World's fastest pitch awaits Australia

[King]

Good choices :two_thumbs_up: No wonder India mentioned whatever Bhajji's hearing they were going ahead with the tour. I guess it's a win win. India anyways doesn't want to play Bhajji and even if he is found guilty there is nothing to lose.

[kumble_rocks]

Good Choices ! But I am worried at the prospect of out of form Dravid playing at No 3 . This guy will kill all momentum... I would bat him at No 6 after Ganguly.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[King]

its a bit more than that R ... matter of pride ' date=' justice and such ...[/quote'] Sure it would but BCCI wouldn't care. They got what they were after, the umpire shafted. As for Bhajji, I don't reckon the ban will stand considering the lack of witnesses to the alleged racist comment.

[Rajiv]

3rd TEST - India v.s Australia - Perth - *LATEST* - Viru replaces Yuvi Lets play some cricket Latest - Viru to replace Yuvraj

[Guest Hiten.]

Captains promise a memorable contest Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, has said his side haven't discussed the racism charge against Harbhajan Singh and hoped they could decide on a course of action over the next few weeks. Both he and Anil Kumble want the teams to renew their healthy rivalry in the third Test in Perth and promised fans a memorable contest. With India dropping their charge against Brad Hogg it had led to speculation over Australia softening their stance on Harbhajan but Ponting felt it was best to wait, now that the hearing date had been set for January 29 and 30. "The Hogg issue was withdrawn only last night," Ponting said at the WACA. "We have a pretty important Test match to play in a few hours time and that [Harbhajan issue] hasn't been spoken about at all in the group. My feeling is that the hearing wouldn't be until after the Adelaide game anyway, so there would probably be some time for the hierarchy to sit back and discuss anything that hasn't been [talked about] so far." Ponting reiterated that plenty of positives had come out of his interaction with Kumble on Monday evening. "It's good that Anil and I sat down like two grown men yesterday and had a good chat," he said. "I feel a lot happier after yesterday's meeting and I am sure Anil does the same. Both of us have been under a lot of pressure this week. "I can only go by the word of Anil who said there wasn't [any bad blood between the two teams] and I said the same thing. No doubt you will see this game played in terrific spirit, like the Melbourne Test and the majority of Sydney Test as well. We are happy to leave everything behind us and with India withdrawing their charge against Hogg last night, they have shown that they really want to move on with things as well." Kumble echoed Ponting's sentiments. "It's important that we ensure that people remember the cricket. That didn't happen unfortunately in Sydney. We've left that behind and it's time to move on." The only issue which Ponting didn't seem happy about was the catching agreement being scrapped at the meeting. However, he hoped that the close decisions would be made by the on-field umpires themselves, instead of referring to the third official. "It's been scrapped, as of yesterday," he said. "And that wasn't the way I wanted to play. But the feeling through the Indian team, and probably not just Anil's thoughts on it, was that they would like it to go back and be in the hands of the on-field umpires. "I've just had a chat with the umpires out on the ground now about the whole thing and they'll be endeavouring to make the call between themselves on the field rather than referring everything. That's the way it's going to be, I think, for the rest of the series." Kumble wasn't aware that a final decision had been taken but welcomed it all the same. "I had said earlier that the agreement will be reviewed. If the match referee has communicated it to Ricky, that's the way it is." Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is an assistant editor at Cricinfo © Cricinfo

[sandtest]

One question -- Who are the Umpires in this match?? Umpires normally play an improtant role in setting-up the game for Aussies......so let's first discuss how to tackle umpires before runing down Dravid and other players.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Captains promise a memorable contest However, he hoped that the close decisions would be made by the on-field umpires themselves, instead of referring to the third official. "It's been scrapped, as of yesterday," he said. "And that wasn't the way I wanted to play. "I've just had a chat with the umpires out on the ground now about the whole thing and they'll be endeavouring to make the call between themselves on the field rather than referring everything. That's the way it's going to be, I think, for the rest of the series."

I do not understand why Mr. ricky is still not in favor of referrin catches to the third umpire. wat is he tryin to achieve. Wastin 4-5 mins on a match turnin decision is better than sendin someone off by a wrn decision... can donny or aussiefan throw some lite on why pontin is not in favor of usin technoloy when the whole wrld is movin in tat direction. dnt temma bull **** like, trust the fielder etc.. we did that in the first two matches and we saw wat we got...

