***Official*** South Africa In Australia

[susudear]

Brat Lee will be back

Oh yes, all you ddoomsayers. He will kick ass next match.

 

[Son Of Coco]

When Hayden goes, I think it's obvious that Katich and Jacques will open, I also think they should persist with Krejza.

What has Happend to Tait ?

The excitement's died down about his pace for a while, and he is also working his way back into cricket after walking away for a while I think. Stay tuned for the inevitable hype to come around again soon, followed by possible selection and him spraying it around all over the place.

 

[vic_orthdox]

The excitement's died down about his pace for a while, and he is also working his way back into cricket after walking away for a while I think. Stay tuned for the inevitable hype to come around again soon, followed by possible selection and him spraying it around all over the place.

He's also deciding to focus mainly on OD cricket at the moment.

 

[pup11]

I don't think it has anything to do with their talent or temperament. It's the fact that they know that, with less than 5 tests to their name, that they'll be the ones on the chopping block.

Siddle has one bad test in his 2nd match, and it's pretty much accepted that he needs to be dropped; when he's about the only bloke who has played regular matches at the next ground that we play at? Krezja gets dropped for doing what the selectors knew that he would when he was first selected - go for runs.

Funnily enough, the hard decision for the selectors would be to back their original decisions and stick with them, rather than chop and change.

That' the problem the youngster coming into the Australian side faces now, if Australia lose a game they could easily end up becoming the scapegoat of that loss, if you have good enough temperament or talent then you can keep your chin up and do well at the FC level and make your way back into the side but your confidence can take a serious battering as a youngster if you are treated like this.

As for Krejza as i said earlier he was probably never in their long term plans and its his 12 wickets on debut that really helped him get this second dig, and after a loss like the one at Perth cosmetic changes to were bound to happen and that's what happened and the least experienced blokes suffered due to it.

PS.: This quote made me chuckle "Having an offspinner going for four runs an over in Australia's weak attack is like a council labourer hiring a limousine to arrive to work each day."
Robert Craddock in the Australian writes of how Jason Krejza didn't help Australia's cause much in Perth

 

[protea lover]

The excitement's died down about his pace for a while, and he is also working his way back into cricket after walking away for a while I think. Stay tuned for the inevitable hype to come around again soon, followed by possible selection and him spraying it around all over the place.

Yeah true he has been bowling round the 140 km/h region since last summer just know one was brave enough to say anything. He didn't just lose his pace in 1 test it has been declining for at least a year now. Johnson is now the Australian fast bowler. (LEE that is)

 

[Top_Cat]

Tait can still crank it, though. I've seen him bowl a few times live this season and generally, his pace has been right down but the teeth-shaking bell-ringer he sconed Doropolous with a few weeks ago was an absolute bolt of lightning.

Dunno for sure why he's so down on pace, think the injuries have just been piling up. This season will definitely be a write-off, I think, and he'll be looking forward to the next one to seriously press his claims because right now, he's not even in serious calculations for a spot with SA.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah true he has been bowling round the 140 km/h region since last summer just know one was brave enough to say anything. He didn't just lose his pace in 1 test it has been declining for at least a year now. Johnson is now the Australian fast bowler. (LEE that is)

"Look!! It's the Australian Fast Bowler!!!

 

[protea lover]

Tait can still crank it, though. I've seen him bowl a few times live this season and generally, his pace has been right down but the teeth-shaking bell-ringer he sconed Doropolous with a few weeks ago was an absolute bolt of lightning.

Dunno for sure why he's so down on pace, think the injuries have just been piling up. This season will definitely be a write-off, I think, and he'll be looking forward to the next one to seriously press his claims because right, he's not even in serious calculations for a spot with SA.

Looks to me like he has put on weight.
Similar to Shoiab Akhtar he was bowling 150 - 160 km/h to the aussies in 04/05 and then in his return against south africa in 06/07 he was bowling 145 km/h max.
Very strange.

 

[protea lover]

"Look!! It's the Australian Fast Bowler!!!

sorry keffer but I am south African I always thought Lee was the Australian fast bowler.
Johnson and Lee are both quicker than Lillee though so it dosen't make sense branding him with such a label.

