This is at basseterre, St kitts, a new ground. It looks splendid.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/west...ge/284889.html

Squads

Australia (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Brad Hodge, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Shane Watson, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Nathan Bracken, 10 Glenn McGrath, 11 Shaun Tait.



Scotland (probable) 1 Fraser Watts, 2 Majid Haq, 3 Ryan Watson, 4 Gavin Hamilton, 5 Neil McCallum, 6 Dougie Brown, 7 Colin Smith (wk), 8 Craig Wright (capt), 9 John Blain, 10 Ross Lyons, 11 Paul Hoffmann.

Weather

http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/SCXX0001.html

Interestingly enough the ground has been designed to allow for the prevailing easterly winds to have a cooling effect.

I'm going to guess (from looking at the wickets and runs records) it will take spin and it will be a belter to bat on.

Match scheduled to begin at 09:30 local time (13:30 GMT)

Your comment ,corrections and analyses here please.
ps
Could someone else do the 3rd match please?(Canada V Kenya? Many thanks)

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After 8 overs Australia are 53 for 0

Scotland won the toss and elected to field.


In the other match, Canada are 32 for 0 after 9 overs V Kenya

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I have a dream.... (Martin Luther King)

Well, I guess this one was never expected to set the board alight, but for the record Australia made 334-6 in their fifty overs. In the other match, Canada were all out for 199.

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Kenya finding batting very easy the Canadian pace attack, last time I looked they 20 odd without loss.

Scotland with a solid start of 9-0 after 3 overs and Glenn McGrath not taking the new ball which is a little bit a of a surprise for me as I think Shaun Tait could be carted for a few against better opposition.

Scotland should be targetting 250 runs for some respectability.

Just a little update.

Scotland are doing rubbish now on 34-3 after Haq (who was looking very good) got himself out by taking on a ridiculous third run (!). It was completely unecessary and hopefully he will learn from it.

Kenya were going well the last time I looked, 51-1 after 12 overs.

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Watch this for a perfect about.
James May

Easy win for Australia in the end, 203 runs the margin of victory. Smith played well for a half-century, even if it was against the likes of part-time bowler Brad Hodge. None of Scotland's batsman supported him enough though, and more runs must be expected of the top order.

Tait was a tad expensive in comparision with the other bowlers... could Australia afford the luxury of playing him against the bigger guns, on today's performance (for what it's worth)?

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"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose."
- Ayrton Senna

It looks like my Scotland target of 250 was a little off.

Personally I think he'll pick up his wickets at about 40-a-piece against the good sides and go for >5.5 an over. I'd rather see McGrath take the new ball simply because I think he'll work well with Bracken to create a pressure cooker for the opposing batsmen in the first power play.

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Watch this for a perfect about.
James May

I suspect Clark will get a chance sooner or later and will nail the spot ahead of Tait. That wouldn't be like-for-like in that Tait has potential when bowling at the death whereas Clark would be best utilised by bowling him straight through with the new ball... but Bracken and McGrath can do the death stuff!

Sounds about right to me. McGrath ought to be taking the new ball with Bracken, and in key games maybe Tait might make way for someone like Clark, just to have 2 or 3 really economical bowlers who will make it really difficult for the batsmen.

__________________
"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose."
- Ayrton Senna