Skip to main content

Australia in for a 5-0 series victory

Pakistan has a big task ahead at it now has to play to its potentials to avoid the 5-0 whitewash, which is the second ever in their annals, to register their first victory in this grueling tour. The first of the whitewash had come under the reign of Imran’s captaincy, when the West Indies were the opponents in 1988.

Mohammad Yousuf and his men have tasted just the defeat since the test at Sydney. Though the Pakistan team was expected to bounce back in the ODIs, they haven’t done justice to the talent, despite shades of brilliant fight backs getting witnessed in all of the 4 ODIs, in which Australia has proved its dominance by trouncing the disparate Pakistan team. The batting has let the Pakistan team down, and the middle order hasn’t lived up to its expectations. The two ‘Y’s have just 145 runs scored between them which tells the story of Pakistan batting collapse in this series.

The bowling has hit a new low as the bowlers barring Mohammed Asif haven’t found their rhythm, and the final Pakistan overs were embarrassing moments for the Pakistani fans. The spinners, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi, have gone for five runs per over, and haven’t enjoyed spells that have caused a pall of gloom over the Australian batsmen. They have been completely neutralized by the Australian batsmen. It goes to prove the delusions with which Yousuf is living at present, as he had hinted about the team’s improved performance under his stewardship earlier.

Australia on the other hand has exhibited a sparkling performance, and has made use of three new opening-bowling pairs, as all of them have a good tally of wickets in their bag. The top six Australian batsmen have come up with commendable performances, except for Ricky Ponting who has found the going tough and has only 70 runs to his credit, and has looked out of sorts in all the ODIs.

Now will he lead his team to enable a whitewash or will the Pakistan team emerge from the death bed to rattle the Australians? The game is sure to unveil a tough contest as the two teams vie for a victory, though with reasons entirely different from one another.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ash, Batters Despised Your ‘Mate’ Call

Check, mate was a bugle call from that Grand Master. The batters turned pawns, and he the captor. My Tribe. And when someone from your tribe shatters the illusion of off-spinners being not intelligent and sharp, you owe him, or certainly I owe him an ode to an off-spinner, our tribe. My tribe has done the cricket world proud, time and again. Ash, Ash Wednesday, it was. Remarkably, a reflection perhaps of how off spinners have defied the notion of them being orchestrators of damp squibs. Or of repentance of my tribe as not to have set the score straight with their brains deceiving the brawn with flight. Your clarion call may have come out of the blue, denied you the solemn farewell, and may have invited thunderous denunciations. So, what? You will find succor to know that your tribe celebrates you – one of the hallowed sons of the tribe. Your display of cognitive superiority, mind-game thrillers, and the stamp of off-spinning authority on the field puts you there among the pantheons. Th...
3 comments
Read more

Playing a Straight Bat - Traditional Batting c Modern Batting b T-20 Live?

  There has always been a riveting talk of traditional batting being blighted by Modern batting. Some whisper the emphatic No, while many bellow the affirmative Yes, or perceptually, it could go the other way. The ongoing craftsmanship vs showmanship game seems to stutter into a draw. But that showmanship of T20 has ignited different avatars of modern batting. And there is also the obvious swap of modern batting for traditional batting in the longer formats of the game. As an anodyne, the mind connects Viv to T-20 cricket live. You can hold Viv Richards as the archetype of T-20 batting. But that’s the story of a craftsman come crowd-pleaser soaked in traditional batting delight. Viv Richards was ace high on traditional bating display. Talking of the infectious modern batting, the flip the script moment on the cricket field awaits. White flanneled colts on the cricket field are a pleasing sight. The roving eyes detect the Cardusian field setup - two slips, a gully, a point, a co...
1 comment
Read more

A Little Bird Told Me

The sound of clickety-clack in no way overpowered the urge to take a peep into the gorgeous M.A. Chidambaram stadium. As the train whistled past the stadium, the glimpse of the sanctum-sanctorum with the lush green outfield and the 22 yard strip was just the sight the tired eyes were yearning for. My spirits soared at the mere sight, but did not peak as it should have for the moment of truth was far away. The wait at the stadium for this moment of truth is a nerve-racking ordeal. Minutes, perhaps seconds, would mean a whole day at the stadium waiting for the action to begin. The excitement begins only when two men walk into the field, signaling the start of play. The limelight they hog, for minutes, virtually falls on the men in white as they make the entry. Their tribe counts more sticks thrown at them than the carrots that come as a pittance. Judgmental errors, lack of control, misuse of authority, intoned bias have been the curse for some men of this tribe who have paid a ...
2 comments
Read more