First Australian story on ICC 2010!

[cricfan1]

Australia Tour England 2010 - First ODI

This five-match ODI series would allow both teams to give their players some practice against the Old Enemy ahead of the Ashes (not to mention another seven ODIs) later in the year.

Australia made no changes to the squad which beat Middlesex, as the pitch was virtually identical, with cloud forecast throughout the day. Ricky Ponting was hoping to bat before the pitch cracked up, but he lost the toss again and Andrew Strauss annoyingly gave Australia fielding duty.

Strauss's decision seemed to be ludicrous in the first ten overs as McKay and Johnson allowed only 17 runs to be scored! Though Hauritz and White once again took wickets in the middle overs, they were milked for plenty of runs. A strong run rate later on couldn't make up for England's terribly slow start, and Brett Lee ensured they didn't pass 222 as he cleaned up the tail.

Australia's chase began with the loss of Shaun Marsh for a duck. Their prospects didn't improve when Ponting was clean bowled fir 1 in the second over. Clarke and Hughes knuckled down, just keeping up with the run rate before Hughes was back in the pavilion with just 22. White failed again, and just as the target was looking beyond Australia's reach, Clarke and Voges formed a productive partnership, with the former reaching his century. Though both of them were dismissed, Haddin and Hauritz had no problem achieving the total with two overs to spare.



Australia take a 1-0 lead with four games to go.

Interesting

[CyberCricketer]

Australia Tour England 2010 - Second ODI

In typical English style, cloud was set to once again cover the ground for the duration of the second ODI between Australia and the home nation. The pitch would offer something to both pace and spin bowlers, but batsmen would certainly have a chance too.

The only change to Australia's XI was the omission of Brett Lee, replaced by Doug Bollinger.

England won the toss and surprisingly put Australia into bat. Hughes and Marsh started cautiously, but Marsh had only just reached double figures when he edged to first slip. Hughes and Ponting made steady progress until the latter was out for 36. White was sent in ahead of Clarke to play some big shots, but his 42 came off 63 balls. Hughes was sublime, making no mistakes as he hit boundary after boundary. Clarke, not known for aggressive batting, punished the choice to send White in first buy scoring 42 not out off just 24 balls. Hughes amassed 129 not out as Australia finished on 264-3, which most considered to be an above-bar score.

McKay and Bollinger took the new ball, both of them taking a wicket in the first ten as England made 64. Hauritz was brought on to slow the run rate, which didn't work. Johnson was effective from the other end, and White demonstrated once again why there was no need for Steve Smith. McKay returned to the attack in the 31st over and immediately got a wicket, and more English players fell regularly as they got tantalisingly close to the target. Johnson finally clean-bowled Jimmy Anderson when England were just 15 runs shy of the total.



Three convincing victories on the trot for Australia as they go 2-0 up in the series. Australia will hope to win one of the next two games to avoid a fifth-match decider.

[CyberCricketer]

Australia Tour England 2010 - Third ODI

Yet another cloudy day was forecast as Australia arrived full of confidence at the prospect of taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. No changes were made to the winning squad, and the pitch looked to be good for batting.

England won the toss and chose to bat. McKay and Bollinger conceded 45 runs in the first ten overs, but they also took a wicket each. None of the England batsmen really got going except for Ian Bell, to ended not out on 89. Graeme Swann gave him some decent assistance late in the innings, but the partnership came too late to give England a par total. All five Australian bowlers were amongst the wickets as the home team was bowled out for 212.

Shaun Marsh's poor form continued as he was bowled for four. Hughes and Ponting compiled an enormous partnership of 166 for the second wicket before Ponting was walking back to the pavilion for 76. Hughes departed in the next over for 105 - his second century in two games - but the result was now beyond doubt. Clarke and White had no problem surpassing the total and winning the series for Australia.



With the exception of Shaun Marsh, the Australian squad departed the ground with grins on their faces...

[CyberCricketer]

Australia Tour England 2010 - Fourth ODI

With the series already won, Australia came into the fourth ODI looking to humiliate England even further. It also gave an opportunity for Tim Paine, Shane Watson and debutant John Hastings to show their stuff. The XI chosen was, in batting order:
1. Phil Hughes
2. Shane Watson
3. Ricky Ponting (c)
4. Michael Clarke
5. Cameron White
6. Adam Voges
7. Tim Paine (wk)
8. John Hastings
9. Mitchell Johnson (b2)
10. Nathan Hauritz
11. Clint McKay (b1)

Early cloud was set to clear about halfway through the match, so Andrew Strauss put Australia in to bat when he won the toss. Hughes and Watson started slowly, reaching 36 off the first ten overs, but Watson was bowled around his legs for 20 in the thirteenth. Ponting hung around for a while, but his wicket prompted a collapse. Even Phil Hughes, who was coming off two centuries in the previous two games, couldn't stem the flow of wickets, departing for 61. Tim Paine added some vital runs with the tail, scoring 36 not out. Australia could only manage 176-7 off their fifty overs.

