In this modern era of information overload, instant wants
needing to be instantly met, and a rapid shift in the value system, it’s no
surprise how so many changes in the global village have filtered into the game
of cricket.
We have been debating the survival of ODI cricket with the threat posed by the
lucrative lure and quick fix entertainment Twenty20 cricket provides. In a
world where peoples focus is best handled in short time frames, Test cricket
still has its moments for heated debates as to whether it can go on as is, or
whether it needs substantial tweaks as we’ve seen in ODI cricket to make it
more accessible.
These factors are also burdened by “overkill cricket”, something which I have
written about on many occasions. I have no issue with putting on my television
to witness a variety of cricket day in, day out, as long as it is quality driven
and serves as a worthy purpose for the game, the team and the fans.
With the amount of cricket played, the growth of State cricket’s exposure to a
wider audience through T20 cricket, as well as the variation between the three
formats at all levels, it is hard to recall games the way you could 5 years
ago. It’s understandable and in some ways a bit unfortunate.
This seems to be relative in forgetting about certain cricketers that get lost
in the overload timeline of modern day cricket. It seems that when a player is initially
left out; through injury, getting dropped and phased out to make way for
younger or more reliable player, we tend to quicker forget about them because
the turnaround time in matches we witness is so intense and rapid!
A few examples would be James Hopes, Callum Ferguson, Doug Bollinger and even a
bloke like Nathan Hauritz. Sure, you will remember these guys and obviously
they’re presently still active within State cricket but I am quite sure that the
majority of supporters won’t be able to recall when they were left out, why
they were left out or even be able to pinpoint the dates they last featured for
Australia.
It’s understandable though to forget about a specific player. We have so many
other things in life to remember now, amongst all the various cricket tournaments
we get exposed to.
Although we usually don’t forget the player, we may forget their contributions to the game of cricket, or even the risk of forgetting the positive elements of their game
they brought to their team. As new players get brought into the side, get
accepted and show their true class at the elite level, this is also a valid
reason to forget about a certain player, especially if he was in a serious rut
for form within a format seen as the pinnacle of the game.
Go out with a bang is what they say. Well, the West Indies top order certainly had that intention as they blasted their way to a mighty impressive start. "Wickets boys, wickets will be what gets us back into the game", is what Matt Wade said from behind the stumps. Logical most might say, but it was highly valid in the context of the game.
It looked like Wadey was on the money. Only catch was the Windies went out with a bang with the ball in hand to baffle our mid to lower order batsmen. The wickets didn't matter with the result as the boys just didn't get enough runs to chase down the Windies. Rather disappointing but no shortage of entertainment!
Well done to Shane Watson for his man-of-the-series award.
West Indies: 160 all out. Brett Lee 3-23, Clint McKay 2-24, Shane Watson 2-26. Australia: 9-146 from 20 overs. David Warner 58 (43), George Bailey 24.
Bowling review:
The Windies openers were outstanding and really brought the Kensington Oval to life with their perfect timing and Twenty20 big hit antics with the bat. It really was the Dwayne Smith show with sixes galore and a frightening run rate, which is what all of us as Australian supporters had to witness. Exciting nevertheless but certainly a reflection of the beauty of a batting track prepared, which the Windies took advantage of early on. With the overall result, neither team did to the full extent.
Their openers smashed our opening bowlers to bring up 72 runs from just 6.4 overs. They found themselves in a comfortable position at 3-110 but how quickly things would turn against them was a shock for their supporters. As far as I was concerned, it was a tactical stuff up from the Windies.
Having 110 runs on the board with 7 wickets in hand. There's no urgency needed especially when the 10 over mark was still two balls off. Instead it was a promotion of pinch hitters and unnecessary shots with the simple method of rock on the back foot and slam it as hard as you can. The difference was George Bailey and his bowlers were smarter.
All the Windies needed to do was consolidate the innings with smarter cricket and find some stability with their middle order. A key advantage the Windies have is the fact they have such big hitting power in the lower order. Promoting them to "go out with a bang" would have been a better tactic with 4 or 5 overs to spare instead of throwing all the big guns up top with the pinch hitter philosophy. In any case, it was a trick they missed and the fact they only managed 10 more runs than their 150 posted in the 1st T20i wasn't acceptable for them.
Here's a little something for the South Australian Redbacks supporters who follow the Baggy Green Blog. A selection of new supporters graphics have been uploaded.
Don't forget the 2nd T20i against the West Indies is just around the corner! 2-0 awaits the boys if they play at their best, but you can never underestimate the fight of the West Indies. Welcome to The Baggy Green Blog!
Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
To comment on this article, click on the 'Comments' tag at the end of the article.
After a hit and miss ODI series, we were treated to an all-rounders performance from Shane Watson and an exciting return from Michael Hussey to Twenty20 International cricket. The two of them were up to the challenge to chase down the West Indies' total, after the big hitting Kieron Pollard got under our skin once again with an unfamiliar display of Twenty20 power hitting. We won the game with 11 balls to spare.
