*Official* Australia vs Pakistan in England

[Black_Warrior]

While Bollinger or the other Australian fast bowlers might not be as good as Aamer or Asif..there is no need to be so malifious about it. Seriously!

 

[akilana]

Inexperience with the conditions. Barely swung a ball and consistently bowled the wrong lengths.

you're right and at the same time it tells many things about the Pakistani bowlers. They're inexperienced(number of tests played) and totally alien to these conditions but adapted so quickly and bowled better than Australian counterparts.

 

[tooextracool]

Younis is far above those petty stuff.. He has no greed for captaincy. He was happy to play under Mallik or Yousuf. He has refused captaincy many times starting in 2006. He refused captaincy when offered right after the World Cup 2007 after Inzamam retired.

I have tremendous respect for him as a cricketer for those reasons. Yeah he is not exactly a run machine against top fast bowling attacks but his attitude and dedication cannot be doubted.

Yeah Yousuf the one with big problems IMO. His retirement was the biggest facade I have ever seen, it was really a case of him wanting the PCB to convince him out of it. Any short term benefits that Pakistan may derive from having him in the side would only hurt their progress in the long run.

 

[Spark]

Michael Clarke was dropped? really? When? After the Ashes 2005? And when did he come back?
But there is still a lot of difference. Umar Akmal is not even half as matured and sensible as Clarke was in his first year in international cricket. He throws his wicket away. There is nothing worse you can do than throw you wicket away when you know you are the best batsman in the side.

Basically after 2005 Ashes. He was definitely throwing his wicket away though, he was getting out flaying through the offside, caught at cover, slip, gully, played on etc. The old Michael Clarke would see the ball outside off stump and try and hit it for four. Compare with Friday. However I acknowledge one difference though - he didn't have the pressure of being the best batsman in the side then. He came back for the 2006-7 Ashes (so not very long afterwards) a completely different player, more solid technique and much, much better temperament and shot selection and has averaged about 60 ever since.

Really? You think Australia didnt fight enough after the first innings debacle?

No, not in the way we batted in the second innings. Of all the top order, I feel only Clarke and Hussey can be 'forgiven' for their dismissals (one a perfect outswinger after lunch and the other an absolute brute of a delivery that reared up off a length. How you play that is beyond me). The others were guilty of throwing their wicket away usually in atrocious circumstances.

Wow.. we Pakistani fans are just amazed by the never say die attitude..the fact that they were defending 40 runs today and still believing and trying to get 7 wickets..Maybe Australian fans have even higher standards.

Maybe. I just wish they'd bowled like that the previous evening

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"I don't think Smith will put pressure on North," Ponting said. "I thought the runs we got out of Smith yesterday were pretty entertaining and very valuable as far as the game is concerned. You can look at all of our batsmen through this tour, we've faced some pretty challenging conditions at different times. Both innings at Lord's the ball went around a fair bit, the first innings here was probably the most challenging conditions that any of us have batted in."

Right so when you get those challenging conditions you don't throw your wicket away with stupid and needless shots as North did twice.

 

[NUFAN]

Congrats to Pakistan. They bowled better and took their catches, which Australia failed to do. If Watson catches Farhat out when on 4, the whole chase would have been so much tougher.

This result should see North gone and Hussey and Johnson needing big series against India.

 

[social]

Paine is not their worst problem no, nor is the Australian batting which is decent although getting along in terms of age (Katich-35, Ponting - 35, Hussey - 35) They need some young batsmen and Im yet to see or hear of anyone whos made an impression on me as of late. I am really not sure what they are waiting for with Phil Hughes, he should have been in the side right after the Ashes. Watson needs to move down to 6, Hughes needs to come in and quite honestly now would be a good time for Ponting to hang up the boots and for them to blood someone in his place before all 3 of the above mentioned players retire at the same time.

Their bowling though is the main problem, I think they are fine in Australia, but there are question marks on Bollinger away from home and Hilfenhaus while Mitch is rubbish pretty much everywhere else.

Hughes is injured

Tbh, I'm not overly worried about the batting or the bowling - there are more than ample good players to make up a very good X1 in most conditions

It's the selectors and injuries that concern me

 

[tooextracool]

Hughes is injured

Tbh, I'm not overly worried about the batting or the bowling - there are more than ample good players to make up a very good X1 in most conditions

It's the selectors and injuries that concern me

Who is next in line as a replacement for the middle order?

 

[Black_Warrior]

Basically after 2005 Ashes. He was definitely throwing his wicket away though, he was getting out flaying through the offside, caught at cover, slip, gully, played on etc. The old Michael Clarke would see the ball outside off stump and try and hit it for four. Compare with Friday. However I acknowledge one difference though - he didn't have the pressure of being the best batsman in the side then. He came back for the 2006-7 Ashes (so not very long afterwards) a completely different player, more solid technique and much, much better temperament and shot selection and has averaged about 60 ever since.

.

Between the Ashes 2005 and 2006, Australia played South Africa home and away, Bangladesh and that series against World XI. Who replaced him?

 

[Spark]

Between the Ashes 2005 and 2006, Australia played South Africa home and away, Bangladesh and that series against World XI. Who replaced him?

He played the World XI and Bangladesh series. It was only the SA and West Indies series he missed.

So I'm not entirely averse to dropping Umar Akmal if it is clear that there is a better candidate and that he's throwing his wicket away needlessly, but it's too early for that.

 

[Johnners]

Aamir & Asif have just 1 test experience in England before this series as well. Bollinger is just not good enough and almost 30 now. He is another Harmison stay home bowler.

You've already been banned for this exact type of posting, if you continue to try and simply bait the supporters of other teams with rubbish like this your next ban will not only come swiftly, but it'll be for a much longer period. Stop it now.

 

[Johnners]

Who is next in line as a replacement for the middle order?

Aside from Smith, Usman Khwaja most likely.

 

[social]

Who is next in line as a replacement for the middle order?

If you were to pick either Rogers (14500 fc runs at 50 odd) or Hughes as an opener, then the immediate candidates would be Watson, Khawaja (regarded by some as our best young talent), Shaun Marsh, Craig White, George Bailey, Callum Ferguson (injured) etc

More than enough tbh

 

[Spark]

Ferguson still injured? I thought he was back.

 

[Johnners]

Craig White? teehee

 

[social]

Craig White? teehee

Not my preference but the selectors like him, he's scored plenty in ODIs etc and is one of the world's best catchers

 

[social]

Ferguson still injured? I thought he was back.

If he's back, it's only just as he suffered an horrific knee injury and has been out for a year

 

[Spark]

Not my preference but the selectors like him, he's scored plenty in ODIs etc and is one of the world's best catchers

Craig White

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Oh, right. So he isn't back yet according to cricinfo.

 

[social]

Craig White

My bad - anyway, neither Craig or Cameron would be my first choice

 

[Black_Warrior]

He played the World XI and Bangladesh series. It was only the SA and West Indies series he missed.

So I'm not entirely averse to dropping Umar Akmal if it is clear that there is a better candidate and that he's throwing his wicket away needlessly, but it's too early for that.

Ok third attempt

Who replaced him? Clarke I mean

 

[Faisal1985]

When Watson is your bowler of the series and Hilfy scores more runs than Watson, Hussey, North then this is bound to happen...

Dont know how will you handle mighty Indians?

If there was such a possibility i would ship over Amir/Asif/Gul to India against Australia...