B-G Trophy 2008 : Build-up

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B-G Trophy : India and Australia have much to contemplate More... India and Australia have much to contemplate -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At present the Indian Test team offers a thousand memories and a limited outlook, writes Peter Roebuck -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- India and Australia are supposed to be formidable forces preparing to renew a fierce struggle for supremacy. Instead both sides have much on their minds. More than usual the outcome of the coming series will depend on decisions taken beforehand. It’s not going to be easy for either side to determine its course. Part of sport’s challenge is that the path forward is always unmarked. As far as the Australians are concerned, the results remain imposing. The West Indies and Bangladesh did not trouble them. Australia remains unyielding and professional. Yet the Sydney Test took a toll. Even now it is hard to understand how an experienced team allowed its mood to darken so suddenly. Perhaps it was the scream of a side desperate to prove itself. It was, and remains, madness. Consequences And the consequences were far reaching. Not long afterwards Brad Hogg had retired from Test cricket. Everyone assumed that he had been offered a deal but it was not so. He’d had enough. It’s been a long time since an accredited Australian cricketer walked so blithely away. Shaun Tait also stepped aside, temporarily in his case. Wounded by exposure and expectation, he lost confidence and yearned for the shadows. Cricket can be a humiliating game. His withdrawal reinforced the impression of unease in antipodean ranks. Evidently the Australians had shed an old skin and had not yet grown another one. Symonds issue Now Andrew Symonds has been dispatched. Symonds is a funny, private, insecure, stubborn and sensitive man with powerful emotions and growing influence. When he is angry he expresses himself in furious actions, blasting hundreds or protesting pointedly. He hated all the palaver around the SCG Test and does not think Bangladesh belong in top class cricket. Its not that he’s wrong, just that frustration makes him self-destructive. He is a senior player and ought to act accordingly. Brett Lee’s personal problems and Ricky Ponting’s injury add to the impression that the Australians are vulnerable. Certainly it seems that the coach and captain have lost their grip. But India is also on shaky ground. Already the limited-over side has shrugged off the past and sought vigour and vitality. Meanwhile the Test team remains unchanged. Everyone recognises that the great men are growing old together. Opinions vary about the required response. It’s not that any of them are suddenly incapable of taking wicket or scoring runs. All of them, the four middle order batsmen and their combative captain, have the glint of battle in their eyes. Meanwhile younger contenders promise more then they deliver. But youth is never any use till given its head. Slide is underway Yet the slow slide is underway. Eventually the mind loses its edge and the ball loses its sting. Fielding and running between wickets become a chore, and concentration lapses more often than previously. As a rule batsmen are at their peak between 28 and 34. Bowlers lose their zip in their early thirties. Ageing cricketers are forced to live on their considerable wits. Dare India send all five of its elders into battle against the Australians? At present the Test team offers a thousand memories and a limited outlook. But the Australians are coming next month not next year. And, despite everything, the Indians only lost narrowly last time around. Both camps have much to contemplate. It’s tempting to attach labels, Australia the ruthless, India the sentimental. But these are diversions. The important thing is to be right. Victory will go to the side that starts the series with a spring in its step. Perish the thought, but England seems to be the most settled team right now.

[Dravid]

david is not a test player anyways... no brainer..

[Dark Warrior]

:bhangra:

[Laaloo]

It irritates me that the CA look after their team by flying them in early' date=' giving them 2 practice games and time to prepare for the test series in India, whereas our board flies India into Australia 1 week before the first test (straight after a test and ODI series against Pakistan) and gives them 1 practice game. It happens in so many tours. If you look at away test series' for India (where there hasnt been an ODI series before) very often India either perform badly in a draw or lose the first test and then play better cricket as the series goes on. It just takes them a while to adjust to the conditions. How can our board not see this? Look at the Sri Lanka series (1st test lost), the Australia series (1st test lost, 2nd test ... played better but lost), the England series (played badly in a draw ... a lucky draw),

didnt we play this practice game after the sydney game(2nd test)?

[Sachinism]

we had one practice match before the 1st test and 1 practice game after the 2nd test

[bharat297]

whats the point of a practice game after the first 2 tests ... what? after australia have already wrapped up the series.

[Desi Cartman]

CA offered India 2 practice games but BCCI wanted only 1.

[bharat297]

Yea thats my point... BCCI thought if they had 2 practice games, theyd have to cancel the ODI series against Pakistan ... which would mean less money for them.