West Indies: 7-150 from 20 overs. Dan Christian 3-27 (3 overs), Brett Lee 2-30 (4 overs), Shane Watson 1-16 (4 overs). Australia: 2-153 from 18.1 overs. Shane Watson 69 (43), Mike Hussey 59* (45), George Bailey 21*.
I have always viewed Twenty20 International cricket as a hyped up event to provide some fun entertainment for all kinds of supporters. Twenty20 cricket as a controlled format, marketed to the public via State or Domestic cricket is, in my opinion, a brilliant channel to push the game of cricket and also provide a stronger infrastructure in monetary terms and player identity to cricketers not playing at the elite level.
In a nutshell, I watch these games without having to chew my nails and feel extreme dissatisfaction if the result doesn't go my teams way. My feelings change drastically come Test and ODI cricket.
Having said that, when a team puts up a fight against the side you do get engaged no matter what your take on T20 is. Kieron Pollard did that to give his side a chance as he blitzed his way to a 20-ball half-century having watched his top order struggle to find their way forward.
The Windies called in a specialist team, while we had James Pattinson come in to bowl. Dan Christian also made a comeback.
Brett Lee proved to be a bit expensive again in his early spell, bowling many deliveries back of a length but he managed to tighten things up in his return spell, importantly getting the big wicket of Darren Sammy. I always found Sammy to be a decent batsman but it seems the leadership responsibility and his own self-belief have given him the needed boost to come into his own as a daunting lower order batsman.
Watto had an all-rounders game as he was right into the action with an LBW (letting out a roar of an appeal). Dan Christian lured big hitters to take him on, bowling with the breeze behind him and digging it around a half-volley length. He got a bit of a beating from Kieron Pollard but it must be said that the Redback managed two vital wickets to stagnate the Windies' collective efforts.
Pollard had his own agenda as his team mates fell around him, as he took on DC's pace with aggression. He took the spin of Xavier Doherty with some respect early on with smart T20 innovation but then went back to his favorite way of dealing with spin. How was that one six that went cruising at light speed onto the pavilion roof?
As mentioned, Binga returned with better form and was involved in dismissing Darren Sammy out for just 7.
The final over was a successful one as the boys restricted Pollard for strike in the final over, while also getting a bizarre run out to have the Windies at 7 wickets down come the end of the innings.
It just takes one bloke to have a big innings in Twenty20 cricket to get his side home, but the Windies were ideally suited to chasing with the depth of their big hitters and the natural temperament of their top order. They needed more than Pollard for this game.
Our top order consists of the power hitters, while the middle to lower order has guys who can work the ball around and still find urgent boundaries. It's a side composition which worked in our favor to map out a game plan. Once Huss and Watto had made a start, the game was as good as over.
After David Warner was bowled for a duck to give the Windies a massive breakthrough, Watto went massive in his assault as he blasted his way to 50 runs from 38 deliveries! It was a typical Watson innings. Big heaves to the deep mid-wicket region for maximum, but he also brought some smooth class to his shots with some late cuts where he found the gaps and took on slower balls with controlled pull shots.
In total he scored 69 runs, with 54 runs all coming from the onside (78% of his runs) and hit x6 sixes and x5 fours (56 runs scored in boundaries).
It was amusing that he dealt some of the big blows against Pollard's bowling. The wagon wheel tells a story of his areas of target and we know that the deep mid-wicket region and long on are his zones of choice to target. I have posted the wagon wheel.
Michael Hussey was promoted to number 3 and was playing his first T20 since 6 July 2010. It has been a 2 year absence and he made his return known! While Watto went big, Huss held the fort with innovative shots and his usual brilliance in finding the gaps and running with caution and athleticism between the wickets to rotate the strike. They managed a dominating partnership in the context of the game with 108 runs.
His average in T20i is situated just situated comfortably below 40.00 which is an excellent average. We all know from Huss' IPL stints that he's got the goods for any form of the game. I was stoked to see him back in the T20 side to give his experience. His brother in the most capped Australian T20 player and has loads of State Twenty20 experience. Huss himself has no shortage of experience and he scored his 3rd T20 fifty, coming off 40 balls and a strike rate of 130.00. How he loves T20 in the Caribbean!
It was easy from that point as skipper George Bailey worked with him, just as they did in a few of the ODIs, to get us to the target with 8 wickets in hand and 11 deliveries to spare. A job well done I'd say!
Always nice to see the boys get a victory and it was a good display all round. It gave an opportunity for playing matters to be observed and allows the NSP some live action to fine tune ahead of the ICC World T20.
The final Twenty20's fixture information:
Fri Mar 30
14:00 GMT | 10:00 local
2nd T20I - West Indies v Australia
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
Welcome to The Baggy Green Blog!
Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
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The result for the West Indies was a good one, but they will feel slightly down after being so close to beating Australia for the first time in 17 years for a limited overs series.
Australia have reason to be disappointed with the performance against the side ranked at 8 for ODIs.
There were many errors from the side but there were a few things to consider.
