H_T

I'm very surprised if he's getting abused wherever he goes. He doesn't deserve that if it's true. IMO QueenC, had he failed to get a wicket in Adelaide he would of gone very close to being dropped. But that's all water under the bridge now. He looked much sharper and his old self at Adelaide. He was even the one bowler to extract reverse swing on the Adelaide pitch in the Test. Just remember its just an opinion QueenC. I understand the difficulty he must be going off the field, especially with the demands and consumed time of the travelling & playing, etc with the Australian Cricket Team. And I hope things turn for the better in that regard. I also understand the virus and fitness thing. It was my opinion at the time he should have been rested after the India tour too. That would have been the smartest thing to do I believe. It also would have given him more time to be with his child. M.Clarke also suffered from a virus, and I believe should have been rested too. As it turned out he played one of the better innings for the Aussies. Fwiw, I'm not attacking him personally or anything for he's one of the best bowlers Australia has produced. I hope he goes on to have a bumper summer.

Yes, No.5 is ok I guess. Just. I've come down in price...

I see a bit of Peter Burgoyne in Jetta. Quick on the ground and off the mark like a cat on a hot tin roof. Very evasive in traffic.

Had a feeling I might have a reaction with this statement of mine. Excuse the Kiwi accent I am about to put on RR. Its based on an opinion I have - that NZ is a different kettle of "fish". McCullum ran out of batting partners and he was well aware of this, which is one reason why he went into 20/20 mode. No, my thoughts of this is not based on one innings. I've seen what he has done in the past. He has a good batting average for a "non-australian" in a struggling side. He shouldn't be batting at No.7. N.Z. openers make Glenn McGrath look like a very good batsman. They're technique leaves a little to be desired too. Maybe I'm being a "little harsh" on NZ. But their cricket side is so far off the Sir Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe days, its not funny. 1/ McCullum opens in the one day format. 2/ He is one of the most exciting batsmen in the world when in full flight 3/ He and apart from Vettori would be the only players eligible for qualification of being "world class" 4/ If I can't convince you for McCullum to open, I can negotiate for him to come in at 3 or 4. But no way No.7. Or dare I say it "6" (sux).

Vettori...of course. How could I forget the skipper.

IMO the NZ team struggle big time at Test level, they sruggle with the concept of occupying the crease. They just can't stay out there long enough. Some of the ways they went out was embarrassing. They cannot defend. When they play shots, their technique and timing of shots is what gets them out. McCullum, he is the only true international cricketer along with probably Taylor that NZ have. And perhaps Shane Bond, but he wasn't present. McCullum should probably open.

You're not bad are you? I really love being taken out of context.... You will find that I had said previously in the thread (prior to the Adelaide Test) that if Lee doesn't turn his form around soon he may make room for another. Which is only natural. As the selectors look to see who is well out of form and who is over a period of time. Lee was out of form throughout India and the Brisbane Test. The alarm bells were certainly ringing. Of which I'm sure you agree QueenC, being an avid fan of Lee. Regardless of the fact he has taken over 300 wickets. He was bowling eratically, inconsistent rubbish until Adelaide. I'm glad for him and for your sake that he turned it around. He must keep his form for the Sth Africans are coming. They won't be pushed aside as easily as the Kiwi's were. As you stated before the Kiwi's tail starts from four. Which also points to the ease of which Lee took wickets... Sth Africa bats a lot lower than NZ does. It will be interesting to see how Lee does against the Spring Boks. And no, I'm not writing Lee off.

Here comes Manchester United! 5pts behind now.....

Agree with Krejza. Let's see what the Perth deck will be like. Lee is safe now.

Bring on the Sth Africans.... Observation: NZ have the longest tail in test history.

If he can brush up on some of his kicking and handballing, he should be a hell of a find. I noticed he played on Blease for a bit in the highlights against Vic Metro. Has pace. Loves a bit of the physical contest side of things - nice hip & shoulder I observed. Will be exciting with the likes of davey and Wonna, no doubt.

Brett Lee was never written off. He was however, out of form prior to the Adelaide Test. And had figures to back this up. Good to see some return to form and good to see him knocking over the Kiwi's in his customary style.