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Australia ready for life after Roy ANDREW Symonds may not play for Australia again, but players such as Shane Watson will easily fill the void, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland says. More... Symonds ... sent home from Darwin in disgrace. Chloe Erlich Australia ready for life after Roy By Malcolm Conn September 09, 2008 CRICKET Australia chief executive James Sutherland has conceded that Andrew Symonds may never play for Australia again. But Sutherland claims there are talented players such as fellow all-rounder Shane Watson to replace Symonds if he does not continue his international career. "It would be a great loss but, at the same time, one of the great things Australian cricket is lucky to have is exciting young talent that is knocking on the door, waiting on the fringes," Sutherland said on ABC Radio. "People like Shane Watson may well get the opportunity they've yearned for for so long in his absence." Watson could get that chance as soon as October, with Symonds not expected to tour India for the four-Test series. Watson, despite his battle with injuries, is likely to be named in the Test squad when the selectors hook up this week. Symonds, 33, was sent home from last week's one-day series against Bangladesh in Darwin after going fishing instead of attending a compulsory team meeting. It was the latest in a string of incidents which led the team's leadership group and management to question whether Symonds had the commitment to play for Australia. He is being treated as an injured player and is expected to begin counselling in the next week or so. Asked if Symonds may never play for Australia again, Sutherland replied: "I don't think that's impossible. "I think the message the Australian players have sent is that we want Andrew Symonds in our team, but we want Andrew Symonds absolutely committed and wanting to be there. They're really asking him that question. "If he can't answer that question, it may well be that he's lost to the team." Sutherland doubted the huge money and exposure of the Indian Premier League, when Symonds became the highest overseas paid player at $1.5 million, was the sole reason for the Queenslander's change of attitude. "It's hard to say. He only played in the IPL for two weeks," Sutherland said. "Really I think there are a whole lot of factors and without Andrew sitting down and talking through some of his issues I don't think anyone really knows the answer to how he's been affected." Sutherland has yet to speak to Symonds following his embarrassing exit from Darwin. "As I understand it he's just taking a bit of time out and hopefully in the next week or so he'll get himself sorted and work out exactly how he wants to approach it," Sutherland said. "He's obviously got all of our support and the resources we have at our end to help him." He praised the firm stand of the leadership group, particularly stand-in captain Michael Clarke. Injured captain Ricky Ponting was also consulted along with coach Tim Nielsen and manager Steve Bernard. "I was really proud of them the way they did it. They could have taken a short-term view of it," Sutherland said. "There were obviously things going on within the team and they're very conscious of the huge program they've got coming up with a very important series against India, a big summer against South Africa and an Ashes series next year. "They see that the opportunity for him to rehabilitate himself and get himself right is probably only here and now because once they get on the road, it's going to be really hard for them."

[Kohum]

ANDREW Symonds may not play for Australia again, but players such as Shane Watson will easily fill the void, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland says. "Really I think there are a whole lot of factors and without Andrew sitting down and talking through some of his issues I don't think anyone really knows the answer to how he's been affected." Sutherland has yet to speak to Symonds following his embarrassing exit from Darwin. "As I understand it he's just taking a bit of time out and hopefully in the next week or so he'll get himself sorted and work out exactly how he wants to approach it," Sutherland said. "He's obviously got all of our support and the resources we have at our end to help him." He praised the firm stand of the leadership group, particularly stand-in captain Michael Clarke. Injured captain Ricky Ponting was also consulted along with coach Tim Nielsen and manager Steve Bernard. "I was really proud of them the way they did it. They could have taken a short-term view of it," Sutherland said. "There were obviously things going on within the team and they're very conscious of the huge program they've got coming up with a very important series against India, a big summer against South Africa and an Ashes series next year. "They see that the opportunity for him to rehabilitate himself and get himself right is probably only here and now because once they get on the road, it's going to be really hard for them."

Interesting to see the James S. hasn't even spoken to maakii about this, but is ready to praise the leadership group and indicate that there are others waiting to take his place. Looks like maakii has some serious issues to tackle with himself. May be he can use a fishing rod for that :haha:

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Ponting, Hayden recovering fast for India tour AUSTRALIA'S battle plans to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India next month have been buoyed by positive injury reports on skipper Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden. More... Ponting, Hayden on the mend By John Pierik September 10, 2008 AUSTRALIA'S battle plans to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India next month have been buoyed by positive injury reports on skipper Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden. Ponting had his surgically-repaired wrist inspected by team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris in Sydney, while Hayden continues to make good progress from an achilles tendon problem. Both men missed Australia's 3-0 mauling of Bangladesh in Darwin but will be India-bound when the squad leaves on September 21. Australian coach Tim Nielsen was delighted with the progress his two key batsmen have made. "Everything has been progressing exactly as we liked with Haydos," Nielsen said. Nielsen said the focus had been on getting Hayden fully fit before having him work on his touch in the nets. The veteran opener has not played a Test or one-day international since last summer because of injury. Ponting has begun to again hit balls but has admitted he needs to step up his training regime ahead of the four-Test series, beginning in Bangalore on October 9.

