*Official* VB Series - Australia, India & Zimbabwe

[Salamuddin]

Poor batting performance by India yesterday.

Tendulkar and Sehwag needed to show more common sense -- why slash at everything outside off stump when the asking rate is below three ?

They should have worked the ball around for some singles and spent some time in the middle to gauge the pace and the bounce of the wicket.
Dreadful runout of Gavaskar as well.


On the plus side, Balaji bowled well again. Pathan also seemed to have learnt his lesson from Sunday and hit the right length more consistently.

 

[Eyes_Only]

I like it when umpires r confident n dont call for the 3rd umpire. When they get it right like Taufel did though. else its really awful.

Taufel rocks.. n hes just 34!

34??

Actually he turned 33 last week!!

 

[Pratters]

34??

Actually he turned 33 last week!!

Oh thats a difference of 02.9411%. Not that huge

 

[Bananas]

Gavaskar run out by Badani. What in the blue hell is going on?

Blue Hell ????

 

[Eyes_Only]

Oh thats a difference of 02.9411%. Not that huge

It's a big enough difference...don't want to make him older than he is!! :P :rolleyes:

 

[Pratters]

It's a big enough difference...don't want to make him older than he is!! :P :rolleyes:

A one year Older Taufel would me a one year wiser Taufel. So I dont think he would mind :P:P:P

 

[jagaways]

umm seriously...who gives a **** how old simon taufel is?!

 

[Eyes_Only]

A one year Older Taufel would me a one year wiser Taufel. So I dont think he would mind :P:P:P

Didn't think of it like that!!

 

[username]

32 times. Out of 60.

I missed this post. That's a high proportion absolutely, but alot of those came against Agarkar. My question is why did Lee insist on bowling that line when Agarkar was so totally out of sorts? Surely it had to be worthwhile at some point, after it was clear he was having no luck outside off, testing out how well he was seeing them on his stumps. He's a tallish man, it had to be worth a try bowling 1 at his toes too.

To answer my own question, Gilly's feild was a demanding 1, and he was obviously expecting a certain line, this may have had some bearing. But it looked more to me, that Lee was so excited at finally hitting his target with his full pace, that he either forgot to pay his deliveries much thought, or more likely, was not confident he has enough control back yet to bowl good balls on varying lines and lengths.

Anyway, I thought Lee's 2nd spell was for the most part wasted, bowling dot balls to a poor performer with the bat, when with the way he was bowling, he should have been ripping through the tail. Especially when the Indian tail has been slowly improving, and a Lee mauling could have a big impact come finals time. From memory Lee only picked up 1 wicket with his 2nd spell, with the first delivery, bowling as well as he was, it's not good enough to just put the rest of his spell down to bad luck.

 

[username]

Agreed.

If we had Warne back, of course we'd have a spinner, but nobody is really currently capable of tieing down the Indian batsmen and taking wickets who have tried spinning.

Hogg has been unimpressive, and I would be surprised if he is picked.

But then Ponting hasn't given anyone much of a chance has he? The part time spinners or medium pacers. Which is puzzling considering Australia's bowling performance hasn't been good, Clarke bowled well in India, these guys earn a minor part of their position in the team because they can bowl a bit and Ganguly has shown that a medium pacer hitting the right line and length on these pitches can be extremely handy.

I thought Ponting would have given these guys (Clarke, Katich, Martyn and even himself) a bit more of a go, especially when you have someone like Lee bowling dreadful and going for huge amounts runs. Small chance they would have done any worse, and Lee along with the all rounders arn't a McGrath or Gillespie, their stature doesn't demand a captain give them a second chance with a come back spell after a poor first spell.

 

[age_master]

Anyway, I thought Lee's 2nd spell was for the most part wasted, bowling dot balls to a poor performer with the bat, when with the way he was bowling, he should have been ripping through the tail. Especially when the Indian tail has been slowly improving, and a Lee mauling could have a big impact come finals time. From memory Lee only picked up 1 wicket with his 2nd spell, with the first delivery, bowling as well as he was, it's not good enough to just put the rest of his spell down to bad luck.

haha thats a load of crap, his 2nd spell was fine, just cause he was bowling too well for agarkar to get any bat no most of them doesn't make it bad, he bowled more overs at good speed and a good line, its just that the batsmen were'nt good enough to get edges...

 

[username]

Did I say it was bad? Did I say it was a bad line? The batsmen wern't good enough to get an ege on it, consistently, like 5 out of 6 balls when he was bowling to Agarkar, and you're answer is just keep plugging away out there?

 

[Deja moo]

Did I say it was bad? Did I say it was a bad line? The batsmen wern't good enough to get an ege on it, consistently, like 5 out of 6 balls when he was bowling to Agarkar, and you're answer is just keep plugging away out there?

