Eng v Aus 547th ODI: Tram Drivers v Bus Conductors

In joint statement the ECB and CA said....

"The mercifully last and positively final game of England's temporary migration to Australia will be a game between Australian Bus drivers and England Tram Drivers. "

They clarified that their lawyers have prevented them from using the word "tour". Which is a completely misleading; if not an entirely wrong word to describe England's visit to Australia


"Tram Drivers from Wales are also eligible" - They added later in response to a question raised by the selectors, who have been asked to name the respective sides in less than 24 hours. Australian selectors were told they there was simply no time to "trim" the side later so that had to name a 15 man squad and not a man more.

There just aren't enough men with a working set of hands, legs and a non numb brain from the original squads. So depleted are England, that had Monty Panesar been in the squad, he would have batted at #4 and fielded at point.

On the Australian side, Australia's first choice Test and ODI captain is out with an injured pinkey. Their up-until-last-month first choice T20 captain, current back up captain for Tests and ODIs and as-of-today future Test and ODI captain (as long as the first choice captain is not in the side) is resting.....phew...

Only in Austrlia can some one as out of touch as Michael Clarke can ask for and get rest.

So they will be led by their official but really second-choice T20 captain; Cameron White.

The series is starting to resemble the chariot race from Ben-Hur.

A full 26 years after an India - Pakistan World Championship final was inventively and humorously taunted by a group of local Melbourne fans as a clash between Bus Drivers and Tram Conductors, life has come a full circle in Australia.

Pakistan Need 272 all out to Lose

Pakistan's cricketers probably need to know exactly what is needed to lose a game.

Okay, so this Pakistani team is different. And indeed they look mellow and sincere under Misbah-Ul-Haq. Typical Pakistani teams are like loud and colorful bollywood films. Misbah has transformed them into the kind of movies people go to see at film festivals at European cities.


I haven't watched a lot of this series but from whatever I have seen, the quality of cricket has been adequately boring. With no real stars on either side it is clear that eventually even team sports need individuals to make them compelling.

Pakistan are  playing like a child who knows he has to behave because he is under watch. There is no doubt in my mind that once everyone drops their guard, there will be some more mischief.

Pakistan's record at chasing; and especially chasing away from home; makes them the original chokers but a few years ago at the same venue they chased 277 losing only 3 wickets.

That was before Oval, Sydney, ball-biting, Lords, crossing lines, etc

Outside of that any lead of 200 in the 3rd innings is good for declaration.

Check out what we predicted for Pakistan for 2011...

• Predictions for 2011

Pakistan Springing Back to Life

In a result that prompted both relief and surprise, Pakistan sprang to life and defeated New Zealand. For those who thought test cricket was done after the Ashes and the India-SA series, Pakistan and New Zealand are still playing. I only caught a few glimpses of the game and could not recognize half the Pakistani players.

New coach John Wright was the reason that I even decided to watch the game. Would he restore NZ immediately, like he did with India in 2001? Obviously he couldn't. Pakistani batting led by Misbah-ul-Haq seems to have discovered a spine that didn't exist in Australia and England before. What seemed to be a team completely dependent on bowling miracles (yes, I use the word miracle deliberately), showed that their test match batting skills are not completely finished.

What it now seems (having not watched the games in the UAE) is that Pakistanis actually put up a fight instead of the popular belief that dead pitches produced the stalemate. South Africa seemed to have run into a determined captain and a Pakistani team with all the qualities that a Pakistani team has. Passion, pride and courage. I know that I am extrapolating big time, but what's the harm.

Whether it's New Zealand or any other team, winning test matches isn't easy. It needs days worth of sustained effort. Effervescent performances do not win test matches. They are good enough for T20 and ODIs perhaps, but a team has to play every session with diligence to win test matches. I didn't think Pakistani batsmen had that. But this match where they put on 367 in 122 overs proves otherwise.

The bowlers obviously won the game for Pakistan by dismissing NZ for 110 in their second innings. There is no question about that. But the story here in my mind is the batting discipline exhibited by Pakistan to take the first innings lead after New Zealand put up a reasonable total.

