MadAsHell

Reckon he'll still get overlooked for the rising star nomination this week. They'll give it to Cripps of Carlton. 33 touches and a goal!

Very dominant win by the Aussies in the ODI final tonight. Crushed England and sets us up nicely to repeat the dose to them come Valentines Day. In a blow though it looks like Faulkner has picked up a side strain injury and could be out of the World Cup! Very big loss given he's a valuable asset both with the bat as a finisher batting at number 8, we saw his 50* off 24 balls today as proof. Not to mention his ability to bowl at the death of the innings. His injury could well be Watson's life line I think. Fingers crossed the injury isn't to bad and we'll see him in a few weeks. Well done to the Aussies so far. This summer we've won the T20 series v South Africa, won the ODI series against them also, won the Test series aainst India and now the tri ODI series v India & England. Only the World Cup to go.

Youngest player to reach the quarter finals at two slams since a guy called Roger Federer. He could be something special. Seems to be a more driven version of Philippoussis.

Not much made of the win on friday night? England 8/303 (50) I. Bell 141 J. Root 69 M. Ali 46 G. Sandhu 2/49 (10) M. Henriques 1/34 (7) J. Faulkner 1/59 (10) Australia 7/304 (49.5) S. Smith 102* S. Marsh 45 B. Haddin 42 M. Ali 2/50 (10) C. Woakes 2/58 (9.5) S. Finn 2/65 (10) Thought we actually won that a bit easier then the score card suggested thanks to another Smith ton and some great bowling at the death from out bowlers. For me that's three of our last five games where our bowlers in the last 10 overs have brought the opposition score back about 20 runs then what they looked set to score. Game 4 v RSA @ MCG, our 2nd Tri Series match v India @ MCG and this match just gone against England. What was most pleasing aspect of the win for mine was the XI that we did it with, it was almost a 2nd XI against a full strength England team, so we surely must be shortening for the World Cup. Here's a pretty good XI that didn't play on friday. N. Maddinson D. Warner S. Watson M. Clarke G. Bailey M. Marsh M. Wade N. Coulter-Nile M. Johnson X. Doherty J. Hazlewood Arguably a better XI then the one we put out on friday.

Some serious questions need to be asked of the Stars after their 4th straight semi finals loss! 1) Should Cameron White stay captain? 2) Luke Wright had an ordinary season. Is it time to look for another overseas player? 3) Should we keep Faulkner & Maxwell on the list given they're always likely to miss the back end of the seasons due to ODI commitments? 4) Is it time to move on players like David Hussey, Clint McKay, Rob Quiney? I think the Stars has some excuses this year unlike last year. Apart from Maxwell & Faulkner who are in the ODI squad, we've also been without Hussey since the 4th game, Stoinis all season who would have been a vital cog IMO with his batting and medium pacers and we only got Handscomb available from our 7th game. Still it's a let down though.

Nervous first half.

Remarkable victory really. When they were 3/28 at the start of the 6th over I thought they were gone and never even thought they were the slightest chance until there were about 6 overs to go and I realised they still hadn't let the run rate blow out. Hastings then went bang and McKay got some valuable runs allowing poor Handscomb to catch his breath. The poor guy looked like Dean Jones in Madrass 1985! A great effort from the Stars and tat now makes in 5 in a row! Funny though, I'd actually rather then finish 4th and play Adelaide then 3rd and play Perth. But I guess we'll find out after we see how much Sydney Sixers win by tonight to see who finishes where.

Yeah I think Stoinis is still some time off sadly. Keath should come in for Boland and bat at 7, just to bolster the batting. But although they've done well to turn things around the Stras I can't see them going any further then the semi's. Got it correct there GRR. Especially Mel McLaughlin, love, love, love! Although you're wrong on Flemo IMO, most entertaining one there.

In a concerning sign leading into the World Cup. I don't know what this scorecard says for Afghanistan less then a month out. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/812645.html Bowled out for 63 by Scotland! And the Afghans will have to face the likes of Johnson, Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood on a bouncy WACA pitch on Wednesday March 4. We might bowl them out for under 20 if they can't make many runs against Scotland on the slow tracks of Abu Dhabi....