Thats right, Gardner presented on that occassion. What about an EPL side?

Lee has been playing around with his run up, trying to regain his touch, which is not a good sign IMO. He was in the side to bowl flat out express, to intimidate batsman. He's far from that at present.

I'd certainly rather take Hauritz's current figures of 2/47 off 11 overs, than Brett Lee's return of 0/49 off 13 overs with 6 no balls, any day. Beginning to feel a little concerned for Brett Lee's future in the top flight. He can turn his form around, he just needs to do it and quickly. He usually has a day out against the Kiwi's. LIVE SCORE UPDATES

Has the Mfc had any association with an EPL side of recent times? Like a swapping of guernsey presentation or something between Presidents?

Very happy with the Vics form and progress in both the Sheffield Shield and One day Domestic format. On top of both tables now approaching the halfway mark of the '08/'09 Cricket Season. David Hookes certainly left a great workmanlike legacy behind. The Vics have the confidence to win from any position. One match that sticks out from a few seasons ago was when the Vics chased down 400+ runs on the final day of a Pura Cup game against NSW in Newcastle. David Hussey leading the charge with a mammoth innings. From that point on their confidence grew and the VICS have been more than competitive ever since. Greg Shipperd has continued Victoria's dominance in both forms of the game ever since, finishing in the one-two positions on most if not all occassions. May the VICS continue their attractive style by taking the game on and take out both forms of the game this season. How unfortunate it is to hear what has happened in Mumbai this morning. It has resulted in the cancellation or postponement of the 20/20 Championships in India. With the Victorian team set to embark on their tour of India of the Championships tomorrow night, it's disturbing news that bombings, shootings and grenade attacks on hotels, transport facilities, hospitals supposedly aimed at supposedly western society. It has also been reported that Shane Warne and Darren Berry were fortunate to hear of the news before boarding a plane in Singapore bound for Mumbai. They were allegedly planning to stay at one of the hotels where one of the bombs went off. Not only is it a shame for the Victorian team and cricket in general. But once again it is a shameful reminder to me of how society is in the world today. Situations like these just really infuriate me and is a timely reminder unfortunately of the world we now live in. As a parent, whilst it makes me angry, it just makes me all the more cautious and protective of my children, family and friends. May those who take these actions, and have said to have killed already over 90 people and seriously injured over 200 be brought to justice in more ways than one. HT.

Chris Rogers didn't harm his aspirations to return to the Aussie team. A timely reminder with back-to-back centuries against WA in Perth at the WACA for the mighty VICS! Just when M.Hayden is struggling for form... VICS STORM TO TOP OF SHEFFIELD SHIELD TABLE

I agree Titan. Katich's innings I thought was definitely a man-of-the-match innings, on a wicket that was difficult to bat on and did favour the quicks. However, Johnson not only bowled well, but hung around with the bat when batting with Katich. Either way they both played well. Had it been a regular Gabba pitch, Krejza would of played.

True. Unbelievable. Thought it was a boring game at times. Arsenal 0-3 down to City. That's a huge loss in the scheme of things for the championship.

In terms of captaincy, is that what you mean? As a cricketer, Ponting leaves him for dead IMO. Vettori is a consistent performer for the Kiwi's, a bowler you can rely on taking 2-4 wickets each innings in Tests. Doesn't take enough big bags of wickets IMO. Handy with the bat at best. Yes, he does have a great attitude towards the game, he seems to play fair. He needs to be more aggressive.

Thanks Rogue. Good pick up. Although there was an additional comment....

Lead of 131 runs to Aussies. Not enough. Score is 4/73 in the second innings. The way this game is going it will all be over before tea tomorrow!

Yes, I heard O'Keefe say that. From what I heard from the commentary, it was a pearler first up to the left hander. Haydos might be in the gun for you already RR - as you have stated, does this mean the gun is now cocked with the finger on the trigger as a result of a 'Golden Duck?' IMO if Jaques was fit, there would be alot more pressure on Hayden right now.

Wickets are tumbling now, Watson just struck. The pendulum is swinging back. All of the sudden the score of 214 looks like alot of runs for the Kiwi's. Score is 6/129. LIVE SCORES AT THE GABBA TEST