 seemed unlikely. He batted with confidence and some the shot improvisations in Fergal's wake was awesome to watch! It was a quick-fire innings, that electrified the team to get out there and knock England down for 210 runs!
Cameron White deserves credit where it's due, as himself and Callum scratched together a partnership that gave the middle order something to build upon. Cameron is suited well to the number 3 role, and the only upset was that he didn't get to that half-century mark, and we may have even seen the power-play taken earlier!
Seeing the consistency from White, Ferguson and Shane Watson, is a positive sign with an important future ahead for each of them, as well as the future of Australian cricket.
White at number 3 is a smart move that has paid off so far and it's giving him a really good opportunity to make runs.
My only slight concern may be Tim Paine opening. In my squad spotter article I was hoping to see him play a middle-order role. I just feel that he is not a specialist opener for Tasmania, and he has only just started his International career. So it is a big ask, and maybe too much expectation, to want him to go out there and play the opener's One Day role. He seemed to struggle out there with the scoring, and this is where either Adam Voges, Michael Hussey or James Hopes would be the better option. I'd be happy seeing Tim around 5 or 6, but to open is a tough void to fill, especially with Brad Haddin out the picture for now, and don't forget Had's is the leading run scorer in ODI cricket for 2009, predominantly opening up! Shaun Marsh in injury time doesn't help either!
But he has only had two chances against England at the top spot, and in one of those he pretty much was run-out at the expense of some odd calling.

Brett Lee was terrific! 2 wickets and the attitude of Binga, is the attitude we have been lacking! A hard competitor, always happy to share a chirp or more and the ripple effect when he bowls well at the top of the line-up is stirring! Like Ben Hilfenhaus, he is exposed to the 'free-hit' error by almost expectedly bowling a few no-balls, but he always seems to have a plan to make sure the free-hits don't amount to anything to serious with slower bouncers, yorkers, quick deliveries targeting the batsman's movement etc.
Shane Watson was highly effective with 2-26 off 7 overs! He had the wicket's of Bopara and Prior. He seems much fitter for bowling, and his action looks more natural again but not quite 100% I reckon!
The bowling, as mentioned earlier, looked a lot better and I get the feeling that all the guys are loosened up and know what they have to do. Get wickets, and know how to work as a unit. With 5 games to go, there are plenty overs and wickets left to see how things will pair up in preparations to the Champions Trophy.
I reckon Nathan Hauritz is glowing with confidence as he made the crucial break-through in taking down England's Skipper Andrew Struass, and he rarely ends a match without a few scalps to his name! Ritz is also taking quite comfortably to his ODI role. His inclusion his important in each game, and he should play in every match!

England will be doing their homework to pick up their batting, as I don't think their bowling is too far off from being satisfactory. I'd be very alert to the realistic possibility of them clawing a comeback, especially in the batting department.
But it's a 2-0 lead in the 7 match series, and Lord's will hold a slightly better memory now for any of the players in the squad who were apart of the Ashes 2nd Test loss at the historic home of cricket.
Momentum rolls along like a snow ball, and both teams are far from their best.
I'm really confident that there are a few more hectic moments of cricket ahead for us!

1st ODI: FERGUSON GIVES THE WINNING EDGE!

What a game in the end! Probably a bit tighter than Michael Clarke would have bargained on, but a great way to start the remains 7 match ODI series!
But the slow pace in the middle stages of the innings really proved to be critical, as the boys just made it to victory by 4 runs!

Shane Watson has continued his consistent streak and the soft dismissal came just short of what would have been another half-century to his recent string. But he didn't help Tim Paine in his second ODI, when Watto called for a suicidal run, which Paul Collingwood had all the time in the world to target all three stumps. So, more evidence of throwing away wickets, but Cameron White was so promising taking guard at number 3. It is refreshing to see better utitlisation of Cam higher up the order. He has had plenty match time, but he has been more frequent in the lower order, where you can only back yourself so much. So, yes, I think it is a good move to give him opportunities higher up the order, and it paid off. Except he was also run-out, resulting in two.
Callum Ferguson was yet again the anchor in the middle order! Fergal ended with 71*, his highest score in limited overs cricket, as he went beyond his previous best of 63 (Newlands, Cape Town).
Himself and Michael Clarke were very patient, and the going was very tough out there in the middle stages. England's bowlers were used well to keep the momentum low, but while Clarke may come under fire for his relatively slow innings, it was a very needed innings, while Ferguson kept rotating the strike with some good usage of some soft hands to angle the ball to the third man region, whipping the ball to the mid wicket region, and playing confidently down the ground. Another fine innings from Callum! His temperament is what we need, and as a young man still, I believe his technique is solid - while not extravagant - and I reckon if he can deliver a good season of Sheffield cricket for the Redbacks, he has the future with a Test match debut!
James Hopes and Michael Hussey made valuable contributions too, and it was good too see Huss back in the Green and Gold, looking alot more relaxed out there, but it was a brilliant delivery from Ryan Sidebottom to dismiss him. But, it was a very important partnership between Huss and Callum of 47 runs, and James Hopes contributed strongly in his brief time at the closure of the innings. He nearly did his neck in badly when his helmet got grounded in the wicket when he raced for a single!