This is good news for world cricket. I continue to believe that Pakistan and West Indies need to be healthy for world cricket to be healthy. They are the only two teams that are exciting to watch, regardless of ranking. This is mainly due to their fabulous fast bowling and exciting stroke players.

Virendra Sehwag is a Liability

In Virendra Sehwag, India have a trend setting opener. Wonderfully committed to his style of play.

Clean, uncluttered and delightfully simple. Both in attack and those rare times when he defends for substantial periods of time.

In a team that has champion batsmen in the middle, it is Sehwag's presence that makes India the most formidable batting line up in the world. The kind of line up that allows India to set up wins, go for wins and avoid defeats. And in the last few years they have handled all situations.

By all standards Virendra Sehwag had a disappointing tour of South Africa. That is certainly true at an individual level. But that is not the whole story of Virendra Sehwag's role in the series.

As I search for answers as to why Greame Smith did not push for a win by setting India a reasonable chase on the 4th day, I can only guess...

It was the fear of Virendra Sehwag.

In that sense India's resurgence as a formidable chaser of 4th innings targets and the presence of Virendra Sehwag means that it will always have to be the bowlers who would have to win games for India in the 3rd innings.

Team's aren't going to be interested in going for wins against a batting line up that has Virendra Sehwag.

In that sense he is a liability.

Epimetheus Speaks...

(For those that are not aware, Epimetheus is the greek God of excuses and second-guessing.)

India managed a comfortable draw, demonstrating that the mental strength acquired over the last several years is real. They proved that it's not simply a Laxman rearguard that is responsible for their famous chases and saves. The evolution of the Indian side into a team is complete.

Since the transition that can be traced back to 2001, began in earnest, fans have wanted India to dominate. Unfortunately, India couldn't find that fast bowler or the metronome that would have made the team complete. Zaheer has out-performed his physical abilities and given India the solution to it's fast bowling quandry. But it was clear that India missed the Steyn and Lee kind of bowler in the third innings of this test match.

Kallis had to play a superb innings to rescue South Africa from what looked a sure defeat. Harbhajan bowled his best spell abroad, but without Zaheer or Sreesanth contributing from the other end, it came to nought. Let this rekindle the debate about Swann vs Harbhajan. The Swann honeymoon appears to be over, just like the Ajantha Mendis one was done as well as Harbhajan's own after the 2001 epic series. Swann is a good bowler and he will re-invent himself, but he still has to earn his place in the hall of fame.

For India, the highlight is the manner in which Gambhir and Tendulkar overcame Dale Steyn. We were very lucky to have witnessed fast bowling of such class. I have not had as much pleasure watching opposition bowlers since I saw Marshall and Holding in 1983 and Wasim Akram in 1999. It takes very special talent and discipline to overcome such ferocity. The Indian teams prior to 2001 would have simply crumbled under such onslaught. Several instances come to mind, chief among them being Barbados in 1997.

South Africa's safety first approach also demonstrated the respect they had for India's batting might. India rightfully retain their ranking.

In another country, England smashed Australia and it appears that Australia will take a while to recover from this. Australian cricket is resilient enough to be reborn in future. But a Bobby Simpson-Allan Border story is unlikely. What shape the new story will take would be interesting to watch. But Michael Clarke doesn't appear to be the one who can lead this outfit out of the darkness. They may go through what England went through with Atherton first and Hussain later before finally coming up with a team capable of giving the good teams a run for money.

England have a complete outfit too. When Broad returns they will have an embarrassment of riches. Given how their batting might has evolved, they may have enough time to groom a good replacement for Collingwood. Bell will obviously move up the order and that's probably a good place for him to be. Alistair Cook has arrived big time and has set the pace to pass Tendulkar's record of test centuries. Comparisons are odious but he delivers consistently. He may not match Tendulkar's poetry in motion while batting, but he is a huge pleasure to watch.

In AB DeVilliers and Cook we have two greats in the wings to take over when Kallis, Dravid, Tendulkar and Ponting call it a day.

