Aussies unbeaten summer

So far this summer we have seen some great cricket and some very poor cricket. We’ve seen Gayle in smashing form and Punter looking at his worst and then his best.

For me. The highlight of the season has been the Australian teams ability to find ways to win. It is something we have seen sporadically over the last few years.

It is for this reason that I ask… Us our new look team turning the corner and maturing into a world class unit?

Cricket Australia: 1st test, Aus vs SA, WACA, 2008 – team lists

Australia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Jason Krejza, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Peter Siddle.

South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Neil McKenzie, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 AB de Villiers, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

NB: LATE CHANGE FOR SA, PRINCE OUT FOR J.P. DUMINY.

Both teams have gone with a very standard test lineup.  6 batsmen, a keeper and 4 bowlers (3 paceman and 1 spinner).  The pitch at the WACA should be a fast flat pitch with a little bit in it early. 

Unlike some tests that comes down to the flip of the coin, this test match will be one by the ability of the teams and who is better on the day.  Should be a great game!

Australian Cricket: Australia Vs New Zealand, 2nd test, review

Australian Cricket: Australia win 2^nd test by an innings.

 

The Australian Cricket Team has completed their rout of their New Zealand counterparts in the last session of the first day winning by more then an innings.  The test match showed some promise of being turned into a contest when the Kiwi openers How and Redmond successfully negotiated a tense final session to stumps on day 3 to give the Kiwi’s the whole fourth day to chase down the Australian first innings lead and give them a chance of a draw or even better – a victory.  However, Brett Lee had other ideas, with a controlled bowling effort Lee forced the Opener Redmond into a false shot and followed up with another quick wicket.  Four and a bit hours later Chris Martin was dismissed four his 6^th pair in his international career – a record he his likely to continue to improve upon, laid the Kiwi’s to rest.  A batting performances that can only be described as another missed opportunity to show they are capable of playing good consistent cricket against quality opposition over the whole five days.

 

New Zealand cricket is in a sad state and the loss to Australia in Adelaide brings to end the coaching career of Bracewell.  Maybe a bit of change at the top will help the young players develop into world class cricketers.

 

I personally, would like to note that the New Zealand bowling attack has been superb over the two game series. Nice tight consistent lines as well as well thought out and aggressive fields gave New Zealand a chance in the first test and would have kept the New Zealand cricket team in a better position if it was not for a few simple missed chances in the field.

 

On the other hand we have the Australian Cricket team whose home media has spent the last two months destroying them for the lack of runs and inability to take 40 wickets.  Weren’t they proven wrong in this test.  A stunning innings by Brad Haddin has effectively help silence the media on this issue and also the more personal issue of him belonging in the test team.  A return to form in the field and for bowlers, Brett Lee and a fantastic bowling effort from Hauritz has given Australia hope of completing a good summer of cricket against a much strong South African line up.

 

Questions arising from this test are two fold, Is this team that the New Zealand Cricket Board seem intent to stick with capable of standing up and playing high quality test match cricket? And is the return to form for the Australian team going to carry over to the series against South Africa starting on December 17? Please feel free to leave a comment with your response to these questions or check out other articles delving in to these issues.

 

Related Articles:

 

–         The New Zealand Cricket team: Can they stand up?

–         The South African tour – Will Australia beat an improved SA touring party?

–         One Day to go

–         Cricket players: Brad Haddin.

Cricket Australia: 2nd test, Adelaide, 2008 – Teams

Australia

• 1 Matthew Hayden – 100th test match! Expect great things
• 2 Simon Katich
• 3 Ricky Ponting (capt)
• 4 Michael Hussey
• 5 Michael Clarke
• 6 Andrew Symonds
• 7 Brad Haddin (wk)
• 8 Brett Lee
• 9 Jason Krejza/Nathan Hauritz – Last minute fitness test to decide on Krejza’s fitness
• 10 Mitchell Johnson
• 11 Stuart Clark.

New Zealand (probable)

• 1 Aaron Redmond
• 2 Jamie How
• 3 Jesse Ryder
• 4 Ross Taylor
• 5 Peter Fulton
• 6 Daniel Flynn
• 7 Brendon McCullum (wk)
• 8 Daniel Vettori (capt)
• 9 Tim Southee
• 10 Iain O’Brien
• 11 Chris Martin.

NZ will possibly drop either Southee, O’Brien or Martin for Jeetan Patel.

Lets hope for a great game and hopefully Krejza will be fit!  Remember play starts in Adelaide at 10:30am (0:00 GMT).

N.B:  Jason Krejza failed the fitness test and NZ chose to not select Patel.

Related Articles:

• 2nd Test Preview

Australian Cricket: Adelaide Test, one day to go.

