TOPIC:

UNKA2 wrote:

58shark wrote: That’s it freeze, an average player. The team has too many of them. If they dont take a few chances and change a few faces, this World Cup will be an agonazing watch.

Agree, to me Maxwell has talent to burn, BUT drinks his own bath water, never gunna reach the heights he could/should.

Maxy had a great 20/20 series in India ending with a brilliant match winning 116 not out Came in at 2 for 22 chasing 190..

Leather Stops wrote:

UNKA2 wrote:

58shark wrote: That’s it freeze, an average player. The team has too many of them. If they dont take a few chances and change a few faces, this World Cup will be an agonazing watch.

Agree, to me Maxwell has talent to burn, BUT drinks his own bath water, never gunna reach the heights he could/should.

Maxy had a great 20/20 series in India ending with a brilliant match winning 116 not out Came in at 2 for 22 chasing 190..

Great to see..... Kyrigos ( however ya spell it) nd Maxwell have talent in bucket loads, its all above the shoulders with these type of blokes

Looks like JL is going to persist with Finch till he eventually scores some some runs....so he can tell folk "I told you so"....hopefully it will happen in the WC for all concerned....no way a side is going to drop their skipper so close to a big comp......considering Short looked good in the BBL and in those two recent T20 games v India and "runs are currency" in the selectors eyes.....stranger Short wasn't persisted with.....oh well I can see Stoinis opening the next game...like he did in this one, due to the skipper getting out so soon...and Finch dropping down the order to 6, with the new brains trust plan of boosting Aust late order power to get some ODI scores over 300!!!

The problem is that scores like 236 are not competitive in this day and age. By the time Maxwell got to the crease,half the overs were gone and there was only 100 on the board. That is the old style 90's Bobby Simpson strategy of starting conservatively at a 4 run per over pace, with wickets in hand, then accelerate in the last 15 overs. 20/20 has blown that type of methodology out of the water and yet the Australians seemed to be playing "retro cricket" as well as wearing the retro uniforms.

Finch is so palpably out of form he is basically of no value to the team at the moment. Khwaja just chews up too many balls in the first 15 overs and then gets out at crucial times when he should kick on. At least Shaun Marsh has a habit of converting his 50's into hundreds and is generally striking at over 100 by the end of his innings. Stonis is a block or bash merchant who doesnt seem to know how to turn the strike over when he is not hitting boundaries.

The first power play is crucial to a batting team and they need to look at other options in the top 3 to give the innings some impetus. D'arcy Short and/or Carey would be the obvious players to look at here. Any score of under 300 in the World Cup is not going to be competitive in any game

The bowlers did OK in the circumstances to reduce India to 4 -99 but they were always in control of the chase as Australia were at least 40 below par on that pitch.

What a complete choke that was by Australia. They needed 30 runs from 30 balls with 5 wickets in hand and managed to lose from there. Carey and Stoinis were cruising then a couple of dumb shots by Carey and Coulter-Nile and some muddled thinking by Stoinis derailed the chase. Game awareness by these guys is just non existant to the extent that Stoinis was refusing runs in the 48th over when they still needed over 20 in order to "protect" Lyon who is not a bunny. He was counting on the last over from a part time bowler but they left themselves too much to do. I have to give credit to Kohli who pulled all the right moves to steal this game but the Australians contributed to their own demise with their poor shot selection and decision making under pressure. What is concerning is that there appears to be no learning happening particularly amongst the batsmen who seem to be making the same mistakes game after game. Kohli showed the way for India by hanging in there and getting his team up to a competitive score even though the Aussie bowlers were well on top.

Scarey thing is mikeh, the Aussie side really think they are close to India, because of the recent close results....to me India when chasing Aust piss poor scores have taken their time pacing the run chase....Dohni has it down to an art form....as you say no score under 300 should win any side a ODI international these days....except when Aust is chasing that is a sub 300 total. Have little confidence in that batting line up for Aust at all....just lacks the ability to up the ante when set and the ability to even go big when set.....also no out and out quality spinner/s like Eng, SA or India have.....

Maybe I was wrong, great effort by the Aussies this time in the face of another Kohli onslaught. Zampa held his nerve and he got the reward. Richardson once again impressed, probably should have played the first two games. Having a 300 + score does take the pressure off the bowlers though and Australia must try and make that the norm rather than the exception. I think India would be concerned about the extent that they are relying on Kohli at the moment in the batting. They need others contributing if they are going to challenge for the World Cup.

Incredible knock of 84* (43 balls) by Ashton Turner has helped level the series 2-2 after we chased down the 359 India set us.
Earlier Handscomb with 117 & Khawaja 91 helped set up the innings chase with a big partnership that helped steady the ship and then put us in with a Chance after Finch & Marsh we’re out cheaply.

BH: a great effprt by all -- I found Kohli's tactics a bit strange given that he won the toss and batted; He must have forget that dew can be a factor for the side bowlling second in parts of India during day/night matches.

What a fantastic run chase.....perhaps Aust has found their real "closer" in Turner....great knock....hopefully the fella can cement his spot for the future. Pity Aust had that 5/30 implosion in game 2....could of won the series 3-1 with last night's victory.....going to be some interesting selections with Uzzie scoring consistently as an opener, Handscomb with a 100 and now Turner....obviously Warner and Smith back in the mix.....going to be a few unhappy campers come WC time.....can see many a good swing bowler exploiting that massive gap between Finch's bat and pad....especially in UK conditions....