Kallis turns the dagger

I eat humble pie. I had blogged that I didn't think Kallis was a game-changer. Kallis just shut India out of the game. He has played beyond anyone in the India team is capable of playing. Sehwag, Tendulkar and Laxman cannot win India this game anymore. I don't see India having a whiff of a chance. In fact, defeat is a definite possibility. Yesterday I had blogged that Tendulkar demoralized SA. But Kallis' innings simply pumped new life into SA. Expect Steyn and Morkel to come in at full tilt tomorrow morning. The game could be over before tea.

It's amazing how Sreesanth and Zaheer were rendered completely ineffective by the South African batsmen. Good news is that Harbhajan has claimed a seven wicket haul and it's a meaningful harvest. Sreesanth needs some time in a day-care center. He's a child who's not matured. India have no reason to complain about biased referees if Sreesanth and Dhoni are allowed to get away with what was dished out today. While his behavior has been generally pushing the limits, today was pathetic.

Well, India may be the number one ranked team yet, but in order to prove it, they'll have to get 341 runs tomorrow or at least draw the game. I don't see that happening.

Game on

The series is finally coming down to the wire as a good series should. Unfortunately, all the good commentators and experts are either Australian or English and they are busy crowing about the Ashes. How I wish this were a five test series instead of a three test one? The test of endurance between the two best sides in the world. The cricket produced so far has definitely been keen and high quality.

Dale Steyn provokes genuine awe when he bowls and the manner in which Gambhir and Tendulkar overcome him in the morning session shows the maturity of Indian batting. They realize that dominating Steyn is a pipedream and played accordingly. Steyn did come back after lunch with the second new ball and ripped the match open again. Only for Tendulkar to play a frustratingly sedate knock to demoralize SA. I do believe India have the mental advantage here. Mainly because, SA could not knock India over despite having the best fast bowler in the world take another five-fer.

When it comes to fourth innings batting, India with Sachin, Laxman and Dhoni have the right arsenal to go after it. Enough has been done in the last year or so to prompt us to put our money on India to chase 200 or so in the fourth innings. Anything over 250 is probably not going to happen.

Harbhajan showed up with bat and ball and now SA have to post a decent total without perhaps Kallis in the mix. They have enough ammo with Amla, ABDV and Prince to put up 250 plus. Will they?

Match headed for an interesting finale

Gambhir and Tendulkar downed the shutters too early. Hopefully, tomorrow will produce a better rate from the two than the sleepy 2.odd today. India will have to score more than 300 runs tomorrow and score enough runs on the fourth day to put pressure on SA. This is the most optimistic scenario.

Nothing in the bowling from SA today seemed to indicate to me that Tendulkar can be bested. But he is known to get the most unplayable balls usually. From SA's stand-point, the injury to Kallis means more bowling from the others which can be hard and work to India's advantage. Also, if he is really badly hurt to a point where he cannot bat comfortably, then India have a further advantage.

The stars have aligned for India. Hopefully, they can cash in. As always the morning session in a big partnership is key. Can the batsmen carry on from where they left or will the bowling being fresh be able to make inroads? On this wicket, with the weather not being a factor, it appears that the batsmen can weather the early storm (pardon the metaphor). But they will have to rev it up. This is where Tendulkar sometimes loses the plot. So maybe it will be upto Gambhir, Laxman and Dhoni to crank it up a notch.

It's hard to see a dramatic collapse from this point, but India are known to confound the prognosticators. Thus far, SA have not done anything in this test to show that they are a better side. Kallis adding 50 runs with Tsotsobe was the sole spark in an otherwise good bowling display from India.

India will have to repeat in the second innings for a historic victory. A collapse means the hardwork of last few years would be wasted.

Dhoni's Mood Swing

Its difficult to understand the intent. Were India being defensive or was the move an attacking one? I am talking about the toss of course.

Traditionally, India's batting is its dominant hand. Called on to both defend and attack.

Yesterday, however at Capetown, it was India's bowling that was called up. Was their job to attack and get South Africa out. The weather serving as the catalyst.

Or defend India's famed batting.