Australian Cricket: 2^nd test, Aus vs NZ, 2008 – one day to go

 

One day to go until the first ball is bowled at 10:30am Adelaide local time (0:00 GMT) in the Australia Vs New Zealand cricket test match and the more I think about this test match the more I think the Kiwi’s have a fantastic chance of squaring the series 1-1. I know this is a bit controversial but Australian Cricket has had a disjointed week of external media pressure, the issue of Krejza sustaining an injury at training and I imagine a few internal squabbles between certain players who are trying to restore their relationship.  Whilst the Kiwi’s are planning to farewell their coach (Bracewell), have a slightly altered line up and most importantly nothing to prove and everything to gain. This will hopefully allow the Kiwi’s to lay caution to the wind and play their own game, the worst thing they could do is try and play how the media and external influences suggest they should play to beat Australia.

 

All it would take for the Kiwi’s to win is controlled aggression, a similar fielding effort and smart, calculated risk taking. Controlled aggression, they showed they were capable of, fielding is definitely not one of their weaknesses.  However, with the exception of their captain Daniel Vettori, the lack of experience suggests an inability to take smart and calculated risks.  To this statement, I would suggest that young and inexperience changes at a drop of a hat.  It only takes one game for them all to decide they are capable, mature and skilled cricketers.

 

I am personally really hoping for a challenge to come from the Kiwi’s and for a game similar to the Aus Vs England a couple of years ago.  Please, leave your comments about what you expect the game to be like.

 

Related Articles:

 

–         2^nd test preview.

Australian Cricket: 2nd Test – Aus Vs NZ, Adelaide, 2008 – Preview

2^nd test – Australia Vs NZ, Adelaide, 2008

 

Watson out, Kresjza back in, exciting news to Australian fans that want to see a young spinner develop out of our dwindling stocks of quality spinners.  This piece of news is what is going to dominate talks within cricket circles, can Krejza add on to his strong debut and cement his spot in the team? Will Symmonds take advantage of the lifeline given to him by the Cricket Australia selectors amidst more negative publicity? Can NZ come back from a 4 day defeat in Brisbane to draw the series one all? And probably more importantly can Matthew Hayden prove the media wrong by getting some more runs on the board? These questions are the questions that will be answered in the second test.  Unfortunately, for NZ, no one is expecting much from them and the talk is all about how Australia is dealing with their changing team and the challenge facing them. 

 

The game is shaping up to be a standard cricket test match.  The Adelaide pitch traditionally gives the bowlers a bit in the first session, flattens out over days two and three before deteriorating to start to turn and sometimes offer uneven bounce on the last two days.  This means that the winner of the toss is likely to bat first and attempt to bat well into the second day, relying on a large first innings total to give them a good crack at dismissing their opposition early on the fifth day.  It also shows us that Krejza, alongside of Symmonds and Clarke will be important on days four and five for Australia, whilst Vettori and Patel will bare the spinning burden for NZ. Despite the effectiveness of spinners late in the game, the game will be won by the team that can control the crease and post a strong first innings total.  No-one expects the game to be a low scoring affair like at the Gabba instead it is expected that a strong first innings total will be posted and then vigorously defended by the prevailing team. Australia’s top order has been questioned of late and this test match will be a perfect chance for them to show why we have been number one for so long.

 

An Australian win is expected and the Australian cricketing public expect it to be a big win.  A strong performance by Krejza will see him cement his spot in the side for the rest of the summer and be important for Australia to meet expectations.  The New Zealand side need to come into the test believing in themselves and tempering their natural aggression to play with control. Whilst the media have written NZ off, I do not believe they will be walkovers as many expect.  Instead, I expect the Kiwi’s to show a lot of fight and their young bowlers to put Australia in a challenging position.  Only time will tell whether their batsmen can back up their bowlers and potentially give NZ the win that their skill suggests they are capable of.

 

Related Articles:

 – Player Reviews: Jason Krejza
– Review: Australia Vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Gabba, 2008
– Issues in Australian cricket

Australian Cricket: 1st Test, Aus vs NZ, Gabba, 2008 – Review

Cricket Australia: First test – Australia Vs NZ, Gabba, 2008.

 

What an exciting game of cricket.  The twists and turns were endless and the result only became clear right towards the end of the 3^rd innings of the game. Ultimately, Australia came out on top winning by a relatively safe margin of 149 runs.  However, a lively Gabba wicket – the result of torrential storms and a heap of humidity – made for a close, low scoring challenge between the two teams.  The highlight of the game for me was Michael Clarke’s first innings score.  Why? Because he battled through the toughest conditions of the game to allow Australia to post a defendable total after the NZ bowlers ran rampant through the Australia top order in the first innings. The most disappointing moment in the game (and only the second recorded time of this happening) was the NZ 4 over throws resulting in Andrew Symmonds scoring 8 runs in one ball.  It summed up the story for NZ, competitive but not capable.

