Pakistan v Australia 2nd Test

[jackpot jim]

Mal, for Ponting's sake, i think it's better that a 3rd Test wasn't programmed.
Ponting...... 1st Aussie captain to lose a test to Pakistan for 15 years
Only Aussie captain to lose the Ashes TWICE in England.

[MAY-Z]

enjoyable test series shame it was only 2 tests - thats what happens when you play on pitches that have some life in them

still some points of aggrevation for me
1 - surely the icc can fund the udrs so that all games are played on an equal footing
2 - when will they stop using upstairs of close catches
3 - why do captians never employ a third man - im sure more runs go through there than fine leg and generally when the ball goes to fine leg its frm a poor legside delivery, edges through slips are generally good balls.

just looking at some onteresting stats for 2010 only

marcus north has a batting average of 1, but a bowling average of 11.6
watson has a batting average of only 27, bowling 17.3 - why wasnt he given a bowl today?
mitchell johnson has a bting average of 9 and bowling of 34 which is the owrst for any player to have bowled a ball this year
oh and dutchy katich has scored teh most runs at the average

[MAY-Z]

Mal, for Ponting's sake, i think it's better that a 3rd Test wasn't programmed.
Ponting...... 1st Aussie captain to lose a test to Pakistan for 15 years
Only Aussie captain to lose the Ashes TWICE in England.

on a horses for courses basis maybe ponting shouldnt be allowed to captain in england

[Media Park]

Ponting. WORST Aus captain since... before I was alive, so you guys tell me...

[MAY-Z]

Ponting. WORST Aus captain since... before I was alive, so you guys tell me...

yallop?

[Media Park]

Well Border was skipper when I was born, then Tubby when I was first old enough to strike interest in the game, then S Waugh. Even the Gilchrist and Healy type deputies were what I would consider superior.

Ponting has definitely been the best bat since I've been alive (Best AUS bat), but the worst Captain...

[The Dark Knight]

Final Scorecard- Pakistan won by 3 wickets

Australia: 88 and 349

defeated by

Pakistan: 258 and 7/180 (I.Farhat 67, A.Ali 51, B.Hilfenhaus 3/39, D.Bollinger 3/51).

MOTM: M.Aamer (Pakistan) and S.Watson (Australia).

[bayman]

never in doubt after australias ordinary first innings

[The Dark Knight]

never in doubt after australias ordinary first innings

Yes and No. Pakistan should of always won after bowling out Aus for 80 in the first innings. They did show some signs of the wobbles in their second innings though and having a history of losing the unlosable in the past I wasn't always convinced they were going to win until they were really close to the target.

[Gozu]

Series stats

Australia

Batting

Katich-187 runs @ 46.75
Clarke-139 runs @ 34.75
Paine-104 runs @ 26.00
Smith-100 runs @ 25.00
Ponting-98 runs @ 24.50
Hilfenhaus-77 runs @ 25.66
Hussey-69 runs @ 23.00
Watson-64 runs @ 16.00
Johnson-45 runs @ 11.25
North-36 runs @ 9.00
Bollinger-27 runs @ 13.50

Bowling

Watson-11wk @ 10.63
Hilfenhaus-8wk @ 23.75
North-6wk @ 9.16
Bollinger-5wk @ 36.40
Smith-3wk @ 27.33
Johnson-3wk @ 72.33


Pakistan

Batting

Salman Butt-213 runs @ 53.25
Azhar Ali-139 runs @ 34.75
Imran Farhat-138 runs @ 34.50
Kamran Akmal-74 runs @ 18.50
Umar Amin-59 runs @ 14.75
Umar Akmal-56 runs @ 14.00
Shoaib Malik-36 runs @ 18.00
Shahid Afridi-33 runs @ 16.50
Danish Kaneria-31 runs @ 10.33
Mohammad Amir-24 runs @ 8.00
Mohammad Asif-14 runs @ N/A
Umar Gul-9 runs @ 3.00

Bowling

Amir-11wk @ 22.27
Asif-11wk @ 23.00
Gul-8wk @ 23.62
Kaneria-6wk @ 34.33
Amin-2wk @ 9.50
Afridi-1wk @ 69.00

[Rik E Boy]

Ponting. WORST Aus captain since... before I was alive, so you guys tell me...

yallop?