Was Dhoni worried about the batsmen who have put up 3 scores of less than 250 in the 4 innings so far on the tour.

Historically Capetown entertains its batsmen for the first few days before it invites its bowlers to the party. If that is true, then once again India will be batting when the pitch is at its worst.

Of all the tosses Dhoni had to win, he won the one that he would have been better off losing.

From being dismissive of his bowlers after centurion, he is now entirely seduced by them. Why the sudden mood swing?

I think the 1990 Lords Test is still not completely out of my system. In a sudden bout of aggression that must have come over the normally gentle and conservative Mohammed Azharuddin, he invited  England to bat on winning the toss.

Captain and opener, Graham Gooch scored a triple hundred.

Yesterday was not that bad of course, but 200 odd for 4 down after having put the opposition in does not justify the decision to field first. The batters needed to be given first use of the pitch. Surely three chances should be enough to finally get the opening day batting right

On the surface, India's record in the last 6 tests, on the road, where they have invited the opposition to bat, makes good reading. 5 wins to 1 loss.

The details will make you slightly less impressed. 3 of the wins have come against New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Further specifics will make you wonder if we have given away to much already on day one. In the 2 wins against strong teams, India bowled out England for 198 in Nottingham 2007 and Pakistan for 224 at Rawalpindi in 2004.

Clearly the results justified the intent. Then.

What was India intending to do yesterday. Hide their batsman or expose South Africa's. If its the former, the mission's accomplished, if its the later it was at best a 50-50 day. Not entirely disappointing.

India may lose

Watching the post-tea session it was Kallis and ABDV that seemed to be in control. Getting Amla to a ball way outside off was similar to Sehwag's dismissal. He will rue it if SA lose. Amla deserves as much blame as Sehwag if SA do lose.

India seemed to have been batting with setting a 300 run target rather than batting SA out of this game. Laxman being the sole exception. Zaheer came guns blazing reminding me of some of Kapil's brainless efforts in the past. However, he was lucky not to be out and worked himself in and stayed with Laxman to put India at some advantage.

However, watching the game today, it appeared that the harsh sun had helped the pitch ease out somewhat. There were a few unplayables out there, but India's bowling was terrible compared to the discipline with which SA attacked the off stump corridor.

But the morning might bring a new Zaheer to the bowling crease. If he can prise out one of ABDV or Kallis quickly, India might nose ahead. But both batsmen seem to be in little trouble, except for Kallis wanting to throw away his wicket with a hoik just short of mid-on. Harbhajan is key to India's chances. ABDV seems his likely victim.

Regardless, the first session could script the tale tomorrow. As of now it's even, with India maybe a hair ahead.

India ahead

India came roaring back into the second test with some luck and lots of good bowling. Zaheer is as good as Steyn. There I said it. He may not have Steyn's strike rate or his speed, but he has exactly the same effect on his team and the opposition that Steyn does. He was fantastic this morning in South Africa.

Harbhajan finally produced a bowling spell that he can be truly proud off in recent times. Several tests had passed and he wasn't really turning games around with his bowling. This performance was a good one to put that criticism to rest for a few matches. He used the bounce on offer really well and bowled a superb spell to finish off South Africa.

Sreesanth and Ishant must still cause Dhoni some worries, but two out of four bowlers doing really well is a much better place to be than none.

The story of today to me though was the terrible shots that Sehwag and Tendulkar played to get out. This outrageous exhibition of batting when the team had enough time to bat South Africa out of the match is inexcusable. They will both be regarded as great batsmen and I think they are exceptional. But this batting performance from them could cost India the match. They are both in great form and the team needed them to stick around and take India to a safe enough lead (which I think is ~300 runs).

Vijay got a brute of a delivery and with experience he will learn to leave those types of balls alone even if it means having to duck under some balls that don't rise as high as the one that got him. Dravid is no longer playing the difference making innings that he used to. He played a terrible shot as well with feet rooted. He will not forgive himself and the result could be a worse batting performance in the next test than an improvement.