[Dinx - the Jinx]

One question -- Who are the Umpires in this match?? Umpires normally play an improtant role in setting-up the game for Aussies......so let's first discuss how to tackle umpires before runing down Dravid and other players.

Its billy bowden fron NZ and azad rauf from pak

[mhr123]

The best news is Viru replacing Yuvi and Hayden not playing .... India can't ask for more than this.

[beetle]

>>>"It's been scrapped, as of yesterday," he said. "And that wasn't the way I wanted to play. But the feeling through the Indian team, and probably not just Anil's thoughts on it, was that they would like it to go back and be in the hands of the on-field umpires. "I've just had a chat with the umpires out on the ground now about the whole thing and they'll be endeavouring to make the call between themselves on the field rather than referring everything. That's the way it's going to be, I think, for the rest of the series." The guy is so desperate .... Anyways if getting technology is reducing the role of the umpires then how are these silly school boyish pacts between captains not doing the same. Let the umpires and the 3rd umpires earn their living the honest way bunny....

[Gambit]

I'm hoping to see a really hissing spitting mamba of a bouncy pitch. It's been a while since we saw such a pitch in test cricket. The men will be separated from the boys. Seen too many 500+ totals of late. It's time the bowlers hit the helmets and made the batsmen duck and weave.

[SachDan]

@ gambit...if the curator is right..in all probability you will get the pitch you are hoping for. abt men and boys from each side... Men: Sachin,Dravid,Viru,Laxman,Ponting,Clarke,Gilchrist rest are all boys.

[Dooks]

>>>"It's been scrapped, as of yesterday," he said. "And that wasn't the way I wanted to play. But the feeling through the Indian team, and probably not just Anil's thoughts on it, was that they would like it to go back and be in the hands of the on-field umpires. "I've just had a chat with the umpires out on the ground now about the whole thing and they'll be endeavouring to make the call between themselves on the field rather than referring everything. That's the way it's going to be, I think, for the rest of the series." The guy is so desperate .... Anyways if getting technology is reducing the role of the umpires then how are these silly school boyish pacts between captains not doing the same. Let the umpires and the 3rd umpires earn their living the honest way bunny....

The guys is deperate because he wants to be the 4th umpire and now he won't be able to officiate as the 4th umpire.

[DesiChap]

Squaring series would be a big achievement - Javagal Srinath The way he plays the game is akin to the way he uses his words. In the recent Sydney saga, Anil’s softly worded line "Only one team played with the right spirit" had the highest impact. It has been a painful 10 days for the cricketing fraternity which had to go through testing times. Sadly, the fiasco is not over, yet. At least, the decks are cleared for the last two Test matches. Both the teams have lots to claim and salvage in the coming weeks. As for the Aussies, more than winning the series, it’s all about the way they conduct themselves while still maintaining their aggressive streak. For the tourists, who have a renewed backing from all quarters, have more to do and deliver than anything else. With too much of water having flown under the bridge, the rest of the series can only offer more exciting cricket than ever before. Although, Australia has two wins, India has more to gain than the home side. Expecting India to win the next two matches might be little too optimistic. Even drawing the next two Test matches would be seen as an achievement. Back to pure cricket, Anil would be pleased to see Virendra Sehwag among runs. With this hundred, Sehwag has certainly sealed his place as an opener at Perth. Sewag’s inclusion has also in a way saved Yuvraj’s position at number 7. It’s important that the team reposes enough confidence in Yuvraj and backs him to the hilt. For both Yuvraj and Dhoni this series has been an eye opener. Their range of strokes appears to be a boon in the shorter version of the game. But the same seems to be a bane in Test matches. There is no doubt that these two players will be the pillars of Indian cricket in time to come, but the transformation has to happen now. Dhoni’s role down the order would really make a huge difference to the side. Now, all this can happen if the opening pair does a decent job. Jaffer might have to warm the benches and it’s sad that the stylish Mumbaikar couldn’t adjust his technique on the hard and bouncy wickets. The same technique when applied on the Indian wickets fetches plenty of runs. Here again it’s the adaptability factor which differentiates the great and the good players. Perhaps, things would have been different if he had played couple of practice games. The current scenario demands players with proven capability. So a naturally aggressive Sewag will partner Rahul Dravid in all probability. Minus Zaheer Khan, the inexperienced fast bowling attack, mesmerized the host. But Perth will call for three fast bowlers and it will be foolhardy not to go with an extra fast bowler. Venkatesh Prasad has a big task on hand in tutoring the fast bowlers to quickly change the length. WACA offers more bounce than any other wicket in the world. Its imperative that the Indian bowlers are aware of the fact that the length has to be little closer to the batsmen. I sincerely hope that the length adjustment is made at the earliest before the Aussie batmen take any advantage of our bowlers. If Indians opt to go with five bowlers, I am afraid Yuvraj might have to join the reserves. No visiting team has a decent record at the WACA grounds. Even winning or losing the toss wouldn’t make a difference. It’s only good and resolute cricket which matters now. http://www.cricketnext.com/columns/javagalsrinath/284/28886/squaring-series-would-be-a-big-achievement.html