Yallop had nothing to work with when he was captain. He was in charge when Australia were without the WSC players. Yallop had to go up against a seasoned England but when Bobby Simpson come in he got India who weren't quite as good and when he took the team to the Windies they lost their WSC players during the series.

My vote goes to Kim Hughes. Not because he was demoralised by the West Indians (no shame in that IMO) but because of his performances in the 1981 Test series. A team that included Lillee, Alderman, Border and Marsh. A kamikaze Hook shot was a turning point in the series when Australia tried and failed to chase down a low target.

Ponting I believe is worse. Can't set a field and I cringe whenever he wins the toss.

regards,

REB

[Media Park]

I cringe that he is too loved (by the selectors) to be dropped, and too proud to retire.

Khawaja, Bailey, Klinger, Ferg (when he has some games back), Rogers, Hughes, should all be ahead of him on recent form, but he'll keep getting a guernsey, when he really isn't worth anything to the team...

Mind you, North and Hussey are in the same boat...

[Gozu]

Jarrod Kimber's Day 4 review:

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/sports/2010/ ... in-barely/

[mal]

JARROD KIMBER
What a refreshingly effervesant sports writer
He writes articles like we post on SAfooty
Absolutely luv reading his articles, thanks Gozu and others who scan his articles to SAfooty

His witty sarcasm is very Adelaide Hawkish, REBish
But despite bright lighting his columns, he does still actually make valid points with his dossiering of players, umps etc

I liked the MAYZ review of the series
Especially the ball domination over the bat making good compelling viewing
India next
We can expect low, slow, flat,dusty spinrumpazoozle pitches, and we can expect boring batfests when the quicks are bowling

[Gozu]

JARROD KIMBER
What a refreshingly effervesant sports writer
He writes articles like we post on SAfooty
Absolutely luv reading his articles, thanks Gozu and others who scan his articles to SAfooty

His witty sarcasm is very Adelaide Hawkish, REBish
But despite bright lighting his columns, he does still actually make valid points with his dossiering of players, umps etc

I liked the MAYZ review of the series
Especially the ball domination over the bat making good compelling viewing
India next
We can expect low, slow, flat,dusty spinrumpazoozle pitches, and we can expect boring batfests when the quicks are bowling

No probs, Mal. He's an aussie cricket blogger living in England and I really enjoyed his daily reports from the games, goings on in the press box etc during last year's Ashes series. I'm glad Crikey got him to write about this tour too, he knows his stuff and like you said quite witty. I liked the line from the day Hilfenhaus made his 50 that due to Ponting's failures he was "probably trying to restore pride in Tasmanian cricket"

[Vulcan]

Now is the correct time(Indian tour) for the selectors to take the bull by the horns.in there conditions no better time to push Watson down the order in place of north,remembering Watson will be bowling more as the 3rd quick,Hughes back to opening position,also hauritz in for one of the quicks,current form you'd suggest Johnson but I don't think it will be him.

[Rik E Boy]

Now is the correct time(Indian tour) for the selectors to take the bull by the horns.in there conditions no better time to push Watson down the order in place of north,remembering Watson will be bowling more as the 3rd quick,Hughes back to opening position,also hauritz in for one of the quicks,current form you'd suggest Johnson but I don't think it will be him.

Not a bad post that.

regards,

REB

[smithy]

Now is the correct time(Indian tour) for the selectors to take the bull by the horns.in there conditions no better time to push Watson down the order in place of north,remembering Watson will be bowling more as the 3rd quick,Hughes back to opening position,also hauritz in for one of the quicks,current form you'd suggest Johnson but I don't think it will be him.

Not a bad post that.

regards,

REB

Except for the Hauritz bit.

[Media Park]

Katich
Hughes
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Watson
Paine
Smith/Hauritz
Johnson
Bollinger
Hilfenhaus

I dont wanna see Ponting or Hussey in the side, but they'll most likely retain, Paine was good IMO, and will retain until Haddin is fit, and I doubt they'll play two spinners...

The gamble would be to play Smith at 7, and keep Watson opening, then they could play two spinners