English summer of 2009

After winning the Ashes against the not so Mighty Australians, English cricketers are in a holiday mood. At least it seems so when you see them play against Oz in the ongoing 7 one dayers.
Its 3-0 now.After losing 3 matches in a row, its difficult for them to come back.

Australians are eying 7-0 whitewash here. Huge win that will be !

Though I am not a big fan of the English but I think 7-0 is not possible. I wont be surprised if England come back and win all the four in a row. But its highly improbable considering the form of the Oz players and the lack of it in the English camp.

Stranger things have happened in Cricket though. If its a 7-0 win, I will 'eat crow'. Literally.

Of losses and moanings

Australia lost the Ashes, and as a result suffered a big drop in the ICC test rankings.

Of all people, I was hoping for a OZ victory and was disappointed. While everyone else is blaming Ponting for the loss, I would say he is a poor guy and needs to be felt for. The Oz team is a new team, and almost all of them were having their first Ashes outing outside of Australia. Do not forget the absence of McGrath, Warne, Langer, Hayden et al. And to top them, Bret Lee was not fit.

It will take time for this new team to come up to OZ standards. I will wait for the complete OZ dominance in tests.

While for One-dayers I will still back my home team India. With The 'Wall' back in team, i am looking forward to a recuperated Indian team in the Champions trophy and the upcoming triangular series in Lanka.

And OZ struggle again, this time without a Freddie Onslaught

Its day 2 at Birmingham and its the 3rd Ashes test with England leading 1-0.
And OZ have disappointed again. 250/9 does not look a good score for a team with a formidable lineup. Batsmen have failed again, to negotiate the swinging ball.
This time its Jimmy Anderson who took 5 wickets, supported by Onions who took 3. Flintoff just bowled 12 overs in 65 which OZ have managed to survive till now with no scalps.
Its time OZ come to terms to English conditions. There will be no time to recover if they lose this game.

The 'Freddy' factor

This is the last tour of Freddy Flintoff and he will try his best to secure England an Ashes win. England did what they could not in last 75 years, a win in the Lords in Ashes. They are now 1-0 up with 3 more to go. And with Pontings men not in top form, an English win is highly likely.
But Australians cant be taken lightly. More so because of the over dependence on Flintoff. The right arm fast bowler has his own limitations, especially against right handers. And if Ponting and Clarke can steer the ship , and Hussey giving support at the right time, with a much needed support from the bowling department, OZs can come back.
Lets hope to see some exciting matches.