It was game on when Johnson clean-bowled Alastair Cook in the fourth over, with England's score on 11. When they were 39-3 after ten overs, the betting tables began to even out. Kevin Pietersen was the nucleus around which England batted: he made a crucial 56 as three more wickets tumbled at the other end. Australia's bowlers were extremely economical, and it became a serious possibility that Australia could defend their 176 by forcing England to bat out the fifty overs. However, in the second-last over, Bopara scored 10 runs on two balls, and the game was England's.



It was a disappointing batting performance by Australia, especially considering Hughes made 61 of the 176 by himself. It's clear that in England conditions, Australia prefer to bowl first in ODIs.

[CyberCricketer]

Australia Tour England 2010 - Fifth ODI

In the fifth and final ODI of the series, England are looking to avoid further embarrassment against their opponents on home soil. Australia, meanwhile, are looking to press home the advantage, naming the following line-up, in batting order:
1. Phil Hughes
2. Tim Paine (wk)
3. Ricky Ponting (c)
4. Michael Clarke
5. Cameron White
6. Adam Voges
7. Shane Watson
8. John Hastings
9. Mitchell Johnson
10. Clint McKay (b1)
11. Doug Bollinger (b2)

The batting postions of Paine and Watson were swapped based on their scores in the previous match, while Bollinger replaces Hauritz on a pitch that looks to favour pace. Australia had forgotten what the Sun looked like as the prospect of another overcast match appeared likely.

Australia finally won the toss and they chose to bowl first. The decision seemed to be a good one as Bollinger claimed two wickets and McKay snared one in the first ten. Ian Bell continued his good form in the series, making vital runs for his team while Mitchell Johnson annihilated the other English middle-order-batsmen. White bowled suberbly, conceding a mere 18 runs off his ten overs, and Hastings demonstrated his talent once again with 2-31. England were bowled out for 195.

Hughes and Paine looked assured at the crease, making 79 for the first wicket before Paine was trapped lbw by Swann for 29. Ponting failed again, but Clarke and Hughes shared a 105-run partnership to put the result beyond doubt. Clarke was dismissed just shy of the target for 40 as Hughes scored the winning runs. With 118 not out, it was Hughes' third century in just five games.



The Barmy Army was silenced as Australia completed their dominant 4-1 series victory. There was no time to rest, however, with the first of two Twenty20s against Pakistan in just a matter of days.

[Rommers]

Great story so far and great results.

What are your tactics? Do you send one batsman out full agression and one building up? I havent been able to get a one day hundred yet on Normal Difficulty so interested in how you managed it.

And any advice for bowling? Do you set your own fields?

Thanks

[CyberCricketer]

Well you've probably noticed that three of the four hundreds were by Phil Hughes, who is by far the best player in the game. He is overpowered.

But I generally start my openers on 3 or 4 bars of aggression in ODI innings, so I always select openers who have Aggressive or Very Aggressive styles. It's also helpful to select ones with a preference to pace bowling, as the computer generally uses pace bowlers for the first ten overs or so.

It also depends on the weather, the pitch, my batsmen's skill and their form. But never start on any less than 3 bars unless you're chasing a small total, because otherwise you'll make a very slow start that you can't really recover from on Normal.

As for bowling, I only take the time to set my own fields when the opponent's are getting close to reaching my score and I'm trying to restrict them while taking wickets. In all other situations, bowling to the batsman's weakness on moderate aggression usually works fine. Use spinners in the middle overs, and don't be afraid to come around the wicket with pace bowlers to unsettle the batsmen.

Hope I helped and thanks for reading the story. The two T20s against Pakistan will be up in a few hours.

[cricfan1]

good commentary.............. really like reading....

[ab5ides1]

Yeah, the devs said they would tone Hughes down and, while I agree he is an awesome player, he is still too good in-game. I reccomend opening the tests with Watson. He is a GUN batsman in the game.

[CyberCricketer]

Cricket Australia have announced the 13-man squad for the two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan:



Australia Tour Pakistan 2010 - First T20I

A typical cloudless, airless and moistureless Pakistani day greeted the Australian squad as they stepped off the team bus outside the ground. Fortunately, there had so far been no terrorist threats made against the touring team and everyone had their fingers crossed for a bomb-free game of cricket. Australia had chosen the following XI, listed in batting order, for the match:
1. Phil Hughes
2. David Warner
3. Adam Voges
4. Michael Clarke (c)
5. Cameron White
6. David Hussey
7. Brad Haddin (wk)
8. John Hastings
9. Mitchell Johnson
10. Nathan Hauritz
11. Shaun Tait

Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat in conditions that gave the Australian bowlers little help. Tait and Johnson opened the bowling but were both smashed around with ease by Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed. Hastings came into the attack in the fifth over, picking up Jamshed for 23. But the breakthroughs were few and far between until late in the innings when a mini-collapse allowed Australia to restrict them to 152.