I think the bowling will improve. It was the first time in a while Nathan Bracken was getting match-time, Brett Lee is just adapting to his game again (after so much focus on Test cricket, and the frustration there, it is an adjustment to the 50 over game) and James Hopes has also been out of the mix for a while.
Nathan Hauritz delivered a good spell, where he picked up two valuable wickets! He has that knack in ODI cricket to get 2 or 3 crucial wickets, and his defensive tactics are suited to our rebuilding stages.
Mitchell Johnson was actually extremely accurate last night, and the pace he was generating worked well in tangent with Brett Lee. The Owais Shah dismissal was a given though!
While the bowlers may have been very expensive in some tense moments of the game, and probably are well short of their best, they were very well backed up by some committed fielding!
The boys gave every boundary save 100% effort, and the catches were sharp - Shane Watson's catch to end Collingwood's night - and it was a major contributing factor to our victory!
Tim Paine has a bit of a tough time, but he had a stumping and a catch to his name! It's important to keep an eye on his cricket in this series, as he will be the man behind the stumps during the Champions Trophy with Brad Haddin recovering from his finger surgery.

1-0 to the Green and Gold, but I reckon most of you would be in agreement that the bowling was far from impressive, but it's only the 1st match, and the victory, like any victory, gives us some needed momentum.
I am also particularly pleased with the ambition and high intensity I am seeing from the boys. Their are signs of the old Australian aggression out there, and even better is too see Mitchell Johnson quite happy to give it back to the crowd when he gets it to go his way.
The next game is tomorrow, and Michael Clarke will be very pleased to have another victory to his Captaincy, but the need to lead the team to victory tomorrow and ultimately the series, will seal alot of confidence for this younger team as we approach Champions Trophy!

Slightly off-topic, but I see Sachin Tendulkar proposed a 25-25 split innings in One Day cricket, so each team has two innings' to make-up the 50 over mark. It is a good concept, but I can't agree with Sachin on this one. Maybe worth discussing at a later stage the pro's and con's of this proposal, but I think it is tampering too much with tradition, and from a spectators perspective, I think most people enjoy the spectacle of an innings progressing, seeing the scorecard build from 0, to a target for the team batting second, to have to chase down in the given conditions. Good concept, but I'm not sure.
I think Twenty20 has caused too much panic to International cricket.
As Sachin said, Twenty20 is like dessert. It has it's place on the menu, but who wants to just have dessert! Good analogy!

2009 ICC AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Already that time of year! Once again the Awards will be held in Johannesburg, and the list is rather short on Australian cricketers this time around.

Firstly congrats too Mitchell Johnson (twice), Michael Clarke, Peter Siddle (twice), Michael Hussey, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, David Hussey, David Warner, Shelley Nitschke, Karen Rolton, Lisa Sthalekar, Steve Davis, Daryl Harper, and Simon Taufel upon being nominated for their respective categories within the cricket world, while representing Australian cricket.

Cricketer of the Year
While Mitchell has carved a strong reputation for himself on the oppositions 'threat list', his Ashes performances were below par and may have taken him away from taking this award. He has done a tremendous amount of growth as an emerging front-line Australian bowler, whilst also making some memorable moments in the middle!
However the three players I see strongly in favour to win this category are:
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Andrew Strauss (ENG), AB de Villiers (RSA). Dilshan has had a really consistent average for Sri-Lanka and provides a dynamic to all forms of the game, and he does appear in nearly every category too! AB de Villiers has just seemed to become a really well marketed cricketer in all forms of the game, and performs when needed too.

Test Player of the Year
Michael Clarke would be my front-line runner for this award. While The Baggy Green's results have been far from impressive, Michael has stood out with the many runs behind his name and the very clear signs of his maturity at the elite level of the game. I think he's in with a strong chance. Sri-Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan (as mentioned above) has been a strong performer for his team, while Andrew Strauss has made his major impact in the Test scene and after leading England in their Ashes victory it has probably boosted his chances! AB de Villiers has shown very similar trends to Michael Clarke, and I find them to be very comparable cricketers. I think the two of them are head to head in alot of ways here. Dale Steyn was CSA player of the year, and has really become a spear-head Test bowler, with many wickets too his name. This will be my guess for this category!

