England won by 7 wickets (18 balls remaining)
Australia 147/6(20 overs)
England 148/3 (17/20 overs)
Australia
1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Michael Hussey, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.
England
1 Michael Lumb, 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Michael Yardy, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.
Regardless of whether England emerges triumphant against Australia, the form team of the tournament, they have turned a corner in terms of public perception. In many ways, the tale of their shortcomings in ICC global events is less a matter of their failure to take home any trophies, but their failure to give themselves a chance to compete. On two occasions in the modern era of one-day cricket, they’ve found a formula that came close to ending the drought – namely, at the 1992 World Cup, when their greatest player, the ageing Ian Botham, was arguably their weakest link, and in the 2004 Champions Trophy, when Michael Vaughan’s men were already building towards the following summer’s Ashes.
In almost every other tournament of note they have been little short of a rabble, and that includes their previous forays in the World Twenty20, in South Africa in 2007, when they opened the batting with the bits-and-pieces Darren Maddy, and in 2009, when the Netherlands (including a certain Dirk Nannes) stunned them in the tournament curtain-raiser. At the third time of asking, however, England have hit upon a formula that deserves to succeed precisely because it doesn’t see success as a birthright. Every player from 1 to 11 is up for a scrap, and against an Australian side that doesn’t know when it’s beaten, a scrap is precisely what they can expect.
It has taken the Australians five years to shed the view that Twenty20 is a format for fun. However, Michael Clarke’s team is playing the game in the same serious, clinical and tunnel-visioned manner that has been so successful for them in Tests and ODIs over the past decade. Under Clarke’s captaincy the side’s worst result in 14 matches is the tie against New Zealand in February, which turned into a Super Over defeat.
Since then they have won six matches in a row, including the breath-taking semi-final triumph over Pakistan, in a record that is more suited to Ricky Ponting’s all-conquering outfits in 50-over World Cups. Not only are they well balanced, with frightening bowlers and muscular batsmen, but they now expect to win everything. And the only thing that can motivate them more than capturing a trophy they have never held is to beat England in doing it.
Form guide (Most recent first)
Australia WWWWW
England WWWWN
Australia squad
MJ Clarke*, DT Christian, BJ Haddin†, RJ Harris, NM Hauritz, DJ Hussey, MEK Hussey, MG Johnson, DP Nannes, TD Paine†, SPD Smith, SW Tait, DA Warner, SR Watson, CL White
England squad
PD Collingwood*, JM Anderson, RS Bopara, TT Bresnan, SCJ Broad, C Kieswetter†, MJ Lumb, EJG Morgan, KP Pietersen, A Shahzad, RJ Sidebottom, GP Swann, JC Tredwell, LJ Wright, MH Yardy
Welkom Joggie….
Blouste jy moenie worry nie ou my bek is maar so groot, maar ek like van lekker rustig kuier ek drink regtig nie so baie nie, kan nie , val te gou om. Dan lag almal. Haha.
Maar ons gaan bietjie rondry , ek maak geleentheid. Was jy al bo-op die berg, by die waterval?
238@ Relborg – Welkom!
Now listen all you Bulls Supporters. I am a Sharkie forever okay….hehe. Will be supporting your team in the semi and final if you make it there. But I am a Sharkie always… 😀
Will also support Stormers in the semi. But if both make it my support as from today will be behind the Bulls in the final. Too many of you okes supported my team even if we were doing lousy this year. So pay back time from this Sharkie.
238 – joggie, Welcome here.
244@ BluePuma – Fanks!
Kyk ek kan al ou Asgat se mond hoor as hy uitvind van julle keuses 😆
hello joggie en welkom in die malhuis. As jy nog nie van jou kop af is nie gee maar kans dit gebeur gou.
240 – Winston, Agree nice to see another country win this. My bru is down the tube.
…. and the Poms go bossies as they win….
Hulle is ook fokkol gewoond nie!
246 – Gbs, Only for the semi and final. I wear my Sharks shirt but scream for the Bulls those days…..hehehehe.
England won by 7 wickets (with 18 balls remaining)
I’m out of here for now guys enjoy the rest of your evening..chat soon
Congrats to our resident pom. Well done to your team. Very good win.
super
Man my pa hulle, almal was al daar, ‘n Jannie de Lange konneksie wat ons altyd opvat,
Ons dreig al lank, maar nog nooit gegaan nie, maar my vrou sal my nooit vergewe as ek nou sonder haar gaan nie !!! 🙄
Ek sal mooi in die :poop: wees… 😉
253 – Durban, Cheers mate.
Moerse Pak wat die Ausies gekry het, ag lekker my bru was te nice vir AUS ek het Eng met 3 paaltjies gepick.
Cheers Durbs !!!
thx puma
252 – Super, It was a hiding for Oz.
259 – Joggie, I take it you are also a Bulls supporter.
Fark, I only picked the Poms by 2 wickets or 9 runs…
Ek dink ek het ook die pommies met 3 op gehad (paaltjies)
Puma,us Sharks supporters are an endangered species here on Rugby-Talk 🙂
236 – Winston, So that is two of us Sharkies paying back our dues here. 😆 Both turning blue for the semi and final…hehe. Then back to Sharkies forever.
Geez,a lot of hits on a Sunday night,good to see.
Then you better expand your “tribe” here Winston 😉
264 – Winston, I know. We have to know convince Sharky as well. I think he will though. Just for those days. Then it is back to Sharks Forever…hehehe.
268 – know – now
266 – Winston, Think it is the crici and also the semis and final coming up. All exciting stuff. Been a lot of blogging on RT this weekend.
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