Australia are beatable: just push hard for 100 overs

I left home 10 overs into the game and we had lost five wickets. By the time I got to Nathan’s, we’d lost eight. The match was effectively over.

It’s a hollow feeling seeing your mates get thrashed like that. There is not much you can say when wickets fall the way they did in Faridabad. Some tried to bat defensively, some tried to take on the bowling but it was just the kind of day when everything the bowlers did came off. The batsmen were being beaten regularly so there’s little denying the wicket was conducive to faster men. Overnight dew must have played its part too.

When spectators get only 200 runs from a day’s game and troop back home in the afternoon itself, it can’t be termed a great one-day game. But for those Australian bowlers trying to build a reputation, it would be a proverbial shot in the arm.

There will probably be a hue and cry about the quality of the wicket. But they are a strange breed, these batsmen. If the wicket is flat and offers no assistance to the bowlers, it’s a great wicket; if it’s seaming and swinging, it’s a poor one and not a fair contest. As they say, it’s a batsman’s game!

I’m sure the New Zealand side was pretty confident leading into the first ODI of the series against Australia. With an excellent Test series behind them and points from a first-up wash out, the team was fine-tuned for a big result. Add to that, the top three fast bowlers for Australia were missing — New Zealand would definitely have rated their chances.

I can’t explain it, but there’s nothing more satisfying than to beat the Aussies. Perhaps that’s a compliment to a country that now boasts stars across the sporting spectrum. And with the cricket side being at the forefront of Australian sport, it only adds to the satisfaction of winning.

Players may say they prepare the same way for every match, and that may be the case, but for us there’s an ‘edge’ we feel when we are about to confront Australia. You know you’re up against the world’s premier side and, as a bowler, against some very destructive batsmen. You know if you are not on top of your game, you’re in for a hard day at the office.

The Australian team, though great, is beatable. I’ve played Australia six times and the record stands at 3-3. It’s a simple strategy when playing them, you go hard for 100 overs, and if they come at you, keep pushing harder.

The New Zealand side has had as much success against Australia in recent years as any other. The planning on fielding positions for their batsmen is very methodical and we have enjoyed some real success from it. I think this match perfectly mirrored the struggles India have had in touring countries like England, New Zealand and Australia.

New Zealand will be looking to put this game behind them. There are no easy matches in this tournament. The batsmen will be hoping for another flat wicket for the next match. It will be a test of their character to come back from a thrashing like this and still leave a mark in the tournament. (Cricket News)