ODI Player of the Year
Quite likely MS Dhoni will walk away with this award, like he did last time. An explosive batsman, and he deserves a pat on the back with his leadership. He seems to have tamed the Indian's down quite alot. It is brilliant to see Michael Hussey with a nomination. His one-day game has been very strong, and this ODI series (if it contributes to the awards) can push his chances dramatically. It would be fantastic if he were too walk away with this, but it would seem tough looking at some of the contenders stats and the impact of their performances.

Emerging Player of the Year
Martin Guptill (NZ) has a real fighting chance to take this award after his duties with the bat in hand have steered New Zealand in a brighter direction, while Amit Mishra has been a big find as an emerging spin-bowler.
Ben Hilfenhaus, while a young man, has waited a while for his opportunity to get out there and wear a Baggy Green. But Peter Siddle is my choice to win this award, and I hope he does. He is such a breath of fresh perspective to this team for his attitude, courage and fighting ambition. He has taken a bit of flack with lack of confidence from on-lookers, but he has made an impact worth noting in each Test he has played. Phillip Hughes was front-line to take this, but the Ashes series didn't go his way, and no further cricket till the awards to add to his Australian career, I can't see Phillip in the final running's for this one.

Twenty20 International Performance of the Year
Shahid "Boom Boom" Afridi is a real entertainer and stands in-line to take this award in my opinion. This form of the game is just up his street and he had a major role in Pakistan's 2009 Twenty20 campaign. Tillakaratne Dilshan was the player of the tournament in the 2009 ICC T20 Cup and was very productive with each role he played. Wayne Parnell was a dangerous bowler during the Protea's Twenty20 campaign in England, but he may be just short on performances outside of that tournament to walk away with the award. David Warner started off as an eye-opening prospect with an Australian debit, before even having a First-class game behind his name. He has that now, but he has struggled in ODI's and has only had a few notable performances. But in Twenty20, matching up to 89 is not easy at all!
David Hussey is a Twenty20 specialist, but I just don't think it's been quite significant enough on his part to win the award. Hopefully more to come from Dussey!

Women's Cricketer of the Year
Charlotte Edwards led England to many a victory, and is not shy in her performances leading her team. Karen Rolton (Who ended her reign as Australian skipper after the 2009 ICC T20 Cup), Lisa Sthalekar (Australia), Claire Taylor (England) and Aimee Watkins (New Zealand) will be strong contenders in the Women's Cricketer of the year category.

Umpire of the Year
As always I go with the main man Simon Taufel (Australia). He is consistent, rarely faults and after all he went through after the shooting incident during the Sri-Lanka vs Pakistan series, he deserves it yet again! He sets the benchmark!


Feel free to discuss further, and don't forget Friday is the 1st ODI against England. Time to clean up the remains before heading off to the Champions Trophy. Another big series ahead!

TWENTY20's GET WASHED OUT OF ACTION

Well the two Twenty20's didn't amount to more than 21.1 overs of decent action, with the rain becoming the destructive natural force on the occasion.
So not much for us to discuss, but upon further evaluation of my one reader, Sid, and a comment he made that God is an Englishman, I have to say that the Cricket Gods panel must indeed be Englishmen at present!

So a very disappointing result for the games to not see a worthy conclusion, but the boys can take some heart from their first performance, while England will be very quickly regrouping to get into the 50 over game mindset, with the Ashes now the lesser talking point.
So the Twenty20 specialists end an unsatisfying stay and will now head their own respective ways while the ODI team look to rectify the damages caused by the very confident Proteas last summer, who will be aiming hard to get their camp ready in hosting the ICC Champions Trophy.

There's alot to play for in this current ODI series, from healing some wounds of the Ashes, to proving ODI credibility and also preparing the squad for the Champions Trophy which may have lost its hype, but any major ICC tournament should be taken with serious determination to come out on top!
So Friday the next clash begins! Click here for the Squad Spotter article to fill yourself in for the Green and Gold players.
News is that The NSP also confirmed that Adam Voges has been included in the squad.
I was a bit upset David Hussey wasn't initially included, but Voges is also experienced in English conditions and will be apart of the Champions Trophy team, so his inclusion in Brad Haddin's absence is a smart move.
The NSP got it right there!