Story Australian Int Season - RETIREMENT

[MWaugh]

Match Presentation - Mark Nicholas

Nicholas - Well this has drawn a close to one of the most suprising test series recently held in Australia and has resulted in sell out crowds to all matches. Credit must be paid to the players of both teams for making this possible. With me I have the Australian captain Ricky Ponting. Ricky unfortunate loss here today

Ponting - Yes Mark a very dissapointing end to this series. We went into this series with the attitude we carry everywhere in that we can win the match and the contest, unfortunatly that wasnt to be today. India played some very good cricket in the 1st and 3rd test and definatly deserve the victory but it is very frustrating from our perspective to lose this series.

Nicholas - Any positives to come out of this series that you can take into the VB series coming up and then the West Indies and Ashes tour?

Ponting - At the moment its hard to say, Michael Clarke came along very nicely and Michael Hussey was solid in his debut series. Stuart Clark also tested the waters so we will just have to see.

Nicholas - Possible changes to be made to the next team thats picked on the West Indies tour?

Ponting - Well thats along way away at the moment Mark so i couldnt say

Nicholas - Well thanks very much for your time today Ricky and all the best in the upcoming one day series



(Ricky Ponting ponders his sides loss to the hands of India)

 

[MWaugh]

Match Presentation - Mark Nicholas

Nicholas - Well with me now I have an extremely delighted Rahul Dravid who is up to collect the Border/Gavaskar Trophy and a cheque for $10,000 for his teams crushing victory. Rahul congratulations.

Dravid - Thank you very much Mark. Full credit must go to the team for their great fightback after we were pumped in the 2nd test. Im really proud of our bowlers for the way they came back and for our batsmen to fight against a great bowling attack like the Australians have is really pleasing.

Nicholas - Its defiantly no easy feat beating the world champions in their own backyard.

Dravid - No its not but we came here with a plan in mind of how to beat them, fortunatly things fell right for us so far and this will continue on in the future.

Nicholas - Well now you have to look ahead to the one day series, im sure youll go into that series full of confidence?

Dravid - Yes hopefully this mood will continue when we take to the field in the shorter version of the game. With 3 very fierce and competitive teams im sure it will be a great series.



(Winning captain Rahul Dravid celebrates his teams series victory over Australia)

 

[MWaugh]

Match Presentation - Mark Nicholas

Nicholas - Well with me now is the 3 Mobile player of the match and also the player of the series. It has been a remarkable turnaround for this player who has reinvented himself on this tour. This man is of course former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, Sourav Congratulations on both the match and the series award.

Ganguly - Thank you very much. I have had a great time down here and enjoyed every minute of it. Its just great to be back in the test team and get a few runs under my belt. I feel as though ive been alot more attacking at the crease and my shot selection is very good at the moment.

Nicholas - It defiantly has been a great turnaround, are we going to see you in the one day matches?

Ganguly - At the moment it doesnt look like it but you never know. At the moment im just happy to be back in the test team and playing like we are at the moment. It is a very good group of guys that we are around at the moment and im very happy with my cricket and our performance as a unit.

Nicholas - Well there you have it, Sourav Ganguly our man of the match and man of the series. This brings to a close the 3 Mobile test series between two great teams, now we look forward to the Pakistanis, as Australia, Pakistan and India will do battle in a fierce VB series. From the Bellerive Oval, for channel nine, Im Mark Nicholas.

 

[MWaugh]

3 Mobile Test Match Analysis

Australia

Having returned home from a tied South African test series, the home side would have felt confident of retaining the Border/Gavaskar Trophy. However dissapointing performances from openers Matthew Hayden (73 at 8.6) and Justin Langer (52 at 10.4) and the middle order left the home side often in trouble. Michael Clarke shone to the top with 255 runs while Adam Gilchrist continued his great start to the year with 258 runs to go with his 209 in South Africa.

