Bits of news

I’m going to go out on a leaf here and say that Israel doesn’t give two hoots what Australia says about what’s happening over there – critical or supportive of either side. So for anyone to claim that Israel is doing what they are doing because the Australian government hasn’t been overly critical of Israel’s latest use of force would be prudent, naive, attention-grabbing, and plain silly.

My own two cents? Prime Minister Rudd’s statements and attention paid to this is adequate, considering our involvement, location, and the politics of the issue. You didn’t think I would give you my two cents on the current problems over there, did you? I’m too smart for that – when everyone has cooler heads, and when it’s not such a hot topic I might write them down. But out of fear of how they might be interpreted and construed (which probably gives away my opinions on the matter), I’ll hold off.

Thomas.

Back onto the cricket

So far so good – though with a pitch like the one they are playing on anything can happen (much like with every ball). While the pitch quality is quite poor, and it hasn’t held up at all, I’m personally glad it has gone to the wall. Since the Perth wicket no long has cracks the width of a fist, every pitch in Australia is really a batter’s pitch. Now we have a crazy-interesting match because of how the pitch is. Makes for a one-off specticle (because it won’t be happening again).

Hayden’s spot in the team (should he survive) might have been saved by Asoka de Silva. He was plum as plum (probably as plum as Bollinger’s not given LBW against one of the South Africans through the day). It doesn’t matter if he scores a big score here, he should be dropped. I suspect that in either scenario, a good score or not, he will stay. The selectors just aren’t thinking clearly at the moment. Where McDonald and Bollinger came from I have no idea. They still don’t want to settle on a bowler. Didn’t they pick Hilfenhaus for the squad in Melbourne? Is he good enough for Melbourne but not Sydney? Same goes for McDonald. He’s our all-rounder. Though with our tail performing like it has over the past series, we didn’t really need to settle on an untested all-rounder. I wouldn’t pick him, but Brad Hodge has always busted out performances for Australia when he’s been picked. That’s if you want to go down the road of a specialist batter. I would have gone with another specialist pace bowler myself.

Australia is in a position where they could win the match – if they stick together and play like they used to. Then again, they lost that first match, and they really shouldn’t have. 50 more runs, which is what the openers should have got in their second innings (well, when I say openers, I mean Hayden could have hit a decent score and taken the pressure off Katich, then Ponting, of having dead-weight at the end), and at the least the match would have been a draw because they wouldn’t have had the time to score the total …

… I think de Silva again just called a 5-ball over … strange …

… I’ll be watching as much as I can of the last few days. Listening, for the most part, to tomorrow’s play. I really hope Australia can dig out the win. I would hate to see history made – the first time in, I think, 122 years that Australia will have been beaten in a whitewash at home.

Thomas.

Post-script

I quite liked this comment from Mark Boucher:

It is in the top three toughest decks that I have played on day three and it is not nice staring down the wicket and making sure you run on the side of the wicket so you don’t fall down.