Fingers crossed for the Pattinson/Cummins partnership in years to come. Could easily become the most dangerous new ball partnership in World Cricket. Back onto last night though, thought it was really good the questioning between Ricky Ponting & Kevin Pietersen in the commentators box. I found it really insightful and interesting stuff. Actually opened up a new respect I have for KP and especially Michael Vaughan at how he managed & captained his team and was able to bring the best out in his team mates.

The problem that I have with it is I see it as something that isn't necessary. At least with cricket, the shortest format of the game before T20 came along went for 7.5 - 8 hours. I understand the Federer v Hewitt game went for just under 2 hours as a best of 5 sets. Well that's about the same amount of time a best of 3 sets match goes for, so for the people who don't like 5 set matches, why don't they just avoid Grand Slams and Davis Cup? Yeah, it'll take some time before it has me convinced.

Haha, clearly not a Heat fan gs? Was a weird match last night. Didn't think a team would ahve so much trouble chasing 81 for victory. Pattinson's 2nd ball of the match to bowl Burns was an absolute jaffa! Nothing Burns could do.

They were clinical last night with the 4-0 drubbing of Oman, a country that's troubled us in the past. Now a sure thing of playing in the Quarter Finals and will play South Korea on Saturday to determine who tops the group. Matt Leckie is establishing himself as a very good player as is Luongo. And to make it all the more better they just completed the 7th leg of my 11 leg multi!

Yeah Zimbabwe should be the ones to go. Only problem is BCCI probably wont allow it as it may mean one less vote for them on the council. It's really sad the powr they have over the game. I think Ireland's best chance of getting test status is if Afghanistan also get it at the same time. That way there's another Asian nation there that India can control on the council and rely on for votes.

So I have to ask. Did anyone watch that abomination called fast 4 tennis on monday night?

Meanwhile did anyone see the West Indies World Cup Squad? No Dwayne Bravo or Pollard. http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/content/story/819677.html I tell you what, their first match in the World Cup is against Ireland. They could very well loose that match and miss the quarter finals. A sad state of affairs for a once great cricketing nation.

Was very humorous. Channel 10 must be re-thinking their microphone of players when on field every now and then. But it is good for the TV audience, outside the language that the kids get to hear.

World Cup Squad announced. http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/content/current/story/819681.html Pretty good squad and no real suprises. Same 15 I'd of picked except I wouldn't bother the risk with Clarke personally, save him for the tests, just like Rhino. If Clarke doesn't make the deadline given I hope they replace him with Wade as the spare batstsman/keeper. With no reserve keeper I'm nervous. What happens if 20min before the quarter final Haddin rolls his ankle and can't play? Don't really want Warner keeping for 50 overs and then expect him to have his usual impact with the bat. Wade showed in the RSA series that his keeping has improved a fair amount and his batting is solid enough to be a reserve batsman. Another can of worms that Clarke will impose is who will be left out of the XI when he's fit? From what I can see it'll be Finch or Bailey. Neither of whom deserve to be out of the team. My World Cup Best XI A. Finch D. Warner S. Watson S. Smith G. Bailey* M. Marsh +B. Haddin G. Maxwell J. Faulkner M. Johnson P. Cummins M. Clarke (reserve batsman. If unfit M. Wade: reserve batsman/keeper) X. Doherty (reserve spinner - Maxwell) J. Hazlewood (reserve pace bowler for Watson or Marsh: Maxwell or Faulkner can move into top 7) M. Starc (reserve death bowler for Cummins/Faulkner & like for like reserve for Johnson) With that XI we bat all the way down with Mitch batting at 10. Maxwell & Faulkner as finisheers at 8 & 9 will be the envy of every other team. For bowling Cummins & Faulkner as death bowlers, Maxwell covers spin, Johnson is the spearhead & Watson and Marsh can hold the middle overs together. Good variety with bowlers and a better fielding team also with Maxwell joining the fray.

Horrible first half hour of the game last night v Kuwait, but once they settled they played reasonably well for the 4-1 win and looked to unearth a couple of decent young players in Luongo & Burns. If they can knock off Oman on Tuesday then they're set to at least make the quarter finals. Just need to make sure they can avoid Japan for as long as possible. I'm just looking forward to watching my 2nd team for this tournament, North Korea take the field today!

