First Australian story on ICC 2010!

[habib]

Australia looks in a very good shape for a series win. Strong and almost unbeatable in T20 and ODI but very poor when it comes to Test match cricket. Hope you will make them better in the comming Test series. All the best.

[CyberCricketer]

England Tour Australia 2010/11 - Fourth ODI

Each team made one change to their squads, which are listed below in batting order:

Australia: Phil Hughes, Tim Paine (wk), Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus (replacing Nathan Hauritz), Doug Bollinger

England: Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss (c), Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, James Taylor (replacing Ian Bell), Matt Prior (wk), Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Graham Onions, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson

Annoyingly, Australia were once again tasked with bowling first after losing the toss for the third game in a row. Sunny skies would be beating down on the pace-friendly pitch throughout the game, but there would be little help for spin, hence Hauritz's omission from the Australian XI.

English Innings
Cook and Strauss started strongly once again, adding 70 until Strauss fell to the introduction of White to the attack. Pietersen managed just 7, but that was followed by a 94-run stand for the third wicket between Cook and Morgan. Cook's dismissal (106 off as many balls) gave birth to yet another productive partnership: Morgan and Taylor. When Morgan was caught on 63, several wickets tumbled in quick succession, but Taylor and Broad got things back on track. After 50 overs, England had amassed 311-7, their second score of 300+ in the series. Taylor was unbeaten on 60.

Australian Innings
The early wickets of Paine for 1, followed by Ponting for 13, had Australia on the back foot from the start. This was followed by a 107-run partnership for the third wicket between Hughes and Clarke, and Australia was back on track at 142-3. An over later they were 142-5. And then 167-7. Watson and Johnson then added 35 for the eighth wicket, and even Hilfenhaus fought hard with 21 from 26 balls. But the required run rate was beyond their reach, and despite the lower-order resistance, Australia were all out for 232.



Another spectacular knock from Phil Hughes received little support in this game, as Australia's momentum was crushed. The batting collapse (from 142-3 to 167-7) is unacceptable at this level, and the bowling seems to be an issue as well.

With three games to go in the series, Australia need just one more victory to take the trophy, while England need to win all of them to upset the hosts.

[CyberCricketer]

England Tour Australia 2010/11 - Fifth ODI

Both teams named unchanged squads for the fifth ODI of the series, even though Australia's batting and bowling both looked fragile in the previous match.

The sun would dominate the sky once again, while the pitch would perhaps offer a little assistance to the bowlers.

Australia at last once the toss and took the initiative by batting first.

Australian Innings
Disaster struck in the first over: Phil Hughes, who's lowest score in the previous four ODIs had been 40, was caught lbw by James Anderson. But the departure of Australia's most in-form batsman only spurred on Paine and Ponting, who compiled a 96-run stand for the second wicket. Paine departed for 42, soon followed by Clarke for 6. Hussey added 23 with Ponting and then 100 with White, boosting Australia to 226 within the last few overs. Finch recorded a duck, then Watson and White batted out the overs to see Australia to 244-6, which was a sub-par score considering the conditions and Australia's recent bowling performances.

English Innings
An opening stand of 53 between Cook and Strauss would appear to set the chase up nicely, but out of nowhere, Johnson and White annihilated the English middle order, and they suddenly found themselves at 69-6, and facing a very demoralising defeat. However, this collapse was followed by partnerships of 29 and 46 as the tail wagged, highlighting the shortcomings of Australia's bowling attack once again. England were finally all out for 166, 78 runs short of victory. It was embarrassing for both teams that Number 9Graham Onions top-scored for England with 36 not out.



Good scores by Paine, Ponting, Hussey and White demonstrated what Australia can do without Hughes, and the devastating spells of Johnson (3-33) and White (3-68) shows that Australia's bowling attack is still dangerous.

Of course, Australia have now won the seven-match series with two games to go: can they finish it off in style with a 6-1 thrashing of England?

It also shouldn't be forgotten that the first match of the World Cup is between these two teams just days after the series ends, so good results in the final two games will be very important for keeping morale high.

[CyberCricketer]

England Tour Australia 2010/11 - Sixth ODI

Nathan Hauritz returns to th Australian side in place of Doug Bollinger for this game, and Ben Rohrer would make his debut, replacing the unimpressive Aaron Finch.

England made no changes to their XI.

Clouds were set to move in about halfway through the game but the pitch was mostly batsman-friendly. Curiously, England chose to bowl first after winning the toss.

