Cricket Thread

[Troy]

There is so much cricket going on around the world at the moment it is time I started the Official WS Cricket Thread.

The Ashes started today and what a start for Australia. Bowling England out for 260 and then being 25/0 at stumps on day one is as close to a perfect day as you can get. Hilfenhaus getting a wicket first over showed his control under pressure unlike Harmission when he bowled the first over last series here.

Siddle was amazing today and he is a different bowler since his injury. He isn't trying to bowl a bouncer each ball and is finally pitching it up. 6/54 with a hat-trick was just reward for his excellent line and length. It was also great to see Doherty clean up the tail with two wickets, he bowled well all day and deserved those two.

Good start to a series that most predicted Australia would lose.

In other games West Indies are in trouble against Sri Lanka in the second test. Lara Jr AKA Darren Bravo played an excellent innings but played a careless shot to fall right before the end of play. Nash the vice captain played a solid innings but like Bravo unfortunately fell right before the end of play.

 

[Troy]

Second day started well for Australia but then we decided that we had to have a middle order collapse. Hussey and Haddin have been fantastic at consolidating our position and put us in a good position at 220/5 forty runs behind England. Hussey has been excellent under pressure and his aggressive stroke play has really helped his game.

Before this series the selectors, who had received a lot of criticism lately and rightly so in my opinion, had five main issues to deal with.

1. Spinner - Would they stick with Hauritz who had had a poor run of form in recent months or change to another bowler. Steve Smith who played against Pakistan was a choice but he is more of a batting allrounder. Doherty was the other option in the squad and in the end they went with him. He picked up two wickets and beat the bat many times on day one. In the end the selectors for this get a Tick

2. Third Pace Bowler - Bollinger, Harris and Siddle were all in contention for the last pace spot to join Hilfehaus and Johnson in the team. Early on Harris was ruled out due to his knee injury causing him some issues so it was down to two. Bollinger was the main choice for many due to his recent performances in India but he didn't have much match fitness. The selectors went with Siddle and that was an inspired choice as he took 6/54 including a hat-trick. Tick

3. Hussey - Started his career with an amazing average, was scoring a century every couple of tests and just didn't seem like getting out. In the past two years his average has been below forty and he hadn't performed under pressure. Many were calling for him to be sacked and replaced by a younger player. In the end the selectors told him to find form in shield cricket and to speed up the pace with which he scored. He picked up a century for WA and in the test batted beautifully under pressure to be 81* at the end of day two. Tick

4. North - Had a decent start to his career but was either hit or miss with and average in the mid thirties which is poor. He would get out for single figures or get a big score. Plus he never performed when Australia were under pressure and needed a big score to steady the innings. Today he came out when we were four down and in a bit of trouble and he finished with 1 from nine balls. Again when the pressure was on he failed. Cross

5 Clarke's Fitness - Michael Clarke injured himself in a Shield match a week or two ago and didn't train on Monday's training session. He did train later in the week and was supposedly fit for this match. He was off the field within 15 overs on the first day and would field at mid on to protect his back. Then when batting he didn't look comfortable at all and is clearly suffering. Firstly the selectors shouldn't have risked bringing a badly injured player into the match. Secondly Clarke should have taken responsibility and said that he wasn't fit and not put himself up for selection. A 50% Clarke isn't worth it in an Ashes test. Cross

For me I give them 3/5. Siddle being picked was the hardest decision and they got they right. North being dropped was propably the easiest with Hauritz yet they got the North issue horribly wrong.

In other cricket news day three of the West Indies - Sri Lanka test was rained out.

 

[Troy]

Hussey and Haddin congraulations on playing your best innings ever. Both players were amazing under pressure and it was easily their most important innings of their careers. Hussey was playing for his spot in the team and with this innings will stay in the team for another year. Haddin ensured that his batting will keep him in the team even if his keeping lets him down every now and then. 195 was Hussey's top score whilst Haddin scored 136. Well done to Finn who took six wickets, he along with Anderson were the only two to trouble the batsmen. Broad and Swann were disappointing as was the fielding with a couple of dropped catches and a fair few runs let through. 481 with a lead of 221 is amazing and we have two days to bowl them out and chase any lead they make.

Johnson is still struggling big time as is North.