Oh mi god, we won the series three nil. How the fuck did we do that?
It's not often New Zealand can celebrate in trans-Tasman cricketing competitions, our last real purple patch being the mid-80s, perhaps 1990 at a pinch. Oh, we have had good teams on paper, and often played well enough and won a few games, less so recently, but to win a one day series or test series against the Aussies, well, it hasn't happened in a while.
Even in the recent tri-series over here in Oz, we played really well, but it was a case of almosts - almost beating Australia in two games, almost getting to the finals only to be pipped by the English. Well, when the Chappell-Hadlee annual one day series came along last week, I think there was a bit of duality in my mind - here we go again with the Australian winning procession, or let's see how they do without the home crowds, even the thought of a bit of revenge if we were lucky enough.
And then the rout at the Cake Tin in Wellington, Oz all out for 148 and the Kiwis romping to a ten wicket victory, the first Australia have ever suffered in all the one day games that they have played. To put in another context, that is like Manchester United fighting for relegation or the Detroit Red Wings not making the playoffs.
But then there was the excuse making - Ponting and Gilchrist, two of their best batsmen, if not the best in the world, out of the side resting, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke and Brett Lee injured. There has been a lot of talk about how when Symonds got injured Australia started slumping, losing against the English for example, but surely one man does not make a team.
Was all set in my mind for a loss on Sunday in Auckland, especially after heading out with Australia having scored 330-something. Did shopping, watched a movie, was shocked when I was told that New Zealand had gotten the target.
So that was the trophy won, and less excuse for Australia this time, the batsmen had done their job okay, and the bowling line up is only really missing Lee, perhaps Symonds, as impact players. And from the Kiwi side for the third match, Bond and Vettori, our two best bowlers, were left out to recover from slight injuries.
Again, the Australians batted first - the first time after winning the toss, I thought that perhaps Hussey was seeing whether he could actually defend a total, practise for the World Cup, after failing to do so the previous two games. And again, the Australian batsmen went nuts - Matthew Hayden doing the bully boy thing with 181 not out, highest Australian one day score ever, leading to a total of 347.
New Zealand were 4-41 at one stage, and then 5 in the 110s somewhere, Fulton putting together a nice fifty. The game seemed lost, and we could console ourselves with a series win still, but McMillan went ballistic. A 67 ball century, fastest by a New Zealander ever, beating Jacob Oram's one from about a month back - that being in a losing total of course. Then McMillan and another two wickets out cheaply. All looked lost.
McCullum and Gillespie came through with the goods. A-fucking-mazing. A win with three balls to spare. The Australian bowling attack at the moment is utter cack. The four highest successful run chases have been against Australia in the last fourteen months or so, three from New Zealand, the other from the South Africans, with that near 900 runs in a day game.
You have to grin sometimes - Gilchrist has been in the media today saying that the timing of this one day series was not good for Australia. They would rather rest and prepare for the World Cup than play in New Zealand. I'm sure he wouldn't have been saying that if the team had been winning. And I would have thought playing foreign conditions would have been a positive because isn't the World Cup, like, in the West Indies this year?
Oh, and Gilly apparently saying there was little point to the series over the Tasman as well - umm, a quick three game sprint over five days, versus the annual procession of the tri series over here which seems to take forever, and only one or two prelim games are ever actually crucial? Comparison, much?
For a crucial hour, the last of the game, I didn't have any coverage, because FM radio doesn't do sport - what I was listening to on the bus home. Got home, was told that in the latest bulletin that McMillan and the other two cheap wickets had gone and it was looking bad - went up to my room to turn on the sports radio.
Bliss, sweet bliss with Brian Waddle talking to McMillan about the win. Almost as good as a Rugby World Cup final win.
Fingers crossed for that, the rugby thing, later in the year as well.
It's not often New Zealand can celebrate in trans-Tasman cricketing competitions, our last real purple patch being the mid-80s, perhaps 1990 at a pinch. Oh, we have had good teams on paper, and often played well enough and won a few games, less so recently, but to win a one day series or test series against the Aussies, well, it hasn't happened in a while.
Even in the recent tri-series over here in Oz, we played really well, but it was a case of almosts - almost beating Australia in two games, almost getting to the finals only to be pipped by the English. Well, when the Chappell-Hadlee annual one day series came along last week, I think there was a bit of duality in my mind - here we go again with the Australian winning procession, or let's see how they do without the home crowds, even the thought of a bit of revenge if we were lucky enough.
And then the rout at the Cake Tin in Wellington, Oz all out for 148 and the Kiwis romping to a ten wicket victory, the first Australia have ever suffered in all the one day games that they have played. To put in another context, that is like Manchester United fighting for relegation or the Detroit Red Wings not making the playoffs.
But then there was the excuse making - Ponting and Gilchrist, two of their best batsmen, if not the best in the world, out of the side resting, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke and Brett Lee injured. There has been a lot of talk about how when Symonds got injured Australia started slumping, losing against the English for example, but surely one man does not make a team.
Was all set in my mind for a loss on Sunday in Auckland, especially after heading out with Australia having scored 330-something. Did shopping, watched a movie, was shocked when I was told that New Zealand had gotten the target.
So that was the trophy won, and less excuse for Australia this time, the batsmen had done their job okay, and the bowling line up is only really missing Lee, perhaps Symonds, as impact players. And from the Kiwi side for the third match, Bond and Vettori, our two best bowlers, were left out to recover from slight injuries.
Again, the Australians batted first - the first time after winning the toss, I thought that perhaps Hussey was seeing whether he could actually defend a total, practise for the World Cup, after failing to do so the previous two games. And again, the Australian batsmen went nuts - Matthew Hayden doing the bully boy thing with 181 not out, highest Australian one day score ever, leading to a total of 347.
New Zealand were 4-41 at one stage, and then 5 in the 110s somewhere, Fulton putting together a nice fifty. The game seemed lost, and we could console ourselves with a series win still, but McMillan went ballistic. A 67 ball century, fastest by a New Zealander ever, beating Jacob Oram's one from about a month back - that being in a losing total of course. Then McMillan and another two wickets out cheaply. All looked lost.
McCullum and Gillespie came through with the goods. A-fucking-mazing. A win with three balls to spare. The Australian bowling attack at the moment is utter cack. The four highest successful run chases have been against Australia in the last fourteen months or so, three from New Zealand, the other from the South Africans, with that near 900 runs in a day game.
You have to grin sometimes - Gilchrist has been in the media today saying that the timing of this one day series was not good for Australia. They would rather rest and prepare for the World Cup than play in New Zealand. I'm sure he wouldn't have been saying that if the team had been winning. And I would have thought playing foreign conditions would have been a positive because isn't the World Cup, like, in the West Indies this year?
Oh, and Gilly apparently saying there was little point to the series over the Tasman as well - umm, a quick three game sprint over five days, versus the annual procession of the tri series over here which seems to take forever, and only one or two prelim games are ever actually crucial? Comparison, much?
For a crucial hour, the last of the game, I didn't have any coverage, because FM radio doesn't do sport - what I was listening to on the bus home. Got home, was told that in the latest bulletin that McMillan and the other two cheap wickets had gone and it was looking bad - went up to my room to turn on the sports radio.
Bliss, sweet bliss with Brian Waddle talking to McMillan about the win. Almost as good as a Rugby World Cup final win.
Fingers crossed for that, the rugby thing, later in the year as well.
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