Pujara and Laxman are holding up quite well and may take India to a lead of 250 or so, along with contributions from Dhoni and the tail. This will be short of what would really be needed to put away the game. Amla and Kallis will be difficult to get at a second time. With time not a factor for South Africa and three form batsmen in the side, the odds will favor them, if India don't put up a big enough total.

The match is finely balanced and some indiscretion from South African batsmen and a repeat bowling performance from Zaheer is needed for India to claim this game.

Smith Pissed off in Victory..

Reading Graeme Smith's remarks at the press conference, it felt like he was more pissed off than happy. But with the press reports these days one can't be sure of what exactly transpired. What it seems like is that the "going down fighting" story emerging out of this test isn't sitting well with Smith. He prefers the narrative of a one sided victory in a battle among contenders for the title of top test sides.

The excuse of the first day's wicket being too difficult to bat on seems to be grating. In addition, Tendulkar's 50th has overshadowed Kallis, Amla and ABDV's partaking of a sumptous run feast laid out by the Indian bowlers in press coverage. I think that's somewhat natural, although it appears unfair to Smith. The MoM award was rightfully given to Kallis.

His jab at Tendulkar was also somewhat out of normal. I welcome it though, because honesty is sometimes more important than political correctness. We must think about whether or not it was wise of Tendulkar to take a run of the fifth ball and exposing Unadkat to a full over. Perhaps, he was thinking that this will help Unadkat gain real test experience since the test was lost anyways. Perhaps he didn't believe in the symbolism of making SA bat again even if it was to score one or two runs. I think it was more the latter. I remember being critical of Tendulkar during the monkey-gate test for not upping the pace a notch and farming the strike more.

From my stand-point, this test only proves that India cannot compete with great fast bowling on sporting tracks. What's new? Regardless of India's batting pedigree, the lack of regular practice against good fast bowling shows. The more experienced Indian bats were able to "manage" without dominating, save the enterprising innnings from Dhoni. It also proves that Steyn is the best fast bowler of the new generation and that he is a genuine successor to Alan Donald. The furious spell of bowling in which he accounted for Dhoni was as good a spell as any that Marshall, Imran or Waqar may have bowled during my lifetime of watching cricket.

I also think, this proves that the AB arrival is complete and that he is going to be the difference maker in a number of future test matches for SA. Add me to his fan club.

Having gotten used to Tendulkar I am no longer expecting him to bat to score points. He isn't a warrior. He is a competitor, but not a warrior. Sure, he said that India made a statement on day four, but Smith thought Tendulkar needed to make a statement too. Tendulkar chose not to make an individual statement on the last day. Tendulkar used to make such personal statements with his bat such as the one against Warne in 1998.

Maybe he thought that what was done on day four was enough of a statement and it was time to return to civility. Smith sees Tendulkar the same way many others do, including the way I used to (until Gol set me straight once). They see him through their own prism of sport as a substitute for battle and see sportsmen as fighters, gladiators and warriors. Too bad that for such fans that Tendulkar doesn't see it that way.

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1. Taking on the Proteas
2. India in South Africa: The Essential Certification
3. A Second Wind

Tendulkar & Dhoni Brighten the Gloom

India's second innings batting was a much better representation of their real pedigree. It may yet not be enough to overcome their bowling deficiencies, but it does provide hope. While Tendulkar motored along to his fiftieth test century, Dhoni lit up Supersport Park with a display of test batsman-ship that's rare from an Indian.

But first due space must be entrusted to Tendulkar's masterpiece. This indeed was one of his best crafted innings that I have had the privilege to watch. After the 136 in Chennai, the 116 in Melbourne, this is the one that I thought was just pure magic. I have watched only about 12 of his 50 centuries on TV, so forgive my myopia. Hopefully, he'll recognize the need to kick up the pace a notch and make South Africa bat again. But then hopefully, the rain tonight will be bad enough that little or no play is possible tomorrow. I would prefer to settle for the former, where continuing to watch Tendulkar bat is pure pleasure.

