Discovered this while browsing Flickr - very nice shot
Australia vs India - Fourth Test - Day 1,2 & 3
Farewell Gilly!
In the last three Tests, Australians have started to feel the full impact of the loss of bowling duo Messrs Warne and McGrath. Without the ever reliable Shane Warne to wrap things up for us, India amassed 562 at the Adelaide Oval yesterday. Without McGrath to send down 25 robotic overs and take key wickets seemingly on cue we struggled in Sydney and lost in Perth.
Today, we lost another of at least as much magnitude. Adam Gilchrist has announced his retirement from all forms of the game, effect at the end of this Australian summer.
Without Gilly bobbing up at number 7 (surely the greatest number 7 batsman ever!) to turn scores of 300 into 450, or 500 into 600 plus - in a session - just what will happen? Streaks of 16 test victories, are now surely a thing of the past.
Is it any wonder that of that past decade; with Hayden bullying bowlers from the outset of each innings, supported by an ever more aggressive and classy Langer, then Australia's own little master Ricky Ponting averaging almost 60, and with McGrath to reliably take key wickets, and Warne to relaibly pick up 40 wickets per series; is it then any wonder we had a couple of these incredible winning streaks. Australians have become accustom to expect results. We have Adam Gilchrist to thanks for that as much as any of the others.
But with Gilly gone - most of these "result getters" have moved on. I am by no means predicting the downfall of Australian cricket, but with the loss of yet another "weapon of mass destruction", surely many other nations will have the fire power to fight back and naturally, we can expect to have far less our own way.
The first 3 days of this Adelaide Test could be a sign of some really fascinating Test battles to come. India of course made hay while the Adelaide sun shone on Day 1 and Day 2. Day 3 went Australia's way, as it had to if they were to stay in this game.
From here, if we are to see a result, it is going to have to come from and extra-ordinary session of two from key players. That being the case, you'd have to think it's likely to be Harbhajan or Kumble who hold that key. They'll be the ones bowling on Day 5 and should Australia have a nasty 250 or 300 to chase it could get ugly.
From Australia's point of view, you'd be looking for a first innings lead then a devastating spell from Lee with very good backup from Clark, then a quick chase late on Day 5 - all in all, drawing quite a long bow I fear.
I can't see India throwing it away like England did at this venue last year. India's batting is much more solid (and they have Sachin). Australia's bowling is less potent (and we don't have Warne).
My money is on a draw, but a gut wrenching final day of explosive spin bowling and proppy Australian batting is not out of the question.
Sir Shane of SMS?
How appropriate is it that Shane Warne would be penalised for sending SMS messages during his recent Poker tournament in the US?
Now there's talk of a knighthood - except we don't do that in Aus anymore - if anyone could change that it just maybe Sir Shane!
The era fades...
Rather than ending dramatically, I tend to agree with much Will has to say in a recent post, we are probably witnessing the slow end of an era right now, as the Australian aura fades...
This sort of thing has been predicted a few times over recent years, most notably when we lost the Ashes to England in '05. Of course, losing McGrath, Warne, Langer and Martyn, in one summer has to leave a large whole, and really, the perceived dominance was extended somewhat artificially I believe, by a poor showing from Sri Lanka at the start of this Australian summer. Australia just got all the momentum in the Boxing Day Test and since then, India has had the better of most days cricket played.
I am not suggesting we a going to see a return to the doldrums of the early 1980s -far from it. The money and infrastructure in the game, in Australia is far too advanced for that. However, Australia are no longer going to have it all their own way against the likes of India, South Africa or England. who will not be prepared to sit back and allow Australia to bully them anymore. India and England have exposed the panic and loss of composure that can sometimes occur when the Aussie's, under Ponting, feel threatened.
I for one, would like to see Mike Hussey take a more prominent leadership role and along with Adam Gilchrist, openly mentor Michael Clarke as he, it seems, holds a lot of the responsibility for the future of the Test team; that in itself a bit of a concern.
