Aus Pak T 1 Day 2 Stumps: Are Ton Missing Australians Under a Mental Voodoo?

Statistics can be fascinating and they can be frustrating. Australia are struggling to see why the elusive ton is becoming a jinx, even though they have the upper hand in the first Test against Sri Lanka at the MCG. Shane Watson seems to suggest so.

shane watson ricky ponting

Ricky Ponting was able to declare confidently at 454 for 5 because four of his batsmen got within touching distance of a century while he himself scored a half century. While Simon Katich and Shane Watson fell in the nineties, Mike Hussey scored a useful eighty-two even as Nathan Hauritz showed his might with the bat with seventy-five runs.

But it appears the Australians who scored eight centuries (compared to England's two) in the Ashes that they lost, are unable to convert any of their close misses to that tally. Not a single century was scored in the Test series against the West Indies and Watson will perhaps be the one most concerned, having missed out on an opportunity to score a ton in the two Tests against the West Indies, falling in the nineties and getting himself run out by his partner in this match to miss it once more.

There must be a record to see how many times a batsman has been dismissed in the nineties before getting his first Test century. Watson is certainly pushing the bar.

But Watson believes it is a contagious disease in the dressing room, a "mental thing" as he put it, wherein there is too much talk in the dressing room about it and that it is putting pressure when the moment arrives.

But from Pakistan's perspective in the match, their match went from hope to drooping of shoulders to total disarray after they lost four of their wickets at stumps on the second day in Melbourne.

The most unfortunate would have plausibly been the loss of Mohammad Yousuf to Peter Siddle at the very end of the day. Salman Butt looked good for Pakistan having scored forty-five runs, but the hopes were put paid to by Watson and Pakistan struggled to get a foothold at the end of the second day when they finished delicately on 109 for four, giving the hosts something to cheer about despite the missed tons.

Mohammad Asif had said after the first day's play that the pitch felt as though he was bowling on the flat ones in Faisalabad/Pakistan. But the batsmen may be feeling differently.

Aus Pak T 1 Day 1 Stumps: Another Day of Missed Tons for Host

Younis Wants Pakistan to Play Positive, Not Dirty

Indian Media Laps up Brawl in Perth Test

Apologetic Bollinger; Childish Watson; Kumble Allages, Bias Towards Australia

Ponting Worries About Image; Gayle Says Nothing Was Unexpected

NZ MP's Brother Involved in Racial Abuse of Pakistan Cricketers in Napier

Controversy: Yousuf-Pak Captain for Aus Tour, Younis Gives A-Miss, Fast Bowlers Scuffle