You might be onto something there DL, It's a shame really, I remember 10+ years ago pretty much all the grounds had their unique nature and played slightly differently. Now they're all the same pretty much. Even the GABBA & WACA, although they still off a bit more bounce, after Day 1 he wickets there seem to flatten out. Melbourne & Adelaide from Day 4 the pitches slowed down a heap and the odd ball would keep really low. That seems to eb a thing of the past also. As for this match, just like Boxing Day, Australia don't deserve to win if they're going to waste the few chances we have on the flat wickets. We missed chances off Rahane & Kohli in Melbourne which cost us more then 50 runs to each batsman & the same thing has now happened in Sydney with Kohli & Rahul. Kohli wouldn't be such a thorn in our side if we could hold a ctach..... Oh for the days with Taylor, M. Waugh & Warne in the slips, S. Waugh at gully, Ponting in the point/cover area, Slater at mid on/off & McGrath down at fine leg!

Couldn't agree more. What's up with our curators preparing roads, especially when a side like India is out here who bat on them all the time??????

Yeah that papers are going with Starc in to replace Johnson and fair enough to. Would imagine Harris & Hazlewood will share the new ball and that Starc will be first change. Will be a real glimpse into the future with no Johnson or Clarke playing. Also saw in The Age today Chris Rogers has come out and all but said this will be his last test in Australia. Will be likely to walk away at the end of The Ashes. In fact looking at the future tours fixture, it'd almost be a chance for all of Rogers, Haddin, Harris & Watson to be walking after the Ashes. From there our next 14 Tests are against Bangladesh (2 away), New Zealand (3 home), West Indies (3 home), New Zealand again (3 away) & Sri Lanka (3 away) all of whom are on the weaker side of the ledger. It would provide some of our new/younger players to gain some experience against weaker sides before being exposed to the likes of South Africa, India in India and an Ashes Series. Will be interesting to see how they handle this next generational shift.

Yeah think we can agree to that Macca. And don't get me wrong, I don't think Lee was no good, I just didn't rate him as high as some others. Yeah Stoinis is a very promising young player, injured at the moment unfortunatly as I understand it. He's in the top 5 run scorers in the Shield so far this season with 399 runs @ 66.50 with 4 50's (top score of 99). He's batted top 3 the whole season so far, opened in his last match. He's also taken 3 wickets @ 56.33 which isn't anything spectacular, but it's more then Nathan Lyon has for NSW and equal with the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Xavier Doherty & Ben Cutting. Pretty sure he even opened the bowling (into the wind) in Victoria's Shield match against NSW.

Found his stats from that tour for those interested. 9 wickets in 5 tests @55.11 with an economy rate of over 4 isn't pretty reading. http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2001/AUS_IN_ENG/STATS/AUS_IN_ENG_2001_TEST_AVS.html

Not saying Lee was a bad bowler, far from it. But I always felt he was played well ahead of his time and was nursed through periods of under performance where others players wouldn't have because of his ability to bowl fast. I refer to the 2001 Ashes series as an example, where Fleming was cooling his ankles the whole time. The extra tests he received in my opinion no doubt allowed him to reach 300 wickets. For the 4th highest Australian Wicket taker, you have to go down to our 24th highest (Nathan Lyon) to find one with a worse bowling average. http://stats.espncricinfo.com/australia/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?class=1;id=2;type=team Damien Fleming on the other hand was our last genuine world class swing bowler who was sadly cut down by injuries and Lee's fast tracking. 75 wickets in 20 tests @ 25.89 with an economy rate of 2.82. Was one of my favourites. But I agree that a 5th bowler in now required in our team. One of Watson, Marsh, Agar, Faulkner, Maxwell or Stoinis will always be in the mix IMO from here on in. Yeah Fawad has every right to feel hard done by, especially if Agar is picked as a specialist bowler and not a spinning all rounder. Fawad is clearly the 2nd best spinner in the country. As for Muirhead he lost his way at club cricket level to start the season, and has only taken 5 wickets in his openning three 2 day matches @35, but in the One Dayers took 10 wickets in 5 matches @ 22.40. He's playing with the Scorchers in the BBL, and from all reports he's getting his groove back. He's got Fawad & John Holland as competition in Victoria. He'd almost be better looking at moving to Tassie to break into their Shield team. But the competition here is probably good for him.