**Official**VB Series 2005 Australia,Pakistan,West Indies.

[Josh]

& hopefully Hopes.

Should be a good series.

Where'd you muster that from??

Runs: Gilchrist, Lara, Ponting
Wickets: Lee, Hogg, Akhtar

What happened to Fidel Edwards??

 

[garage flower]

For the moment I'm just relieved that the Windies have made it to Australia with a full-strength squad. I'll hold fire on the predictions until I see how they perform in the warm-up games (starting with a day-nighter against Victoria tomorrow, I think).

Accepting that they don't really have a penetrative attack, I'm guessing Windies will only use 2 specialist quicks. Gayle, Bravo, W Hinds, R Hinds and Samuels would then provide plenty of all-round options. This could leave a very useful bat like Bradshaw down at 10, but a lot will still depend on the established quartet of Lara, Sarwan, Shiv and Gayle.

 

[garage flower]

What happened to Fidel Edwards??

Still recovering from injury.

 

[Mr Casson]

Where'd you muster that from??

Runs: Gilchrist, Lara, Ponting
Wickets: Lee, Hogg, Akhtar

What happened to Fidel Edwards??

Probably the same place you dug up Hogg from in the wickets column.

 

[Josh]

Still recovering from injury.

It would've been fantastic to see him, Lee & Akhtar in the same series. It seems it will never happen because one of them is always bound to be injured

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I dont know about that. Pakistanis are a younger team, thus fiercer in competition in ODIs (which is why they always give Aus a much greater challenge in ODIs than they do in tests). WI do play harder against Pakistan, so it could be like the 95(?) series where Aus kept beating WI, WI kept beating Pak, Pak kept beating Aus. Now THAT would be a helluva series!!!

So experience doesn't count ahead of youth in cricket? The likes of Bradshaw, Lara and Chanderpaul are wasted then? What about players who are young and experienced like Gayle and Sarwan? Or maybe those who are just young, like Bravo and Marshall? Please explain your theory further, for I have no clue as to the point. How does youth equal more competition?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

...or a better bet.
WI and NZ are about equal for 2nd place in ODIs IMO.

Whoa! Don't get carried away now.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Any one can reach the final between the Windies and Pakistan. Pakistan has been playing in Australia for a longer length of time and their batsmen are finding touch finally like Butt. I would give the odds to Pakistan but only just to reach the finals.

Only four batsmen have even crossed 50 in the series so far. Butt and Youhana are the only ones past 100. I'd hardly say the batsmen are finding touch. If that were so, Pakistan wouldn't be experiencing such horrific collapses.

That said, I do agree on the point that Pakistan has been there more. I'd also like to say (hopefully wrongly) that I don't see Lara having any real impact on the series with the bat.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

ha ha WI would get killed aganist NZ in a odi at the moment

Not sure how one can say that when the West Indies hasn't actually been thrashed in any of the ODIs between the two teams recently (bar one).

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

i just think Shoaib will destroy us once and one other time they will escape in a close one...

And West Indies is incapable of beating Australia?

 

[PAKMAN]

Cheering for Lara's Windies

not surprised

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Bennett King will have the Windies primed and if they stay injury free they have a very experienced and talented side.

That sums up my hopes there. I'm hoping Bennett King is the first step in the answer. We need him to step up and be th coach he is.

 

[Mister Wright]

Where'd you muster that from??

Runs: Gilchrist, Lara, Ponting
Wickets: Lee, Hogg, Akhtar

What happened to Fidel Edwards??

Hopes has been the most improved player in the ING Cup for the last 2 1/2 seasons. He can bat anywhere in the order, and can play any innings required. He can also open the bowling and bowl at the death, something a little Victorian could never do, although everyone else thought he could.

 

[Galactic_Soap]

I too am hoping for a Pakistan/Windies final but alas reality is a biatch so it will yet another mundane Australian victory :P

Cheers
Soapy

 

[roseboy64]

Akram's stated that he wouldn't be surprised if Pakistan don't do well and he also isn't surprised about their poor showing in the test series currently.

 

[roseboy64]

I expect an Australia vs West Indies Final.

 

[roseboy64]

their bowling - disappointing that they couldn't find room in their squad for at least one tearaway such as Best or Edwards, even if they only played a few games. As it is, the only bowlers that they can really depend on to consistently bowl well (IMO) are Bradshaw, Bravo and Gayle. It will be very interesting however to see how well Reon King plays after 3 or 4 years out of international cricket.

Unfortunately the fastest Windies quicks are injured.Tino Best,Fidel Edwards,Jermaine Lawson(went above 90mph a few times before his previous injury before his current one), Ravi Rampaul and Corey Collymore(not really quick). Jerome Taylor though is back from injury. This should be Merv Dillons final opportunity to prove himself and it'll also be interesting to see how he goes.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Jerome Taylor will never be as good or as quick as he was.

Like Dillon or hate him, he's still by far the most successful West Indian bowler of the current bunch.

 

[Craig]

No it couldn't.

It is possible, all Australia have to do is flop in this series, and New Zealand beat Australia in the ODI series. There presto.

I never said it was likely though.

 

[cric_manic]

i heard somewhere that Jermaine Lawson was a chucker