 

[Top_Cat]

Looks to me like he has put on weight.
Similar to Shoiab Akhtar he was bowling 150 - 160 km/h to the aussies in 04/05 and then in his return against south africa in 06/07 he was bowling 145 km/h max.
Very strange.

Haha, that's funny actually. I was at a Shield game the other week when Tait and Rofe sat behind me and started talking crap (strangely about how good looking Dhoni is....). Tait was going on about how he'd stopped drinking fruit juice and had shed a few kg!

 

[protea lover]

Haha, that's funny actually. I was at a Shield game the other week when Tait and Rofe sat behind me and started talking crap (strangely about how good looking Dhoni is....). Tait was going on about how he'd stopped drinking fruit juice and had shed a few kg!

I am a good judge on weight gains and losses.

 

[Bees]

How will the changes in the Australian bowling line-up change their tail end batting? Krejza was an awesome batter at the tail.

 

[Ikki]

How will the changes in the Australian bowling line-up change their tail end batting? Krejza was an awesome batter at the tail.

TBF, that shouldn't be a concern. The tailenders are tailenders for a reason. They should stick to what they are good at and the upper order should worry about making the runs.

 

[pup11]

How will the changes in the Australian bowling line-up change their tail end batting? Krejza was an awesome batter at the tail.

Hauritz is pretty capable lower order batsmen in his own right and Hilfenhaus' batting couldn't be worse then Siddle', but still that's no excuse for Aussie top order to bat like mavericks on pot.

 

[Stapel]

What actually happened to Nathan Bracken? He played in most of the Aussie ODIs a few years ago.

I've been wondering about that too. For quite some time now. I always figured the Aussies, apparantly, had a big bowlers pond to fish in. Not that sure about that now.

So...what happens when Prince's finger is healed? Does Duminy keep his place, or does Prince come back in?

Dropping a fit Prince seems out of the question, I believe. I'm not 100% sure Neil McKenzie's spot is cemented in. I don't expect him to be dropped now though.

 

[Uppercut]

I've been wondering about that too. For quite some time now. I always figured the Aussies, apparantly, had a big bowlers pond to fish in. Not that sure about that now.

Nathan Bracken has a better FC bowling record than any Australian bowler who's played, or even been considered for selection, in 2008. That includes Lee, Clark and Johnson. He doesn't play because someone, somewhere, somehow got it into their head that he's a shorter-format specialist and ineffective when the ball doesn't swing (despite having huge success in a FC system where the ball barely ever swings and the pitches are generally very flat).

 

[pup11]

Nathan Bracken has a better FC bowling record than any Australian bowler who's played, or even been considered for selection, in 2008. That includes Lee, Clark and Johnson. He doesn't play because someone, somewhere, somehow got it into their head that he's a shorter-format specialist and ineffective when the ball doesn't swing (despite having huge success in a FC system where the ball barely ever swings and the pitches are generally very flat).

Bracks has improved his FC stats considerably during the last 2 seasons, before that he was generally not penetrative enough in test cricket when the red cherry was not swinging for him, i still remember a test at the Gabba where Bracken destroyed the West Indians with some tremendous swing bowling in overcast conditions, but in normal conditions he wasn't considered good enough for test cricket, since then he has been just labeled as an ODI specialist and selectors just don't seem to be ready enough to look beyond that image of his, its a shame because Bracken has proved his class in ODI cricket for a last few years in a row now, and given the fact he is now picking wickets regularly in FC cricket too, the selectors should really give him another go or atleast let him know he is in the mix of things, really feel bad for him, he is one of those unsung players of world cricket who never seem to get their due.

 

[Rebecca]

So will Kallis do the double at the MCG?
79 and 2 wanted.

 

[howardj]

So will Kallis do the double at the MCG?
79 and 2 wanted.

Mate Jacquesy will put on a batting clinic at the G.

Anyway my spies tell me that Symonds has a knee injury (which also prevented him from bowling in Perth) and must pass a fitness test.

 

[howardj]

God (aka Warney) will be part of the commentary team for the Boxing Day Test.