CB BI BELLERIVE

As Pat said: Warner flopped again. Beaten by Clubber Steyn. Straya currently 5/215. Slow pitch. SA to win easily.

6/218.

Bill Lawry: "Come on, Stwaya, get stuck in!"

50 Overs: 9/249.

Is it possible that Healy, Lawry and Brayshaw have no idea whatsoever about variety? About changed lines, angles, lengths and pace? Have they, as capable cricketers, forgotten how hard it used to be to get into rhythm against bowling that wasn't always landing in the same spot, at the same pace like it has against many of Straya's unimaginative, one-dimensional opponents over recent years? Have they forgotten last summer? (Like I had forgotten Bellerive doesn't have day-night matches.) India used excellent variety to win the Last Tri Series finals.

Simply put: they have forgotten cricket is a game of two sides. The caper is not just a bloke with a rocket-fueled bat tonking pies straight out of a bowling machine. If the bowling side tries something different (line, length, angle, pace, dedicated fields), the batsmen are not able to swing through the line at will, scoring at liesure. Have they ever heard the phrase "play each ball on its merits"? They need look no further than Dave Warner, the Matraville Mauler. SA were not about to allow the soon-to-be rechristened Hillsdale Hack to swing from the hip.

More power to the bowlers.

Comments

[RT]

!. Steyn is a great fast bowler. In the test series, given the lack of spin firepower of both sides, it really came down to who would was more damaging in the matchup of key fast bowlers - Steyn or Lee. Little point elaborating from there.

2. The OD series is much better without this tri-series crap. Although Tony, I know how much you used to look forward to Zimbabwe v West Indies.

3. Why oh why did SA save their ordinary fielding until the ODIs? Cunts.

4. Vics won't make the 20/20 final. Dickheads.

[pat]

The Terror article neglects to add to that $50K another $180K courtesy of the IPL, but that would not make the story sound so good I s'pose (good luck and all power to him of course).

Certainly is a long way from T20 to Test cricket that's for sure, though if I was Apollo I'd be sticking to T20 - far more lucrative and a hell of a lot easier.

[RT]

Led Zeppelin's first ST album cost £1,750 (including artwork) by 1975 it had grossed $7,000,000. Is this an allegory for Dave Warner?

No.

[nick]

Johnson took a while to come good, Marsh is coming good now, as is Haddin. I'm quite happy to take some short term pain as long as there is some gain at the end of it. If we stay competitive in the Tests, retain the Ashes, win more than we lose home and away, and get to the final stages of the WC in 2011 - I'm happy. There is more potential in Warner, White, Hilf et al than McDonald, Hayden, Lee, Symonds, and...perhaps, even HusseyM and Punter. Russ's excellent post had the writing on the wall for Hayden - and perhaps we'll be looking at it again next year for Ponting and Hussey.

ps : Kallis unbeaten hundred, Gibbs to paint Hobart red

[The Don has risen]

Warner is dazed and confused!!!