Laxman couldn't get into his stride and misread a ball to give up his wicket. His two fours were pure class. The man on the hook was Suresh Raina and he surrendered meekly. This must be his last innings on this tour and he must yield to Pujara. Dhoni must do the inevitable if he wants to have a prayer of a chance to win this series.

Which brings up Dhoni. His fifty off 37 balls was made without any violence. This too was a rare test innings. He took on Steyn and Morkel and played some incredible shots with superb timing. His three consecutive fours off Kallis were stuff of great brilliance. His was a captain's innings. He needed to make a statement and I think he did. A century would have been a nice icing on the cake, but Steyn's spell of bowling that got Dhoni out was a ferocious one. Test cricket at it's finest. Dhoni fell to a truly unplayable ball. The ball took off and seared into Dhoni at face level and left him with little choice. Perhaps a better batsman (Dravid?) may have dropped his wrists, but this ball was spectacular.

Steyn had hit his stride and Tendulkar was wisely trying to ride it out in Sreesanth's company, when the wind struck in India's favor. 22 overs are lost today and several more were lost on day one.

This test is likely to end with a defeat for India. But some fantastic memories will remain etched forever.

DeVilliers Tips the Balance

As much as people have disagreed with me that India could have saved the match, I feel DeVilliers' stunning innings killed any hopes India may have had of saving the game. His astounding assault demoralized India's attack (if one can call it that) and may have put it out of the series perhaps.

Rain will only help hasten India's doom. Although, Gambhir and Sehwag played well, I am disappointed constantly at Indian batsmen's inability (barring Dravid) to play the pull and hook with any measure of control or confidence. Hussey at WACA brought out the hook and pull to tremendous effect. Gambhir had several similar offerings from Morkel and Tsotobe, but his technique is too limp to take them on.

In a recent Cricinfo piece, Ian Chappell talked about his brother Greg seizing the initiative from England in the 1979 non-Ashes series by hooking regularly. I believe that shot to be the ultimate sign of dominance and audacity. Despite Gambhir and Sehwag's aggressive batting, the lack of hooking and good pulling ability puts India at a huge disadvantage.

It almost seemed like Kallis read this blog and decided to show us our place. His batting this time was (dare I say) attractive and attacking and wasn't as mechanical as it normally is. The pitch of course is playing like the recent flatbeds he played in the UAE, but the attack doesn't have any of Umar Gul and company's potency.

Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Raina and Dhoni seem like a long enough batting line up. But the rain forecast tonight will likely hurt their ability to play the Kallis, Amla type of innings. India were motoring along well and I think Sehwag did India's chances no good by playing a bad shot. Sehwag apologists will run to his defense claiming he knows no other way to play. Unfortunately, it may be true, but shouldn't he learn? Or maybe the luxury of being able to blame Tendulkar for not being responsible enough and not playing a rearguard is now taking it's toll.

There's two more days to go and even if India overhaul South Africa's total, the result seems a foregone conclusion. That unless the weather forecast is so bad that it actually washes out two days of play. This is highly unlikely. So I eat humble pie. I overestimated India's bowling attack's ability to control the flow of runs. Obviously, there's a lot for Sreesanth and Ishant to still learn. The less said the better about Unadkat. Suffice to say, he ain't playing another test.

Too much is being made of....

India's batting performance at SuperSport park. This reminds me more of the India-Pakistan Karachi test than any other test. Of course, it was Pakistan at the receiving end then. India however, ended up losing the match.

I could watch only the first 20 overs before having to leave. In those twenty overs it was clear to me that the conditions played more of a hand than anything else. As the day went by, I was sure the wicket would ease a little. Tomorrow, it might play even nicer in the second and third sessions. Unfortunately, no one is around to hang with Dhoni besides Unadkat.

The second day wicket might be reasonable enough for Dhoni to eke out enough runs to take India past 200. Provided Unadkat hangs on like Panesar or Ishant in the recent past. Good news is that unlike South Africa at Durban last time, India were not bowled out for less than 100. Looking at the score card, it looks like Dhoni is fighting the conditions.

The worst news of the day is probably Raina. He probably has one more chance to redeem himself before Pujara will be ushered into the side. I am a Raina believer, but it appears that my faith is misplaced. Now many better batsmen did worse, but that's not the point ever, is it?