Ponting's leadership as a batsman is unquestionable and awesome, his attitude is somewhat more questionable and less awesome though. He's the right choice for captain at the moment, don't get me wrong, and he's well and truly earned it. He'll leave his own unique stamp on Australian Cricket history, but as a captain he won't be remembered on the same page a Greg Chappell, Alan Border, Mark Taylor, or Steve Waugh. Having said that, you'd have to prefer watching him bat to pretty much any of those (save maybe Chappell.)
Australia vs India - Third Test - Day 3 and 4
India released a lot of pent up emotion and frustration as brash celebrations errupted on the pitch at the WACA late yesterday, their well earnt victory denying the Aussies (again) their record breaking victory.
In scenes we're more accustom to seeig from the Aussies, there were team huddles, falg waving, chanting and just general euphoria, as the tension of the past fortnight was released. Australia left to lick their wounds and ponder what went wrong.
I'll tell you - it went wrong on Day 2, and we never could recover. Australia seemed so releived to get off the field on that 39 degree day, and expected to sit back and surpass India's fairly modest (or so it appeared) first innings total. But the reckoned without the determination and youthful "bullet-proof" attitude of a few up and coming swing bowlers. Bowlers that didn't, as they were expected to, get carried away with the bouncy Perth conditions. The less experienced Indian bolwers bowled a far better line and length than their more experienced Aussie coutner-parts, and the natural swing they achieved, undid the top order. At 5 for 61, nearly all was lost already.
The Aussies of course had different ideas, and at times, flirted with the idea of a magical, Adelaide Oval Ashes style victory but it wasn't to be. For me, watching the Channel 9 coverage here in Aus, the writing is always on the wall, once they start brining up that list of record run chases in Test cricket, and comparing the "task at hand" to any in the top 4 or 5 on that list. It just never happens.
The slightest glimour, from the flicker they could possibly have been a small hope was snuffed out when Andrew Symonds was fired out for yet another shocking LBW (something has to be done about all the LBWs) - proving that in cricket, IT ALL EVENS UP.
Autralia too will be seen to suffer a penalty for their slow over rate, but the true cost could well be a lot higher than the 25% of match fees fine to Ponting, or 10% to the rest of the players. At a critical point on Day 3 - just after lunch, with Lee well on top and firing in, Ponting was forced to bowl Clarke and Symonds for an extended spell, which yielded about 50 runs at a time when the match was probably still in their grasp. I wonder what effect this may have. At that time, Ponting himself was facing suspension!
So, well done India, this win sets up a great contest in the last Test in Adelaide and also ensures an exciting return bout in India later this year - as if that wasn't already assured.
Australia vs India - Third Test - Day 2
Well who saw that coming? Certainly not the Australian top order! Most batted like they were just expecting some else to do the job.
Australia now trail by about 120 on the first innings and XXX overall.
First of all, credit to India's bowlers. With so little experience they bowled with discipline on a pitch where supposedly, that's hard to do. It paid dividends and Australia's run on wins looks set to end.
Congrat's to Kumble on 600 wickets too.
This was 100% India's day! If any side can get back from this position, it's Australia, but should they manage it, they'll be rioting in the streets in Mumbai.
On another note, how frustrating are the wides and no-balls Australia are dishing out at the moment? It's a sign. Australia have been under so little pressure in a long time, and during brief moments in which they have, the signs aren't good. Tait's last over on this day is a perfect example. Wides, no-balls,...for crying out loud! How can professional bowlers not just move back and inch or two...in can't make that much diference - as if the over rates weren't slow enough!
And credit to Pathan, with one ball to go. After the no-ball - wide "dog's breakfast" of an over Tait had just served up, the icing on the cake, tactically, was for Pathan to pull away at the latest possible moment, just to ensure no more overs were bowled. The cherry on the cake that was the second day, for India.
Australia vs India - Third Test - Day 1
Now that is a good day's TEST cricket!
Great batsmen, not having it all there own way by any stretch of the imagination, but proving exactly why they are great! (Tendulka showed us why he is the little master... he could be beaten all ends up one ball, put it behind him and hit the next ball for four - class!)
