is this australia downfall began?

[koksmayu]

australia lose 3 consecutive games in a row, australia going down?

[Dirty_South]

Re: is this australia downfall began? no way..the'll be back with the BANG!!! :hic:

[Birbal2]

Re: is this australia downfall began? yeah it is just a BLIP... they are without Ponting, Gily, Lee, Symonds, etc... so it is understandable they will be a bit vulnerable... Also these matches are mostly PRACTICE matches...and the results count for very little....

[King Tendulkar]

Re: is this australia downfall began? Next generation are mediocre. This is the fall of a great umpire. They are a 2 man team. If ponting and hussy fail then they lose. Ageing stars with the new crop being no where near the standard of old. Haddin, Hodge, Watson, Clarke, Hogg, Bracken all average. Hayden, Mcgrath and gilly all to old. The aussies have comeback to the pack and long may it continue

[yoda]

Re: is this australia downfall began? yes, i think the fall has begun. but the question is are there other teams which are going to improve themselves to overcome the difference?

[King Tendulkar]

Re: is this australia downfall began? The aussie empire is crumbling as they lose again and drop to no 2 in the rankings :wtg: The same will happen in tests as they will come back to the pack

[Rajiv]

Re: is this australia downfall began? Not sure about the downfall but they are nowhere near the team they used to be They have lost that Saffie ODI series, Commonwealth and now v.s NZ Won the ICC Champs - mainly due to the hunger of gaining it, which is missing now

[King Tendulkar]

Re: is this australia downfall began? They will still be a very good team. Dont get me wrong. They will probably be the best team overall. However, they will not be the almost invincible force they have been for a decade or so. In fact they will at teams be very beatable. In odis we can already see their lesser powers. In tests they will never recover from loss of warne who won many a game for them. They have no replacement for him at all , which will reduce their powers in tests significantly.

[Predator_05]

Re: is this australia downfall began? Their bowling is TOOTHLESS without Brett Lee. McGrath and Bracken are good bowlers whose records are 2nd to none, but they are'nt the kind who can run through entire batting lineups - at best, they are capable of holding up one end and bowling a few tight overs. Even then, they would still be hit to pieces in the slog overs. Remember Moin Khan's assault on McGrath back in '99 ? Watson and Tait are rubbish, and Hogg is just another journeyman. Lee is the only destructive force they have, and he looks likely to miss the first round and super 8's due to injury. A good Australian bowling attack woud be Bracken and Lee opening, McGrath as first change with Stuart Clark as the 4th bowler and Hogg as the lone spinner...as things stand right now, their preference for all-rounders will cost them dearly.

[King]

Re: is this australia downfall began? I don't reckon they are finished as yet. Even in 2001 when NZ and SA kept Australia out of VB series by beating the Aussies consistently they came back that much stronger. After that series I remember both Mark Waugh and Steve Waugh were casualties. They still ended up putting together a fantastic team for the world cup though. This time around they have less time to do so and I believe a bowling line up of Lee, McGrath and Bracken is not bad at all. Just one of those momentary glitches I suppose, they will come stronger surely IMO.

[Holysmoke]

Re: is this australia downfall began?

Next generation are mediocre. This is the fall of a great umpire. They are a 2 man team. If ponting and hussy fail then they lose. Ageing stars with the new crop being no where near the standard of old. Haddin, Hodge, Watson, Clarke, Hogg, Bracken all average. Hayden, Mcgrath and gilly all to old. The aussies have comeback to the pack and long may it continue

Umpire nahin, Empire u got me thinking about SimonTaufel

[Holysmoke]

Re: is this australia downfall began?

Next generation are mediocre. This is the fall of a great umpire. They are a 2 man team. If ponting and hussy fail then they lose. Ageing stars with the new crop being no where near the standard of old. Haddin, Hodge, Watson, Clarke, Hogg, Bracken all average. Hayden, Mcgrath and gilly all to old. The aussies have comeback to the pack and long may it continue

Umpire nahin, Empire u got me thinking about SimonTaufel

[King Tendulkar]

Re: is this australia downfall began? good to see people are reading my posts and spotting my deliberate errors to check if people are paying attention.