This is a team that came into this series right after victory in the Commonwealth Bank series, which sees no shortage of fixtures. A few players were not present and some were rested in the build up to the test series.
It’s not about excuses but sometimes these factors do play a part. This shouldn’t take away the fight shown by the West Indian players. They made us panic at times, both players and supporters!
Looking at the statistics, the Windies seem to have taken the honours for the series as the better team.
Australia: 9-281 from 50 overs. David Warner 69, Shane Watson 66, Peter Forrest 53. West Indies: 251 all out. Brett Lee 3-42, Shane Watson 2-44, Xavier Doherty 2-40.
Not long ago I had a great chat with an international fast bowler. I asked him when is the pressure, as a both a player and a side, at its most intense level to secure victory?
He said it was plain and simply when playing a weaker or lesser-ranked team, because you’re expected to win and to perform beyond your usual standards of achievement.
This makes sense as heading into this ODI series we expected Australia to win, especially after the 1st ODI victory.
However, an inability to rip through the Windies mid to lower order, a concerning struggle for the batsmen to adapt to a slow wicket where three games were held, and a tactical fall out for “death bowling” made the series a hard fought one. The Windies nearly took full advantage of these weaknesses to have a historical series win. Our guys would have felt that pressure no doubt.
Last article I pointed out numerous issues which unfortunately carried into this match. On a positive note, the one thing that was all important was to see the top order batsmen at their best. David Warner and Shane Watson finally managed to find some time in the middle and did so in their trademark style, being naturally aggressive.
I feel the West Indies did make a mistake to put us into bat, just as I think Watto made a huge mistake making us bat first on that slow wicket during two of the first three games. Unfairly, taking the lower order heroics away from Darren Sammy indicates we should have won this match comprehensively and put out the lights on Sammy’s defence to bowl first on a beautiful batting track. He did his best to prove otherwise though.
It was mighty good to see the top order come right, which included Peter Forrest who was in need of a decent innings. The fluency at the crease from all the batsmen would have been owed to a better understanding of the conditions and some rather ordinary bowling from the Windies.
It was exciting to see Watto and Warner play their natural games. The value placed on their wickets was also refreshing after the horrible display during the 4th ODI where every batsman threw away his wicket. Some days it pays off, but when it does these two blokes are just epic to watch.
Peter Forrest played his part in the top order to score a half-century to get his early career back on track. George Bailey had a reasonably successful debut ODI series with the bat. His fielding was excellent, especially when taking stance at short extra cover.
I was pleased to see Matt Wade find some time at the crease with some lower order power hitting, although I do think he shouldn’t be batting so low down the order in ODIs. He’s probably had a forgettable series with the bat in hand but it’s his first overseas tour for Australia and every player needs to have that one poor show to know the harsh reality of this game at the elite level. Only gets better from here for Matt.
The batting at the end of the innings was a bit embarrassing come the last over but the top order had done their job to give a really solid foundation to capitalise upon the Windies obvious loss in momentum and a drop in body language. The final over bowled by Andre Russell did seem to spark some kind of momentum though. The Windies have shown a ridiculous ability to rapidly build this wonderful thing called “momentum”, game in, game out. It builds pressure in body language and they were able to follow through.
This didn’t help their top order though as Brett Lee bowled outstandingly with the new ball, taking two wickets and operating with economic excellence alongside Ben Hilfenhaus.
Binga has had a touch and go series. As excellently as he bowled up front, he still had a torrid time with bowling at the death of the Windies innings. Yorkers which become ideal full tosses and short deliveries which become easily dispatched have made his work load at the end a bit of a concern.
With the younger players coming through the system in the build up to a limited overs series in the United Kingdom in a few months time, he’ll need to dig deep into his experience and bring us that all round intensity with the new and old ball.
Our death bowling needs to be addressed. I felt our mix of Nathan Bracken, James Hopes and Shane Watson proved to be a brilliant bowling unit to handle the crucial overs, whose skllis Ricky Ponting was able to execute really well. Suddenly it has become an area of worry as there were many moments during the Commonwealth Bank series as well where we lost control of the games during the last 10 overs or so of the match.
I was admittedly impressed with Watto’s courage to bowl Xavier Doherty towards to final stages of the innings. Xavier has gained so much experience this series and did a pretty good job in my opinion. Just needs to work through the blues of being smashed about the park.
Darren Sammy’s innings was the defining blow to our chances of a convincing victory and one hell of an awesome innings. Taking out his efforts alongside Andre Russell doesn’t paint of a good picture for the Windies, but Sammy’s fight was significant to show that we never had this series in our control, we never had the dominant factor. He also opened up a whole can of worms for the death bowling debate.
The final power play saw 0 wickets fall and 60 runs came from it, doubling our efforts for PP3.
Ben Hilfenhaus was the tidiest of the bowlers having delivered economical spells in games four and five. He only managed one wicket but it would have been far more effective had we seen more “pressure building spells” from the other end, as we saw from himself and Binga taking the new ball in yesterday’s game. It is a tactic that has worked in the test matches.
