Gazza's ICC quest is really awesome and detailed. Mine probably won't be either of them. That's because this is my team: My team is shit.
Australian Cricket Captain was a mad game when i was young. Played 20 seasons with WA, they had Gilly, Ryan Campbell, Katto, Marto, Langer, Moody etc. best team i played till a few years after every cunt had retired and got over it and started a different one.
Could never find ACC when I was younger, but played the shit out of ICC2002. Was disappointed to find that, in the current version, they cottoned on to the fact Samaraweera doesn't bowl anymore. I have the current one which has Shield cricket in it. Dunno when it came in, though, because this is my first since 2006 I think (or maybe I got the one after). Whichever it was didn't have Aussie cricket in it.
Just so you know where this team stands in the one day game, we've finished last seven seasons running. Tasmania v Western Australia - One Day Cup Team: Bain, Whitehead, Harrington, Warren, *Prior, Enright, +Hargreaves, Reeds, Straw, Wood, Roebuck Unavailable: Starling (Australia) Tasmania 1-235 (Kevan 116*, Garrett 105*, Reeds 1-48) defeated Western Australia 7-234 (Hargreaves 45*, Bain 44, Bradley 3-54) by 9 wickets Vintage Warriors performance. Scraped to 234 thanks to an unbeated 45 from 37 from Hargreaves, and pissed it up the wall after allowing Tasmania to win with a bonus point. Some horrible fucking bowling - Warren adding to his painfully slow 30 (60) by giving up 49 in five overs. Perfect start as we go for the eight-peat.
I think Aus domestic has been in since 2010. Terrible start, but I'm calling you don't finish last this year. I'm going to say 5th.
The things I do to avoid study. Tasmania v Western Australia - Sheffield Shield Team: Gray, Whitehead, *Prior, Harrington, Christian, Enright, +Hargreaves, Reeds, Straw, Wood, Roebuck Unavailable: Starling (Australia) Western Australia 7-640 dec. (Whitehead 240, Hargreaves 174*, Holland 3-185) & 5-188 (Hargreaves 55*, Harrington 40*, Bradley 3-59) drew with Tasmania 493 all out (Rendell 99, White 91, Wood 4-120) Well we batted forever to rack up 640, with Whitehead scoring his maiden double ton with 240. He was dropped twice after making 200, and Hargraves was dropped early-ish and then again after making his ton on his way to an unbeaten 174. They added 207 for the sixth wicket. Tassie had five players make it past fifty, but no centurions. They batted for a day and a half to take the sting out of the match completely. The bowling attack was worryingly shit. We batted again and didn't bother declaring. Two points in the bag.
Your optimism both surprises and confounds. Victoria v Western Australia - One Day Cup Team: Gray, Whitehead, *Prior, Harrington, Christian, Enright, +Hargreaves, Reeds, Cope (in for Straw), Wood, Hoddle (in for Roebuck) Unavailable: Starling (Australia). Gotta be back soon, he's stinking it up for Australia. Victoria 5-281 (Goddard 124*, Hunt 70, Hoddle 2-49) defeated Western Australia 221 all out (Cope 72, Reeds 48, Schmidt 3-32) by 60 runs Yep, my number 8 and 9 batsmen top scored in a stand of 109. That's how rubbish we were. Cope's 72 from 73 balls nearly made up for his bowling performance that saw him concede 0-51 from 5 overs. The batting was horrific. We were 7-94 at one stage before Cope and Reeds got away. Enright showed good signs with 28 (28), but then threw away another start.
South Australia v Western Australia - One Day Cup Team: Gray, Whitehead, Harrington, Prior, Warren, Enright, +Hargreaves, Reeds, Cope, Starling (in for Wood), Hoddle Wood gets a rest for this game as Starling returns from a dismal run with the Aussies. Hoddle retains his spot after a pretty good return to OD cricket. Western Australia 5 for 274 (Whitehead 131*, Hargreaves 55*, Pound 4-34) defeated South Australia 8 for 273 (Donald 79, Starling 3-58, Warren 2-52) by 5 wickets Wahey! Nearly let them get away with it again with the bat as we conceded a 69-run stand for the seventh wicket. Still some pretty decent bowling, if not a bit too expensive. Bain and Whitehead added 51 for the opening wicket, but it all went to poo quickly as we slumped to 3-63. Warren then made 47 off 53 in one-sided stand with Whitehead, before he and Enright (9) fell in quick succession. A 119-run stand between Whitehead and Hargreaves got us over the line in impressive fashion - Whitehead notching up his maiden OD ton with 131* off 122. He and Hargreaves have been immense this season.