Brett Lee announced himself as Australias lead strike bowler with 19 wickets of sheer pace to consistantly trouble the Indian batsmen while the usual pairing of Warne and McGrath assisted as only they can. However Australias 4th bowler will be a worry coming into a tough Ashes series with a 3rd quality seamer needed if the Austrlaians want to claim back the Ashes.

(Michael Clarke has appeared to make the number 4 spot his own after some tough back to the wall innings)

(Brett Lee has revitalised his game and is bowling better than ever)

 

[MWaugh]

3 Mobile Test Match Analysis

India

The tourists came down under with a weight of expectations from home fans and home media. But with a lineup like the tourists posess, who could blame them. Gambhir typified the mindset of the Indians with 110 in the first innings, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly both contributing to great affect as their side won back the Border/Gavaskar Trophy.

The bowling was one area that really improved, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar having a ball of a time on the green pitches supplied in Brisbane and Hobart while Anil Kumble was attacking all the time. Irfan Pathan showed the depth of the bowling stocks, taking 3 wickets in the 2nd session of the final test to wrap up the series.

(Rahul Dravid lead by example with 243 runs)

(Zaheer Khan returned to form on the grassy wickets)

 

[MWaugh]

Pakistan Arrive In Australia

The Pakistan cricket team touched down in Sydney during the week of the 3rd and final test between Australia and India to prepare for the upcoming VB Series between the three nations. Lead by captain Inziman-ul-Haq, the team comes here as the outsider against 2 of the best one day teams in the world. However with players of the callibre of Shoab Aktar, Danish Kaneria, Inzimam, Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan, Pakistan will count themselves a significan chance to win the VB Series.

Pakistan Squad

Inzamam-ul-Haq (c)
Younis Khan (vc)
Hazan Raza
Shabbir Ahmed
Mohammed Yousef
Shahid Afridi
Shoab Malik
Azhar Mahmood
Shoab Akhtar
Mohammed Sami
Arshad Khan
Abdul Razzaq
Ifthikar Anjum
Mustaq Ahmed
Salman Butt
Rana Naved
Danish Kaneria
Bazid Khan
Yasir Hameed
Kamran Akmal (wk)



(Kamran Akmal will hope to reproduce his form from the last time the team toured Australia)



(Shoaib Akhtar will spearhead the pace attack for the Pakistan's. A fit Akhtar can be one of the most destructive bowlers in the world)

 

[MWaugh]

thanks to sid for supplying me with a pakistan squad. if anyone sees any changes that have to be made just let me know. the india vs australia twenty20 match will hopefully start tonight.

not far off 1000 posts in this aswell. the 4th highest story thread in PC history for stories

thanks to everyone keep posting guys it will only get better from here

MWaugh

 

[James_W]

You have done great to keep this story going for so ong MWaugh, and I hope we don't see the end of it for a while yet.

 

[MWaugh]

thanks heaps james thats a really big compliment. im so pumped that this thread is now the 4th highest in pc story history. and only 1 post away from reaching the 1000 club. i dont plan to be stopping it. my health is getting better and im feeling pretty good about everything so hopefully i cant keep it going

 

[sid_19840]

Congrats on reaching the 1000 club,a great achievement.Thoroughly enjoy reading your stories and your presentation and hope that you reach many more such acheivements.

Sid.

EDIT=
1000 posts in this forum - MWaugh

 

[gary0808]

Well Done on the best story there ever was. Maybe 2000. MWaugh=Legend

 

[Gunner786]

congrats on 1000 posts thread!!
by the way when will the vb series start?

 

[Cricket_60]

Congratulations MWaugh (vote stealer )

Well done mate

 

[gary0808]

WOW. Just realised I'm the 1000th post

 

[MWaugh]

congrats on 1000 posts thread!!
by the way when will the vb series start?

australia will play india in a 20 20 match like they did with south africa. then the vb series will start. so probably tuesday or wednesday will be the vb series. hopefully some more people will contribute to the posts. so far you have all done a great job and im very thankful for it