Credit too, to Anil Kumble, after all the Aussie hype about bouncy fast pitches and four pace bowlers, he won the toss, and showed confidence in his side and a dedication to a confident game plan, and batted. Unlike Ponting at Edgbaston a couple of years ago, was completely swayed by local "knowledge" and hype and bowled after winning the toss - Kumble was not swayed. He backed his charges and looked to give India a shot at winning the game. He was rewarded early too. A confident quick start by the openers Jaffer and Sehwag then followed by a masterful Tendulka knock, which was tragically cut short by yet another dubious decision - playing across and from the crease, Sachin was adjudged LBW, when in my opinion, even to the naked eye it looked too high and a little too close to being outside off stump when it struck. I sometimes think umpires judge batmen guilty until proven innocent - as soon as there is an appeal, they're too ready to say out, and seem to need convincing that they are not out. The natural reaction from an umpire needs to err on the side of caution (not out), then only raise the finger in light of over whelming evidence to the contrary. There was certainly no overwhelming evidence that Tendulka was out!
Something that makes this Australian side great however, is their ability to never give up! They know that one Gilchrist innings, a Symonds onslaught or one Brett Lee spell can swing the whole game.
This time though, it came in the form of belated Christmas presents from Rahul Dravid and Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman. Australia had bowled well most of the day - Stuart Clark especially, without any luck - but that luck for Australia at least, came back in spades with Dravid on 93. He had played the anchor role to perfection all day, then as the ellusive Test Century drew closer, his mind went into reverse, and he tried to slog his way through the truly nervous nineties, and simply skied an ordinary ball from part time spinner - Andrew Symonds - to Ricky Ponting. He was rightly very upset - but at least this time, he (and all other Indians) only have him to blame.
Adding to the Indian late afternoon choke-fest, was VVS Laxman. Such a lax, soft dismissal from such a class batsman, you will rarely see. Hot on the heals of Dravid's appalling dismissal, this really handed the advantage to Australia. With Dravid and Laxman in, at total of 500 plus was well and truly on the cards, now, with freach bowlers on Day 2, India will struggle toward 350 if they're lucky, then hit the field at the height of Perth's 39 degree Thursday afternoon.
If they're looking for effigies to burn in Mumbai tonight, they ought look no further than these two batsmen.
Anil Kumble will now be a big factor in the rest of this match. He's the best spinner playing, and with the bounce, no spinner for the first time in 10 years could bite Australia late in this game. Australia will want a large first innings total, to avoid a testing chase late in this match.
The over rate from Australia on Day 1 was disgusting! This is a Test Cricket issue that has to be resolved. We have had some great Tests played lately and interest in Test cricket is fairly high - but this slow over rate epidemic has the potential of really hurting test cricket's reputation. Non-cricket purists love to slam test cricket as "like watching grass grow" - but with 80 or 85 overs only per day, who could blame them!?!? This is the topic for another post...I think I'll have to do that...suffice to say, it's infuriating, and Australia, like the West Indies of the 1980s are the worst culprits.
Umpires should fight back
The much anticipated third test starts today in Perth. Should be highly entertaining especially the opening session, should Australia bowl first.
One thought I've had on the sacking of Steve Bucknor - it's too late now, but Billy Bowden and the rest of the elite panel members, should have refused to stand in Steve's absence.
Now I'm no fan of Steve Bucknor really - I think I've criticised him here before, but his sacking sets an alarming precedent. By refusing to fight back the rest of the umpires have put themselves in a vulnerable position and team captains and management in a very powerful one. Billy Bowden should've refused to take his place under those circumstances. OF course, as always the ICC could've handled it all 100 times better too. Surely just making him third umpire for the Test would've gone almost unnoticed as they change around so much anyway. It makes you wonder why the ICC was so determined to do something visible in the face of criticism and demands from the BCCI.
