*Official* Australia in decline thread

[Lillian Thomson]

All this because of a drawn game in Antigua?

..........not forgetting that Australia would probably have won but for time lost to the weather.

 

[Richard]

The last time Australia and West Indies drew a game without time lost to the weather was Lara's game at the SCG in 1992/93.

Both drawn games that have had time lost to the weather in the meantime have been in Antigua too.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

..........not forgetting that Australia would probably have won but for time lost to the weather.

I don't think you can assign probability to favour Australia, given the portion of the match that was rained out.

 

[wpdavid]

The last time Australia and West Indies drew a game without time lost to the weather was Lara's game at the SCG in 1992/93.

Both drawn games that have had time lost to the weather in the meantime have been in Antigua too.

Changing the subject, didn't WI chase down 400+ at Antigua a few years ago?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Changing the subject, didn't WI chase down 400+ at Antigua a few years ago?

That was on a pitch even flatter than the Sir Viv. And with at least a day and a half to do so.

 

[Richard]

Changing the subject, didn't WI chase down 400+ at Antigua a few years ago?

Yep.

All games before this one were at The ARG, let's remember. This is the VRS.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Aside from the dead pitch, it was a much better venue. Mostly due to its location. More accessible and therefore a much better atmosphere for the most part.

 

[Richard]

Yeah this out-of-town lark is somewhat inexplicable.

 

[wpdavid]

Yep.

All games before this one were at The ARG, let's remember. This is the VRS.

 

[Richard]

It was interesting, though. The overriding impression of that game was of the curator (Roberts) trying to suppress The ARG's square's extreme flatness - and failing. The first-innings' saw the ball move all over the place, the second ones saw the classic ARG nothing-to-bowlers-of-any-kind.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

It was a more sporting pitch than the ARG, certainly. I got so annoyed when a commentator on the radio called it "the flattest pitch the game has seen" or something of the sort, because it certainly was not.

 

[silentstriker]

The young guy Ponting threw the ball to in Sydney to take three wickets in an over to win Australia a test?

Yep, dud captaincy that.

Actually, Clarke should have been introduced way earlier. He definitely underuses him and a bunch of people were saying it in the thread too if I remember.

 

[Richard]

Were meaning into the team, rather than the bowling-attack in a certain game, TBH.

 

[Nate]

LOL @ Ponting getting called a bad captain for looking the better side over five days with two bowlers.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Australia was the better side on paper tbh. 1st against 8th.

 

[Richard]

LOL @ Ponting getting called a bad captain for looking the better side over five days with two bowlers.

It's utterly ridiculous really the way people will make-out that a captain is poor because his bowlers are poor.

 

[Leslie1]

We are reading a bit too much into this series I feel. By the sounds of it the wickets seem dead flat... ?

Usually when a dominant sports team (person) isn't dominating the sport anymore it's also because the competition / opponents are catching up.

Which nations do you guys think are on the rise and will dominate like Australia has been?

 

[Richard]

Periods of dominance of a sport such as Australia of the last decade are exceptionally rare. I don't imagine we'll see one again any time soon.

It's remarkable enough that we had two as close together as West Indies (1976-1986) and Australia (1995/96-2006/07).

 

[Son Of Coco]

Periods of dominance of a sport such as Australia of the last decade are exceptionally rare. I don't imagine we'll see one again any time soon.

It's remarkable enough that we had two as close together as West Indies (1976-1986) and Australia (1995/96-2006/07).

I'm backing Bangladesh 2010-2020 to be the next. Followed by Mozambique 2021-2031.

 

[Jono]

We are reading a bit too much into this series I feel. By the sounds of it the wickets seem dead flat... ?

First test pitch was most certainly not flat.