Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Whoaa!!! what a match.... McMillan played like a tennis and baseball player. What an incredible comeback. Hats off.
Aussies bowling surely sucks man. Their batting is still one of the business and they will create havoc in the cup but the bowling looks really shallow. McGrath presence in the field adds to their woes and his bowling form is awful. Brett Lee is to them what Shoaib Akhtar is to us; the key to hit opposition hard.
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Well played NZ.
Awesome performance.
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
goddamn... pakistan lose their no3 spot.
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Yeah I fully agree but most teams and not just Pakistan would have been dead and buried at 116-5 chasing a mammoth 347 for victory.
What an unbelievable performance by NZ? Australia have now lost 6 games in the last 3 weeks. Who would have thought that was possible after they hammered England 5-0 in Ashes and then raced to 7 wins out of 7 in CWB series?
To top it all the top 4 successful run chases in one-day history are now against them, all in the last 15 months and 3 of them by NZ
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/ODIS/TEAM/ODI_HIGH_TEAM_TOTALS_SECOND.html
The only consolation for Australia is that in overall terms they still lead 75-30 against NZ
NZ and SA are looking very strong indeed. But I still think that the Aussies would be back in business in the WC once their quartet of Ponting, Gilchrist, Lee and Clarke is available to play and McGrath also missed this game. So they were without 5 key players. You don’t become a bad team overnight and one should n’t really under-estimate their WC chances.
Congrats to NZ for such an incredible performance. I mean you don’t often see successful back-to-back 336+ chases in ODIs. That’s just out of the top drawer.
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
It’s worth adding here that Hayden’s 181* is the best score ever by an Australian and the 8th best overall in ODIs.
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/ODIS/BATTING/ODI_BAT_HIGH_INNS_SCORES.html
McMillan’s century off just 67 balls is the fastest ever by a New Zealander
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/ODIS/BATTING/ODI_BAT_FASTEST_100S.html
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Latest ICC rankings. Pakistan slip to 4th place in one-day rankings 
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming admitted his team’s whitewash against Australia was immensely satisfying.
The Black Caps failed to make the CB Series finals after losing to England in the deciding qualifying match.
“It’s been an amazing week for us,” he said. "We came back from Australia and copped some criticism which was quite right, but it made us more determined.
“For cricket in this country and belief in our side for the World Cup, these games have done an amazing thing.”
The New Zealanders have the chance to avenge that defeat against England when they face them again, along with minnows Canada and Kenya, in World Cup Group C in the Caribbean.
“We now go to the West Indies with that belief, we know there’s support out there and we’ll give it our best shot,” Fleming said.
Brendon McCullum, who led the Kiwis home with an unbeaten 86, enthused: “The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy is alive and well!”
He explained the theory behind the run chase, adding: "Macca [Craig McMillan] was hitting the ball so cleanly so we worked out we needed to score at five or six an over to get to 40 overs and leave ourselves 80 or 90.
“It worked to perfection, what a crowd and what a night!”
Mike Hussey, deputising for the resting Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, continued his unfortunate record as captain.
Hussey captained the Australian for the first time against West Indies in Kuala Lumpur last year and suffered a three-wicket defeat, and now has four defeats out of four at the international helm. “It shows we’ve got a little bit more to do before we get to the World Cup,” said the left-hander, who was dismissed for 13 in the final match.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/6378297.stm
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
very very nice :k:
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
For the record, aussies did not race to 7 wins out of 7. They almost handed Newzealand another 340 plus chase through Oram’s hammering and won narrowingly. They fluttered chasing 150 odd on a normal-ish pitch against england and their bowling conceded near and over three hundred runs in four of these matches. You ‘race’ to a win when you win comfortably and aussies certainly didnt.
Plus McGrath has had a really bad traingular series and this one. Gilchrist is not gonna play for any longer. Hayden and Gilchrist are not consistent as they used to. Most of the aussies victory are mostly based on Ponting’s heroics. In this WC, they still will reach semi finals but its going to be very hard for them beyond that to reach and stay at the top.
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Does anyone here feel for Hussey? 
I mean 336 and 346 totals are winnable 99.99% of the time but the Aussie bowlers have badly let him down.
His CV reads 4 games at the helm, 4 losses 
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Plus McGrath has had a really bad traingular series and this one. Gilchrist is not gonna play for any longer. Hayden and Gilchrist are not consistent as they used to. Most of the aussies victory are mostly based on Ponting's heroics. In this WC, they still will reach semi finals but its going to be very hard for them beyond that to reach and stay at the top.
I agree with you there but they did win their first 7 games of CWB series. And these are not the only instances in the last 7 or 8 years of their dominance where an opposing team has run them close. The point is whereas previously they still won 80-90% of those tight games, now they are falling short and it's their bowling that's letting them down badly.
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
I wouldn’t feel for Hussey, why should I ? After all, it shows not all Aussies are good captains 
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Record run chases in one-day history
438-9 (49.5 overs) South Africa v Australia Johannesburg 2005/06
350-9 (49.3 overs) New Zealand v Australia Hamilton (Seddon) 2006/07
340-5 (48.4 overs) New Zealand v Australia Auckland 2006/07
332-8 (49 overs) New Zealand v Australia Christchurch 2005/06
Interestingly Aleem Dar was one of the umpires on all four occasions The Aussies must be sick of the sight of him.
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Plus McGrath has had a really bad traingular series and this one. Gilchrist is not gonna play for any longer. Hayden and Gilchrist are not consistent as they used to. Most of the aussies victory are mostly based on Ponting's heroics. In this WC, they still will reach semi finals but its going to be very hard for them beyond that to reach and stay at the top.
Australia might just squeeze through for another crown but your point about McGrath is well taken. He still pitches it consistently and is a good bowler but not the McGrath of old with that metronomic line and length and sublime control. CB series was one-sided at the beginning due to other teams performing badly more than Australia performing better.
Re: NZ v Aus. 3rd ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Man the kiwis for some strange reason always play amazingly against Aussies..