[Pegasus V]

Anyone here watch cricket?

In particular the final of the VB One-Day Internation Series hosted in Australia at the SCG on the 9th Feb 2004...

I've never seen a cricket team play so well. Excellent by Australia with Gilchrist smacking them all around the game, along with plenty of quick singles. Then Hayden and Martyn were excellent with the bat, ranging from powerful shots to delicatly place dabs, which they comfortably stole singles from when any other team wouldn't even think of running. Hayden and Martyn get out, enter Symonds and Clarke. Symonds is unbelievable form, smashing the ball every delivery give or take two (and just one over), ending the game scoring almost 200% strike rate. What does all this equal? The highest score ever by Australia. (Well, the equal amount of runs, but less wickets were taken.)
India come in with the game all but over. To make things absolutely out of reach, Lee takes a catch from all three of the first dismisals. India end up at 5/54, still with over 300 runs left to get and only 5 wickets in hand with a runrate of 9/over. Absolutely super stuff that.

Now that Martyn looks back in form, I think this is now the best cricket team ever. The best bowler ever, Shane Warne, has just finished his suspension. Even though he's retired from ODI's, if he's back in top form I expect he'll come back from retirement. (just like Jordan, along with his old ODI shirt number - 23). Not to mention one of the best bowlers ever, Glenn McGrath. He could make a comeback from his serious injury in a month's time. What a team this is, and yet what a team this could be.

Australia A (the non-youth one) could be competently capable and successful at international level cricket too:

ODI

Australia
[list=1]

• A.Gilchrist + (vc)
• M.Hayden
• R.Ponting (c)
• D.Martyn
• A.Symonds
• M.Clarke
• I.Harvey
• B.Lee
• S.Warne
• J.Gillespie
• G.McGrath
[/list=1]
[/color]

Australia A
[list=1]

• M.North
• S.Katich (c)
• M.Hussey (vc)
• M.Bevan
• C.Rogers
• B.Hogg
• B.Haddin +
• A.Bichel
• M.Kasperitz
• S.MacGill
• B.Williams
[/list=1][/color]

Australia B
[list=1]

• J.Maher
• J.Langer (vc)
• D.Lehman (c)
• M.Love
• B.Hodge
• S.Watson
• W.Seccombe +
• S.Tait
• N.Hauritz
• J.Taylor
• N.Bracken
[/list=1][/color]

Sounds promising hey?

[Singh]

*is an Indian to the heart, and still counting on Sachin and Co. to become to the best team*

Whatever happens...I wont loose hope

[Impurial]

During the VB finals I kept thinking:

Prize Money VS Bets...

Hate to say this, but Australia's rivals don't really get paid for playing cricket.  Generally outside the Western "developed" countries, full time sport isn't really an job option - no sponsers, no scholarships, no pay after 30.

Not that I'm saying that the match was fixed, but if you consider how tempting that kind of offer would be and how great the differences between are for the countries playing; you'd understand why I cheer Nambibia.  

[Black Wolf]

I did see some of that game - the end of Australia's batting, and the first 10 or fifteen overs of India's.

Was that the highest Aussie score ever, or just for the SCG? Either way, it was some damned good cricketing.

As for this being the best team ever, it's hard to say. There's a damned good chance that they are, or have/will be within the next year or two either way, but you've also got to realize that a lot of the other strong cricketing teams have been going downhill for years, and there's nobody really in any position to challenge any kind of Australian team.

[delta_7890]

...What's cricket?

<<;;  >>;;

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by delta_7890
...What's cricket?

<<;;  >>;;

It's one of those niche sports only played seriously (and popular) in a few countries in the world - like baseball and american football.

[Setekh]

...I dunno. Call me an oldie, but I kinda missed the days with Mark Taylor scoring 343, the Waugh brothers settling in for a double-century partnership, and McDermott coupling up with a new guy called McGrath to take ten wickets over the test match.

[Pegasus V]

Originally posted by Setekh
...I dunno. Call me an oldie, but I kinda missed the days with Mark Taylor scoring 343

Yeah, he was a legend, but scored waaay too slow.

Warne got two wickets at a pretty economic rate... You reckon he'll get selected into the main Victorian side, or even the Australian side?

[Setekh]

Heh, I won't argue with that. But he was certainly a great captain.

What was it, 2 runs an over average? I'm hoping he makes a good comeback, but it all depends on his form in the coming weeks. He's not that old, I think he'll get into the main Victorian side for sure - Australia, that's questionable.

[01010]

Apparently the English Cricket team might even get a run this year.

Wouldn't suprise me if they don't though.