Australia Vs West Indies
Brendon Julian:
Hello and welcome to the Fox Sports studio were we prepare to cross live to Kuala Lumpur for the first match in the Samsung Tri Series. Mark Waugh joins me for today?s match and Junior it?s a strange location for a game of international cricket isn?t it.
Mark Waugh:
Thanks for having me BJ and yes you wouldn?t see to many matches played in Malaysia. I know you and I never played there but hopefully the ground staff has it up to scratch.
BJ:
Yeah certainly. Just looking back to when the last match was played here in 2001 it was a low scoring match, which you would expect. With that in mind what?s your prediction for this series Junior?
MW:
No surprises from me. My money is firmly on the Australians for this one I just think they have a broader range of talent and they will be best suited to the conditions.
BJ:
Your prepared to right off India then?
MW:
Yeah, I think their style of play is to aggressive and on low bouncing wickets that?s a recipe for disaster.
BJ:
Before we get into the match-ups for this match I?ll give you a few interesting statistics between the two teams.
Australia Vs West Indies ? ODI?s
Total Matches In Neutral Destination: 8 Matches
Australia Wins: 3
West Indies Wins: 5
Total Head To Head Wins: 108 Matches
Australia: 49
West Indies: 55
Draw: 2
No Result: 2
MW:
Very interesting indeed their BJ with the Windies having the wood over the Australian?s at neutral grounds. However those neutral grounds were either in England or India so that stat probably wont have an effect on this match.
BJ:
Right you are Junior. Alright then let?s get into the match-ups then.
Match-up 1
Gilchrist Vs Gayle
BJ:
We start with the top of the order and what a match-up it will be. Both men can be devastating if they get going. How do you see this one Junior?
MW:
Yeah this one will be an interesting match-up however Chris Gayle is too much of a hot and cold batsman for my liking. Gilchrist has a far better strike rate as far as converting starts into big scores and is probably the fitter of the two. Gilly's wicket keeping also makes him a very important asset to the team and their success. If one or both of these men get going today we could see some very solid foundations laid for the rest of the team to build on later in the innings. I?ll award this one to Gilchrist. However both men can do equal damage if they get going.
Mark Waugh?s Verdict
Australia: 1
West Indies: 0
Match-up 2
Ricky Ponting Vs Brian Lara
BJ:
The battle of the number 3?s and more importantly the skippers. Arguably two of the best batsman in the world going head to head but who will be the better man Junior?
MW:
Your asking the tough questions today aren?t you BJ? Surely you can?t expect me to pick a winner out of this one. Two of the worlds best that are both capable of spending hours in the middle and scoring runs at will. Ponting loves anything full and can drive through the covers and let's not forget the on drive he posseses as well as a skillful pull shot should the bowler drop it in short. Brian Lara is also no stranger to the pull and hook and just about any other shot in the book to but I?ll award half points each for this one.
Mark Waugh?s Verdict
Australia: 1.5
West Indies: 0.5
BJ:
Surely a betting man like yourself could have picked a difference between that contest but anyway we?ll move on.
Match-up 3
Mike Hussey Vs Ramnaresh Sarwan
BJ:
This is an interesting match-up with both men playing vital roles in the middle of the order. They could both be called upon to lift the tempo later in the innings and are capable of doing so. How do you see this one Junior?
MW:
Two different types of batsman in terms of style with Sarwan an accumulator of runs where as Hussey will pace his innings but has that extra gear that he can switch up to when the going gets tough like he displayed last season for Australia boosting is average up towards the 100 at one stage. I?ll have to go for Hussey in this one as he?s hopefully still in superb form from last summer .
Mark Waugh?s Verdict
Australia: 2.5
West Indies: 0.5
Match-up 4
Brett Lee Vs Fidel Edwards
BJ:
Im sure the people of Malaysia would pay just to see this match-up alone. Both men regularly over the 150/km mark and using the scare factor to take wickets. Junior?
MW:
Yes, everybody likes to see super fast bowlers doing their thing but nobody wants to stand 22 yards away do they? Both poses the ability to bowl quick but the thing that makes a great fast bowler is the ability to swing and seam the ball. This is were Edwards drops the ball and can become easy to play once a batsman gets the pace of the ball. Lee wins another for the Australians.
Mark Waugh?s Verdict
Australia: 3.5
West Indies: 0.5
Match-up 5
Glenn McGrath Vs Tino Best
BJ:
Again two new ball bowlers but this time they are different to each other. Who will the final match-up go to Junior?
MW:
Tino Best will come in and bowl fast like usual and he might even claim a couple of wickets. Best probably lives up to his name as one of the best in the West Indies ranks but few can be compared to Glenn McGrath. Back from a long break he should come steaming in at around 130 ? 135/km and move it off the seam. He commented during the week that he could play until he is 40 but i wouldn't go that far but he will win this one for Australia and wrap up what look's like a one sided match on paper BJ.
Mark Waugh?s Verdict
Australia: 4.5
West Indies: 0.5
BJ:
Gee Junior that?s a landslide for Australia hopefully the game wont be that one sided. Do you think you have been to critical of the West Indies?
MW:
Critical probably isn?t the word BJ but the Windies really are struggling and they probably wont get near the Australians in this match.
BJ:
Well it?s time to cross live to Kuala Lumpur for the toss of the coin and the start of the Samsung Tri Series. Be sure to watch all the action live on Fox Sports. Mark Waugh and myself will be right here throughout this match to talk about the action whenever there is a break in play. For now let?s cross to the ground.....
Michael Holding:
Darren Lehmann:
Dean Jones:
Brian Lara:
Ricky Ponting: 
luv it!!
. i love it. keep up the good work mate