***Official*** South Africa In Australia

[howardj]

Pretty clear what our spinning pecking order is:



June 2008 Casson tours Windies; Horrie can’t make NSW Shield team; Krejza – nobody has ever heard of him

Oct 2008 Krejza tours India; White plays four Tests in India; Hauritz plays Shield cricket; Casson misses Indian squad altogether

Nov 2008 Krejza injured; Hauritz recalled; Casson plays for Blues; White back to Vic and won’t even bowl himself in a game

Dec 2008 Krejza recalled; Hauritz dropped; Casson 12th man for Blues; White languishes

Xmas 2008 Krejza dropped, Hauritz recalled; Casson falls off face of the earth.



Common denominator: Andrew Hilditch.

 

[sirdj]

I'm sure the 20 spectators in the ground loved every second of it.

Only the results matter.

 

[Top_Cat]

Only the results matter.

Keep saying that when India is playing 1-Test series followed by a 10-match ODI and 20-match Twenty20 series.

 

[sirdj]

Pretty clear what our spinning pecking order is:



June 2008 Casson tours Windies; Horrie can’t make NSW Shield team; Krejza – nobody has ever heard of him

Oct 2008 Krejza tours India; White plays four Tests in India; Hauritz plays Shield cricket; Casson misses Indian squad altogether

Nov 2008 Krejza injured; Hauritz recalled; Casson plays for Blues; White back to Vic and won’t even bowl himself in a game

Dec 2008 Krejza recalled; Hauritz dropped; Casson 12th man for Blues; White languishes

Xmas 2008 Krejza dropped, Hauritz recalled; Casson falls off face of the earth.



Common denominator: Andrew Hilditch.

 

[Son Of Coco]

He said after india series that india were defanitely No.2. now he say Seth Africa are No.2?

Is that the guy that's in 'Robot Chicken'?

 

[sirdj]

Keep saying that when India is playing 1-Test series followed by a 10-match ODI and 20-match Twenty20 series.

Chennai was a full house. If Mohali is empty then its more about the Punjab Cricket Board than anything else. When I was in school, we use to get free tickets to go watch the match and our school would have a holiday for 5 days(Indore).
When I say the results matter, I meant tactics employed to win.

 

[Son Of Coco]

You can't seriously suggest to me that any test captain would set a team 400+ to win in over a day and a half, and have as their first thought playing for a draw?

England

 

[Son Of Coco]

Yeah, they should've been playing for a draw from at least Day 3...

 

[honestbharani]

Hmm, also knows where his bread is buttered, too.

See, I'm not sure about this. They have an attack that they can take everywhere, three quicks and a spinner plus Kallis. Good balance to it, all different styles of bowlers. The other bonus about it is that it is a settled attack, they know that they'll be playing the next Test match and they all have the support of their captain and selectors.

One thing that will always disturb India is that when they play outside of the subcontinent, they will generally have to drop one of Mishra or Harby, for a quick. Because of this constant rotation, it makes it difficult to be confident that you'll be there in the future, you're always playing for the next Test.

I get that but at the same time, I do not see this RSA side beating India on a flat track.. I don't see us bowling out this determined and talented batting unit of RSA too many times either but we may luck out with a bit of Mishra Magic or Ishant and Zak reverse swing... Their attack does not appeal to me that way.



But as you said, you cannot argue with results and this RSA side have been one of the best rolls amongst cricket sides since Australia and perhaps England leading upto the 2005 Ashes series... But very fascinating times indeed as we now 3 sides very close to each other at the top and 2 sides right behind them who are not that far away... If only New Zealand and West Indies get back to good form and Pakistan get more cricket, we could have a much healthier top 8 competition at any time since the late 90s...

 

[Son Of Coco]

Is a negative soundbite from the captain mandatory? He could have stuck to well played SA.


I think Ponting does not seem to realise when the game is slipping from underneath him. He did the same in India, when he let them off. On day 4 when the lead was only about 350 odd he should have not let Smith and Kallis score away. He should have done everything he could to dry up the runs.

You'd imagine the media would have asked him the question...

Media: "So what went wrong today Ricky?"
Ricky Ponting: "Anymore questions..?"
Media: "Ricky...what went wrong?"
Ricky: "If there are no more questions I'm off"
Media: "Ricky...what wen..."
Ricky: "Thanks guys...see you Friday"

You're right...he should have just said nothing

 

[honestbharani]

One day from five (a Sunday no less when most don't want to go to the cricket or have junior sport or something). The other four days had very good crowds - I'd kinda know cause I was there.

maybe.. but his reaction abt the lack of crowds in India (and it always is that in some centres... you do get big crowds in the metros to an extent) was a bit extreme and I was juz wondering whether he felt the same way when it was so in Australia...

