Comments on: The best rebuilding cricket team ever

By: Cowboy Bob

Cowboy Bob — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:06:04 +0000

It would have been better for Australia to lose that test match. Might have been the wake up call they needed. The batting is brittle, and Bollinger is an enthusiastic park bowler who will be found out by better opposition. I fear England will roll us on our home soil.

By: Mick of Newie

Mick of Newie — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:02:11 +0000

Brian
Accepting your top 4, Australia is currently 1-1 in series with each of the other team on a home and away basis.
India and Sth Africa are slightly ahead and Engalnd slightly behind.

Unfortuantely Sri Lanka the other truly competitve team miss out on these discussions as Australia puts a low priority on them. Sri Lanka have a positive series record against Sth Africa and England. They have also beaten and lost away series in India in recent years.

By: Hoy

Hoy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:39:39 +0000

On another side of the coin, I have often thought Ponting sticks with bowlers for too long without changing even the field settings, and it goes the other way, and the batsmen get cheap runs as the bowler is carted everywhere for too long.

It is a knife edge, and I feel Ponting was lucky to pull that one back from the depths of a massive and possibly humiliating loss. Again, I thought we were going to be all out for around 70 in the first innings.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:25:48 +0000

7 out of 10 series ain’t that great. Look more cloesly and you’ll see the 5 series that matter – India, England & Sth Africa. On that note they’ve won 2 lost 3. Hardly world beaters and they were lucky to beat India here. Given the resources and prblems of the world’s cricket boards only 4 teams in the modern age can truly strive to be number one. To be ranked 3rd out of those 4 hardly strikes me as amazing.

Johnson is world class bu I doubt anyone other than Krejza has nightmares about Hauritz. His 5 wicket hauls dismissing the likes of Asif, Kaniera & Ajmal do a disservice to the milestone.

By: sunshine

sunshine — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:53:24 +0000

I think the articles written in the press are particularly harsh on Australia.

Pakistan spread the field for Hussey who was set and brought it in for Siddle a lot of the time. Besides the dropped by keeper chances Hussey gave very little away. Maybe more pressure should have been applied by Pakistan but decisions are made on the field and not from the comfort of a press box.

Ponting needs to be congratulated for sticking with hauritz, it would have been easy to pull him early on when copping some stick.

The main difference was the age old adage catches win matches…

By: Brett McKay

Brett McKay — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:05:33 +0000

welcome back Conks, glad to see you returning with your views in 2010..

As surprising and amazing as yesterday’s win was, we only need to go back as far as 1999/2000 Hobart – again against Pakistan – to see that sometimes the improbable can happen. During Langer and Gilchrist’s epic partnership on that final day, Langer kept up his mantra “you just never know” to the then just-debuted Gilchrist, and history shows that they did it with overs to spare.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence now thinking about that Test ten years ago, that Australia could repeat the dose on Pakistan yesterday, especially when you consider that in the home dressing room sits the figure of one J.Langer..

By: Roger Rational

Roger Rational — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:31:25 +0000

Hehe. These Roar cricket articles veer from one extreme to the other. Ditch Ponting yesterday and predictions of domination today. It makes Manchester City football fans look positively grounded in comparison.

By: Fisher Price

Fisher Price — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:31:23 +0000

A classy batting line-up that collapses if the ball is moving.

By: vinay verma

vinay verma — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:53:11 +0000

Benjamin..I have listened to and watched Australian sport since I was 7 years old. The early days were listening to Radio Australia and the BBC. I remember listening to Benaud bowling Australia to victory after England was 1 for 150 odd at Manchester. No one gave Australia a hope. When Benaud bowled Dexter it was game on. Australia never gives up and this is the envy of other Nations. Tennis and Athletics are individual sports but the will is still there.Herb Elliot,Ron Clarke,DeCastella,Charlesworth,Border and even Lleyton Hewitt embody this will to win.
I am dismayed at punters who dismiss this Cricket side as ordinary.In Ponting,Clarke,Hussey,Katich and Watson they have a classy batting lineup and in Johnson,Hilfenhaus,Siddle and Bollinger a quartet that will get better. And Hauritz cannot do more than take fivefers.