Iceman’s Realm

After winning the final test match of the series, the World champions are back to their winning ways. What a way to start the year - a win of the last test match, and now one-up in the two match Twenty-20 series. With the unavailability of the in-form South African skipper, Graeme Smith, the team looks incompetent - a lacklustuer performance in the last test match and now continuing the dismal form in the twenty-20. Undoubtedly, Smith is the trump card. Unless and until he returns to Cricket, the team will continue to face defeats. Meanwhile, the world champions are continuing to dominate. The inagural twenty-20 match kicked off in style. Having won the toss, the Australian team looked exceptional right from the word go. The vibrant opener David Warner, was at his best, in fact his blitzkrieg was phenomenal. Apart from him and the skipper, no other batsman contributed significantly. The South Africans, on the other hand looked feeble. Asking them to chase down 183 was too much for the asking. Wickets fell in quick succession and that hindered their run chase. With wickets tumbling at one end, the young promising South African batsman, JP Duminy, almost single handedly tried to win the match for his team but unfortunately, he was running short of partners. Albeit playing sensibly, apparently, he was not at his usual flamboyant best. Ultimately, the visitors fell short of 52 runs which is a big defeat by any stretch of imagination.

Earlier it was a 2 - 0 defeat against India on the sub continent turf. Now the world champions have lost the series again. And that too on their home turf. Losing a series is something the Australians are not accustomed to and after this defeat, the cricket fraternity has realized that even the world champions can be beaten. Gone are the days when Glen McGrath used to deceive the batsmen with his clever ploy of bowling the slow ball deliveries, Shane Warne who used to bamboozle the batsmen with his spin bowling, and Adam Gilchrist who used to used to fire on all cylinders with his bat. With the absence of the great stalwarts, the team isn’t looking formidable. The dashing opener, Mathew Hayden’s retirement is also imminent. If he retires from Australian cricket, the world champions are unquestionably doomed.

The Australians have somehow won the final test of the series. The visiting side on the other hand have done extremely well and they are quite obviously, the winners. The defining moment of the day was when skipper Graeme Smith came out to play. He received a standing ovation and a huge round of applause for the courage he showed when he stepped out of the pavilion after the 9th wicket fell for the visiting team. When the pen ultimate wicket fell, the spectators and some of the Australian players started celebrating, thinking it was all over. He was ruled out of the 3rd test because of a broken arm. Nevertheless, with great courage he came out to bat. Finally at the end of the day, it was an Australian win. If the South African skipper
was not injured and had he batted both the innings, it would have been a different story altogether.

After setting a mammoth score of 376 runs on the board and after dismissing Morne Morkel on the penultimate day, the home team is sitting pretty. Australia declared at 257 for 4 when Micheal Clarke got out at 41. With a healthy lead and with the pitch deteriorating gradually, the Australians are smelling blood. Meanwhile, the South Africans are playing only 10 batsmen and it is quite understable that Australia need only just 9 wickets on the final day. 376 is undoubtedly a mammoth score and to chase it down is quite an uphill task. With the in form batsman, Graeme Smith not playing due to an injury, the onus is now on the other main players to prove their mettle. Having said all this, only two outcomes are likely to happen -  either an Australian win or a match draw. South Africa winning the final test match is out of the question.

Australians are definitely in the driver’s seat in the 3rd test match. At stumps they were 33 for no loss. With a healthy lead of more than 100 runs and with the South African skipper having been ruled out of the 3rd test, the home team certainly has an edge. With the unavailability of the South African skipper, it is going to be a formidable task for them. Moreover, he’s the in form batsmen plus, the trump card of the visiting team. The South Africans undoubtedly are going to chase a huge score in the second innings. Meanwhile, the itch deteriorating gradually, is a cause of concern for the team playing on the final day. If they bowl out the home team to anything around 150, South Africans have a chance. But anything above that, out
of the question.

Having said that anything above 350 will be a bonus, the Australians have gone beyond that and have scored a mammoth 445 runs on the board. Scores of anything beyond 400 is phenomenal and considering the case of the pitch deteriorating day by day, I reckon the Aussies now have a psychological edge over their opponents. Mitchel Johnson is improving tremendously as a player, be it runs or wickets, he’s exceptionally good both with the bat and the ball. 445 by far is an exceptionally good score on the board. South Africa are one down and with the skipper getting retired hurt, the other batsmen will have to battle it out. With 125 on the board, there is still a long way to go.

Right from the start of the series, Australia have only batted first and the South Africans accordingly, chasing down targets. With this decision to bat first, the Australian skipper is expecting same things won’t happen again and again. Having elected to bat first, made a slow yet a steady start. With Micheal Clarke unbeaten on 73 and with Mitchel Johnson complementing quite well, the Aussies are looking somethig around the 350 run mark. Anything above 350 will be a bonus and if they do so, the visting team will have to play very well to come near the first innings score. Remember, the Australians are playing for pride, they have already lost the test series.
Ending the series on a winning note will be very gratifying.

Fag end of the year and the world champions are already looking down the barrel. AB de Villers and debutant JP Duminy set up an incredible victory for the South Africans. With a massive lead of 94 runs in the first innings and having set up a mammoth total of 414 runs, who would have thought the home team would end up losing the game at the end of the day? After losing to India 2 - 0 in the  last test series, the Australians should have been a little  more wary of these tough encounters. South Africans, are no doubt, a tough competents for the world champions and with the skipper being in sublime touch, the visitors are perhaps the dark horses.