Australia vs Pakistan

[Remi Moses]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Absolute cracker. The contrast between Haddin's catch and Kamran Akmal's keeping couldn't be more stark - Akmal makes Geraint Jones look like Allan Knott.

Haddin's keeping has improved markedly this season. Akmal had an absolute howler and the lack of fight and determination by the pakistani cricket team is astounding

[Remi Moses]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

I don't for a second believe that, but Ponting was somewhat justified by the collapse in the 4th innings which is being declared purely luck. Ponting can only do wrong in some people's eyes and any slight good is dismissed as luck.

Couldn't agree more it astounds and alarms me to be honest. Didn't think Ponting missed a beat on day 5,and winning the toss and bowling I'd take in the views of Mark Taylor and Ian Chappel and Warney for that matter over keyboard or talkback experts!Let's be honest a combination of bad shots and tight bowling contributed to that poor effort

[ledge]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Disagree . A mighty gritty comeback by the Aussies and kudos to Hauritz,Siddle and Hussey . Yousef just captained like unfortunately has been the norm probably since Willis against Thompson and Border 1982 83 series. Never understood why captains don't back their bowlers to get the batsmen out and force them to take chances to farm the strike.
Unfortunately [as per usual] some out there are talking ''Match fixing'' conspiracy talk,and the side is not getting enough plaudits for a gutsy fightback. The captain must get some kudos for backing Hauritz who is improving all the time. Yes there are defiencies in the side with the batting needing an overhaul

Luck in the way the Pakistanis set the field against Hussey and Siddle, luck in the way he batted first on a green wicket, only got 127 and still won due to a lot of the Pakis dropping catches... this game was lost by the Pakis more than won by the Aussies.

I doubt very much Australia would have even got the opposition to bat against any other test team.
The Pakis are a side who has forgotten how to win.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Couldn't agree more it astounds and alarms me to be honest. Didn't think Ponting missed a beat on day 5,and winning the toss and bowling I'd take in the views of Mark Taylor and Ian Chappel and Warney for that matter over keyboard or talkback experts!Let's be honest a combination of bad shots and tight bowling contributed to that poor effort

What did Ponting do on the day 4 not 5 that was so special, defending 176, you can't do things much differently. There is no doubt the 9 commentators were backing ponting's decision so they weren't seen to be too critical

[mighty_west]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Luck in the way the Pakistanis set the field against Hussey and Siddle, luck in the way he batted first on a green wicket, only got 127 and still won due to a lot of the Pakis dropping catches... this game was lost by the Pakis more than won by the Aussies.

I doubt very much Australia would have even got the opposition to bat against any other test team.
The Pakis are a side who has forgotten how to win.

Which is probably one of the main reasons he chose to bat first whatever the case with the pitch, knowing how mentally fragile the Pakistani's can be, as lang as i can remember, they have been as hot & cold as any side, and any type of pressures put on them to chase down a target batting last, they aren't really known for their knuckling down & digging deep which was clearly the case yesterday, and i'm not too sure if Popnting can trust our batting attack to do the same batting last given our recent history of second innings scores.

That said, agree with Paki's losing it more than us winning it, but again, mentally fragile sides do that, and the catches won & lost the game, they dropped some absolute dolly's, especialy the keeper, just howlers, and we held onto some rippers that ended up winning the game, or at least taking the game away from them.

[mighty_west]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

What did Ponting do on the day 4 not 5 that was so special, defending 176, you can't do things much differently. There is no doubt the 9 commentators were backing ponting's decision so they weren't seen to be too critical

Ponting didn't do anything special, he didn't need to, Pakistan don't seem to make opposition teams work too hard to beat them, they have been that way for a long time.

As good as Pakistan can be on their day, they are absolute stinkers the other way, there doesn't seem to be an in between, and this game showed that.

[Sedat]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Which is probably one of the main reasons he chose to bat first whatever the case with the pitch, knowing how mentally fragile the Pakistani's can be, as lang as i can remember, they have been as hot & cold as any side, and any type of pressures put on them to chase down a target batting last

Pakistan would not have had a 4th innings target to chase if their fielders even did a half-decent job of taking a few of the chances that came their way in Australia's 2nd innings. The scribes who are now showering plaudits in Ponting's direction for choosing to bat first have conveniently forgotten this.