The key question is whether Sreesanth, Ishant and Unadkat have it within them to get enough wickets. And also whether Tendulkar and co. can fight out a draw from this situation. Regardless, it's a fantastic start to the series.

On the other hand, I caught more Ashes action and Australia were at a somewhat identical 24/3, just like India. While with India there is hope of salvaging a draw due to their batting as well as weather, Australia are probably staring at another pasting. Ponting's head would have been on the line, except that Clarke's failure may save him. Go figure. Clarke's dismissal reminded me of the likes of Vikram Rathore hanging out their bats in the past. The low confidence showed and Clarke seriously needs a rethink.

Hussey busily got some runs and in the end 268 was more runs than I thought Australia would muster. Harbhajan..oops Johnson got some runs. Now let's hope he gets some wickets to prevent this from being a one-sided steamroll.

Been There Done That...

There was a sense of familiarity to the way India folded to South Africa today. It was numbing to watch but it was not entirely unexpected. There were far too many I-told-you-so moments...

Even so, let me tell you it is quite rare for a touring Indian team to be knocked out for under 150 in the first innings of a Series Opener.

Its happened only once before.

During India's second tour to England in 1936, the first Test at Lords saw India bowled out for 147. India came back strongly bowling England out to gain a first innings lead of 13.

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Can Australia come back?

It has increasingly become hard to figure out if Australia has a bowling problem or a batting problem. Of course, they have both. But teams often rely on the strength of one to negate the weakness of the other.

For example, India have a reasonable bowling attack, but a fantastic batting line-up. Sometimes the cookie does crumble, but more often than the batting line up is able to pile enough runs to put pressure on the opposing team. The bowling unit does a reasonable enough job to wriggle out 20 opposing batsmen with some time to spare. As a strategy, this has served India well.

England too seem to be pursuing a similar strategy where batters are applying themselves more diligently and talking about contributions and partnerships. Graeme Swann who was handled reasonably well in Brisbane became a force when Australia were staring at a mountain of runs. My opinion is that Pragyan Ojha could have run through Australia with the friendly pitch and all.

Australia on the other hand can't seem to find a formula. The team at it's heyday scored runs at a furious pace and unleashed McGrath and Warne against their opposition. The results became a foregone conclusion. On occasions when McGrath and Warne didn't play (like against India in 2003) it became clear what the Aussies were missing. In those games too, Australia played Bichel with Lee. Good batsmen don't succumb to honest triers. And that's what I think Bichel was and so is Bollinger.

And this is where Australia's problem is. Their batsmen may find enough gumption to put up 400 plus scores perhaps, but without a bowler that can threaten to unsettle the English batsmen, they have no hope. So between Siddle, Hilfenhaus, Johnson, Harris, Watson and Bollinger Australia have one and a half bowler. Siddle being three quarters of the bunch. Australia's desperate search for a spinner is misplaced. Clarke is by far their best spin bowler. So why try to find something that doesn't exist and eat up a test spot?

Unfortunately, the lack of bowling options had led Australia to rely on Shane Watson. He can at best get an honorable mention. But much like India had to dispense with wicket keepers opening the batting, so that the "best" batsmen could play, Australia should invest some faith in true openers. With Katich now out of the lineup, Australia should perhaps bring in Hughes and Shaun Marsh. The latter may not be lighting up the grounds, but in modern day cricket the team needs a Hayden, Dilshan or Sehwag/Gambhir type approach. Maybe Marsh is their answer.

The worst number 6 batsman in the world needs to be dumped and maybe Watson needs to play at that spot. Ponting, Clarke and Hussey need to rediscover their touch too, but if between them, they can manage 400 plus each time, Australia will be ok. The first step though is to ensure the top order fires.

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Ashes 2.4: Is Draw Still UnAustralian

Will Australia learn how to play for a draw?