[Guest BossBhai]

Re: is this australia downfall began? -- Removed on request of the user --

[King Tendulkar]

Re: is this australia downfall began? Aussies get whitwashed and lose again. The aussie downfall continues. The next 3 to 4 years are going to be fun in World cricket with no super power dominating every thing. Can India even grab the no 1 tag in due course?

[dhruvdeepak]

Re: is this australia downfall began? for those claiming Aussies will come back strong in the WC - i have the following comments to make on their missing players who you think will miraculously appear. Andrew Symonds - serious injury that required surgery. he is expected to jump back into the tense super 8s and throw, bowl, bat as usual, one month after surgery? Brett Lee - overworked this summer and went down in a bad way. another tendon/ligament tear. these injuries require gradual buildup, working out and strengthening before one can play - especially with the type of cricketer lee is - a fast bowler. again, expected to jump into the pajamas and all will be well. Michael Clarke - hip injury. he is young and this doesnt seem serious. he will be important and will have to do the job well. Gilchrist - should come back at some point. early/late based on when his wife pops out the little feller. it is clear where his priorities lie. Brad Haddin a replacement - we'll see soon enough. the wheat will be separated from the chaff IMO. Hayden - broken toe. again, 2-3 weeks on crutches is not ideal preparation for a world cup. but i think he will come back in time for the key super8 games. the aussie bowling lineup looks poor. one injury and this team will struggle to field a playign XI! the field has been evened out with all these events, and in my opinion Aus are not favorites anymore. their success depends largely on Ponting, Clarke, Hussey and McGrath. Watson is uninspiring as an opener, and they hv one spinner in the whole squad. problems aplenty, but they are the toughest bunch of guys you will find. so i expect them to go down fighting.

[Chandan]

Re: is this australia downfall began?

Can India even grab the no 1 tag in due course?

No. Because the 3 mainstays of India are too old and will need to be replaced sooner than later. and in near future I can't see if those massive gaps can be covered quickly.

[CC1981]

Re: is this australia downfall began? Actually i am worried. Not a good time for Australia to lose five straight. Love them or hate them, one thing's clear : They are the grittiest team on the planet and they've got the 'never-say-die' attitude down pat. This is not the time ( just on the eve of the World Cup) where i want the famous Aussie battle spirit to be reawakened. Gilly will be back when it matters (ie, super-8s and onwards), Symonds is possible too and essentially the Aussies will be one man short or so. Thats not bad and the Aussies can still win this world cup. Don't take them lightly.

[King Tendulkar]

Re: is this australia downfall began? No one is saying that they cant win it. They are still strong and maybe still the best. However, they are not awesome now. They are not invicible. This wc is wide open and IMO India are favs :wtg: In tests as well they have/will come back to the pack. No McWarne will make them very beatable now :wtg: They are also very over reliant on Hussey and Ponting now.

[CC1981]

Re: is this australia downfall began? India ? Favourites ? I don't think so. We've flopped on foreign soil major for the last year or so in ODIs. I'd say South Africa is the favourite. They've got the best bowling attack now and they as usual, bat very deep into the order. Kallis is just a tad slower than Dravid these days and his bowling will be handy in the windies, Smith is a very good ODI bat, same for Dippennaar, Pollock is the best damn ODI bowler these days, Ntini close second, Nel and Steyn very good on wickets that's got something for the bowlers and Paul Harris has been very impressive when i last saw him vs India. Kemp is what Afridi with brains would be, Boucher is usually very solid and Gibbs is very dangerous in ODIs. Overall, i'd put my money on South Africa. India can do it on paper but i don't think they will in reality. We'r just a tad bit too brittle for my liking and i'll never rate India as a serious contender for world cup until we get a bona fide ODI allrounder or two and improve our fielding to be one of the best.