VB Series - Australia, Pakistan, West Indies

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Maranello

Its a 20-20 "game" Rachael, so a run-rate of 9 for the team batting first is par for the course, and I wouldn't say they were losing wickets at a prodigous rate, 5 wickets over the "innings" is not bad. This really is not cricket, more of a circus so anything could have happened...

Ah - that explains it. I had assumed it was at least a 50 over game..

[Maranello]

Cricinfo preview here

Pakistan will carry a hefty squad of 16 around the country for six preliminary matches, and need to play at their best – all the time – to match their 1996-97 effort, when they beat West Indies for the trophy. Making the final, as they did against Australia in 1999-2000, would count as a success for a squad disrupted by injuries to senior players and employing a second-string support-bowling attack. But the comeback warm-up victory against Australia A on Wednesday showed that with application they can recover from their natural disasters.

Only three times have Australia not reached the finals of their own competition, and the last two failures hastened the one-day sackings of Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh. Owning a couple of team flaws, Ricky Ponting should have a few restless day-nights - but with Gilchrist, Hayden and McGrath alongside him, Australia expect to lift the trophy in the end.

I agree, Australia are the favourites, but the gap between them and the rest in this form of the game is much smaller, and Pakistan and West Indies are probably the two form teams in one-day cricket at the moment. Should make for an intriguing contest. Pakistan, with Shoaib Akhtar and Inzamam still injured, Sami not selected and Shoaib Malik not able to bowl, would strugge to win the whole thing. West Indies may be rusty after their long lay-off, so for me an Australia v Pakistan final is still a possibility.

Shame they are still going for this naff "best of three" format for the finals, I have never seen the point of that to be honest.

[Rachael]

First game completed: http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/NEW/LIVE/f...14JAN2005.html

VB Series, 2004-05, 1st Match
Australia v West Indies
Melbourne Cricket Ground (day/night)
14 January 2005 (50-over match)

Result: Australia won by 116 runs
Points: Australia 6, West Indies 0

Looks to have been a complete slaughter.

[Maranello]

Brett Lee again proving to be quite a menace in ODIs, even though he seems ineffectual in Tests. Its quite the other way around for Akhtar, who is a classy Test bowler, but struggles in ODIs.

Brad Hogg took 5 wickets, not sure how many were gifted as batsmen were trying to up the scoring.

WI probably suffering from lack of match practice, they have not played proper cricket for a long while, and are also new in Australia. For the Aussies, the inform batsmen Martyn and Ponting just took the game away in the first half, it was always going to be uphill for the Windies after that, and the fact that they lost 4 very early wickets did not help! Lara and Chanderpaul the only two contributors with the bat for them.

[Beny]

Nice to see Clarke in the runs at the oppening position. Lee bowled, how Lee Bowls. Espensive but getting the wickets. Only saw our innings so I can't say how well anybody really played.

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by Beny

Lee bowled, how Lee Bowls. Espensive but getting the wickets.

Lee: 10 overs, 3 wickets for 36. Expensive? At 3.6 an over, that is an excellent economy rate, when the opposition need 6, and when WI's avg rate over their innings was over 4! Lee went for less runs/over than all of Gillespie, Kasprowicz and Watson. Didn't bowl any wides or no-balls, unlike Gillespie or Kaspa. Pretty good I'd say...

[Beny]

Ohh... I thought gillespie had bowled 10 for 29... My appoligies to Mr Lee then..

[Seamer]

The problem with Lee is that he is less effective without the new ball. He was fast and dangerous when he opened the bowling with the new ball (150-155kmh) but in his second spell was played quite comfortably by the Windies tail enders (140-145kmh) This is why he struggles at test level - once the early life goes out of the ball, as it does quickly in tests, he becomes (relatively) easy to play. Until he learns cut and seam the ball off the wicket, and perhaps develop an effective slow ball, he will continue to struggle at test level (if he gets another chance)

[Shaka]

Lee does look less effective once the shine has gone (like most bowlers to be honest) I saw him being really taken to the cleaners by Taufeeq Umar in Sharjah. he looked ordinairy compared to Gillespie and Mcgrath that day.

Very convincing win by the Aussies though. Rusty or not, you have to wonder how many other teams around would have given the Windies such a working over. Windies main contributions from the bat rely too often on Lara and Chanderpaul it seems to me. They did well in England though, so I suspect they'll improve.

[Seamer]

Yes Shaka, it was only the opening game and they will come good at some stage. One dayers are a little bit hit and miss. . Windies beat England in the ICC champions trophy after England knocked Australia out of it then Australia beat the Windies. Bit of a lottery really