Aussies v. Windies - Second Test

[Donny]

Andy Bichel opens the bowling after lunch.

C'mon, Bic, remember the WC m8. You can do it !!

[Northern Pie]

shall start calling Donny the prophet!!!

Bic must have read the message on his Palm Pilot....

great Stuff!!!!

HAL...Shall we call Donny the prophet or still call him Jack?

Cheers

[Donny]

Bichel takes wickets at 213, 222 and 228. What a champ !!

In 45 minutes since lunch, the Aussies have taken 3/18.

170 needed or 4 wickets. Lara is 122 n.o.

52 overs remain. 5 to the new ball. How are they going to get the old ball away from Bic. Lol.

LARA IS OUT !! Caught by Hayden at 1st. slip from MacGill's bowling.

[HAL]

Where did Bichel take wickets at 213 222 and 228 ? Where is that?

[Donny]

Waugh says, "OK, Bic, you've done the job m8. Take a well earned rest. Hoggy? Have a bowl."

First ball Baugh goes the big hit. Skied. Caught by Alfie.

The writing is on the wall. It says, "Bichel inspires Aussie win" Lol.

[Donny]

In 75 minutes since lunch Australia have taken 5/37 to have a stranglehold on this Test.

They will also retain the Frank Worrell trophy.

[Donny]

All over. Bing and Dizzy take the last two.

Gillespie took 2/36 and MacGill, 2/53 but it was Bichel's 3/10 from 6 overs straight after lunch which knocked the stuffing out of the gallant West Indians.

I'm really off to bed this time.

[Culprit]

Windies looked good but crumbled in the end. We now retain the Frank Worrell Trophy, as they cannot win the series. Lara is bating sensational and Carl Hooper should beg forgiveness and come back to the fold.

[Pies Premiers 2003]

Well done Aussies......made it a bit more exciting for those who stayed up....could the hero Bichel be dropped for Mcgrath???

Bichel certainly comes too the party when invited...

[Kristin5]

Congratulations to the Aussies - now, finally I can get some much needed sleep!

Here's a great article about Matty:

Hayden toughs out century
April 24 2003
By Trevor Marshallsea
Port of Spain, Trinidad


It is not often Matthew Hayden makes a Test hundred and does not come away beaming. But after a hard day's toil to reach his 13th century on Tuesday, he was more drained than ecstatic.

The Queenslander said he had had "a pretty tough day at the office" after making an unbeaten 100 as Australia declared at 3-238, a lead of 406 - leaving a target that had yet to be reached to win a Test.

Hayden's ton came off 180 balls in more than four-and-a-half hours - a decidedly slow rate for him. But, aside from the West Indies setting tight fields all day, the Queen's Park pitch is decidedly different to those he has met in the past.

Although batsmen here have generally had time to play their shots, a lack of pace off the pitch has meant they have had to work harder to launch balls towards the boundary than on harder Australian decks. Subtle variations in bounce have also kept the batsmen thinking.

Hayden's best way of explaining it was to say: "It's not an easy wicket to get out on, but it's hard to score runs on.


"It was pretty tough work. Conditions weren't very easy and I found myself not really enjoying today in some ways because it was hard to score and you had to play so straight and there was that variation in bounce as well.

"It's a different sort of cricket to our (Australian) wickets. Batting itself is a real challenge."

Hayden's century, which also included an uncharacteristically low total of 10 boundaries, gave him 10 hundreds in only his past 19 Tests since his prolonged hot streak began at the start of last season.

With 13 in 68 Test innings overall, he has scored a century in 19 per cent of his visits to the crease. Of all players to have made five or more hundreds, Hayden's ratio makes him the second-best Australian, and sixth on an overall list headed by Don Bradman, who scored tons in 36 per cent of his innings.

Having emerged from Port of Spain with a match total of 130 runs, Hayden has now also made 3255 career runs from 40 Tests. Only two Australians had fared better after as many Tests - Bradman, with 5642, and Neil Harvey, with 3833.

It is a stunning effort, considering that after 13 matches of what was at first a faltering Test career, Hayden had only 536 runs and one hundred.

"I know early up I was always a bit tentative to play my game and have the confidence to get through those first 30 or 40 overs," he said, "whereas now I feel like I can see beyond that in my own mind as well. That's always a nice feeling."

Australia started the fourth day 199 runs in front on 1-77, but lost Ricky Ponting, caught behind, soon before lunch. The vice-captain's innings ended with an angry but brief gesture at paceman Merv Dillon, who accidentally bumped Ponting's head on his follow-through.

With tight fields restricting scoring, Steve Waugh declared when Darren Lehmann fell for 66 just before tea, making it only Waugh's second match without a bat in his 158 Tests. The skipper, who ceded his spot in the order in the first innings to Adam Gilchrist and then to Brad Hogg after sitting in his pads for two long partnerships, also did not bat in a washout draw against Pakistan in Sydney in 1988-89.

West Indies coach Gus Logie felt the "generous" declaration gave his side a "pretty good" chance of victory. "We felt they were looking for something in excess of possibly 500. Our bowlers did a great job to restrict them," he said.

The West Indies began unsteadily, with the scoreboard reading 2-12 in the eighth over when Jason Gillespie had Daren Ganga caught at first slip.

Gillespie had earlier completed a "pair" for left-hander Devon Smith. He was adjudged lbw by under-fire umpire Asoka de Silva, who was understood to have been reminded of the lbw law on day one, after giving Hayden and Justin Langer out to balls pitching outside leg stump.

[couragous cloke]

ARRRGGG!! we had u guys shittin yourself, unfortunatly Lara couldnt go all the way and Sarwan went brain Dead after Lunch.

I think we're the second best batting team in the world at the moment, but dont get me wrong, probebly 1 of the worst bowling teams. 3rd test begins on thursday night, Chanderpaul will be back, Tino Best could be included for some pace, McGrath will return to the Australian team (looking forward to that battle between him and Lara)

West indies will still be looking to draw the series, so they've got a lot to play for, if they get there bowling right, anything can happen.

Also i'd like to see Steve waugh get a bat once in a while!

[HAL]

Did we really?