Another post written when I was 14 :p
Before the beginning of this series, let me remind you, Australia were in a state of complete disarray as they were coming out of a disastrous Ashes campaign. England on the other hand, were in a moment of triumph after becoming the first English team after some 20-odd years to claim the Urn on Australian soil. But, the tables were turned in the ODI series. World Champions Australia trounced England by 6-1 in the series, ending their lean phase which existed for the past 5-6 months. They struck form at the right time.
ODDS BEFORE THE SERIES:
Although the English had just beaten Australia in the Ashes; Test Cricket is different from ODI cricket. Also, both teams had to miss out on some players due to injury before this series and in the game of Cricket, one can never predict anything. Keeping these points in mind, I could conclude that both teams stood equal chances. Even though the English do not have a very impressive ODI record, based on overall recent form, they had a slight upper hand.
AUSTRALIA:
The Aussies have come back to form at the right time, just before the World Cup. They have got the winning feel back and that acts as a confidence boost for them going into the World Cup. The very fact that the team has done well in the absence of key players is another morale boost for them, even though the conditions in Australia are different compared to those in the Sub-continent. This team has shown the spirit, and that is one of the key characteristics to have in different conditions. Another plus point would be the return of form of Vice Captain Michael Clarke - who had to captain a few games due to the absence of Ricky Ponting - as he is an important name in the Australian line-up and can be dangerous in Sub-continental conditions. The 82 which he struck at the Sydney Cricket Ground to help Australia chase that total of 300-plus set by England and a half-century in one of the games prior to that game at Sydney can tell us that Michael Clarke is back in business. The continuity of the blazing form of opener and all-rounder Shane Watson makes another plus point. The return of Brett Lee - who has a good knowledge of Sub-continental conditions - adds to the positivity. The only question mark that remains is the form and fitness of Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Nathan Hauritz. Adam Voges portrayed a good display of batsman ship in the final ODI which helped Australia rebuild their innings and that can have Voges coming in as a replacement during the World Cup in case of any injury. The Aussies have shown, by the intent and by the way they have played in this Commonwealth Bank ODI series, that they are more than ready to defend the World Cup.
ENGLAND:
However the performance of the English has been in this ODI series, I will not reject them as dark horses for the World Cup. They are a much improved team and in this series, they did not have the services of their premier spinner Graeme Swann due to injury who will be back in time for the World Cup. Also, the innings of Michael Yardy in the final ODI showed the fighting spirit of the English. Yardy was involved in the only two partnerships of substance in the English innings. When his partnership with Liam Plunkett ended, England required 80 to win and that partnership was a pretty good one. But, England had only 1 wicket left and at that stage, it was quite obvious that Australia was going to emerge victorious. If Plunkett had rotated the strike, had he existed a bit longer, anything could have happened, but Plunkett, after all is a tail-ender and having supported Yardy in that partnership being a tail-ender itself is a big thing. That is another sign of fight back. If only England had had wickets in hand in the final ODI, they could have won. There were a few fight backs in the previous games of this series by the English. This aspect - the fighting spirit - is also one of the reasons why they still can have a go at the World Cup. So, they have a few positives to take and it is better for them to concentrate on those and forget their ODI series upset Down Under. All in all, they had a decent tour of Australia. England's Australian Summer has the triumph of the Ashes in it which makes Australian Summer 2010-2011 memorable for them.
Before the beginning of this series, let me remind you, Australia were in a state of complete disarray as they were coming out of a disastrous Ashes campaign. England on the other hand, were in a moment of triumph after becoming the first English team after some 20-odd years to claim the Urn on Australian soil. But, the tables were turned in the ODI series. World Champions Australia trounced England by 6-1 in the series, ending their lean phase which existed for the past 5-6 months. They struck form at the right time.
ODDS BEFORE THE SERIES:
Although the English had just beaten Australia in the Ashes; Test Cricket is different from ODI cricket. Also, both teams had to miss out on some players due to injury before this series and in the game of Cricket, one can never predict anything. Keeping these points in mind, I could conclude that both teams stood equal chances. Even though the English do not have a very impressive ODI record, based on overall recent form, they had a slight upper hand.
AUSTRALIA:
The Aussies have come back to form at the right time, just before the World Cup. They have got the winning feel back and that acts as a confidence boost for them going into the World Cup. The very fact that the team has done well in the absence of key players is another morale boost for them, even though the conditions in Australia are different compared to those in the Sub-continent. This team has shown the spirit, and that is one of the key characteristics to have in different conditions. Another plus point would be the return of form of Vice Captain Michael Clarke - who had to captain a few games due to the absence of Ricky Ponting - as he is an important name in the Australian line-up and can be dangerous in Sub-continental conditions. The 82 which he struck at the Sydney Cricket Ground to help Australia chase that total of 300-plus set by England and a half-century in one of the games prior to that game at Sydney can tell us that Michael Clarke is back in business. The continuity of the blazing form of opener and all-rounder Shane Watson makes another plus point. The return of Brett Lee - who has a good knowledge of Sub-continental conditions - adds to the positivity. The only question mark that remains is the form and fitness of Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Nathan Hauritz. Adam Voges portrayed a good display of batsman ship in the final ODI which helped Australia rebuild their innings and that can have Voges coming in as a replacement during the World Cup in case of any injury. The Aussies have shown, by the intent and by the way they have played in this Commonwealth Bank ODI series, that they are more than ready to defend the World Cup.
ENGLAND:
However the performance of the English has been in this ODI series, I will not reject them as dark horses for the World Cup. They are a much improved team and in this series, they did not have the services of their premier spinner Graeme Swann due to injury who will be back in time for the World Cup. Also, the innings of Michael Yardy in the final ODI showed the fighting spirit of the English. Yardy was involved in the only two partnerships of substance in the English innings. When his partnership with Liam Plunkett ended, England required 80 to win and that partnership was a pretty good one. But, England had only 1 wicket left and at that stage, it was quite obvious that Australia was going to emerge victorious. If Plunkett had rotated the strike, had he existed a bit longer, anything could have happened, but Plunkett, after all is a tail-ender and having supported Yardy in that partnership being a tail-ender itself is a big thing. That is another sign of fight back. If only England had had wickets in hand in the final ODI, they could have won. There were a few fight backs in the previous games of this series by the English. This aspect - the fighting spirit - is also one of the reasons why they still can have a go at the World Cup. So, they have a few positives to take and it is better for them to concentrate on those and forget their ODI series upset Down Under. All in all, they had a decent tour of Australia. England's Australian Summer has the triumph of the Ashes in it which makes Australian Summer 2010-2011 memorable for them.
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