I haven’t gone into the full discussion and analyses of everything into this game but reading back over previous match reports (all links above) you will see the relevant areas of discussion.
The statistics for the series tell a story as well that we were never in domination of this series.
Statistics for the ODI series against the West Indies:
Top Batting stats:
-Michael Hussey: 5 innings, 174 runs, HS 67, Average 34.80, x1 fifty
The test series will see a different wave of competition hit the Windies.
I tipped the Windies to have the best chance against us in the ODIs, even though their team wasn’t at full strength either. Our test side is excellent in my opinion and they’re coming off a 4-0 series win against India. The Windies will lose their big hitters and be in a completely different level of combat for the test series, where their inexperience may show.
Against the Windies the bowling tactics should not change, which saw the downfall of India during the Border-Gavaskar series. The batting will be essential for us as the Windies batting is their strength in the test arena, in my opinion. If our batsmen put the runs on the board, I can see our bowlers working around the clock to deliver something brutal.
I am positive heading into the test series.
The series sees the return of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Peter Siddle, Ed Cowan and Ryan Harris. The bowling is boosted by Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc, while two spinners have been selected, meaning Michael Beer returns to try build upon his 1 test.
Here is our Test Squad for the Frank Worrell Trophy. Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson, Ed Cowan, David Warner, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Peter Forrest, Brad Haddin (wk), Matthew Wade (wk), Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Michael Beer, Nathan Lyon. *The 2008 series in the West Indies was won 2-0 by Australia, and 2-0 in Australia 2009/10 .
Twenty20 matches:
It’s the Twenty 20 matches first which will be a nice spectacle to wrap up what has been a very entertaining limited overs series. Fifty over cricket has been given a massive boost by the Australian team over the last few series, dating back to the ODIs against South Africa.
Pity is wasn’t an ODI series win but well done to the boys for their respective performances and very well done to the Windies for their fierce determination. As an avid follower of West Indian cricket, I have to admit that they surprised me.
Welcome to The Baggy Green Blog!
Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
To comment on this article, click on the 'Comments' tag at the end of the article.
I am someone who avoids criticism of my team and the game of cricket. However, I use the words, "and they all fell down", carefully as that was how it felt for me watching Australia's batsmen crumble against the Windies. It seemed to be a batting display where the tone was set by David Warner's dismissal, which resulted in our batsmen simply gifting away their wickets and collectively falling down to give the Windies victory.
A massive congrats to Brett Lee for the fight he showed with the bat and for what was a seriously entertaining innings. Binga smashed - and I mean smashed - 59 runs from 48 deliveries (x5 fours, x5 sixes), his highest score in ODI cricket. I started to ponder article headlines at the thought of him giving us an unexpected victory. It wasn't to be though.
A note to Kemar Roach would be: Avoid bowling beamers at Brett Lee!
The payback over read as follows; 4 4 4 6 0 6. Binga nearly got us home.
As for Kieron Pollard. Absolutely monstrous batting! 102 runs with 5 fours and 8 sixes, coming off just 70 deliveries.
West Indies: 7/294 - Shane Watson 2-55, Xavier Doherty 2-64, Brett Lee 2-72 Australia: 252 all out - Brett Lee 59, David Hussey 57.
This article may seem one of a slightly critical tone, but I do it with the best intention of pure observation not intended as bad mouthing my team. As always, I will ensure I point out the positives as that's essential moving forward in this game.
The decision to bowl first baffled me. I felt that we missed a trick in the 1st and 3rd ODIs when we won the toss and had the opportunity to bowl first on a sluggish track, but Shane Watson opted to bat first. The age old attitude is bat first, but the advantage of chasing on a slower track that has an unlikeliness to dramatically change seems to outweigh the aspects of the bat first in those particular conditions. The West Indies proved this in all three initial encounters.
To speak of a tied match between Australia and the West Indies should spark memories for the cricket enthusiast or historian, as this now the fourth tied match between the sides.
For 2012, the limited overs tie between the sides brought about serious drama and chaos towards the final stages of the 3rd ODI. It ensured we had a game with high tension and plenty to discuss after a result was plain and simply a tied match. Both teams missed a few tricks and will be disappointed with the result. The fact is that it was hard fought and we can guarantee that there will be brilliant interest as the teams head to St Lucia for the 4th ODI.
Australia: 220 all out from 49.5 overs. Michael Hussey 67, George Bailey 59, David Warner 37. West Indies:220 all out from 49.4 overs.Shane Watson 3-30, Xavier Doherty 2-30, Clint McKay 2-50.
Let's get onto the points of concern. The first one is the inconsistency within the batting order. The only change for the match was Nathan Lyon replacing Peter Forrest, so Shane Watson would have two spinners at his disposal. It turned out to be a strategically successful but this also resulted in a shift in the batting order.
Consistency remains a struggle for our limited overs team, where either the batsmen are setting good targets and not seeing our bowlers collectively defend the total, but in this series the problem has been a struggle to adapt to a very sluggish surface and impatience when putting together partnerships.
