England won by 7 wickets (18 balls remaining)
Australia 147/6(20 overs)
England 148/3 (17/20 overs)
Australia
1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Michael Hussey, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.
England
1 Michael Lumb, 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Michael Yardy, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.
Regardless of whether England emerges triumphant against Australia, the form team of the tournament, they have turned a corner in terms of public perception. In many ways, the tale of their shortcomings in ICC global events is less a matter of their failure to take home any trophies, but their failure to give themselves a chance to compete. On two occasions in the modern era of one-day cricket, they’ve found a formula that came close to ending the drought – namely, at the 1992 World Cup, when their greatest player, the ageing Ian Botham, was arguably their weakest link, and in the 2004 Champions Trophy, when Michael Vaughan’s men were already building towards the following summer’s Ashes.
In almost every other tournament of note they have been little short of a rabble, and that includes their previous forays in the World Twenty20, in South Africa in 2007, when they opened the batting with the bits-and-pieces Darren Maddy, and in 2009, when the Netherlands (including a certain Dirk Nannes) stunned them in the tournament curtain-raiser. At the third time of asking, however, England have hit upon a formula that deserves to succeed precisely because it doesn’t see success as a birthright. Every player from 1 to 11 is up for a scrap, and against an Australian side that doesn’t know when it’s beaten, a scrap is precisely what they can expect.
It has taken the Australians five years to shed the view that Twenty20 is a format for fun. However, Michael Clarke’s team is playing the game in the same serious, clinical and tunnel-visioned manner that has been so successful for them in Tests and ODIs over the past decade. Under Clarke’s captaincy the side’s worst result in 14 matches is the tie against New Zealand in February, which turned into a Super Over defeat.
Since then they have won six matches in a row, including the breath-taking semi-final triumph over Pakistan, in a record that is more suited to Ricky Ponting’s all-conquering outfits in 50-over World Cups. Not only are they well balanced, with frightening bowlers and muscular batsmen, but they now expect to win everything. And the only thing that can motivate them more than capturing a trophy they have never held is to beat England in doing it.
Form guide (Most recent first)
Australia WWWWW
England WWWWN
Australia squad
MJ Clarke*, DT Christian, BJ Haddin†, RJ Harris, NM Hauritz, DJ Hussey, MEK Hussey, MG Johnson, DP Nannes, TD Paine†, SPD Smith, SW Tait, DA Warner, SR Watson, CL White
England squad
PD Collingwood*, JM Anderson, RS Bopara, TT Bresnan, SCJ Broad, C Kieswetter†, MJ Lumb, EJG Morgan, KP Pietersen, A Shahzad, RJ Sidebottom, GP Swann, JC Tredwell, LJ Wright, MH Yardy
Okay I am off. Catch up tomorrow.
Cheers everyone. Enjoy the rest of your evening.
Winston good luck on the two interviews you went for. Hope you hear something tomorrow buddy.
Puma
Thats a good question my friend….
Cheers Puma
Have a good one !!!
Daar is mos so mooi kroeg in die woongebied, nou daai plek mis mos erg toe. Nou blykbaar het die manne toe gemis in die kroeg, ja jy kon nie die deur kry nie en ook nie die ou langs jou sien nie.
Klink reg vir my.
302 – Blouste, I was thinking about that one. Not worried if Bakkies is out. Flip will do fine. Think losing Van Den Heever is a lot more serious. He has scored plenty tries for the Bulls this season.
What about JLP can he play wing? Just a thought.
Okay now out of here. Catch up with you all tomorrow.
300@ SuperBul – Ek het ‘n moooooosa lekker helikopter flip gehad daar bo op Mariepskop. Opgestyg van Hoedspruit Lugmagbasis af, daar bo gaan rondvlieg…. en die Pilot het met ons ‘n stall-turn gedoen…. awsome!
Puma slaap sag , moet nie skape tel nie tel Bulle, soos n goeie Bul ondersteuner. Al is jy n tydelike een.
Ek wil iets sê maar ek is soos iemand wat nie weet wat om te sê nie.
Goet-in-self?
super
‘n Man moet darem nog die barman kan sien en vica versa !!!
309@ Sheriff – Se maar wat jy dink vannie ruppie.
Hallo Sheriff
Goed dankie man …
GBS ek het laasjaar dieselfde ervaring gehad, met die Laerskool Rugby dag het hulle die laaste dag al die afrigters en borge gevat vir daai flip. Ek was saam die jong onnies en hulle het die pilot gevra daarvoor, dit was awesome. Ook agedaal tot die bodem van die watervalle, sopnat daaruit gekom.
gbs
Mens kan “hotair balloon trips” ook daar doen, klink moerse nice maar is duur !!!
Ek dink iets soos R1800-00 per persoon vir ‘n uur as ek reg onthou…
Blouste die Barman is gelukkig sigbaar met al daai versterkings , wie mis sy dop? Het jy al geval en dop gemors?
Nee man , daai is mos iets wat ingebore instink is en net nooit gebeur nie 😆
Die glas en sy inhoud is mos altyd die item wat survive !!!
314@ Blouste – Ja, Hot-air ballooning is moer duur…. hulle doen dit daar by Harties ook.
Flok, ek galla-galla weer al maande lank vir valskermspring, my laaste sprong was moer lank terug….
Ek dink die mickolight flips is beter daai ballon gaan waar hy will. Hulle het nou die dag al drie oor my lapa gegaan , vrek laag glo van lyn af gedryf deur wind.
Take Care Puma,hopefully I get news soon 🙂
316
nerwe waai maar bier verloor nie n druppel nie, vertel my daarvan.
Waars Sherrif nou heen , hy is mos n WP man , nie waar?
Onwaarskynlik dat die Stormers kan 3 games agtereenvolgens wen teen strawwe kompetisie.
Gister se wedstryd het net op hulle senuwees gewerk, maar fisies kon die B-span hulle nie druk end-uit nie.
Die Bulle het nou gewis die binnebaan om te wen, maar is daar “twist” ?
As hulle ‘n valskerm het wat my kan hou sal ek ook gaan spring, die goed het mos ‘n “weight limit” 😆
Sherrif is jy n Stormer ondersteuner?
Sheriff, ek moet se jy is een van die min Stormer supporters wat ek so hoor praat, die ander manne is kwaai optimisties…
Ons het alby tawwe semi games !!!
323@ Blouste – Neewat, jy moes die Beer gesien het wat saam met my ons 1ste sprong gedoen het… mens dra mos altyd 2 valskerms… die ene wat moet oop en ‘n noodskerm, deesdae is altwee “squares” en hulle kies maar net ‘n groterige square vir die vetties…
alby = albei 😳
Ja superbul, jy weet mos!
Hoe reply mens op die platform, ek click jou naam toe kom ek af op fotos van diere?!
gbs
Daai sal ‘n moosa square moet wees !!! 😆
Sheriff, dis in gbs se vakansie planne… 😉
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