Now the ball is in the court of the players, captains and management, not the ICC - which is a worry. It is firmly up to the captain and management of the next side that receives a raw deal of "match outcome effecting magnitude", to walk away and not play the "sack the umpire" card, but take it on the chin and move on. I fear, that now is asking a lot. I hope I'm wrong.
What goes around comes around...
I wanted to link to oxenshizer (http://oxenshizer.blogspot.com) for this, as he posted it originally, but the post seems to have disappeared. (So do yourself a favour and duck over there for a read anyway, but here's the video from the original post...
Could History be Repeating?
There are some interesting parallels to be drawn by the way India have reacted to Australia's "tactics" in the recent test, (and many other sides reaction to sledging in the past) and the infamous "Bodyl ine" series of 1932-33.
Indignation and protests by the losing side - and calls for rule changes...interesting.
Interesting too that it is only when sides lose against such tactics that they complain.
The Kiwis and South Africans are known as pretty good sledges too, yet they only complain when playing against Australia - not amongst themselves.
Why might that be? Which is more annoying - that we are better sledgers, or better cricketers?
Ricky's Mum says "Do Not Call"...
I read where Ricky Ponting's parents have been forced to change their phone number after recent abuse, well I say, why not just do what the rest of us do, to annoying calls from India...register here
India...the off-field Aussies
For years now, supporters have lamented that Australia's on-field dominance is ruining cricket.
I put it to you that the Indian board, providing 75% of the ICC's funding, and a population of over 1 billion, and wielding it's power as such, is doing more damage to the game than a successful on-field side could ever do.
If tough hard aggressive play is what it takes to stop the Indians taking over on the field as well, I say bring it on.
Should India ever experience "Australian-esce" on field dominance for a length of time - when coupled with their off-field puppeteering, we would truly see the demise of the game.
Australia have fought and worked hard since the days of Alan Border, establishing world's best infrastructure and domestic competitions at home to get where they are today - and now they are reaping the rewards.
Another umpire on the chopping block...
It looks like Mike Procter's days are numbered...he's now offside with the Indian Cricket Board, and we all now what happens to officials when national cricket boards disagrees with them...just ask Darrell Hair or Steve Bucknor.
Pretty soon, we'll need a revolving panel of elite umpires - all officiating in one or two tests then "retiring". Every time someone gets a raw deal, they'll be able to boycott something, and get the guy sacked. ICC have some spine.
Conspiracy Theory
I was wondering how long it would take for this to get out.
Next, we'll be reading how Ricky struggles so much against spin. The greatest batman of our era, like the greatest bowler of our era , clearly struggles against the Indian powerhouse.
Gee Wiz - he only averages 47 against them!
Another one bites the dust
First Darrell Hair, now Steve Bucknor.
Anything Pakistan can do, India can do better.
Maybe Steve and Darrell could be off to join the ICL - or not...
Cultural Differences and Professionalism
Steve Waugh stumbled on something significant in this whole sledging debate, in this article on CricInfo. The players aren't getting the opportunity to clear the air, after the game these days - things are too professional. They don't mix.
Even in local club cricket in Australia, you come under a fair amount of abuse during the course of a lazy Saturday afternoon. There was two differences in the way I look back on some of these encounters. Firstly, it was how creative / clever the remarks coming you way were. As an Aussie, you have to learn to laugh at yourself, from an early age - you "mates" will be "taking the mickey" pretty much as soon as you start school, so get a sense of humour, or get a therapist! But simply being flat out abused and sworn out, while not really upsetting, just gets boring. Secondly, and most importantly is how those same combatants treat you from the second the umpire calls "stumps". Usually that is very well. Usually you have a beer or ten with the same guy, that an hour earlier, appears ready to stab you with one of the stumps. After a few more beers the feats of the days play get better and better - a few years on and they're better still! If that happens, the memories are all fond ones.
With the increase in player workload, professionalism and pay cheques, this essential last ingredient is going missing. Until this mandatory element of the game returns, we will continue to see these incidents - especially between sides as culturally different as Australia and India.
