Australia's baffling batting ensures failure in record run chase against India

I believe I will disagree with you. They almost made 320 chasing 350. If their innings was constructed in a little bit calculative way it could have been tough for us like mohali. I believe one thing Aussies have is, they have plenty of batsman who can play world shattering innings in their day. We certainly are not blessed with that. So we have to depend of pandya sahab's mercy and his sahab style batting because it is hard to get hold off what is going through his brain at times. Take today's innings as an example.

Don't see that against present Indian bowling unit, 300-320 may be.

I was surprised and relieved that GOAT didn't play against us!

Sorry sir. I did not understand whom you are talking about.

Apologies for crappy format. I can’t get any line break options to work. There’s the satisfaction of returning to the sheds unbeaten. Hang on Sprucey! That’s dangerously close to ‘playing for stats’. Why not try for that extra run for the team? What’s his [Warner’s] motive? A couple more years of a very, very well-paid job. Especially now that his aftermarket value has dropped through the floor. And possibly redemption. And if you believe that people have batted for self in Tests then I don’t understand why it’s such an improbability in the ‘cheaper’ forms of the game. You even admitted that Bevan “arguably” did. And I don’t see why the example of Bevan is “silly” in relation to Warner. You’re also focusing on Warner’s career average, I’d opine that this is irrelevant. It’s only his post-sandpaper performances that are under the microscope. Do you play cricket? Alas, not anymore. Creeping inability to throw, catch, run and bat, aka The Ageing Process, finally put an end to that wondrous pastime after a mere 16 years of grade.

I reckon Mohammed Shami is a better bet than that absolute chucker of a part time spin bowler.

India ARE a better ODI team and have clearly been since the last WC. Is that even a doubt?

yes was surprised by Maxwell's midfields. seemed to be during his bowling spells? mind on other things?

loving this strand of your work. interesting that Boycott ran Randall out in this instance, as he did in the test in 77. i do notice the 10 runs that we leave out there from, not pushing hard enough. and we let 10 through in the field, too, Maxwell seemed to have a timing issue at backward point?

Not your place to apologise. Every country has their idiots.

Smith's batting better

I mentioned in an earlier post that Warner's innings was odd and went too slow. I don't hate Maxwell or anyone else, I just believe he's an underachiever. I'll be more than happy if he makes a 70-80 which contributes to a win in this tournament as they need every player to play their part. Doesn't mean I believe the press he gets.

Actually it is something that has started after dressing room saga in the last test series here . And Kohli versus Smith is a matter of fierce debate here . David Warner is not going to be booed because he is beloved here for his IPL stint. This is more of a psychological warfare than ideological one . Ball tampering incident means little. You will feel the same heat in Tendulkar versus Bradman argument. :-)

Amazing to me that this article contains no mention of Stoinis and his terrible performance in this game. Out for a duck when his team needed his batting, and went for almost 9 an over. He's not up to standard. And yet he doesn't warrant a mention?

Lastly, on a pedantic but fun note; Why don’t we ever see batters trying to steal a ridiculous run on the last ball of the first innings? I mean, all they have to lose is their batting average… Because no one likes getting dismissed. There's the satisfaction of returning to the sheds unbeaten. Do you play cricket? So you believe that a player who organized sandpaper to be used for on-field ball-tampering wouldn’t stoop to batting for average? What's his motive? His average is 44. There's zero chance of that getting to 50 (he'd need to average about 80 for 3 consecutive years to do it). There's no difference between 43 or 44 or 45 in ODI's. 40+ is considered to be the mark of a strong ODI batsman. The only way he's dropping below 40 would be about 2 years of averaging about 23, and by then he'd be dropped from the team). Do you also believe that no-one has ever batted for self in a Test? Of course people bat for their average in tests. 50 is distinguished number. Steve Waugh was the textbook example of someone batting for their average. Michael Hussey as well, and to a lesser extent Michael Clarke and Jacques Kallis (although he was wanting to keep it above 55). Great batsman keep a very sharp eye on their average going above/below 50. Mahela Jayawardene and Inzimam Ul-Haq have both expressed regret for allowing their averages to dip below 50. 50 is a neat, round number. And on Michael Bevan...you could argue he was. To be the pedant...his average was 53, his S/R was 74. You wrote his s/r at 53. Warner averages 9 less than Bevan, to compare Warner and Bevan is silly. Do you think Kohli is playing for his 59.5 average in ODIs? It would be an ambitious yes if you think so.

I can concede keeping Coulter-Nile particularly if they drop Stoinis, I don’t care how much Warner backs him, Stoinis is out of sorts with the bat - what’s the point in having him when he’s not scoring runs and you’ve got to look to Maxwell to make up the 10 overs from the 5th bowler. Also NCN, even if he doesnt bat again, will probably end up being the highest scoring “all rounder” for Australia. So my NCN as the all rounder works for me. Agree Zampa is not getting the zip he has in the past, you could see him trying to work through his system to get back his rhythm but the fizz and dip just aren’t there, not that I think the London pitches will help him off the wicket but it’s more what he’s doing in the air that looks lacklustre. Maybe Lyon isn’t setting the world alight in the nets but personally I think we’ve seen enough to know exactly what your not going to get, and that’s a fair bit better than Zampa’s recent efforts with the potential to be a match winner.

Too be fair having seen the boorish behaviour of the Australians it’s not restricted to nationality I can assure you particularly when the beer had been flowin* for a while, though how anyone could afford to get anything close to the edge defies my economics. The fascinating thing was that the cheater chant only came about when Smith was out there and not with Warner, it was as though they held Smith to a greater standard, but I couldn't hear anything about Arney till Smith came out and I had a fairly isn’t fella not too far away who insisted on chanting when no one else would

"No one plays for their average in ODI’s qwetzen." Really? So you believe that a player who organized sandpaper to be used for on-field ball-tampering wouldn't stoop to batting for average? Do you also believe that no-one has ever batted for self in a Test? And then there's M Bevan. Care to explain how a #6ish odi batsman can finish his career with 34% of his innings not out? (And a dismal s/r of 53). By way of comparison, AB's is 15%. Lastly, on a pedantic but fun note; Why don't we ever see batters trying to steal a ridiculous run on the last ball of the first innings? I mean, all they have to lose is their batting average...

No doubt they "know what they are doing". That's the point. There's nothing wrong with getting in first.

You can "promise" that...but you'd be wrong.