Australian Innings
It seemed to be a good decision as neither Paine and Ponting reached 20, but those failures were followed by two large partnerships as Hughes (68), Clarke (88) and Hussey (32) but Australia on track for a competitive total. Though White was unable to reach double figures, Rohrer's debut yielded 24 runs, and a small cameo by Hauritz saw the hosts make 273-7.

English Innings
Hilfenhaus claimed Strauss relatively early, but Australia were made to work for further breakthroughs. Hauritz was economical but claimed no wickets as England steadily reeled in the target. Then, two quick wickets from Watson saw them 194-6. Nevertheless, they fought hard to the end, and were finally bowled out just 14 short of the Australian total.



Clarke finally made a quality contribution with the bat, and the bowling woes seem to be in check for now.

[CyberCricketer]

England Tour Australia 2010/11 - Seventh ODI

At long last the final match of the series has arrived, and England are facing a 6-1 defeat if Australia can win it.

Bollinger comes back in for Hauritz this game, while the England XI still remains unchanged despite successive defeats. Australia's sole change is due to the pace-friendly pitch, and slightly overcast conditions will be even more discouraging for batsmen.

England won the toss yet again and chose to bowl.

Australian Innings
Australia were in trouble at 45-3 as neither Hughes, Paine or Clarke managed to reach double figures. It was time for the middle order to step up, and they did just that. Ponting (51), Hussey (35), White (41) and Rohrer (50 - in just his second match) all made vital contributions, but the top order's failure meant that the total (223 all out) was still below par.

English Innings
Cook departed early for a duck, followed shortly by Pietersen for 4. Morgan showed firm resistance with 61, but Australia took advantage of the conditons to blow away his teammates, exposing England's long tail. In a flash, the tourists collapsed from 105-5 to 141 all out as Australia defended their small total with style. Each of Australia's five bowlers took two wickets.



It was a fitting way to end a series of Australian dominance, wrapping up their 6-1 thrashing of England with apparent ease. Their were some impressive individual performances, as well as excellent displays of teamwork, during the series, and Australia will hope to carry the momentum into the upcoming World Cup in the subcontinent.

These two teams will meet again in less than two weeks for the opening match of the 2011 World Cup, where Australia will be the clear favourites.

[gunot5827]

good luck for the world cup!!

[CyberCricketer]

ICC ODI World Cup 2011 squad:
Phil Hughes, Phil Jaques, Tim Paine, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Ben Rohrer, Brad Haddin, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, Clint McKay, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Beau Casson

A couple of new faces in this squad: Jaques, McKay and Bracken have been recalled after extended absences for their country, Smith got the nod ahead of the out-of-form White, and Casson has been drafted in to replace Hauritz as the primary spin option.

[CyberCricketer]

2011 ODI World Cup - Group Match - Australia vs England

The playing XIs of each team are listed below in batting order:

Australia: Phil Hughes, Tim Paine (wk), Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Ben Rohrer, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Clint McKay, Nathan Bracken

England: Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss (c), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Graham Onions, Ryan Sidebottom, James Amderson

Well, it's the eighth ODI against to be played against these two teams in recent times, except this one is at a neutral venue. Australia are massive favourites to win, but their bowling attack is quite different from the one which recently thrashed England.

The sun was shining and would be for the whole game, while the pitch also favoured batting. Unsurpirsingly, Ricky Ponting chose to bat after winning the toss.

Australian Innings
Both openers, as well as Clarke, fell relatively early, leaving Australia in trouble at 57-3. Ponting and Hussey dug in, getting more and more aggressive as they compiled a 112-run partnership for the fourth wicket. That pairing was broken by Swann, who snared Ponting for 80 (off just 66 balls). Hussey looked in superb touch as he and Watson kept piling on the hurt, notching the total up to 254 before the fifth wicket fell. It didn't stop there, however, as an explosive little cameo from Rohrer (18 off 10) saw Australia to 305-8 from their fifty overs.

English Innings
England's opening partnership - their only consistently good aspect in the previous series - came back to haunt Australia, adding 138 for no loss. Watson made the breakthrough, clean-bowling Cook for 61. The top order failed to capitalise on the excellent platform, as neither Pietersen, Bell or Morgan managed more than 30 runs. Prior attempted to hang around with 33, but got little support from the tail as England were bowled out 37 runs short of victory.



