*Official* Match 4 - Australia v Zimbabwe

[Spark]

Thanks

So it seems Australia's current weakness is spin, especially if Clarke and Ponting fail?

Without a doubt. Watson and Haddin are painfully limited starting against spin.

 

[Blaze 18]

Australia haven't won yet mate. The fact is they didn't just not "toy" with them, they haven't guaranteed victory. All it takes is a ****ty opening spell from Tait and anything can happen.

You'd imagine Australia will win easily, but it's not locked in.

Zimbabwe don't really have the batsmen to get the runs. Apart from Taylor and Taibu, there doesn't seem to be anyone capable of scoring runs against this Australian attack. This total may not be enough against stronger sides like Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but they should be okay here. Should win by at least fifty runs.

 

[silentstriker]

Honestly don't really agree. Price is actually ranked #4 in the world for ODI bowling - which flatters him a bit as Zimbabwe have played more against Bangladesh than the other teams in recent times, but still shows his quality.

I'm not saying Zimbabwe have better spinners than the other sides but the gap in quality between them and most teams is basically non-existent. They're genuinely good at it; it's a genuine strength of theirs and they certainly shouldn't be considered minnows in this area.

Yea I mean if you look at some of the others, the Indian, and SL spinners are really the only ones I consider 'head and shoulders' above the rest. Swann too of course but you need more than one.

Aussies have played Murali really well historically. So I think overall against most teams, they'll be OK.

 

[Burgey]

I see Australia have scored 262 so far.

How many overs left?

Lol.. Canada made you look bad.

 

[GIMH]

Lol.. Canada made you look bad.

Stop trolling me dude, it was a genuine question

Five points coming your way ASAP

 

[Spark]

Still amazed at Smith's first two balls. Someone said he'd be up for the occasion but hitting 10 off his first 2 WC balls was probably well beyond most expectations

 

[Jono]

As I said before, Zimbabwe would still be in the game against most teams, but I reckon Australia's attack will be too quick for them. Not saying Australia's bowlers are better than say, Sri Lanka's, but they're less likely to be played well by Zimbabwe IMO.

Add 25 runs to the total and it would have been beyond doubt though. And that should have been Australia's score, minimum.

 

[Spark]

Add 25 runs to the total and it would have been beyond doubt though. And that should have been Australia's score, minimum.

Doesn't help when your designated hitter in the powerplay can't get it off the square tbh. And wastes the whole powerplay by getting off of the very last ball.

 

[Prince EWS]

Add 25 runs to the total and it would have been beyond doubt though. And that should have been Australia's score, minimum.

Yeah for sure. Australia batted poorly - they've almost put the game to bed considering who the opposition is, but they're 15-20 runs below par for the conditions, and that's without even taking the relatively weak and unbalanced attack into consideration.

For all the talk about White and how the batting as a whole played the spinners, though, I think the worst batting came in the first 10 overs against Mpofu. For someone who was bunging down off cutters just short of a length at less than 80mph on a flat pitch, two supposedly aggressive OD openers played him like he was Malcolm Marshall.

 

[Spark]

Yeah for sure. Australia batted poorly - they've almost put the game to bed considering who the opposition is, but they're 15-20 runs below par for the conditions, and that's without even taking the relatively weak and unbalanced attack into consideration.

For all the talk about White and how the batting as a whole played the spinners, though, I think the worst batting came in the first 10 overs against Mpofu. For someone who was bunging down off cutters just short of a length at less than 80mph on a flat pitch, two supposedly aggressive OD openers played him like he was Malcolm Marshall.

That was pretty ******** hey.

 

[Jono]

I'm not White's biggest fan, and he was ordinary, but Haddin has gotten away with a **** innings here. Ponting told him to play longer innings with more runs, and this is obviously what he interpreted Ponting to mean

Haddin is a hack in coloured clothing.

 

[pup11]

Tbh its been a pretty poor innings everything said and done, there weren't any demons in the wicket and the bowling too was steady at best and AFAIC the intent was the obvious problem and probably the only good thing is we still have time to work on improving things before we face the more tougher oppositions.

 

[Spark]

I'm not White's biggest fan, and he was ordinary, but Haddin has gotten away with a **** innings here. Ponting told him to play longer innings with more runs, and this is obviously what he interpreted Ponting to mean

Haddin is a hack in coloured clothing.

I'm getting a bit sick of Haddin too truth be told. He's played far too many flashy thirties and then got out. Worse, despite their flashiness, often he hasn't really scored that quickly.

I mean I thought Ponting said that Watson and Haddin were to go out aggressively at the start, consolidate in the middle with Ponting and Clarke.

 

[four_or_six]

This could get exciting if Tait/Lee/Johnson get a bit wayward and offer up 20-30 extras. Otherwise surely Australia have this covered?

 

[Jayzamann]

consolidate in the middle with Ponting and Clarke.

Dreaded that when Haddin fell, tbh.

 

[Spark]

Dreaded that when Haddin fell, tbh.

That would've been fine though. If you looked carefully both Ponting and Clarke were keeping their SRs hovering over 80 through singles alone.

 

[Prad100w]

Will be a tough chase for Zimbabwe. Don't think the quality of batting is enough to put Australia under pressure even if one bowler has an off day.

 

[pup11]

I'm not White's biggest fan, and he was ordinary, but Haddin has gotten away with a **** innings here. Ponting told him to play longer innings with more runs, and this is obviously what he interpreted Ponting to mean

Haddin is a hack in coloured clothing.

Haddin has been a superb ODD batsman for the Blues but then he was batting in the middle order and making big runs consistently, opening the batting just isn't his thing imo.

 

[TumTum]

I have a bad feeling about this...

 

[Jono]

Lol Mark Taylor saying Watson's dismissal was wrong, and the umpire should not have overturned it. Why? because he was far down the crease, even though it was hitting the stumps

Dubious individual he is.