It was certainly not an easy track to bat on. This was shown by Michael Hussey, who top scored with 67 runs. Huss played the ball late and this worked effectively against the fast to medium pace bowlers. It did prove to be a challenge against the spin of Sunil Narine and Marlon Samuels. The ball was nipping through off the track, leaving a bit of a dust trail in the wake which meant playing the ball late required good instinct, quick bat speed and a really good eye. Timing remained all important but was even harder and more important against the spin. There was also no shortage of turn in the track.
It took them about six years to do so, but the Windies have finally managed to beat us in an ODI.
The game saw a similar pattern of frustration, where we batted first and struggled to adapt to the slower wicket on the back of some excellent bowling delivered by the Windies attack.
10 overs were lost and Duckworth-Lewis came into account, all in all causing some slight obstruction to the flow of the match.
Australia: 9-154. David Hussey 37 West Indies: 5-163 (revised target 158). Shane Watson 1-28 (7 overs)
The wicket can’t be blamed for the result. The West Indian bowlers did a superb job, which started right from the front of the pack with Kemar Roach bowling David Warner with a menacing delivery that did keep very low. It was clear that excellent timing off the front foot was going to be needed and playing off the back foot could cause some problems with the lack of favourable bounce our guys are used to. It was the case as Peter Forrest got caught in no man’s land prodding at a ball outside of off, only to get caught in the slips.
In didn’t get any better. Partnerships were formed, but in vain as the painful inability to find the gaps and gain momentum resulted in regular wickets falling. The spin of Sunil Narine puzzled our guys with his off-spin but suddenly he let rip a few variations which brought about the downfall of a few of our batsmen. He was instrumental in the defeat and even though I tipped Bishoo to be a player to watch out for, Narine has really stepped up showcasing some serious tricks up his sleeve.
The total posted was alright, bearing in mind that this is a track with a very low average score of about 190. As Nathan Bracken pointed out during the innings break analysis, batting first has its disadvantages on these tracks because the team chasing would have had a good opportunity to assess conditions and tweak their game strategy where needs be. On a slower track it doesn’t take much to chase down a low target if you can have one dominant partnership, which the Windies found.
The start of our defence was brilliant, with Brett Lee getting Kieran Powell out for a golden duck, plumb LBW. Shane Watson managed to remove the dangerous Darren Bravo and the ground fielding standards were excellent and this backed bowlers like Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty in choking the run chase.
It just took a slight change in momentum to get the Windies on track with the big hitting Kieron Pollard (a Redbacks T20 player) sending a clear message early in his innings that he wanted to get things over with.
They won the game with 10 balls to spare and while our fielding saved a number of boundaries in their run chase effort, we were still dependent on wickets to take this match.
The batting has started off as a bit of a concern. All we can hope is that guys have figured out a way to negotiate the Windies bowlers on the slow St. Vincent wicket, where we will have a third ODI.
Granted, our boys must be pretty damn tired after a very long summer and limited overs series but they’re professionals and it does seem the biggest obstacle is overcoming the unfamiliar conditions. They’ve had time to assess it, had time to get an idea of their opponents in action. Now it is time to put the domination into action to try master the track and go 2-1 up before a change in venue.
Well done to the Windies in keeping the series interesting. Individual output has always been an issue for them, partially owing to the fact they all come from different islands and have a lack of unity in the Administration sector, but this team is starting to find some shape collectively. Let's hope we can hold them off. Hard luck to Watto and the rest of the boys!
On a side note, how about Xavier Doherty's outfield save of a ball that was sailing over the keepers head for six? Over the last two or three years we've seen an innovation from the players with classic outfield catches and mid-air/over the rope stops. Splendid stuff.
The 2011/12 Sheffield Shield Final:
Big news if you’re a Queensland Bulls supporter! Yes, the Bulls have won the 2011/12 Sheffield Shieldagainst the Tasmanian Tigers at the Gabba. This brings the Australian State cricket season to a closure as the winter sports kick off. The two best teams were in the final and it proved to be an entertaining final which could have done with the standard 4 day fixture set.
The last time the Bulls won the First-class competition was the 2005/06 season and this is their 7th title in the history of the campaign. It prevented the Tigers from winning the title in back-to-back years.
It was a match dominated by the bowlers but Queensland keeper, Chris Hartley, will walk away with fond memories after posting the lone century for the game in a low scoring final.
Steve Magoffin (former WA player) and Hartley were the stars of the final with their lower order heroics in both innings, but the low target required was courtesy of some excellent bowling from the Bulls captain/Former Australian ODI player, James Hopes; and Ryan Harris, Australian Test bowler.
“Catfish” Hopes managed five wickets while Ryano took three wickets to ensure he had the best preparations before heading over to the Caribbean.
The bleak news was that Ricky Ponting didn’t have a memorable final, managing just 7 runs, but he was in excellent touch before the final which gives us a good indication of where he is at before the Windies Test series, while Ed Cowan managed a well fought half-century in the second innings.