Agree with that.

 

[age_master]

Did I say it was bad? Did I say it was a bad line? The batsmen wern't good enough to get an ege on it, consistently, like 5 out of 6 balls when he was bowling to Agarkar, and you're answer is just keep plugging away out there?

and what would you have done than....

 

[Gaijin-san]

My question is why did Lee insist on bowling that line when Agarkar was so totally out of sorts? Surely it had to be worthwhile at some point, after it was clear he was having no luck outside off, testing out how well he was seeing them on his stumps.

He did. He bowled a brilliant ball that pitched in line, straightened and was gonna clean up leg stump half way up. Not Lee's problem if something plumb was given not out, you can't say he didn't bowl them there. The reason he also continued with the other line outside off was because he got a nick from Agarkar earlier which should have been out but was not given. Quite simply, he stuck with what was working, he just didn't get any support from the umpires. I'm not dwelling on that, saying he should have had 6 wickets or whatever, I'm just saying that everything you said he should do, he did.

Get off your lazy scorecarding arse and go somewhere to watch the cricket next time.

 

[V Reddy]

Swami Army gets ready

There is said to be a sudden increase in people applying to go to Australia. But don't know why there is a need to start Swami Army when Bharat Army is already there. The Bharat Army had already a membership of near 10,000 and with both combining they could have had a very big membeership.

 

[username]

He did. He bowled a brilliant ball that pitched in line, straightened and was gonna clean up leg stump half way up. Not Lee's problem if something plumb was given not out, you can't say he didn't bowl them there. The reason he also continued with the other line outside off was because he got a nick from Agarkar earlier which should have been out but was not given. Quite simply, he stuck with what was working, he just didn't get any support from the umpires. I'm not dwelling on that, saying he should have had 6 wickets or whatever, I'm just saying that everything you said he should do, he did.

Get off your lazy scorecarding arse and go somewhere to watch the cricket next time.

Moronic, he couldn't have put anymore than 3 deliveries on the stumps in that second spell after the wicket. And if he had him plumb like you say, then that's just all the more reason to keep the ball there. It's alot easier to get an LBW decision or rip the stumps out of the ground to a player that's playing and missing by a large margin than it is to find the edge. In the context of the game it wasn't working, dot balls were as good as 4's at that stage, Australia were exclusively after wickets. Wickets Lee would have gotten had he peppered Agarkars toes or off stump.

 

[umpire]

1st Final Umpires

Umpires for 1st Final

On Field: Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel

3rd: Daryl Harper
4th: Bob Parry

 

[Don Ricardo]

Moronic, he couldn't have put anymore than 3 deliveries on the stumps in that second spell after the wicket. And if he had him plumb like you say, then that's just all the more reason to keep the ball there. It's alot easier to get an LBW decision or rip the stumps out of the ground to a player that's playing and missing by a large margin than it is to find the edge. In the context of the game it wasn't working, dot balls were as good as 4's at that stage, Australia were exclusively after wickets. Wickets Lee would have gotten had he peppered Agarkars toes or off stump.

Most of his balls were big outswingers that started on the line of the stumps, and werent all that wide anyway. In fact a lot of them missed the stumps for height as much as width, which brings in the idea that to actually hit the stumps/ get lbws you have to bowl very full at perth, with would have probably given agarkar a better chance of scoring runs. Also, the way in which agarker's sustained ineptitude with the bat (which was almost comical; i rekon he got let off twice by the ump because bucknor was having so much fun watching him ) will cripple his confidence will propbably play in australia's favour with the finals coming up.
(I cant believe people regard this guy as a potential allrounder, he bats as well as most test no. 10s. In all seriousness i honestly feel that jason gillespie is a far better batsman than him, as is bichel, lee, kasperwicz and most if the aussie bowlers excluding the absolute bunnies)

 

[Salamuddin]

Most of his balls were big outswingers that started on the line of the stumps, and werent all that wide anyway. In fact a lot of them missed the stumps for height as much as width, which brings in the idea that to actually hit the stumps/ get lbws you have to bowl very full at perth, with would have probably given agarkar a better chance of scoring runs. Also, the way in which agarker's sustained ineptitude with the bat (which was almost comical; i rekon he got let off twice by the ump because bucknor was having so much fun watching him ) will cripple his confidence will propbably play in australia's favour with the finals coming up.
(I cant believe people regard this guy as a potential allrounder, he bats as well as most test no. 10s. In all seriousness i honestly feel that jason gillespie is a far better batsman than him, as is bichel, lee, kasperwicz and most if the aussie bowlers excluding the absolute bunnies)

Yet the bloke does have a test hundred at Lords and a score of 95 in ODI's.

You really have to wonder how AA made those scores ?