[coffee_rules]

Does anybody care about these senior citizens? Don't post fake news as genuine, please. I wasted 0.12 secs of my life reading this useless news

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Ponting has begun to again hit balls

whose balls??? :hysterical:

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India surpasses Ashes Australia batsman Simon Katich believes the Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia has grown to be bigger than the Ashes. More... Katich: India bigger than Ashes 12/09/2008 7:33 AM PA Sport Australia batsman Simon Katich believes the Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia has grown to be bigger than the Ashes. Australia is currently gearing up to tour India in a four-Test series, which will start in Bangalore on October 9. And Katich, who is in India hoping to impress the selectors while he leads an Australia A team, believes the Australian players now put a greater emphasis on their contests with India than matches against their oldest rivals England. "India-Australia is definitely bigger than the Ashes," Katich said. "I think it was the Kolkata Test in 2001 which India won after being down in the dumps which triggered this rivalry." The 2001 series is regarded as one of the most memorable in Test cricket. India lost the first Test in Mumbai within three days and slumped further when it was forced to follow on in the second Test in Kolkata. But VVS Laxman hit a magnificent 281 in the second innings as India came back to win the Test, before claiming the series 2-1. Since then the rivalry between the two nations has intensified with Australia breaking its 34-year drought in India with a series win in 2004, before it narrowly edged an entertaining - and controversial - series Down Under earlier this year 2-1. By comparison the Australians have won nine of the previous 10 Ashes series dating back to 1989, the last of which ended in a 5-0 series whitewash. And, after being a part of the Australian team that ended the sub-continental hoodoo four years ago, Katich is hoping to again be part of the team for the upcoming series. "We got that much-desired revenge in the 2004 series by beating India in their own backyard after 35-odd years," said Katich. "It was one of the greatest victories for us. India's tour of Australia was again a fantastic series." "This year in October once again it's going to be a toughie for us. I can't wait for it."

[DomainK]

And from an Indian point of view, its gotten better than India-Pakistan rivalry. The quality of cricket played between India and Australia is simply superb.

[flamy]

The only Test cricket worth watching for me.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

its truly the show piece event in world cricket... i just cant wait to get my hands on the tickets to the first test at bangalore

[putrevus]

how can this be show piece event in world cricket when our so called fab four laid an egg against Srilanka and were just awful, this indian team is so over hyped have always laid an egg when it comes to show heart and fight.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

oh come on man... tat was against sri lanka.. but this is different... we laid eggs in newzealand just before the 03 wc. but dint we hve a great run in the wc? its probably a strategy by india to make the aussies think that we are weak... :) for us australia series is more important than a silly series in lanka.. who cares?

[Ram]

Amongst all test series in world cricket right now, the BG trophy has been the most competitive, well-fought one, producing high quality cricket and high-voltage drama, both at the same time. Rarely do we get such an amalgam. Since 2001, Apart from the Ashes 2005, I cant recollect any other test series that has created higher quality cricket than the BG trophy. Kolkata 2001,Chennai 2001, Adelaide 2004, Sydney 2007/08, Perth 2007/08 are a few test matches that will remain in the memory of every India-Aus cricket fan, just for the sheer quality of their matches. If top-class cricket isnt enough, the kind of drama we've had in these series' has been unparalled, before and since. Our comeback victory in 2001, after following on, the final day finish in Chennai and of course, the Bucknor test in Sydney, allegations of racial villification, a team threatening to pull out of a tour mid-way, a looming diplomatic crisis... You name it, we've had it all in Ind-Aus test cricket since the turn of this century. So yes, in terms of producing consistent quality and giving lots of talking points off the field, Ind-Aus >>> Ashes. But, the British press being... well... the British press, you can bet on them to hype up the next Ashes as always, like its the single biggest sporting event in the calendar. And with KP getting a 'dream-start', all the hype and hoopla will only be more extravagent this time.