It wasn’t enough though and Queensland have the title.
Congrats to all the Queensland Bulls fans who follow the blog! Jackson Bird (53 wickets from 8 matches at an average of 16.00)can also take a bow after a sensational debut season for Tasmania alongside young Alister McDermott. The future looks very bright for Australia's bowling stocks!
Here are some stats of the 2011/12 Sheffield Shield via ESPN Cricinfo.
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Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
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The West Indies haven't beaten us in an ODI since 2006. It doesn't look like they will be doing it this series as well. After restricting us really well on a tough track to play a natural limited overs innings on, our bowlers took them on and were backed by tidy fielding. In the end it was a walk over, an absolute walk over.
The Windies simply folded with the bat and our bowlers did a smart job. I expected them fight harder.
Australia: 8/204 from 50 overs. David Warner 40, George Bailey (debut) 48. West Indies: 140 all out. Xavier Doherty 4-49 , Dan Christian 2-12, Clint McKay 2-22, Brett Lee 1-25.
Things started off briskly for us as skipper Shane Watson found his stride early on in his innings. It was going along smoothly with David Warner playing the anchor role at the other end. On 21 Watto was sent packing LBW and this sparked the arrival of David Warner in the Caribbean as he found the boundary with wise shot selection.
It was good to see Pitbull get runs behind his name early on which will boost his confidence so much after he left Australia having achieved, in my opinion, a golden summer as a step up to the next level as a player.
The catch seemed to be a struggle for application to adapt to the conditions.
The wicket did seem to slow down and the timing was a definite struggle, especially watching George Bailey's debut innings. George top scored with a hard fought 48 runs and had a respectful initiation to limited overs cricket on tour for Australia.
He managed to strike 5 boundaries with some luck here and there but he has made the debut, made the runs to contribute and most importantly on a personal note was that he was awarded Player of the match!
Well done George.
Recently I was contacted by Hamish Sterling, one of the creators of a new cricket game called Pocket Cricket. We’re not talking slick, sophisticated graphic games for PC, Xbox or PS3. We’re not even looking at flash games to play on your laptop when you’re killing time.
No, Pocket Cricket is about going back to basics; a concept of rolling the dice and awaiting the unknown for the result of a game.
Their idea was about taking us back, before technology consumed our day to day activities.
As Hamish says, “We wanted to bring back a bit of social interaction to gaming and fire up people imagination as they play the game”.
For just $9.99 you can buy your Pocket Cricket online (free postage, anywhere) to play anywhere, anytime and with anyone. The game can be played by 1, 2 or 4 players.
Instructions are included within the small pouch containing the playing dice and all of this will, logically, fit right into your pocket!
Pocket Cricket comes with 6 dice where batting, bowling, fielding and even the Umpire have been taken into account. The basic gameplay is that the batting side will have 3 dice where the batsman can roll for a conservative shot, an aggressive shot and then roll to see how many runs that shot will bring.
The bowling side will then see whether they can take wickets, claim a few run outs or grab onto a few classic catches! This is of course if the batting side aren’t chancing their luck with boundaries galore. The Umpire is involved as well for those crucial decisions to ensure that it’s all good fun!
The blokes behind the game are even in talks with Cricket Australia to get the game licenced.
Who knows? Maybe when you’re sitting at the Adelaide Oval or the WACA during a drinks break next summer, you and some mates could be playing Pocket Cricket, rolling the dice and chancing your luck to win the match…or a few free beers courtesy of the losing team.
See the Channel 7 Queensland local news story (Youtube video)!
Hamish Sterling, of Edge Hill, and two of his friends have invented a dice game called Pocket Cricket, which they hope will become popular across the world. Picture: MARC McCORMACK
Welcome to The Baggy Green Blog!
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The National Selection Panel announced the Test side to take on the West Indies for the Frank Worrell Trophy. It’s become a familiar set up now with the names in the side which is a positive step forward in terms of consistency. It’s a strong squad as well but the aspect of competition is clearly evident.
Test Squad to play the West Indies: Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson, Ed Cowan, David Warner, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Peter Forrest, Brad Haddin (wk), Matthew Wade (wk), Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Michael Beer, Nathan Lyon.
The big news involves the return of Shane Watson to the Test side after his injury layoff. His ICC player rankings give clear indication of his overall value to Australian cricket.
Two wicketkeepers have been chosen, which was suggested as a tactical move a while back already by the NSP. So, Brad Haddin and Matt Wade have been selected as the keepers of choice and the competition is sure to heat up!
With the role the modern day keeper changed for good, and despite his experience, Hads will need to deliver with the bat as well as a notable pick up of his keeper standards given the strength Matt Wade displayed with his all-round performances for Victoria this season in First-class cricket while obviously not forgetting the steady entrance he’s made with the bat in ODI cricket. His wicket keeping needs no questioning!