[guju24]

I can knock the Indians over: Tait thunders Licking his lip at the sight of the bouncy WACA track, express bowler Shaun Tait said he is not overawed by the famed Indian batting line-up and can "knock a few of them over" during the third Test starting in Perth on Wednesday. Tait had played against India during the visitors' last tour Down Under. Turning out for Australia A, he had picked the wicket of Virender Sehwag, who will feature in the third Test because of his good nick with the bat. "I played against India on their last tour here for Australia A at Hobart. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag all played in that game and I remember knocking over Sehwag I had him caught behind," Tait wrote in a web site. "These guys, along with Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, are some of the best batsmen in the world but I don't fear them. I would really fancy having a go at them in Perth and I don't see any reason why I couldn'tt knock a few of them over. Our bowlers have made pretty easy work of them so far but they are still quality players," he said. The bowler with a sling-shot action said he was itching to play against India, especially the fourth Test which would be played in his home ground at Adelaide. "I'm not short of reasons why I want to play. To be part of the team that goes for a world record 17th consecutive win in Test cricket is something to really get excited about and it would be something I would never forget. Even being twelfth man would be good, just to be part of the occasion. "But I really want to play, especially with the final Test being in Adelaide, my home city, so it would be nice to get the opportunity to impress in Perth," he said. Going through a good patch of his career in this season, Tait is bubbling with confidence. "It's been a good summer so far in terms of being part of the Australia squad but to be in the team for Perth against India as we go for the world record would be amazing. "My form and fitness has been good since November, when I took my career best of 7-29 against Queensland at the Gabba. That got the ball rolling, then I bowled well against the New Zealanders in the one-day series that we won and since then I have been hoping to get a Test," he said. TOI... abhi tait ko pata nahi hai ki multan ke sultan ka bat ghumna suru ho gaya to jitni deri se tait bolw kare ga use jyada deri se ball boundry ke pass jaye ga....:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Rajiv]

India vs Australia - Perth Test - Match thread Sorry, I mixed up everything instead if merging..combinb both together, cricketics if u wantr to start again, lemme know..

[coffee_rules]

>>>"It's been scrapped, as of yesterday," he said. "And that wasn't the way I wanted to play. But the feeling through the Indian team, and probably not just Anil's thoughts on it, was that they would like it to go back and be in the hands of the on-field umpires. "I've just had a chat with the umpires out on the ground now about the whole thing and they'll be endeavouring to make the call between themselves on the field rather than referring everything. That's the way it's going to be, I think, for the rest of the series." The guy is so desperate .... Anyways if getting technology is reducing the role of the umpires then how are these silly school boyish pacts between captains not doing the same. Let the umpires and the 3rd umpires earn their living the honest way bunny....

Australia have always worked on how best to influence the umpire is giving favorable decisions. Warne has already accepted that they worked on those issues. It's not always how to get the batsmen out, but how to get the umpire to get the batsmen out. How can ICC allow a captain to inflence how an umpire is to arrive at a decsion? If the 2 umpires cannot make the decision by themselves, the ICC rules say that they need to consult the third eye who has technological aids. No wonder Ponting fears technology, they cannot influence it.

[King Tendulkar]

Electric fast pitch. Pace and Bouce. Sachin and Dravid smoking it everywere. Ball is going even faster to boundary. So much for the aussie talk of indians not being able to handle it! This pitch will suiy our bowlers. Look out aussies! WORLDS FASTEST PITCH AWAITS AUSTRALIA

[Rajiv]

We have to wait for Indians to bowl here