Talking Footy

My team for this match:

Hayden
Gilchrist
Ponting
Martyn/Katich
Lehmann
Clarke
Symonds/Watson
Hogg
Lee
Gillespie
McGrath


Slow bowling will again be the feature of this match IMHO. It's important that the team is better balanced this time around, yet also allowing for the traditional slowness and turn in the Sydney pitch.

The New Zealanders have Vettori in their attack, and with back up from Styris and possibly Harris, they have reasonable options for slow bowling.

On Sunday, we had no answer to that attack, with 3 quicks and 1 spinner in the list of genuine bowlers. The major difference being we had no real experience in our attack.

The team i've listed above, I believe, gives the right balance. It's unusual to have 3 genuine fast bowlers (not all-rounders) for a Sydney ODI, however given their excellence in what they do(McGrath, Gillespie, Lee), they shouldn't be affected by the pitch all that much and should still pose problems for the Kiwi batsmen.

There will only be a maximum of 30 between the 3 of them though, so the other 120 balls of the innings is crucial. Hogg is the only real choice for a front line spinner, and for that reason alone I feel he should be included. Lehmann bowled well the other night taking a couple of wickets, and along with Hogg he is good at getting through overs quickly.

I am undecided between Symonds and Watson. Watson bowled very well the other night, but Symonds offers both a medium pace option as well of off-spin. Both are good with the bat, so its hard to split them. In any case, Watson must be looked after and given plently of game time this season, mainly because Ian Harvey looks to be out of contention these days and also because we need to blood to some more youngsters in the squad for the future.

I'm sure Martyn will get the nod for tomorrows match, but I threw in Katich as an option purely for rotational purposes. Also because Katich plays slower bowling well and is used to the Sydney pitch.

My prediction:

If Australia bat first - WIN by plenty.

If Australia bat second - WIN in a very close, tense contest. Possibly with only a few balls to spare.

Firstly, Dizzi, the bookies agree with your assessment as Australia are raging $1.28 favourites. Tomorrow, though, I'm going to treat myself and have a few "exotic" bets. I'll update you on that before the game tomorrow, but it usually involves batsmen or bowlers from either team on a head to head basis (e.g who will score more runs - Ponting or Fleming).

Second, I believe Symonds will play in leiu of Watson because he has the slow bowling option you mention but also because Ponting rates Symonds very highly.

Finally, I feel as though Australia, should bowl first tomorrow. I know chasing runs is more difficult, but I believe we need to attack them early with the ball and build up on Lee's momentum he generated the other day.

crocodileman wrote:

Firstly, Dizzi, the bookies agree with your assessment as Australia are raging $1.28 favourites. Tomorrow, though, I'm going to treat myself and have a few "exotic" bets. I'll update you on that before the game tomorrow, but it usually involves batsmen or bowlers from either team on a head to head basis (e.g who will score more runs - Ponting or Fleming).

Second, I believe Symonds will play in leiu of Watson because he has the slow bowling option you mention but also because Ponting rates Symonds very highly.

Finally, I feel as though Australia, should bowl first tomorrow. I know chasing runs is more difficult, but I believe we need to attack them early with the ball and build up on Lee's momentum he generated the other day.

I haven't had a chance to check out the odds, but I want to bet if New Zealand bat first, they will score between 160 - 180 runs.

I also tip 1 bowler from Australia (Gillespie) to take 4 or more wickets.

I also tip Ponting and Hayden to both score 60+ runs.

There are some of my tips!

crocodileman wrote:

crocodileman wrote:

Firstly, Dizzi, the bookies agree with your assessment as Australia are raging $1.28 favourites. Tomorrow, though, I'm going to treat myself and have a few "exotic" bets. I'll update you on that before the game tomorrow, but it usually involves batsmen or bowlers from either team on a head to head basis (e.g who will score more runs - Ponting or Fleming).

Second, I believe Symonds will play in leiu of Watson because he has the slow bowling option you mention but also because Ponting rates Symonds very highly.

Finally, I feel as though Australia, should bowl first tomorrow. I know chasing runs is more difficult, but I believe we need to attack them early with the ball and build up on Lee's momentum he generated the other day.

I haven't had a chance to check out the odds, but I want to bet if New Zealand bat first, they will score between 160 - 180 runs.

I also tip 1 bowler from Australia (Gillespie) to take 4 or more wickets.

I also tip Ponting and Hayden to both score 60+ runs.

There are some of my tips!

For me...

* If NZ bat first they will score around 210ish. If Aust bats first they will score 280ish.

* Either Lee and Gillespie will take 3+ wickets, McGrath will take 1 (but very economical).

* Either Lehmann or Martyn will top score for Australia

* If Aust bat first, Vettori wont be all that effective, compared to the Melbourne match.