[mighty_west]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Pakistan would not have had a 4th innings target to chase if their fielders even did a half-decent job of taking a few of the chances that came their way in Australia's 2nd innings. The scribes who are now showering plaudits in Ponting's direction for choosing to bat first have conveniently forgotten this.

Exactly, mentally weak sides will find a way to lose and let a side come back into a game, we saw that time & time again with the Sth Africans in the big games, they were good getting to a final, but just found ways to lose games, as much as the Aussies would dig deep, then make them pay.

[comrade]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Pakistan would not have had a 4th innings target to chase if their fielders even did a half-decent job of taking a few of the chances that came their way in Australia's 2nd innings. The scribes who are now showering plaudits in Ponting's direction for choosing to bat first have conveniently forgotten this.

I don’t think his decision was wrong or right and using hindsight and pointing at the results to make a judgment on the decision is pretty redundant.

IMO, if we had have executed better on day 1, we would have beaten Pakistan easily. The fact that we batted so woefully, irrespective of the decision to bat first (because as proven previously 5 of our 7 top order were dismissed due to poor batting rather than a 'juicy' pitch), put us under the pump and left our fate in the hands of the flakiest cricketing team in the world.

[ledge]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Exactly, mentally weak sides will find a way to lose and let a side come back into a game, we saw that time & time again with the Sth Africans in the big games, they were good getting to a final, but just found ways to lose games, as much as the Aussies would dig deep, then make them pay.

Hope this isnt including our footy team

[mighty_west]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Hope this isnt including our footy team

Well, unfortunatly we all experienced '85 when Leathal went nuts, brownless getting that monkey off his back & the '97 nightmare that just won't go away...

[Flamethrower]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Hope this isnt including our footy team

First thing I thought of. Pakistan are the Western Bulldogs of world cricket, except in 1992 when they won the World Cup.

I agree 100% with mighty west. You always bat first in Sydney. Blaming the conditions on day 1 was a cop out. Some of the pitches in other countries are far more bowler friendly than that in Sydney. Watson got a great nut. All of the other batsmen got themselves out with poor shots.

I would far prefer to bat on a greenish pitch on day 1 setting a total, than to chase a modest total on day 4 or 5.

[Remi Moses]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

Luck in the way the Pakistanis set the field against Hussey and Siddle, luck in the way he batted first on a green wicket, only got 127 and still won due to a lot of the Pakis dropping catches... this game was lost by the Pakis more than won by the Aussies.

I doubt very much Australia would have even got the opposition to bat against any other test team.
The Pakis are a side who has forgotten how to win.

Any praise for his last Test when he made two excellent declarations? Ponting is Okay as a captain,not great but the amount of negativity and vitriol directed at him from the public is very ordinary!!

[Remi Moses]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

First thing I thought of. Pakistan are the Western Bulldogs of world cricket, except in 1992 when they won the World Cup.

I agree 100% with mighty west. You always bat first in Sydney. Blaming the conditions on day 1 was a cop out. Some of the pitches in other countries are far more bowler friendly than that in Sydney. Watson got a great nut. All of the other batsmen got themselves out with poor shots.

I would far prefer to bat on a greenish pitch on day 1 setting a total, than to chase a modest total on day 4 or 5.

That was Pakistan's 1997 prelim final

[Remi Moses]

Re: Australia vs Pakistan

I don’t think his decision was wrong or right and using hindsight and pointing at the results to make a judgment on the decision is pretty redundant.

IMO, if we had have executed better on day 1, we would have beaten Pakistan easily. The fact that we batted so woefully, irrespective of the decision to bat first (because as proven previously 5 of our 7 top order were dismissed due to poor batting rather than a 'juicy' pitch), put us under the pump and left our fate in the hands of the flakiest cricketing team in the world.

Exactly there was some playing like Millionaires in that first dig.