Competition for places in the side is healthy and this doesn’t only stand an obstacle for the wicketkeepers but the spin bowling department as well. In 2008 Beau Casson (recently retired from all cricket due to a heart condition) was the selected debutant after Stuart MacGill felt it was time to walk away from the game having done an excellent job often in the shadow of Shane Warne’s magic. Casson faired alright but was never recalled and the spinners of this tour will be heading over with experience and a head to head case of who will be picked?
This is a tournament I always enjoy watching and one that immediately allows me to recall some spectacular memories, especially some big run chases by the Windies and heated encounters in the middle! I enjoy seeing touring teams head over to the Caribbean, a place where the cricket may not be as sought after and fanatically followed as it once was, but the game still has its place within their respective cultures.
Here’s our ODI and T20 Squads for the limited overs part of tournament:
ODI squad -Michael Clarke (captain/injured), Shane Watson (captain/vice captain), Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner.
Twenty20 squad - George Bailey (captain), Shane Watson, Daniel Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Nathan Lyon, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner.
Now it’s time to have a quick look at the mix of the Windies.
You may look at the team and scratch your head thinking, “who are these blokes?” Yes, there have been numerous changes since the series in Australia in the 2009/10 season but here’s a look to give you an idea of a few of the players to watch out for!
Some you may remember, some you may have no idea about.
A bit of a quicker way of delivering the tour stats but here's the run down for the best performing Australian players for the Commonwealth Bank Series against Sri Lanka and India. You can click on the image to enlarge the stats breakdown.
David Warner really brought out the best of his abilities towards the later stages of the competition. Another testament that he can handle pressure and has finally reached the century mark in ODI cricket after his rewarding summer of Test cricket. He scored back to back centuries and nearly reached a half-century in the final. It's great to see him find his own way.
David Hussey has had issues with inconsistency when playing for Australia but he can be regarded as our most valuable player during the early stages of the tournament.
He can deliver brilliant limited over displays with the ball in hand (why doesn't he bowl more often?) and his batting was aggressive, showing his bulls-eye instinct to take on any bowler. He scored the second most runs for Australia.
Michael Clarke performed strongly in the few games he played while Matt Wade made a serious impression with the bat in hand, having had to deal with a few shuffles within the batting order. His keeping standards slipped a bit towards the end of the tournament (as did our fielding and bowling in general) but he brought energy to the side and overall I thought he did an excellent job during his first campaign as the keeper of choice. Come the final match of the tournament he was at his best and he is in the Windies!
Peter Forrest scored his maiden century when stepping in for Ricky Ponting at number three but, like David Hussey of previous years, he was inconsistent. 1 century and 2 half-centuries in your first series is a successful one in my books.
The bowling was hit and miss this series. Early stages the boys were lethal with Brett Lee and Ben Hilfenhaus troubling India in particular. Clint McKay then came out of nowhere and in the nick of time to grab 5 wickets in the final to get us over the finish line. Dan Christian, who took a hat-trick, was able to showcase his all-rounder abilities in his first ODI series for Australia and certainly has a place for improvement as he defines his individual role within the side.
The series was won and it ended a summer with many memories for us to take away.
The Windies series begins soon and when I have a chance I will be writing an article for you to fill you in on who to watch out for from the opposition camp.
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Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
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It's been an action packed summer and I will remember it fondly after seeing some remarkable cricket.
The boys can be proud of the way they stuck together to win the Test series against India, thus regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and then following on by beating a very tenacious Sri Lankan side 2-1 in the Commonwealth Bank Series finals. A worthy opponent!
It's a huge turnaround considering the rollercoaster year 2010/11 was.
The boys head over to the Caribbean now (one of my favourite places to watch teams tour) for the limited overs series which will be followed soon after with the Test series, also known as the Frank Worrell Trophy.
I have been keeping a close eye on The Sheffield Shield matches and I'm glad to report that Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle have had some stand out performances with the ball while in Tasmania's current game against Western Australia, Ricky Ponting and Ed Cowan both scored centuries.
It's going to be very hard for the boys to make the trip over the Caribbean and freshen up for a relatively long limited overs series but Shane Watson is leading the troops and he is ready to go having missed most of the summer. It's a golden opportunity for him to gain further leadership experience.
Will post the stats soon for the ODI series but all in all it's great to have the winning feeling!
Congrats to Clint McKay for his 5 wicket haul. Gave us instant momentum. Question: What were your best moments of the summer?
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Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
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This summer has been intense! For us it comes to a closure but for the players it is nearly time to start a new series, a new battle and a challenge against another team in their own backyard straight after.
Fatigue must be kicking in and being so close to winning the Commonwealth Bank series, so close to ending a summer on a high with so many epic memories, now is not the time for the standards they've set to just crash and burn. They're better than this and they can win this series. It all comes down to one last ODI for the summer, one last match for the supporters and one victory that's needed!
The fielding and bowling has been a concern the last three matches.
The intensity of Ricky Ponting with his mad-dog appearance chasing after balls in the inner circle and freakish ability to nail direct hits probably 95% of the time has left a void.