They have literally thrown away test matches. One of them, in the summer of 2001 in England, when Gilchrist declared @ 4 down for 170 odd and set England a target of 315 with an excess of 90 overs to play. They lost. The other match is India's come from behind win a few months earlier when Australia just did not know how to clamp down and play for time. The one time I remember they were forced to play for a draw and they did was Waugh's farewell test.

It was almost as if Australia would prefer to lose than to see Test cricket die a slow death with each avoidable draw. They seemed to have taken it upon themselves to engineer results and their commitment was total.

Unfortunately, for Australia, these days they simply have to play their natural game. The results will come.

Australia's problems seem plenty and hard to ignore. It was perplexing to see Katich hobble for every run. I can understand a Brian Lara or a Ponting or Hayden or Sachin or VVS being forced to play a Test with an injury. But Simon Katich? Isn't there an opener in Aussie land that can bat better than an injured Simon Katich? The signals Australia is showing through their selection policy indicate a complete lack in faith shown to players in State teams.

But really the thing to look forward to tomorrow is whether Australia can learn how to enjoy being a mediocre team and play for a draw. For India it had been a strategy for decades. England recently have made it exciting.

Ashes 2.3: Ponting - I want to be able to Declare

1. Australia are on a roll. Australia matched their vastly improved performance; of taking 2 whole English wickets on Day 2; with a similar haul on Day 3. Considering that play was possible for only two-thirds of the day I am thrilled with my mates said Ponting. We have England where we wanted.
2. Asked about the dropped catches, missed run outs and numerous mis-fields; Ponting was quick to say...Well the catches only mean that my bowlers are consistently creating opportunities which can't be a bad thing. As for the other fielding issues, Ponting was of the opinion that its the media...Channel 9 in particular who are running replays of the same couple of instances. Its not like we are going so see these replays and stop our march to force a win.
3. Talking about the future of the game, Ponting said that he is leading a campaign to allow bowling sides to declare their bowling innings closed. Currently the game is heavily tilted in the batsman's favor he said. Based on Official Wiki leaks phone records of a few Australian cricket team members, an unusually large volume of calls to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, might give some clue as to how widespread the support is for this idea. Ponting denied any attempt to keep the campaign secret. 
4. Mean while in the real world...England simply must win this Test match. To put in 2 extraordinary performances with the bat in consecutive Test Matches and not have a win to show for it...might just be the jailbreak Australia needs
5. England's recent performances have been consistent and they were able to; to some extent; carry Pietersen. England with Pitersen in form starts to look like a team that can really control, dictate and win test matches on batting alone. His commitment to the pull shot makes for exciting Test Cricket
6. Just how bad is the Australian attack...It is perhaps for the first time ever that 2 different batsmen have scored 200s in consecutive test matches against Australia in the Ashes. It shows that its not a question of 1 batsman dominating Australia, everyone seems to be enjoying their bowling. (After confirmation over @ Test Match Sofa, this is the 2nd time 2 different English batsmen have scored separate double hundreds against Australia in consecutive tests. VVS Laxman and Gambhir did it in Delhi in 2008 in the same innings!)

Ashes 2.2: Learning to Enjoy Doing it Poorly

1. In a vastly improved performance, Australia claimed 2 whole English wickets in just a day's worth of cricket at the Adelaide Oval. Captain Ricky Ponting, who is ruthlessly committed to positive, attacking cricket, while happy with his bowler's output, was also quick to point out that there is still room for improvement. We doubled our productivity in terms of wickets since the Gabba, which is a good thing but we leaked a few more runs than I would have liked. 
2. When a reporter pointed out to Ricky that Australia are in a "bit of a bother"; falling way behind England on the first innings, Ricky shot back saying the scorecard he is carrying still says 0-0
3. Australian's love targeting the visiting skipper by making statements to that effect in the media. In this series however the person who was supposed to take care of the target, himself ended up being a target of contention between Ponting and the Australian selectors. Mitch or no Mitch, Ricky talked at length on the importance of this strategy especially since its been hugely successful, getting Strauss out 3 times out of 3.
4. Asked by an English reporter on how Ricky can ignore the obvious all round and total ineptitude of the Australian performance so far in the series, Ricky added "If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly"