Just goes to show they can introduce how ever many bastardised versions of the game as they like but you can’t beat a spell of test match cricket like that today.
Absolutely Bandage, test cricket is king, the one dayers and 20/20 mere fluff to keep the masses interested.
Scrap whatever I said about India, I was wrong. They have shit loads of talent. Sehwag and Gambhir, Dhoni, Singh, Sharma. Ganguly and Kumble are on their way out, Tendulkar just keeps on being the genius we all love him for.
Outstanding stuff by India, good to see them playing cricket and not being sulky, petulant bastards. When they’re winning, they play the game with a great attitude.
On the other hand, Australia are fucked. Lee and Ponting having a go at each other, the top order throwing wickets away like it was some dastardly tactic to lull India into a false sense of security so that the tail end would start batting like Don Bradman. Its a hell of a long time since we have seen Australia in such chaos. The beginning of the end for Ponting as capitan I think. Apart from the inept batting (and fair play to Pup and Brad Haddin for actually managing to stay out there), the bowling has been atrocious. They are obviously missing Clark, but even fit, I’m not sure he’d have much impact. Maybe they do need to throw Doug Bollinger in there.
As Jim Maxwell (Austrslia’s pre-eminent cricket commentator) was saying yesterday on the ABC, Beau Cassin should feel aggrieved that he wasn’t picked, he would surely have done more damage than Cameron White.
India will win this test and win it well.
If Australia don’t take action and pick up their game very quickly, they’ll lose the two remaining tests, and lose them badly. And then they have South Africa here in December / January.
That said, I’m not writing them off. Ponting, Hussey, Hayden, Katich, Clarke are all capable of huge scores, even on the sub continent. Lee might get his mojo back.
Interesting times.
Very interesting times indeed and it’s a huge test for Australia now for the remainder of this series. Their attack looks really lightweight in contrast to India’s given India’s dual spin threat and Australia’s quicks inability so far to reverse swing the ball like Zaheer Khan was this morning. There haven’t been many positives for Australia in the series so far, as you say Fitzy, bar Mitchell Johnson, Hussey and a good knock by Clarke in a losing effort today. On the other hand, most of India’s top order have plundered runs and all the bowlers have get amongst the wickets, including a 7-wicket debut for Mishra. Roll on Delhi next week.