Australia's top four each departed for less than 20 runs, but White and Hussey compiled an excellent partnership that put Australia within sight of victory. The tail couldn't manage it, however, falling just five short of the target.



Australia Tour Pakistan - Second T20I

Australia made no changes to the team that had almost won. What they did manage to win was the toss, and they decided to bat in conditions similar to the first match.

The openers failed again, but Clarke and Hussey made 61 and 44 respectively to put a competitive total on the board: 158 to be precise.

Tait made up for his woeful bowling in the previous match by clean-bowling Salman Butt with the first delivery of the innings. Australia were bowling very well for a couple of overs, but the introduction of spin encouraged the Pakistanis, to the point where Clarke was wishing that he had a fourth paceman available. Hastings picked up three but was milked for forty runs off his four overs. Things were going right down to the wire, with five needed off the last over, Mohammed Aamer on strike and Kamran Akmal at the other end. White was trusted to restrict them to less than five runs. No runs were scored off the first three balls of the over, but on the fourth Aamer delicately nudged the ball to the leg side for a single. Akmal, well set on 33, came charging down the pitch on the second last delivery of the match and lofted it to the mid on boundary to win the game for Pakistan.



It was just revenge for Pakistan after their annihilation during the last Australian summer, but they would have to raise the bar a lot higher to challenge Australia in the two upcoming Test matches.

[Chewie]

An interesting batting lineup you have there

[CyberCricketer]

What's so interesting about it?

[Chewie]

Oh woops I was looking at the squad (And it's a 13 man squad not a 15 man one )

[CyberCricketer]

The 15-man squad for the two Test matches in Pakistan has been announced by Cricket Australia:



John Hastings has been a major success for Australia in the shorter formats, so he gets the honour of being included in the Test squad even though he probably won't get a baggy green this tour.

Australia Tour Pakistan 2010 - First Test match

This series was the last chance for Australia to fine-tune their Test line-up, so a regulation XI was selected for the first Test:
1. Phil Hughes
2. Simon Katich
3. Ricky Ponting (c)
4. Michael Hussey
5. Michael Clarke
6. Shane Watson
7. Brad Haddin (wk)
8. Mitchell Johnson
9. Nathan Hauritz
10. Peter Siddle (b1)
11. Doug Bollinger (b2)

The weather was forecast to be fine for the majority of the match, with light, patchy cloud every now and then. It was a good quality pitch, offering something to batsman and bowler.

Day One
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat.

Doug Bollinger made an early breakthrough when Pakistan were only on 20. He went on to pick up another several overs later. Nathan Hauritz was introduced late in the session and claimed the third wicket, leaving Pakistan on 95-3 at lunchtime. Hauritz made another breakthrough early into the middle session, and Johnson also contributed with a wicket of his own. Despite those successes, the middle session was dominated by Pakistan, with 130 runs scored. It was crucial for Australia to bowl well in the final session, but Fawad Alam had other ideas, bringing up his century on the cusp of the final hour. It was Bollinger and Hauritz who came to the rescue, taking a wicket apiece. Watson helped out late in the session to leave Pakistan on 333-8.

Day Two
The final two wickets fell within several overs, and with over half the first session remaining Australia's openers, Hughes and Katich, made their way out to begin chasing a challenging target.
They cautiously put on 49 for no loss by lunch, and looked to accelerate in the middle session. Hughes was dismissed for 45 so the run rate remained low. Australia went into the final session on 141-1, but soon lost Ponting for 28. Katich and Hussey had no problem negotiating the rest of the day's play, bringing up their respective century and half-century, with the total on 263.

Day Three
Hussey only added 13 to his overnight score, before he was walking back to the pavilion for 69. Clarke managed 20, but no-one who came after him could beat his score. Katich, meanwhile, went from strength to strength, amassing 228 not out before he ran out of partners. It was his highest Test score to date, and ensured Australia reached a total of 456, with a first-innings lead of more than 100.
The Pakistani openers managed to put on 76 before Bollinger once again took the first wicket. They took the lead with only one wicket down and lost only one more before the close of play.

Day Four
Pakistan batted most of the day, amassing 372. Bollinger starred again with 5-76, while Hauritz took his second three-for of the match. Australia were thus set 266 to win, with four and three quarter sessions to reach it.
They made a confident start before Katich was trapped lbw for 27. Hughes and Ponting saw out the day with the score on 65-1.

Day Five
The Hughes-Ponting partnership kept going strong on the final day, reaching 99 before Ponting was also out lbw on 50. Hughes put on 50 with Hussey, with Hughes clean-bowled on 88. Hussey also fell for 24, but Clarke and Watson shared a stand of 67 to see Australia home just after tea.



Katich was ceratinly deserving of his MotM award; without him Australia would most likely have fallen short of Pakistan in the first innings. Siddle, and to a certain extent Johnson, had a poor game and their places may be in jeopardy for the second and final Test.

[CyberCricketer]

Second Test won't be up for 24 hours or so...