Although as an Aussie I am delighted at the results, it cannot be said that Australia won these three matches. Rather, they just about rescued them from defeat.
Shane Watson rescued the first; Shaun Marsh rescued the second with delightfully eccentric help from Douggie Bollinger, who temporarily forgot that he cannot bat. Dave Hussey rescued the latest, on a moderate foundation set by Brad Haddin, and with solid support from John Hastings, the new boy. The rest of the team, with one exception, might as well have been on holiday.
There have only been two constants on which one can rely – firstly the exemplary bowling from that ghostly hero from a bygone age, Brett Lee, who was the only bowler from either side who achieved a consistently good line and length, and secondly the abysmal performance of the passenger Pup (aka Michael Clarke and as ‘the metrosexual wanker’ in Strine, or ‘a tosser’ in Brit, and as ‘captain’, whatever that means, by CA).
Thank goodness Ricky Ponting wasn’t playing, or Australia would have lost all three matches.
England, on the other hand were remarkably consistent – bad in every respect on all three days. Is this the team that breached the walls of Ilium? Sorry, … that retained the Ashes? Many of them look the same, but they must be poorly cloned copies, for their performance was naff, to say the least.
Surely the Australia Day match on Wednesday can’t be as bad as these three, can it? I guess I know the answer – sigh!
Boadicea's Chariot 
The ODD Series, not the ODI Series. Very strange.
It’s all part of our cunning plan, Bearsy. We didn’t want you to become too disheartened after The Ashes. 😀
OZ
I guess so, OZ – it will be interesting to watch SA win the World Cup while England and Australia vie for last place. 😎
“it will be interesting to watch SA win the World Cup while England and Australia vie for last place.”
Don’t put any money on that prediction Bearsy, I certainly won’t be!
I’m currently watching our 5th and final ODI against India, series 2 apiece, with all to play for. We’ve set India a challenging 268 (D/L adjusted), could go either way.
Our ODI performances of late have been awful, on those sub-continent tracks I’d be betting on a home win (either India, S/L or the Pakkis) I doubt if we’ll make the semis.
Expect Bangladesh to throw in a few surprises.
It’s a cunning plan, alright. The idea is to lull all the other sides at the World Cup into a false sense of security.
Yeah. Right.
Who are Pakistan backing?
I’ve just seen what my comment says….’sides,’ Bugrit!
Fixed – Bearsy
G’day, Bearsy.
It’s a worry. Collingwood completely out of form with the bat, Morgan suddenly vulnerable, Bresnan going home for treatment, the Prior gambit proving to be a complete disaster to date etc, etc, etc. ‘We’ could well be doomed.
This is, of course, a good thing. The one fault of my English cousins is the over-weening self confidence up with which they puff themselves whenever things seem to be going OK for them in international sport – vide every football World Cup since 1966 and the Battle of Bannockburn.
Had ‘we’ thumped you in the ODI series as well as gubbing you in the Ashes series, then ‘we’ would have been flying out to Bangladesh, without needing a plane, and on the wings of solid expectation that the other teams should just give ‘us’ the trophy straight away. As it is, things can now only get better, possibly. I’m still fairly sure that ‘we’ll’ make the quarter-finals.
Loving the coverage of the ODI on radio,by the way. The Test Match Special team seem to have gone home, presumably to have a well-earned rest before they depart for the sub-continent in mid-February. Commentary is being provided by the ‘Grandstand’ team of ABC local radio, to whom I am rapidly becoming addicted. Jim Maxwell and the others have a certain dry humour which I enjoy, even if it is often directed at squirming Poms.
Don’t quite understand why the commentators get a bit of a break while the ODI squad will get just three days at home before they jet off again.
I also think you are being a wee thing hard on the Aussie team. OK, ‘we’re’ rubbish but there have been a lot of positives in the play of many of the Aussies, in my opinion. Interestingly, about 4 am this morning, one of the ABC boys did have a bit of a ponder about whether they would have been playing as well, or even been the selected players in some cases, if Ponters had been Captain.
Soutie, nice series win, but what an innings from Pathan!
I expect England are letting you win the ODIs so that the nation’s tears don’t add to the flooding, Bearsy.
But let’s get one thing clear. Lleyton Hewitt is not to beat Andie Murray in the Australian Open, however heartbreaking that might be. I’m sorry Sam Stosur is already out.
Hi Sheona, a good New Year to both you and your spouse (JW, that’s two more, if you’re still counting, which you surely are).
But, err? It is surely a wee bit unlikely that Lleyton will beat oor Andy this year, given that he got emptied in Round 1 by David Nalbandian. Greatest comeback since Lazarus if he does manage it, in my opinon.
G’day JM –
I am delighted to hear that you are listening to the ABC’s Grandstand; that team can be a wonderful source of information about Australia and Australian attitudes as they rabbit on – sometimes they even talk about the match they’re watching! 🙂
I forgot to mention one very significant event. We are, of course, all familiar with Shane Watson’s propensity for running his partner out, but Trott has to take out the Gold Award for his masterly dismissal of his captain yesterday – I have never seen such an awful run out, except perhaps for Tremlett’s casual stroll to extinction at the end of the innings, the man needs a boot up the bum.
Soutie, you amaze me, I had expected the Proteas to sweep all before them; I must pay more attention.
Sheona, as JM has observed, little Lleyton departed earlier, as is his wont. Sam tries, but … 😦