Someone needs to step up, someone needs to take on the role as the most intense, most enthusiastic and deadliest fieldsman there is! That is lacking, it is needed and I believe David Warner has that potential.
The small errors can be acceptable. It's been a bloody long summer and it hasn't been a chilly one at that for the players too. Sri Lanka, in particular, have also shown incredible fight and determination to get one up on us. You almost feel they deserved to win the 2nd final. They had more passion, more intensity and they made fewer errors. We may have lost on the simplest of grounds.
The fielding standard needs to pick up for one last game and there needs to be a leader in the field, not as a captain but as "that bloke" who kicks every other player in the backside to keep their A-game alive.
Matt Wade has a chance to be more vocal, to be more assertive and show he's in control. He's impressed many with his duties behind the stumps this series.
A keeper has a thankless job but his body language and attitude can speak louder than words. Matt has had a slightly mixed time with the bat but he can do the job up the top of the order or in the middle order. He's good enough, he's ready and he's already shown us his worth at the elite level with the bat in hand with three half-centuries and an average around 30.
With the understanding he is not Australia's main keeper yet will weigh heavy on his mind. It has to affect his performances in some way but he just needs to maintain that self belief. What we need from him especially is that attitude from behind the stumps and to create the ripple effect that he's in control, his bowlers are keeping him in the game and that his fielders are on the attack. The supporters can then rally behind all eleven players.
The bowlers, well there's an area of sudden concern. I won't even go down the road of "we need changes", "these guys aren't good enough". No, these guys are not showing enough discipline. They're better than this, they are also dropping their standards so close to the finish line, so close to victory!
Being a bowler is a buggar of a job and Twenty20 smash and lunge skills have complicated a bowlers tasks.
The strain Brett Lee must be under (no jokes about him being an old man now) is immense pressure. His knees, his ankles and his entire body go through so much ball after ball. It's been a long series and even though the bowlers have been rotated for workload management, they can't fall apart now, they can't allow that mental weakness to creep in that will affect their body language!
Body language is the key but most importantly discipline is the key ingredient here as well.
If Craig McDermott can find some magic to get the guys over this one last hurdle before the Windies tour it really will put them in the best frame of mind.
This strategic execution is ideally up to the bowlers. They need to bowl to their field, they need to be disciplined with leeway granted to James Pattinson as he's still finding out about that as a young man.
The leadership is what has been epic the entire summer. That man is Michael Clarke. He tore apart India during the Test series, he walloped MS Dhoni tactically and his ODI series has been brilliant, unfortunate at times with the team results but mostly his injuries create the blemishes.
With Clarkey not confident with his body right now this is quite likely causing issues with his focus. Shane Watson has returned from a long lay off but is already under pressure with leadership duties. That isn't easy on his part but someone has to step up and be ruthless. The concern is that Clarkey is not in the right mind set but his return, while rushed, shows determination to be there in the middle with his side to try win this series and wrap up a golden summer for himself in particular.
It will be a big loss if Clarkey isn't there in the final match and I'd like to see him rotate the bowlers more which worked so well in the Test series. Yes it is tactically different but it could work to snuff the Sri Lankan momentum with their top order.
But this is about the team, it's about the supporters and that win is one game away. The guys got to the final, that is fantastic but they're up against a team that has shown the most consistency and the greater hunger to win. It's just one game and this side can do it. The batsmen need to play their part and the key players have begun to shine (David Warner with back to back centuries, outstanding, absolutely brilliant mate!) but the bowlers and fielders need to come out glowing, come out ambitious and be brutal!
Respect the opposition but make them work for it. This is Australia, the number one ODI team and this series you have seen a number of moments as to why this is. However, this game on Thursday will stamp that authority.
I believe the boys can do it, I am sure the supporters do too. The question is do the players?
So close to victory boys and think of what a serious wave of momentum it will be when heading over to the Caribbean.
Don't let the standards drop, don't let those elite standards drop!
Highlights of the 1st ODI final courtesy of Cricket Australia TV where David "Pitbull" Warner scored his maiden ODI century of 163 runs. No small effort.
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Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
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As I type this, David Warner has just scored his maiden ODI century and what a time for it to come!
The team has needed consistency from him and although he's had a battle for it, what a time to deliver your highest ODI score! The first final of three against Sri Lanka.
The century came after an opening stand of 136 runs with Matt Wade (64) who is starting to find his way with batting. His keeping has been outstanding! Matt's been shuffled between top and lower order duties which doesn't help for focus as such but definitely gives him early experience. Going to brace myself as this innings of Pitbull's could get huge, especially with Dan Christian batting with him.
On the note of Dan Christian, in case you missed his hat-trick against Sri Lanka on Friday at the MCG, here it is! It is our first ODI hat-trick since Brett Lee took his 2003 World Cup hat-trick against Kenya in brutal style. Binga also took a hat-trick in the 2007 ICC World T20 against Bangladesh.
Well done DC, special achievement mate.
Welcome to The Baggy Green Blog!
Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
To comment on this article, click on the 'Comments' tag at the end of the article.