As evidence, just look how hard fought the 2005 Ashes series was fought, the sledging (on both sides) the aggression from the crowd and just what was at stake - but the players interacted, a lot, and the respect for one another was there, at the end of the day, when it counted.
Cry Babies...
Every team that plays against Australia has whined and moaned about sledging - except probably the Kiwis (they don't wine). Now, Ponting is being accused of "crying" about sledging, yet all he seems to have done is report more of the racist comments that have there origins back in India late last year.
The whole thing seems to be out of control and completely illogical to me. On one hand, you have the likes if Wasim Akram and Kapil Dev saying Australia shouldn't be cry babies about sledging and that they have no right to complain, and on the other, India are threatening to boycott the whole tour!
For goodness sake - get over it. Has Australia's dominance really come to this? Contrast this to the Kiwis' approach - the more you beat them by, the harder they come back next time. Yet here, it seems, Anil Kumble and the boys (or at least the Indian management and press) just want to run and hide.
For decades Australians toured the sub-continent, facing abuse, crowd violence, death threats, burning effigies, and woeful umpiring decisions (home town might I add) - and they struggled! Now it seems, the shoe is on the other foot, the Indians want to take their bat and ball and go home.
Let's get on with the cricket. I want to see more Laxman, Dravid and Tendulka scoring runs, like the champions they are, and less of Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and whining Indian press.
India take one trophy off the Aussies...
At least the cricketing world no longer has any grounds for labelling Australians the World Leaders at poor sportsmanship, sore losing and sour grapes any longer.
In the last few days, the Indian Press and majority of their supporter base back home, have certainly taken the title as their own.
Some wise words from Will on The Corridor can be found here, and as usual, while quite rightly upset, Jagadish has some constructive things to say here.
Should India abandon the tour?
I can't believe what I'm reading - questioning Ponting's integrity, threats to abandon the tour, polls on teh subject (The Corridor.) This is a joke! How quickly people forget and how truly double, are those standards?
Reverse the scenario, and imagine the press! Whinging Australians! Sour losers! Sour grapes! Where's the praise for your opposition?
Well cop this - Hussey 145 not out, Hayden 123, Hogg 79, Lee 59!!! India lose 3 for 0 in one over. India, you lost it, we didn't win it. The sooner they stop looking for someone else to blame and start addressing their own problems, the sooner India might live up to their potential.
A couple of years ago it was Greg Chappell's fault that India couldn't win, now it's all the umpires that officiated in this Test (granted Steve Bucknor is past his use by date) - mark my words, next week, in Perth, it will be the unfair bouncy wicket, or the racist crowd or something else we haven't been able to dream up yet.
16 straight!
I've spent Christmas and New Years, "across the ditch" in New Zealand so I've been just a little out of touch with the "goings on" here in Aus. Kiwi's delight in giving the Aussies as little exposure as possible and I had very little Internet access, so I've been "off the grid" for awhile.
I did however see some atrocious decisions at the SCG and was home in time to watch that dramatic final over of Michael Clarke's. Amazing! I did have a hint of mixed emotions as I felt desperately sorry for young Sharma as he prodded at one that exploded from Clarke.
I am of course, wrapped that the Aussies will now get to have a crack at 17 in a row - a feat the Indian's put a stop to, in Kolkata back in 2001.
I am not really in a position to comment on this round of hostilities between the two sides. The replays certainly show that the Australian's certainly received some very advantageous "breaks" in this match. Symonds' two "let offs" in the first innings probably prevents a big first innings lead for India and Dravid's unfortunate decision certainly opened the door for an Aussie win on the final day. We are very lucky indeed to have a chance at 17 in a row.
There will always be hostilities between these sides. Culturally we are just so different. Our definition of competitiveness is different. Our acceptance of aggressiveness if different. If other sides don't learn to deal with this - as England did in 2005 - we'll continue to see Australian dominance.
Suffice to say, imagine the press reactions around the world, if Australia were carrying on like India are, after this loss. (We saw none of it, when Australia were just as harshly dealt with, possible with worse results - in England in '05).
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