Australia charged to 1-126 with Ponting unbeaten on 17 and needing just eight more runs to break Allan Border’s longstanding Australian record of 11,174 Test runs.
New opener Shane Watson - coming into the side for the sacked Phil Hughes - raced to 62 not out as England’s wayward quicks bowled terribly on an unresponsive pitch.
Watson had a poor Test average of 19 and but his second fifty in his ninth Test was a spectacular and confident innings laced with 10 imposing boundaries.
Ponting was loudly booed by the hostile Edgbaston crowd when he walked out to bat but survived some nervous moments in his 45-minute stay, passing 20,000 first-class runs in his innings.
Sachin (36) is probably biting his nails now but he need not worry about his record at the moment despite Ponting (34) being 1.5 years younger than him
Australian selectors are known to be more ruthless than other boards with guys like Merv Hughes in the selection committee. One or two bad series with the bat and pressure may be put on Ponting to quit or-else...
Sachin on the otherhand can rest assured that even if he picks and chooses series from now on or has a lean patch with the bat, the BCCI and people like Gavasakar w'd back him to the hilt just so the record stays in India :)
Sachin (36) is probably biting his nails now but he need not worry about his record at the moment despite Ponting (34) being 1.5 years younger than him
Australian selectors are known to be more ruthless than other boards with guys like Merv Hughes in the selection committee. One or two bad series with the bat and pressure may be put on Ponting to quit or-else...
Sachin on the otherhand can rest assured that even if he picks and chooses series from now on or has a lean patch with the bat, the BCCI and people like Gavasakar w'd back him to the hilt just so the record stays in India :)
You are assuming too many things Asif. If sachin can be replaceable, he will be. I dont see a good replacement for Sachin and Dravid in test in near future.
You are assuming too many things Asif. If sachin can be replaceable, he will be. I dont see a good replacement for Sachin and Dravid in test in near future.
I was only teasing Arleitter. Both Sachin and Dravid should carry on playing for a while yet.
Not a single Pakistani in sight because Pakistan have played very few tests the past 2 to 3 years. Guys like Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan have been robbed of atleast 2000 runs in test cricket.
Not a single Pakistani in sight because Pakistan have played very few tests the past 2 to 3 years. Guys like Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan have been robbed of atleast 2000 runs in test cricket.
England, Australia and India traditionally play more test matches (12 to 16 tests per year) than other countries. So cricketers from these nations have greater opportunities to achieve most runs, wickets records. And it is not just about the last two years when we have played a mere 5 test matches...Pakistan has never played more than 8-10 tests per year in their test history. So over a 15-year career or so, our cricketers would play something like 40-50 tests fewer than their contemporaries.
Besides having more runs and wickets does not necessarily make you better than others. It is your batting average and hundreds per games plus your bowling average, SR and 5wI & 10wM hauls per matches played that count in the end
:k: