5. 2006/07 Channel 9 Ashes Promo

A play on the infamous ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ campaign, this ad gets into the top five for Pom soap jokes and for Lara Bingle enacting every cricketer’s greatest fantasy.

4. 2009 Sky Ashes Promo

I’ll be back!

It gets a bit cheesy towards the end and is let down by a cricketer’s fundamental inability to act, but a great idea nonetheless.

3. VB Boon & Warne

This ongoing campaign has been a bit hit? and miss, though these are ??two of the best:

Any ad which advocates placing David?? Boon in a museum next to Phar Lap des?erves to make the list.

The baby Warne creeps me out, but I can’t stop laughing at the image of Warne victims living out their days in a padded room in an mental institution.

2. Big Warnie

What’s the one thing that’s better than Shane Warne? A giant Shane Warne, of course. The faces of the bemused onlookers are absolutely priceless.

1. Budweiser Ashes 2005 ad

This ad sums up the 2005 euphoria. It’s a complicated game with complicated rules and a complicated history, but who cares? England won, let’s celebrate!

The bowling dilemma hasn’t gotten much easier ahead of the first Test. Johnson and Siddle are certainties, but the remaining two spots are still up for grabs between Clark, Lee, Hilfenhaus and Hauritz. I’d personally go for Clark and Lee with Hilfenhaus slightly unlucky to miss out. I feel he’s a bit too much of a one trick pony, however he does keep it tight and can bowl long spells, so if he was selected it wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

Anyways, for those that missed the action, Sussex Cricket have kindly posted highlights from each day’s play on their website – click here to watch.

It all started earlier in the year with the handling of the Andrew Symonds incident. Punished for missing a team meeting he had no idea about, the Australian cricketing establishment ruthlessly cut him out of its inner circle. It doesn?t matter whether it was a Michael Clarke powerplay or just the misguided notion that him being sidelined would be better for the Australian team,?? the w?hole issue was handled atrociously and as a result, Australia would be beginning the hardest task in world cricket without one of its hardest competitors.

Fast forward to the second last day of the series. It was without a doubt the sporting meltdown of the year. Australia had rallied strongly against the Indians and despite looking like the second best side all tour, an Indian middle order ?collapse had shifted the momentum towards Australia and there was a real possibility that they would be able to square the series.

However, faced with the prospect of suspension for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand due to Australia’s poor over rates, the touring captain, Ricky Ponting, chose to play part time bowlers instead of driving home the advantage with the use of his specialist fast men. With that one decision he threw away the possibility of drawing the series. Had the series been drawn, it would have been one of Australian Cricket’s proudest moments in recent times. Now it seems destined to be the low point of the era.

Throughout the tour it was difficult to follow the logic behind many of the decisions by team management. Wh?y was Brett Lee not made aware of the decision to deny him the ball until only after the players had taken the field in Mohali? Why was Cameron White continuously picked despite being little more then a glorified specialist number eight batsmen? Why does Doug Bollinger continue to miss out despite having one of the best claims to a Baggy Green in the country, in Indian conditions. The fact that Stuart Clark was dropped from the final Test proved wha??t many had suspected all along, the wheels had come off.

It is highly unlikely that any proper backlash will occur. Australia’s glaring incompetence of the last month will probably be swept under the carpet and the heavy loss attributed to the retirements of key players. All will be forgotten come the New Zealand series and if, as predicted, Australia easily account for their rebuilding trans-Tasman rivals, their genius will once more be lauded. However the fact will always remain, they had the chance to stand up to India on their home turf and they systematically threw it away.

Julian has a ??collection of cricket memorabillia that he has collected from around the cricketing world which include a wide range of used clothing and ?equipment.

Check out all that he has for sale at www.stripskitandcollectables.com

Don’t miss out on some fantastic products!

Question: What is the best method for a fast bowler to attempt to field in the extremely stiff period after a long spell? Should he be hidden in the field? Keep very low to look to pick up the ball? Dive around to avoid a long chase after the ball? Etc.
Manee

Answer:
The debate about fast bowlers and fielding has been raging for years. I feel that they have tended to be pigeonholed as not being able to field and have consequently been neglected. The game has changed almost beyond recognition in recent times and fielding is more important now than ever before, and the advice is the same to fast bowlers as to all players “keep your mind and body alert and ready to execute any skill, at any distance at any time. Switch off at your peril!”

Question: What is the big difference between being the fielding coach of a cricket team and that of a baseball team?
biased indian

Answer:
Apart from the difference in skills and tactics, they are fairly similar. The main difference being that in baseball fielding statistics are widely available?? and form criteria for selection. If you mess up it goes on the scoreboard and on your averages. This gives greater incentive to execute the right skills correctly.

Question: What do you get out of being a coach? What fulfillment?
roseboy64

Answer:
I enjoy both ends of the spectrum. Coaching kids and seeing the difference I can make and teaching pros who think they know everything but don’t.

Question: What differences did you experience in the different countries as it relates to facilities, players, management and resources?
roseboy64

Answer:
Well that’s a no-brainer! Having worked with and in Pakistan, West Indies and England I have see a huge array of good and bad both in facility, attitude and organisation. Where one is good in certain aspects, it might be bad in others. It usually evens itself out overall though.

Question: How has the role of players’ fitness changed throughout the history of cricket? How different is the standard from 20 years ago, or from 50 years ago?
Athlai

Answer:
Fitness is an area which has changed along with society and its expectations of pla?yers. The more professional the sport has become, the more attitudes to trai?ning have had to improve. With millions of dollars at stake now, you can bet that players will be happier to stay in the gym for longer.

Question: Do you think that a cricketer is more likely to be successful if he has natural ability or has mental strength?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
As with any sport there has to be a good mix of ?all criteria. Natural ability is crucial but that is not enough at the top end, as there are lots of naturally talented players. What makes a difference is the combination of mental strength, physical attributes, technical ability and some?? good old-fashioned luck.

Question: Which individual player that you have coached do you feel that you have had the most positive effect on, and what in particular do you think you have helped him with?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the world’s leading cricketers, so it is hard to narrow it down. I like to view it in terms of overall team change, such as West Indies’ tour of England 2007 where they were poor in the field during the Tests, but I joined them after the first Test at Lord’s and by the Twenty20 and ODI series’ they had achieved quite a good standard of results in the field.

Question: If you could give one piece of advice to a youngster looking to take up cricket, what would it be?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
Enjoy it every day, as there is no point competing if you don’t enjoy the competition.

Question: There is a lot of talk in the media about 20:20 harming players’ technique, and for batsmen in particular. What are your views on this?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
I have witnessed a huge change in approach to this format of the game since it started. It was originally a huge slog ??where technique seemed to suffer. Now you will see that t??he batters who succeed are able to combine traditional skills and values with power and adaptability. Batters have had to work on putting the ball into gaps using quite unorthodox methods, but they have to be able to do the basics as well.

Question: How do you measure your success or failure as a coach? Does team success or individual players having success give you more pride?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
I like to be able to measure my success with cold hard statistics. Catches vs. drops, errors, assists, run outs etc. Sometimes my department can improve dramatically (West Indies? 2000/2001 tour of Australia) but still l?ose t??he games. I take some comfort in being able to make an improvement in my area but wish that the decision makers in suits could differentiate between departments.

Question: What do you think the key tools are that a coach has to have at his disposal in order to be successful?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
Enthusiasm and passion for the sport combined with some organizational skills. You have to love ?what you do but learn to improve your delivery of the sessions.

Question: What really, really irritates you?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
Nepotism and favouritism in elite cricket.

Question: If you were given control over the Laws of Cricket, would there be anything that you would like to change and why would you change it?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
Introduce f??ielding into official statistics package.

Question: What is the most tricky situation you’ve found yourself in as a coach?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
The Oval 2006, Pakistan vs??. England Test match. It was surreal.

Question: What different problems does coaching in different countries cause – i.e. does coaching in Pakistan present different challenges to coaching in the West Indies, and if so what tangible differences are there?
HeathDavisSpeed

Answer:
As mentioned earlier each country has differing challenges, sometimes facility sometimes organisation sometimes attitude. Each has its benefits, each has its pitfalls. Coaching in the Caribbean is wonderful, but so is coaching in Pakistan. Its how y??ou approach it and what you want to get out of it that makes or breaks you.

Question: What challenges face coaches like Geoff Lawson and Jamie Siddons who have to manage players from different backgrounds to what they’re familiar with?
James90

Answer:
Any successful coach will tell you it’s about managing people and their differences. With some they need a friend and a shoulder to cry on; others need to be shouted at. Differing cultures also mean differing approaches. Coaching a group of Australians needs different skills to coaching a group of West Indian or Pakistani players. Cultural differences do play an important part.

Question: From working with a vast array of teams can you easily identify trends between attitude to training and results?
James90

Answer:
Attitudes vary team by team but never underestimate the power of senior players to influence both ju??nior players and adm?inistrators alike.

Question: Do you ever think the workload of a player is too much?
James90

Answer:
Cricket is unique in that it is the only game which can last for days at a time and still not achieve a result! Players are dictated to by their own boards because of television rights, so money is the key factor. However now that Twenty20 has seen big salaries paid for small commitments, you might see? a change around in the formats as players take a little more control over where they can earn a good living.

Question: Who is the best fielder you have worked with and who is the worst fielder you have worked with?
Shaggy Alfresco

Answer:
To??ugh one to answer as I have worked with such a huge number. In terms of ability, commitment and attitude to play?ing and training, Jimmy Adams must be right up there.

Question: What has been the best coaching job/experience you have had and why? It doesn’t need to be results based either.
Craig

Answer:
Summer 2007 saw me selected as the head coach of the England Under-16 ?team, and we beat Australia Under-16?? in a series of 7 games 7-0. I am quite chuffed at that!

Question: Who is the best fielder you have ever seen in international cricket in terms of ability and technique? And is the best in the world right now?
Craig

Answer:
Obvious names?? jump out such as Jonty (Rhodes), Herschelle (Gibbs), Colly (Paul Co??llingwood), Jimmy Adams but because there are no official statistics on fielding nobody can stand up and produce evidence to prove this. This is why fielding scoring should be introduced. I do it with the teams I work with, but its never quoted in official statistics. Shame!

Question: What made you take up coaching?
Craig

Answer:
I love sport and love helping people (?cheesy I ?know but its true!)

Question: Which player and team has been your biggest success story so far? For example a player and a team might be quite poor in the field, yet with hard work they have turned it around.
Craig

Answer:
All the International teams I have been involved with have improved over a relatively short period of time, however because of the sho?rt sightedness of various people I have not had the chance to remain en-situ with a team for any great length of time to really see a proper progression.

Question: Who was your mentor in cricket and baseball?
Craig

Answer:
My cricket mentor is Gordon Lord ex Warwickshire, Worcestershire and ECB Elite Coach Education Manager. He got me into ?crick??et coaching and has remained a life long friend and sounding post.

Question: What was your first love – cricket or baseball? Or both? And what was your family background as well?
Craig

Answer:
First love was cricket. Dad was a c?ricketer and I played in the Somerset organisation as a kid, but left them at 18 to take up baseball. Love all sports, watching and competing.

Question: What are your interests outside of cricket? For example, your favourite music, movie etc.
Craig

Answer:
All sports, especially ocean-based sports such as scuba, free diving and surfing. Love hockey, which is incidentally a really good winter sport to improve cricket both in a fitness and skills aspect. Favourite film too many but any by the director Luc Besson (Big Blue, Leon, Fifth Element etc) Music tends to vary depending upon mood but am always partial to some good old fashioned Rave (P??rodigy, Shamen, Utah Saints, etc.)

Question: If your county was struggling for numbers and you were forced to take the field how do you think you would handle it?
NUFAN

Answer:
I have already had to prove this a number of times, having fielded for West Indies vs. the Australian Prime Minister’s XI 2000/01 (check Wisden for a run out I got!); West Indies vs. Australia A 2000/01; West Indies vs. MCC 2007; and a few others besides! (No Pressure Coach!!!)

Question: Sometimes you have to work with cricketers who have a reputation for being difficult. What techniques do you use to ensure that you get results?
armchairumpire

Answer:
Deal with people, not reputations.

Question: The media often is very critical of coaches. It seems that if the team does well then it is the great players in the team, and if the team does badly it the fault of the coach. What keeps you going when the team is not winning games?
armchairumpire

Answer:
Love of the game and the will to improve things. It is difficult especially when you are not being assisted by influential peo?ple who should know better.

Question: How much of a person’s fielding skills can be acquired through coaching and how much of it is plain natural ability?
honestbharani

Answer:
50/50. There is always room for improvem??ent, but there has to be some natural attributes in there somewhere.

Question: Is it honestly possible to get a guy to throw the ball faster or run across the field faster through training alone?
honestbharani

Answer:
 Training and coaching play a role, but t??he individual has to c??ommit to the process.

Question: Of all the players you have worked with who was the most difficult to handle with?
biased indian

Answer:
No Comment!

Question: What kind of fielding drills or scenarios should I be coaching my Under-10 and Under-12 teams to give them the best chance to be excellent fielders as they develop?
Mr. Wright

Answer:
A good variety of single skill drills, followed by overload drills and mu??lti skill drills. Make sure the skills are practiced before an all bells and whistles drill though.

Julien Fountain has worked with many cricketing organisations in recent times including the Pakistan, England and West Indies cricket teams.

www.stripskitandcollectables.com

Australia against the West Indies, David against Goliath, first ranked side against eight. Thought of as a walkover by many, myself included, the West Indies weren’t given a chance in hell of overcoming cricket’s superpower.

How wrong we all were. The local side put on a spirited and inspirational showing, led by Fidel Edwards and Shivnarine Chanderpaul; they came tantalisingly close to registering one of the all time great upsets. The fact they were unable to cross that finishing line doesn’t detract from their heroic efforts even one bit.

After taking five wickets in the first innings, Edwards’ spell late on day three to leave the tourists reeling at 4/17 is one of the finest of recent times. He looked unplayable and at one stage Australia didn’t look like they would reach 50. If he continues bowling like this, it won’t be long till he’s recognized as the best bowler in the world, but that remains to be seen, he still has a long way to go.

And what about the stoic efforts of Shivnarine Chanderpaul? Continuing on his amazing year with the bat, he played patient and risk free cricket to score an incredible hundred and get his side right back into the match. What makes it all the more memorable was the sickening blow to the head he took. Anyone watching it live would have been genuinely scared when the camera focused in on his unconscious body, lying there limp at the crease. You can only imagine how his wife and family, sitting in the stands, would have been feeling at that time. For him to get back up and battle his way to a century says so much about the man’s character and toughness. He is one of the premier batsmen in the world today and he is continuing right where Brian Lara left off.

Much has been written about Australia’s supposed decline. With the retirements of Warne, McGrath, Martyn, Langer and Gilchrist in such a short space of time, the end was near.

No one can deny the absolute class that is now missing from the side, but to Australia’s credit, they have still been able to win by performing close to the level we’ve come to expect from them over the years, often finding contributions from unexpected sources.

In this match??, that contribution came from Andrew Symonds. After a scratchy 70 not out in the first innings, the Queenslander showed brilliant guts and determination in the second innings to carry the Australian batting side when all were falling around him. With the scoreline reading a sorry 5-18 at one stage, Symonds dug in, at first with Brad Hodge and later with Brad Haddin and the tail to carry Australia to a less embarrassing 167. It will go down as one of his finest knocks. Without it, there was little chance Australia would have won the match.

Ricky Ponting also showed the world that he’s back in town after a quiet home season, putting on an almost flawless 158 in the first innings. With many writing him off as past his best, the world’s best batsmen silenced his critics with a dominating display with the bat.

Full credit as well must be given to the official Man of the Match, Stuart Clark. Proving he was anything but a one season wonder, the New South Welshman looked a class apart on the helpful surface as he decimated the West Indies top order on the fifth morning to take a much deserved five w?icket haul. He had help from Brett Lee who started the match off poorly but came back well only to have quite a few catches dropped off his bowling.

Those two had little help from their two remaining bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Stuart MacGill who looked unthreatening for most of the match. MacGill is past his peak, an excellent bowler during his heyday, he is now either too old or too unfit for Test match cricket and should not play for Australia again. Some of the deliveries during the Test were truly embarrassing and the number of good balls he bowled could be counted on one hand. Johnson wasn’t much better, but with time he’ll improve.

The Test was riveting, with ebbs and flows and all three outcomes possible for much of the five days. If the rest of the series is anything like the first match, it’ll be one that not many will forget.

Over in England a match just as good was being played. It was another one th?at will be talked about for some time to come.

It started off with one of the knocks of the year. Ross Taylor stunned the Old Trafford crowd with a mesmerising 154 that included 17 fours and five sixes. The way he lifted another gear towards the end of the innings was something that not many can do. There’s little doubt that this youngster will be around for some time to come.

New Zealand’s first innings won’t be forgotten for some time for other, more infamous reasons after Daniel Flynn sustained a vicious facial injury from a James Anderson bouncer which whacked him on the grill of his helmet. It was a rather unwelcoming debut to Test cricket for the youngster and he took no further part in the match. But like many of the batsmen in both England and Jamaica will tell you, Test cricket isn’t for the fainthearted.

After making 381, the underdogs New Zealand, were then able to turn the s??crews with captain Daniel Vettori tormenting the English batsmen in helpful conditions to end up with superb figures of 5-66, restricting England to 202, 179 runs behind New Zealand and looking well and truly out of the game. The result seemingly a certainty.

But as this match proved, in Test cricket you can never really be certain of anything. Panesar, refusing to be outdone by the opposing spinner, ran through the truncated N?ew Zealand batting order, taking a career best 6-37, to leave New Zealan?d on a paltry 114.

Still, going into the fourth day with an out of form England batting line-up needing 294 to win, the visitors were firm favourites to take out a famous victory. But, much like the Austr?alia-West Indies match, the hero came from an unlikely corner.

Less than half a year ago, Andrew Strauss’ career looked over. Poor form in Australia that carried into the home series against the West Indies and India had many calling for his head. But on a fifth day pitch he showed the country that he may have turned the corner after he played a spectacular match winning knock of 106 to give England a memorable come from behind win.

An initial critic of the IPL, I’ve come to appreciate the format. It’s too long and drawn out, but it has a lot of potential and some of the games have been classics. Take the game last night for instance; where Rajasthan won on the last ball, it was edge of your seat stuff. In fact the Rajasthan story has been one of the great cricketing tales, a team of nobodies led by an ageing legend of the game have dominated the other star studded line ups. Teams that shelled out many more millions for their players have been put to shame by this tight knit and resilient group who have captivated the imaginations of the cricketing world.

But at the end of the day, it just doesn’t compare to the real deal, Test cricket. The drama, the emotion, the relief and the disappointment is unparalleled. As this week has shown us, as a spectacle, not just in cricket or even in sport, but in life itself, there is nothing quite like it.

It has seemed like an ext?remely swift process as well, although it has actually been many years in the ma?king, simmering under the surface. It is only now that the full extent of the changes and implications are becoming crystal clear. In its pursuit for professionalism and growth, it has fallen victim to a hostile takeover.

The face of cricket is changing primarily from three semi-related sources. The creation and initial success of Indian Premier League, the rise in popularity for the Twenty20 format of the game and India’s new found power at the top of world cricket.

The magnitude of the IPL hit home last week when Australia’s Channel Ten announced a multi-million dollar deal with the Indian Premier League to broadcast the new competition that will pit the world’s superstars against each other, located in the financial home of cricket, India.

This was no longer some mythical monster growing across the seas that could only be read about in the newspaper, but a very real situation that will be flashed into living rooms around the country. And it’s not just restricted to the few with Pay-TV either, it will be accessible to all with an antenna.

The IPL poses some serious proble??ms, primarily a huge imbalance created in the cricketing economy. Its budgets and turnovers look like they will dwarf those of international cricket, threatening to make the latter a mere sideshow in the greater scheme of things.

The major immediate threat is the IPL schedule muscling itself into the current cricketing timetable, with such influence, it is only a matter of time before we see less international cricket and more franchise cricket. Some areas of Test match cricket were already taking a hit to the more marketable formats, before the Indian leagues were formed, so it can only be downhill from here, for those who love watching the purest form of the game. It won’t be a sudden elimination of a number of regular international fixtures, but a gradual eating away of a match here and a series there. It will be very hard for the ICC to resist the lobbying of the BCCI and IPL and recent events have shown that the ICC lacks the spine to stand up to its most wealthy benefactor.

It’s hard to feel for the players though, complaining about the massive workload of the international schedule ad nauseum, then lining up with their hands out the second wads of cash are on offer to play overseas, makes them look like hypocrites in the eyes of many. Not to mention those who take with one hand and berate their providers with the other.

They shouldn’t be blamed either, like anyone in life, they have the right to make the most of their skills and look for the highest bidders willing to pay for them, in the case of MS Dhoni and Andrew Symonds earning over a million US dollars at auction, in an effort to secure their futures. Most in the position would do the same, it’s just the illusion of cricketers being righteous figures with purely altruistic motives, who do what they do because they love representing their country that has been well and truly shattered. For some with longer memories though, it never existed.

As Andrew Symonds raised this week in his weekend newspaper column, players ending their careers early is another concern and although measures including no-object clauses have been put in place to reduce the amount of early retirements, it’s not so far fetched to assume it is on the back of many older players minds. Whereas in the past the player would fight the pain and push on, now they have options, multi-million dollar options.

On the other hand, it’s been argued that older players letting go of spots for youngsters in the side might be the serious advantage presented here. In this day and age, where players are able to stay fitter for longer and push all previous boundaries in terms of fitness, older players tend to stick around longer, past their peak, doing just enough to retain spots, often based on previous glories and reputations. With them out of the way, youngsters will be given a chance to impress and excite.

It must be noted that the IPL and its predecessor, the ICL, were only enabled through the advent of Twenty20, a vehicle easy to market to the masses and with India enjoying recent success in the format, it would always b?e a very secure and profitable undertaki?ng.

Twenty20 has played a massive part in changing the cricket landscape and will undoubtedly do so in the future. Its fate was sealed after the recent World Championships in South A?frica, with was an emphatic triumph as opposed to the lacklustre one-day World Cup which disappointed all.

Twenty20 threatens to move in on the international schedule big time. Previously only one game was played per series over the past couple of years – nothing more than a novelty really.

But that is looking likely to change, with the crowds voting with their feet and all the money seemingly in the shortest format of the game. Tests and ODIs are up aga??inst their toughest competition to date.

Critics argue that the main problems with Twenty20s are the extreme disadvantage to the bowlers, who are reduced to mere cannon-fodder, and the risk the format pose??s in transforming the batsmen to brainless sloggers and bowlers into defensive players, unwilling to take any risks.

Pundits worry that Twenty20 style cricket will find its way into the other formats. But pe?rhaps the players are smarter than we give them credit for and are able to properly differentiate between formats, switching mindsets as is required. Or we could see ??Tests that last two days, each side scoring at 10 an over, but all out before lunch. Who knows?

The real thing missing in Twenty20s though is the sustained efforts of cricketers over long periods of time that make the other formats great. Whereas Twenty20s encourage flash in the pan performances and cameo efforts, the longer formats enable building quality innings for the batsmen and sustained and sometimes mesmerising spells from the bowlers. There is nothing better in cricket than watching a battle between two players over a substantial number of overs, matching their wills and going head to head, each vigorously determined to overcome the other. It is something that you just don’t see in Twenty20 matches that are over before you reach for your second beer.

That’s not to say the current ODI setup is ideal. It’s not at all. Too many meaningless games and series are taking place, boring middle overs where batsmen nudge and nurdle part-time bowlers for singles and a World Cup that just doesn’t work are the main problems that the ICC need to address pretty quickly. If something is not done soon, we might see just one ODI per tour, nothing more than a novelty really.

Bigger than all of the format wars however, is the advent of cricket’s new superpower, India. If anyone still thought that England, Australia or even the ICC were the major players in world cricket, they’re sadly mistaken.

As we saw with th??e Harbhajan case and the Bucknor episode in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India are not afraid to throw their weight around to get what they want. They have the support of many of the other nations as well, who have no choice but to follow India, partly out of gratitude and partly out of fear.

The BCCI have shown with the IPL that they are more than able to change the face o??f world cricket, quickly and at will. They have shown with the ICL that they will fight their enemies and not rest till they are destroyed. Any threat to their prosperity and expansion plans will not be taken lightly and measures will be immediately put in place as soon as any threat arrives.

Still, India’s ascent to world cricket’s throne does not have to be a bad thing at all. India now have an incredible responsibility and have become the guardians of the game. They are now under the spotlight as to how they will use their new powers. Will they look to better the game or will they look to merely exploit it? Will the game flourish under their control or will it become a soulless revenue raiser? Will the game retain its identity that has been cultivated over the past few centuries or will it tragically become commercialised and Americanised? All these questions are for India alone to answer. Let’s hope they make the right decisions and their time as cricket’s superpower can be looked back on in admiration and respect.

As it stands, we have no idea where the next few years are going to take?? us, it is all speculation at this stage, but what we do know is, cricket will never be the same, for better or for worse.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The Cricket Web Admin.

On a flat pitch, India won the vital to?ss and elected to bat. A streaky Virender Sehwag frustrated the Australian bowlers and slips cordon all morning and much like his Perth heroics, Sehwag took his chances and rode his luck. He recorded his 13th Test half century before edging Brett Lee on 61 to Matthew Hayden waiting at first slip.

Earlier in the morning, the home side were able to get promoted opener, Irfan Pathan, out on nine when Pathan, replacing Wasim Jaffer at the top of the order was not able to replic??ate his Perth form with the bat, edging J??ohnson to Gilchrist for nine.

Dravid stood his ground, ??refusing to budge, but after 54 deliveries an on-fire Mitchell Johnson proved too much for the veteran batsman as Dravid, like the other two Indian batsman who departed that morning, he edged the ball to second slip and was on? his way for 18.

Ganguly only managed seven before being given out LBW to Hogg whilst attempting to sweep and Laxman put on a fine 51 before failin??g to get his gloves away from a Brett Lee bouncer, but the day belonged to Sachin Tendulkar.

The Little Master showed great application and powers o?f concentration as he built up the Indian score and advanced their innings per??fectly.

Australia had no answers for the genius batsmen and when he unleashed on a unsuspecting Hogg for a brutal six, the crowd went wild. The unleashing wasn’t representative of his innings however, this was a controlled and calm knock that came at the right circumstances to counter the Australian aggression. He was all that stood between a still reeling Australia and their well-publicised revenge plans.

Unlike recent times, there were no nervous 90s for champion batsman as he raced through them with a six and a four off Michael Clarke to record yet another high-class to??n in what has been in amazing career to date. The hundred came off 135 balls and included nine fours and three sixes, putting India just a touch ahead of Australia with 5-309 at stumps.

The Australian ??bowlers did their best, Lee and Johnson in particular, but they had everything go against them, including an unresponsive pitch and poor fielding errors from the home side. Both Gilchrist and Hayden put down straight forward catches that had the bowlers furiously shaking t?heir heads.

The game is still very much in the balance though??, a few quick wickets from Australia tomorrow and they will be right back on top, however India also have a golden opportunity to pile on some quick runs and really put an Australian side with everything to lose on the back foot.

India 5-309
Sachin Tendulkar 124, Virender Sehwag 63, VVS Laxman 51
Brett Lee 2-62, Mitchell Johnson 2-72

The day started well for Australi??a when they had little issues wrapping up the Indian lower orde??r on the second day as they carried the valuable momentum of the previous day over.

Dhoni and Pathan provided some resistance with the bat, but the new look Indian wicke?tkeeper was out LBW to Clark for nine, in w??hat might be called a suspect decision with Hawkeye indicating the delivery might have been going over, with Dhoni very far forward.

It was a deserved piece of luck for Clark though, the New South W?elshman bowling superbly throughout the innings for very l??ittle success and finally he had a wicket to show for it.

The so called ty??pical Indian collapse was then on show for all of the enthusiastic WACA crowd to see when Irfan Pathan was trapped leg-before to Mitchell Johnson for a useful 28, the next over.

The final two wickets followed suite, Indian skipper Anil Kumble, victim to a ??brilliant aerial catch by debutant Chris Rogers for one run. Tailender RP Singh was not able to cope with the extra bounce the Indian innings of 330 came to a feeble end after looking so good earlier on the first day.

The joy ended there for Australia as their innings got off to the worst possible start when Rogers was given out LBW on four. The Pathan delivery? looked like it was going down the leg side, but it will be ??little consolation for the home town boy.

Two deliveries later and opening partner Jaques was on his was back to the pavilion, edging Pathan to Laxman at second slip, the result of poor footwork on Australian’s part, leaving Australia in serious trouble at 2-13.

Things went from bad to worse for the locals when new man in, Michael Hussey, recorded his first ever Test match duck, much to? the disappointment of his home crowd. Hussey played an uncharacteristically loose shot whilst attempting an early cover drive and ended up edging it through to MS Dhoni waiting patiently behind ??the stumps.

India continued bowling beautifully, generating swing and maintaining good line and length to trouble the vaunted Australian batting line up constantly. After lunch they reaped more rewards for their efforts when Sharma had Ponting caught at third slip for 20. The youngster went wicketless at Sydney, but the joy was there for all observers to see as his dismissed arguably the world’s best batsman with just his third ball of the match.

He wasn’t about to stop there and shortly afterwards he had Clarke out in similar fashion, outside edging to Dhoni for just 23 with the Indians taking full control of the game at 5-65, with Australia searching for ways to even make it past the first hundred and searching for someone, anyone, to lead the fightback.

That fightback came spectacularly when two of the world’s most explosive batsmen, Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist got to together to put on, perhaps, the partnership of the series.

Figuring the best defense would be to attack??, the two played a one-day style innings, taking their chances and riding their luck, Symonds in particular continui?ng his good form, bringing up his 50 with a magnificent six off Kumble that had the crowd on its feet.

The two bought up their hundred partnership in just 102 balls and it took a piece of magic from the Indian captain to put a stop to the fireworks. Kumble let off a quicker one at Symonds’ off stump, inducing an outside edge from the all-rounder and whilst Dhoni was unable to hold on to the catch, Dravid at first slip was able to pick up the pieces to dismiss Symonds for 66.

Just as importantly it was Kumble’s 600th Test match wicket, a stellar feat in what has been a brilliant career. A milestone that will be all the more appreciated due to the tumultuous and turbulent times the captain has had to endure throughout the past couple of weeks.

Gilchrist threatened to unleash once his partner in crime had departed and took to RP Singh with three fours in a row as the wicketkeeper remind?ed all of his ability to explode ??in key situations.

Si??ngh was to have none of it however and on the fourth ball of the over, the young Indian seamer bowled a shorter one that had Gilchrist defending backwards and edging it to the busy keeper.

Gilchrist’s innings of 55, along with Symonds efforts had helped Australia get back into the game somewhat and save the world number one side from some embarrassment, although there is little doubt the duo would have been unhappy with not going on with things, once they had gotten a start.

Lee played a watchful innings for 11 and Clark lasted all of three balls, before both were removed by the rejuv??enated RP. Tait entertained with t?wo fours, but he was never going to last long and his new and improve pads contributed to his downfall when he was caught and bowled for eight to a delighted Anil Kumble.

Australia had been bowled out for 212, at home, a sight one doesn’t see everyday, with the side only lasting 50 overs. The local batsmen were made to pay for not showing the visiting bowlers proper respect and the whole Indian side bowled well as a team to contribute to the successful day’s play for the tourists.

The Indians still had to see off an awkward session of play and t??hey did it in fine style as they withstood everything the fired up Australians had to throw ?at them.

Only Jaffer fell right before the close of play when Clark had the out of form opener caught at gully, but a?t 1-52 with a lead of 170 and nine second innings wickets remaining, it is India who are very much in front and much to the dismay of many c??ritics, dominating this match.

India 330
Rahul Dravid 93, Sachin Tendulkar 71
Mitchell Johnson 4-86, Brett Lee 3-71

Australia 212
Andrew Symonds 66, Adam Gilchrist 55
RP Singh 4-68, Ishant Sharma 2-34

India 1-52
Virender Sehwag 29*
Stuart Clark 1-7

India lead by 170 runs with nine wickets remaining

Bangladesh came out to bat on the third day, still 199 runs behind New Zealand first innings score and were set back?? immediately with the dismissal of veteran Habibul Bashar fo??r 25, LBW to Chris Martin.

His replacement, Shahadat Hossain, added just five to Bangladesh’s sorry scorecard before edging the ball to the wicketkeeper off O’Brien.

Shakib Al Hasan was left stranded on 41 when Sajidul Islam was run out on three and Mashrafe Mortaza, caught to a brilliant catch by Kyle Mills at point. With Tamim Iqbal ruled out with a thumb injury, it was all over for the visitors who went down by an innings and 137 runs. Each of New Zealand’s pacemen picked up two wickets each in a thorough performance for the home side.

Bangladesh 143
Mohammad Ashraful 35, Aftab Ahmed 25*
Chris Martin 5-65, Iain O’Brien 3-34

New Zealand 393
Daniel Vettori 94, Stephen Fleming 87
Shahadat Hossain 3-83

Bangladesh 113
Shakib Al Hasan 41*, Habibul Bashar 25
Jacob Oram 2-21, Iain O’Brien 2-23

New Zealand won by an innings and 137 runs