[Jono]

Originally Posted by DeusEx

I don't think people are mistaken at all for thinking that. Reasons like "virtually everyone who got out threw their wicket away going for the win" are such cop-outs. In Adelaide, Australia chose to go for the win, and risked losing the game in doing so. Just because Clarke/Haddin managed to play out a draw, doesn't mean Australia's position was comfortable. If either/both Clarke or Haddin were dismissed, then the tail could have quite easily been removed and the WI would have won. In Perth, there is absolutely no way you can say a win by 35 runs flatters the WI. Once again, saying "They just scored a few more runs than we'd have liked in getting there" is a cop-out. What if they scored a few more runs than that? They would have won. Just like Ishant/Laxman did in Mohali.

The bottom line is, both of those results were far closer than they should have been given the difference in potential strength of the Aus and WI teams. If there are any flattering results, it is the what the series scorecard read in favour of Australia.

Excellent post.