 

[sirdj]

You'd imagine the media would have asked him the question...

Media: "So what went wrong today Ricky?"
Ricky Ponting: "Anymore questions..?"
Media: "Ricky...what went wrong?"
Ricky: "If there are no more questions I'm off"
Media: "Ricky...what wen..."
Ricky: "Thanks guys...see you Friday"

You're right...he should have just said nothing

Media: "So what went wrong today Ricky?"
Ricky: " We thought we had a good score, but SA played better, The 4th innings pitch did not help us much either. On hindsight we should have set a bigger score, but some of our batsmen threw their wickets away. We should have tried different things but we aussies just don't know how to defend."

 

[Burgey]

Media: "So what went wrong today Ricky?"
Ricky: " We thought we had a good score, but SA played better, The 4th innings pitch did not help us much either. On hindsight we should have set a bigger score, but some of our batsmen threw their wickets away. We should have tried different things but we aussies just don't know how to defend."

Too negative. The players' innocent little ears surely couldn't cope with such negative talk from their captain.

 

[Burgey]

Only the results matter.

Not what you said after Sydney 2008....

 

[Son Of Coco]

Media: "So what went wrong today Ricky?"
Ricky: " We thought we had a good score, but SA played better, The 4th day pitch did not help us much either. On hindsight we should have set a bigger score, but some of our batsmen threw their wickets away. We should have tried different things but we aussies just don't know how to defend."

Media: "What went wrong today Ricky?"
Ricky: "I don't know, but I do know this guy 'Sirdj' who's an expert at captaining an international cricket team. Shall I get him in here and we can all have a feedback session on what we should have done during the test? Funnily enough, I was thinking of setting an 8:1 field as early as Day 1, but I thought I'd try to take a wicket before going on the defensive. I should have known 400 would never have been enough on this wicket and setting a defensive field early in the piece would have sent the perfect message to my bowlers that I had no faith in them to not only defend it, but get SA out. I'll be giving my slips extra outfield practice this week so they can get used to fielding on the fence from the outset."

 

[sirdj]

Too negative. The players' innocent little ears surely couldn't cope with such negative talk from their captain.

If the players are indeed so tough as you seem to say, why is there any use of sport psychologists?? Almost all teams have one, are they not tough enough to handle cricket? After all its only a game.
Brett Lee.........such a wimp...........just not tough enough. Everybody goes through a divorce.:

 

[sirdj]

Not what you said after Sydney 2008....

Cheating and sledging is different from a 8:1 field.

 

[Burgey]

If the players are indeed so tough as you seem to say, why is there any use of sport psychologists?? Almost all teams have one, are they not tough enough to handle cricket? After all its only a game.
Brett Lee.........such a wimp...........just not tough enough. Everybody goes through a divorce.:

Look mate, I realise this is a bit difficult for you to understand, but here goes.

If a captain can't come out and say "They were good, but we were crap" then there's no point having a captain in the first place. Whether he wants to put it as "I think we can improve a little bit" or "I think we were mud, and one bloke basically carried us" is up to him.

If Lee's private life is a problem for him, then I suspect (and colour me an idiot for thinking it) that Ponting might have a better idea about it than either of us.

 

[inbox24]

I think the more damning thing is that if faced with a total like that I doubt we would have chased it down. Hayden would fall early, putting extreme pressure on Ponting who in turn would have fallen early too putty even more pressure on Hussey. The run rate would then grind to a halt and Hussey would have gotten out playing some rash shot. Clarke and Symonds come in and try to temper their natural games, with the latter however still making a half century. Symonds would then fall going big and too much would be left for Haddin and the tail to do.

In terms of the squad picked for the 2nd test, the selectors are going from dire to dire. The chopping and changing of spinners is absolutely killing both the team and the players, whilst conversely, the reluctance to try new pacers is meaning that gun barrel straight bowlers can't defend huge targets on flat pitches. It's good they've brought in Hilfenhaus, but why stop there? Should have brought Bollinger into the fold as well as he was touring earlier this year and deserves his chance.

Batting-wise we probably need to treat Hayden like we did to Steve Waugh at the end of his career, beause at the moment it seems like the only way he'll go is that if he retires himself. We need to introduce the option of the selectors dropping him.

 

[Burgey]

Cheating and sledging is different from a 8:1 field.

Only the results matter.

Apparently.