 

For the Australian’s, the issue of the over rate popped up again and the top order concern (with the exception of Katich in the second innings) reared its ugly head again.  The media has been lambasting our weak middle order… maybe their attention should turn on the top after dismal performances in India and now in the first test. The Australian fielding was solid with no serious mishaps and perhaps the most exciting aspect of the game was that Ricky Ponting’s field placements were the aggressive wicket taking focus that Australian cricket is known for.  We can only hope this aggression continues when we meet the more experienced and talented South African team later in the summer.

 

The Kiwi’s, unfortunately, lived up to expectations, they showed glimpses of exceptional talent but their inexperience and age let them down.  Some exciting performances by Southard, Ryder and the exceptional captaincy of Vettori were fantastic highlights to the game showing the NZ despite being underdogs have some serious fight in them. Their fielding, with one glaring exception was fantastic.  They showed high levels of energy, skill and focus.  The only real disappointment was their much vaunted middle order not firing. If this test is anything to go by the NZ team, if given time to develop will become a top cricketing nation in the not to distant future.

 

The game was relatively without incident.  Michael Hussey’s decision in the first innings was a rare lapse in concentration by the umpires and there were no notable on field incidents.  It is fantastic to see a good, challenging game where 40 wickets were taken and a result achieved with no major on field incidents to distract us from the game itself.

 

We can only hope that young NZ team takes as many positives out of the test at the Gabba and keep their heads high for the Adelaide test.  Expect Vettori to have a much greater impact in Adelaide then in Brisbane and the middle order to redeem themselves.  Also, I’d expect to see the Australian top order fair a bit better on a more traditional test match wicket.

Cricket Australia: 1st test – Australia Vs New Zealand, Brisbane 2008

1^st test – Australia Vs NZ, Brisbane 2008

 

The start of the Australian test summer, an old Australian rivalry, two teams in a period of transition.  On one hand we have the Kiwi’s, an extremely young team with plenty of potential, skill, solid technique and no experience, competing against an average ages Australian team with a mixture of players trying to get used to a leading role after years in the backgrounds, fresh faces trying to play for their test survival and the every concerning lack of a spinner in the side.  History shows us that NZ generally do not have a great time at the Gabba with Australia having won at greater then 50%. However, history also shows us that NZ have an uncanny knack of raising their ability when playing Australia.  If NZ can’t win the game Australia will have a tough time beating them. 

 

The lead up to the test has shown some dreadful weather in the Brisbane region, with them recently experiencing one of their most dreadful storms in decades.  This will practically ensure the deck to have a lot of moisture underneath and if we get some sun in the next few days a wonderful green top.  This will give plenty of encouragement to the pacers and ensure that the toss of the coin becomes a very important part of the match.  If the sun stays hidden away we could very much experience one of the pitches that has plagued the domestic competition at the start of the last couple of seasons.  A low playing, variable, moist and extremely bowler friendly pitch.  Traditionally the Gabba makes life very difficult for the first innings opening batsmen and the relatively untested Katich at the top of the order may find himself in some very testing circumstances.  Hayden, on the other hand calls the Gabba home and whilst not having the most exciting record at the Gabba is used to playing out the first session and handing the mantle over to the middle order to score the runs in the easy conditions.  It is any bodies bet how an extremely inexperienced top order NZ batting line up will cope against the Australian bowlers if put in at the toss. 

 

The lead up to this test has revolved around the issues facing the Australian team and the team itself must be looking at this as an opportunity to reaffirm themselves in their minds, their fans minds and the worlds minds as the worlds number one team.  Strong performances against NZ are a must to give them a psychological edge against a strong SA touring party later in the year. The NZ squad will be looking at this game as a chance to stamp their authority on world cricket.  They are playing one of the worlds best teams and the younger players will be relishing the chance to prove they are capable of playing at this level against the best.  The result of this first test could very well determine the result of the second.  If it is close NZ will go into the second game with a positive buoyant attitude, however, if Australia were to win comprehensively the young NZ team will have to overcome a lot of mental hurdles to perform at their best.

 

The cricketing world are strongly expecting the Australians to win this test and expect to see them put to bed any demons picked up from their relatively poor performances in India.  The players to look out for in the Australian squad are Andrew “roy” Symmonds (if given the nod), Stuart Clark who should be extremely potent on the seem friendly Gabba wickets and Ricky Ponting who could have a field day if his opening batsmen do their job. For the Kiwi’s, Daniel Vettori whose economical bowling will be very important to make his wicket taking options effective, Jamie How whose ability at the top of the batting order will be extremely important – Jamie is known as an explosive batsmen and will have to be very intelligent with his offensive decisions to survive early on in his innings, expect the Australians to set an aggressive field and make every effort to tie him down and expect Dale Steyn to be extremely effective at the start of the Australian batting innings with his swing and bounce.

 

All in all, we have to suggest that the Australians are up for an extremely strong battle but not against NZ but the Australian media who are expecting nothing short of a devastating performance.  Anything short of this could very well sign the papers for us losing the top spot in test cricket rankings later in the Australian summer.