It was an excellent World Cup opener that exhibited excellent batting and some decent bowling, and further confirms Australia's current superiority to England in the ODI format.

Next up, Australia face Pakistan.

[CyberCricketer]

2011 ODI World Cup - Group Match - Australia vs Pakistan

At long last Australia line up against an opponent that isn't England. The two teams of listed in batting order below:

Australia: Phil Hughes, Phil Jaques, Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Bracken

Pakistan: Azeem Ghumman, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam (c), Zohaib Khan, Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shahid Afridi, Danish Kaneria, Najaf Shah (LMF), Mohammad Asif

Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat on a dodgy pitch under the blazing sun.

Pakistani Innings
Four successive partnerships - the lowest adding 27 runs and the biggest 43 - got Pakistan off to a steady start, but two quick wickets around the 30-over mark left them at 142-5. Taufeeq Umar came to the rescue, teaming up with Rizwan and Kaneria for partnerships of 44 and 51 respectively. Newcomer Najaf Shah recorded a golden duck before Pakistan batted out their overs, finishing on 242-9.

Australian Innings
Shah got his revenge early as Hughes went for 14. A mammoth partnership of 148 between Jaques and Ponting followed, and when the latter was dismissed, Australia were looking in command at 171-2. Then there was a dramatic collapse as Clarke (0), Hussey (2) and Watson (7) all failed to stick around with Jaques, leaving Australia at 197-5. Five more runs were added before Jaques, on 90, was caught lbw by Afridi. Pakistan were really pumped up now, and Smith couldn't handle the pressure, gone for a golden duck. So, with seven down and 41 still required for victory, Haddin and Johnson knew it was up to them. They delivered, and Australia scraped home with four deliveries to spare.



The batting collapse was a wake-up call for Australia, and can't happen again if they're going to stand a chance of reching the finals.

Pakistan can be congratulated on their effort after their dismal performance against Australia earlier in the year.

Australia are now preparing to take on the intimidating might of the Netherlands National Cricket Team

[Kevin Hedger]

A great story, I was thinking to start one with australia but you already have one. So keep it up

[CyberCricketer]

2011 ODI World Cup - Group Match - Australia vs Netherlands

The playing XIs for the two teams were as follows:

Australia: Phil Hughes, Phil Jaques, Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Steve Smith, Beau Casson, Nathan Bracken, Ben Hilfenhaus

Netherlands: Tom de Grooth, Bas Zuiderent, Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Peter Borren, Alexei Kervezee, Eric Szwarczynski, Daan van Bunge (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Edgar Schiferli, Pieteer Seelaar, Mohammad Kashif

The Dutch won the toss and opted to bat on a perfect batting track under sunny skies.

Dutch Innings
Zuiderent made a cautious start but it paid off as they compiled a magnificent 146-run partnership for the first wicket. De Grooth was the first to depart for 96 in the 35th over, at which point a score of about 250 seemed to be likely. Unfortunately for Australia, ten Doeschate had only just made it to the crease when he exploded (not literally ), flogging the ball to all corners of the ground. Australia had no answer to the onslaught as the conditions favoured batting completely. Kervezee joined Doeschate for a 50-run boundary-fest in the last few overs, and before Australia knew what hit them, the minnows had notched up 308-5 from their innings.

Australian Innings
With expressions of utter shock permanently etched onto the faces of the Australian bowlers, it was down to their batsmen to chase down the mammoth total. It was within their reach, considering the excellent batting conditions and the Dutch bowling attack. The openers began the chase with caution, but the Netherlands' most experienced bowler, Ryan ten Doeschate, cleaned up both of them within eight overs. Ponting dug in for a while, but two quick wickets left Australia at 114-5. Clarke and Haddin added 43 before the latter succumbed to the spin of Seelaar. Just when all appeared lost, however, Clarke got some excellent support from young Smith, with a 95-run stand for the 7th wicket. Australia were now back in the game at 252-7, but the tail end showed little fight as the was bowled out for 266 in the 46th over.

[CyberCricketer]

Australia are now preparing to take on the intimidating might of the Netherlands National Cricket Team

I wish I could say I wasn't being sarcastic, but I was, and it's very embarrassing...

[Chewie]

haha nice one

[Bounce]

Haha.
That's cool.

[halleluigah]

Ryan ten Doeschate have been a really good pace bowling all rounder in the game ICC2009. Haven't checked him in ICC2010