They do the same when Botha bowls for South Africa.

Even with Hussey and Symonds the rate rate is too high. They'll get out trying.

This VB Series has left me with more food for thought than this tournament ever has. Normally, it's a contest between one tired team, who can't be stuffed following a long summer of test cricket, and one below par team.

This time, it's played well. Some thoughts:

-Lee is clearly the best ODI bowler in the world.
-Though Pollock's test form with the ball is uncertain, he's still one of the finest misers in ODI Cricket.
-South Africa are continuing to rely to heavily on Boucher and Kemp for their runs. Top order, paging G. Smith, need to make big scores, and, paging Mr. Dipenaar, get a move on.
-Sri Lanka will be a handful bowling second. Vaas looked brilliant and Murali bowled without luck. When they make 250 plus, the runs will be hard to get.
-Jayasuriya adds the element of self-belief, some would say arrogance, into the side. His knock today was splendid.
-Besides Sangakarra and Jayasuriya, SL are starved of any World Class ODI batsman in their team.
-Jaques and Gilchrist WILL open for Australia at the next world cup. Ponting at three, Hussey at four, Clarke at five, Martyn at Six, Symonds at 7, Lee at 8, Warne or Hogg at 9, McGrath at 10 and Bracken or "Two-Storey" Dorey at 11. Katich I don't like and doesn't look a great ODI batsman. And why the hell was Jaques dropped after 94 on debut.
-Hussey is the best finisher in ODI cricket, second only to Bevan in the history of the ODI game, but makes up yards on him as he doesn't play for his average.
-After seeing three overs of Two-Storey Dorey on Friday, I've seen enough to realise that he will give batsmen alot of trouble with experience. Didn't have a lot of luck on Friday, and today wasn't great, but he could be the missing link in that side. Also has a smooth run up.
-I know I said Gilchrist before, but I'm having reservations on his capacity to produce the big knocks.
-South Africa have only one World Class ODI bowler, and need alot out of van der Wath and Hall to have any success. Kruger's downright rubbish and Zondeki's not alot better either.
-My Predictions. Australia in 3 finals against Sri Lanka.

The results of the VB series games so far would have sureprised most of us. The contests are proving to be more even than what we expected. Today's game in which the Lankans won has proved most of us (including me) wrong. The Aussies paid for their rotation policy by resting Mcgrath and playing two greenhorns in Dorey and Hopes. It was nice to see Jayasuriya return to the Sri Lankan team with a blazing hundred, characteristic of him. I'm not going to predict anything regarding the finalists as everything seems unpredictable in this tournament.

I don't know how Dorey made this squad. He doesn't look good at all.

Australia need 234 from their 50 overs.

Gilchrist just got his 13th ODI century. It was great to watch and he showed a lot of emotion when he got there.



Australia are currently 173/0 after 28 overs with only 61 more runs to win.

A great knock from Gilly at a time when he definitely needed it; this will keep all of his critics of his back for a while now and also when he was captaining the game, maybe the responsibilty helped him?

Katich also played an excellent knock, highest in ODI's, this will give the selectors an answer to all of their questions over his scores. He played exactly how he is meant to.

__________________
Watch this for a perfect about.
James May

Australia innings (target: 234 runs from 50 overs) R B 4 6
*+AC Gilchrist c & b Muralitharan 116 105 11 4
SM Katich b Vaas 82 110 7 0
BJ Hodge c Sangakkara b Fernando 2 5 0 0
DR Martyn not out 14 20 1 0
A Symonds c Jayawardene b Vaas 5 3 1 0
MJ Clarke not out 6 8 0 0
Extras (w 4, nb 5) 9
Total (4 wickets, 41 overs) 234


Gilchrist was man of the match.

Sri Lanka vs South Africa right now, for a place in the finals. Sri Lanka won the toss and opened with Atapattu and Jayasuria. Currently 29/0 after 4.2 overs, with Dale Steyn getting hammered at 10 per over after bowling a no-ball which went for four!

That no-ball from Steyn was very unlcuky not to get a run-out after some of the worst running you will ever see in your life. Prince had just not managed to get that out of his hands before he slid over the boundary after the stumps had been overthrown