New South Wales v Western Australia - Sheffield Shield Team: Gray, Whitehead, *Prior, Harrington, Christian, Enright, +Hargreaves, Reeds, Starling (in for Straw), Wood, Roebuck Western Australia 295 all out (Christian 77, Harrington 73, Robinson 4-56) & 4 for 243 (Gray 88, Prior 67, Robinson 4-50) defeated New South Wales 191 all out (Stock 86, Wood 5-30, Roebuck 2-53) & 345 all out (Hind 111, Costa 111, Starling 5-67) by 6 wickets Gun performance really, apart from the second innings with the ball. Robbed Graham Stock of a maiden FC ton in the first innings as Wood bowled up a storm with 5-30 from ten overs. We didn't bat particularly well other than a 147-run stand for the fourth wicket between Harrington and Christian. Starling, back from international duty, was immense in the second innings with figures of 38-8-67-5. Their number three William Hind made his third FC ton and looks like a star in the making at age 23. His average sits at 54.22. We were set a tricky target, but batted well after losing Whitehead early to win comfortably. Man of the Match: Kenny Robinson (New South Wales) New South Wales v Western Australia - One Day Cup Team: Gray, Whitehead, Harrington, *Prior, Warren, Enright, +Hargreaves, Reeds, Ampt (in for Hoddle), Starling, Wood (in for Cope) Western Australia 9 for 208 (Harrington 82, Warren 63, Howarth 3-36) defeated New South Wales 9 for 203 (Hind 31, Wood 2-23, Starling 2-40) by 1 wicket (with 28 balls remaining) Haha FFS. Finest bowling performance in an age, but NSW is proper filth these days after supplying pretty much the whole test team a decade ago. Wood kept things very tight with 2-23 off ten and none of their players passed fifty. We were cruising at 3-172 so I decided to shoot for the bonus point needing about seven an over. I then watched as we lost 6-29 in one of the more comical WA limited overs performances. Needing two for victory, Lincoln Wood, the number eleven, decided to hit his first ball for six. Man of the Match: Richard Harrington (Western Australia)
Western Australia v Tasmania - One Day Cup Team: Gray, Whitehead, Harrington, Enright, Warren, *Prior, +Hargreaves, Reeds, Ampt, Starling, Wood Tasmania 6 for 295 (Carter 63, White 59*, Garrett 57, Wood 2-58) defeated Western Australia 8 for 294 (Prior 73, Warren 62, Enright 57, Ball 3-63) by 1 run Heartbreaker! Nearly got revenge on the Tigers for the pizzling they gave us earlier in the season. Bowled really poorly for the most part, and found ourselves needing about 7-8 an over for most of our dig. Prior, who has been rubbish all year, made 73 off just 53 to take us to the brink. Needed seven to win off the last over, made 1-5. Devastating loss! We play them for the fourth time this season next, with the return Shield fixture.
Western Australia - Sheffield Shield Team: Gray, Whitehead, *Prior, Harrington, Christian, Warren (in for Enright), +Hargreaves, Cope (in for Reeds), Starling , Wood, Roebuck Tasmania 407 all out (Page 81, Newlands 61, Starling 3-86) & 1 for 41 (Newlands 16*, Starling 1-13) defeated Western Australia 233 all out (Prior 59, Christian 58, Ball 3-65) & 213 all out (Hargreaves 52, Holland 5-61, Durrant 3-55) by 9 wickets Back to earth with a thud. Poor batting and bowling in pretty much all four innings, forced to follow on. Horror show. Gray's stint at the top of the order will come to an end. 6 innings for 142 @ 23.67 with just the one fifty. I'm not short on openers, so it is cool. Roebuck has to go, too, with 8 @ 45 this season and an economy rate of 3.77 an over. Man of the Match: William Holland (Tasmania). The off-spinner took seven for the match, including the third 5fa of his career.
