South Africa in Australia Dec 2008-Jan 2009

[Arunava]

Clarke is suffered from few niggles here and there and other injuries for past one year or so. So his performance had to suffer. and once he is fully fit , only then he should be in the side again.
As soon as he gets back from injury, he is in the side and plays one or 2 games and get injured again.

Also Clarke not just offers batting but he is one of the best fielders in the world and also has a very good cricketing mentality. So dropping him would be immature decision.

@ Cook

England first need to sort out their opening pair and give it a long run, same for a batting line-up instead of changing it every series.

 

[irottev]

Aussies aren't out of this, but it's going to take something special. They're going to need to start finding the boundary from the spinners.

 

[smssia0112]

Cook may not be an ODI batsman, but Clarke is. He is in bad form now but his form in test cricket is enough to get him by for now.

Anyone who says he should be dropped when Hussey is performing just as badly is kidding themselves. Clarke will come good, just as he did in test cricket.

 

[irottev]

Clarke's been out for a while. He was bound to be rusty. His dismissal was a classic one of someone who's been on the sidelines for a while. Indecision and not much foot movement.

Anyone who thinks Clarke or Hussey deserve to be dropped are hillarious.

 

[Precambrian]

Clarke is suffered from few niggles here and there and other injuries for past one year or so. So his performance had to suffer. and once he is fully fit , only then he should be in the side again.
As soon as he gets back from injury, he is in the side and plays one or 2 games and get injured again.

Also Clarke not just offers batting but he is one of the best fielders in the world and also has a very good cricketing mentality. So dropping him would be immature decision.

@ Cook

England first need to sort out their opening pair and give it a long run, same for a batting line-up instead of changing it every series.

Could you please elaborate that? Because

1. Injuries should never be an excuse for poor performance over such a long period of time.
2. If that is the case, then carrying such a player for long is a risky option.

Anyway, I don't remember him getting "injured" during or before a major ODI series except the current one. And there are many players who have been through the same path.

Precambrian added 0 Minutes and 55 Seconds later...

Clarke's been out for a while. He was bound to be rusty. His dismissal was a classic one of someone who's been on the sidelines for a while. Indecision and not much foot movement.

Anyone who thinks Clarke or Hussey deserve to be dropped are hillarious.

Please go through the discussion me and Arunev are having, before you pass such shutbox comments. I can;t be arsed to repeat my arguments.

 

[aussie1st]

I am now starting to wonder on Dussey. Again threw his wicket away after a start and once again it was when we needed him. Is it a case of bad luck with him finding the fielder all the time or him not being able to step up.

Nice 50 by Mike, don't know why people doubted him just needed to move him a bit down the order. Probably made no difference today anyway.

 

[Precambrian]

Cook may not be an ODI batsman, but Clarke is. He is in bad form now but his form in test cricket is enough to get him by for now.

Anyone who says he should be dropped when Hussey is performing just as badly is kidding themselves. Clarke will come good, just as he did in test cricket.

I don't know who said Drop Hussey. Maybe the junior, certainly not the senior.

A good test batsman need not make even a mediocre ODI batsman. Proof? Mahela Jayawardene.

Precambrian added 1 Minutes and 37 Seconds later...

I am now starting to wonder on Dussey. Again threw his wicket away after a start and once again it was when we needed him. Is it a case of bad luck with him finding the fielder all the time or him not being able to step up.

Nice 50 by Mike, don't know why people doubted him just needed to move him a bit down the order. Probably made no difference today anyway.

The match was more or less over when Hussey bros came into the picture. Good that Hussey has decided to work himself into some form.

 

[King Pietersen]

I think we could see something special from Australia at the end here, either that or Australia will try to go for it and capitulate to about 200 AO

 

[piriyanth]

Atleast Mike Hussey found some form that's a good thing

 

[aussie1st]

Still was hope when he came in, if he batted like he did for Victoria then this equation wouldn't have been out of the question. But at this level he seems to be struggling to pick up the tempo when needed. If Mike gets us home here it will go up there with some of Bevan's best.

 

[Precambrian]

Still was hope when he came in, if he batted like he did for Victoria then this equation wouldn't have been out of the question. But at this level he seems to be struggling to pick up the tempo when needed. If Mike gets us home here it will go up there with some of Bevan's best.

More than Bevan i am afraid.

He has to show some Chennai Super Kings form from here to take Australia over the line. At above 9 per over, it looks positively dire.

 

[IloveGilly]

Dav was definitely the key player. At this rate now, you need big hitters... This is basically a Twenty20 total now, except with just 5 wickets (3 bowlers) in hand. 143 in 15 overs is pretty hard already in Twenty20!

 

[aussie1st]

Well Bevan wouldn't have let it go this crazy
If anyone is going to win it probably Haddin will as we need some of his boundary hitting. But hes not really the Morkel type hitter which is more of what we need now.

 

[Big Man]

Batting Powerplay....will we be bowled out?? :o

 

[King Pietersen]

Need to go at at least 10/11 runs an over in this powerplay. Needs to be T20 mode for Mussey and Haddin!