***Official*** South Africa In Australia

[Woodster]

He bowled fantastically well from what i saw last night. He has a strange way of bowling brilliantly for poor figures then bowling terribly for good ones- remember his two bowling innings at Edgebaston? I don't think there's a bowler playing international matches currently i'd less like to face.

The whole South Africa side really impressed me during the first innings there actually, they have a certain swagger that suggests they believe they're number one now. Judging by how much they were the better team they're a bit hard done by to not be in an even better position- and strangely, not one of their bowlers has decent figures from the day's play.

I'm not suggesting he didn't bowl well, I agree, but I'm talking about if he is to become one of the out and out top Test bowlers, he needs a tad more consistency. He has the attributes, no doubt about it, bounce, pace, perhaps a little more aggression needed, but there is enough to work with there.

I agree, I thought SA were impressive, again. The fielding on the whole was good again (barring Amla's missed opportunity), and they do have a look of a team comfortable with themselves and the cricket they're playing. A mention for Jacques Kallis though who bowled really well today, got it to swing away, bowled one or two cutters, and even cranked his pace up to over 140kph in a spell just prior to the tea interval.

 

[Uppercut]

I'm not suggesting he didn't bowl well, I agree, but I'm talking about if he is to become one of the out and out top Test bowlers, he needs a tad more consistency. He has the attributes, no doubt about it, bounce, pace, perhaps a little more aggression needed, but there is enough to work with there.

Yeah, definitely, it's largely just potential now, but I can see him becoming one of the world's leading bowlers.

I agree, I thought SA were impressive, again. The fielding on the whole was good again (barring Amla's missed opportunity), and they do have a look of a team comfortable with themselves and the cricket they're playing. A mention for Jacques Kallis though who bowled really well today, got it to swing away, bowled one or two cutters, and even cranked his pace up to over 140kph in a spell just prior to the tea interval.

Indeed. What also impressed me is that any one of their four seamers can produce an unplayable delivery at any time, robbing Australia of any momentum. Kallis's ball to Katich was much better than the Aussie commentators gave it credit for at a time when Katich was laying into every ball, Morkel's to Ponting was a ridiculous one to get first-ball and Steyn's to Haddin was possibly the most perfect delivery it's possible for anyone to bowl.

 

[Nate]

Looked from where i was sitting like he got a real working over. Morne Morkel's possibly international cricket's most awkward proposition at the moment but McDonald could have been given out "retired owned".

 

[silentstriker]

It's really amazing how big of a deal this series win is. Only England and WI have ever won multiple times in Australia. NZ won once. No one has ever won. EVER. Not even once.

That's amazing and testament to Australia, that even when they've been bad, they haven't been that bad.

 

[Arrow]

So strange to see Australia only scoring 260 odd in a day. It used to be 350 most of the time. They have been slow all summer. Reminds me of the old days, early 90s batting rates.

 

[BoyBrumby]

This is exactely what is wrong with the Australian view on creating quality spinners. The entire "keep it tight" mentality. Shane Warne said that a great spinner can throw it up, get tonked for 6, and then throw it up again the very next ball. To a spinner, keep it tight = dart the ball in quick at the stumps. That is not the right attitude. In order to take wickets you need to try an decieve the batter in flight, dip and spin off the pitch. You can get it wrong, and the batter may charge down the pitch and tonk you, but there is always that element of danger that if he misreads the flight or mistimes the shot, he can get out.

Finally, "keeping things tight" don't win test matches, wickets do.

-Chimpdaddy-

To be fair, Warne didn't always practice what he preached. Saw him go round the wicket quite a few times after being smacked for a few runs.

200 from Ponting in the 1st innings by the way.

If the awards were still extant we'd have a cast-iron Greigy there.

Why is Hussy wearing a black tape on his sleeve?

To mourn Hayden's test career.

 

[GIMH]

Didn't realise Johnson's Test batting stats were so good

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

That front foot drive from about chest high was an amazingly good shot considering the degree of difficulty. He certainly makes batting look easy, does Clarkey.

 

[sirdj]

Saffies have dropped about 5 catches by now.................................................and Johnson adds insult to injury with those 2 shots.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Like watching a highlights package at the moment. Quality shots from both batsmen.

 

[GIMH]

LOL, well played Clarke, how cruel it would have been if that had been out

 

[Durham_CCC]

Great nock Clarke.

 

[Johnners]

(y) Clarke, gun.

 

[Briony]

(y) Clarke, gun.

Ntini and Amla must be looking for somewhere to hide. It's amazing how team can take its foot off the throttle in dead rubber tests.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Clarke approaching an average of 50 in tests now.

Took a lot longer for guys like Ponting and Kallis to get their average above 50, for reference. More than 60 tests for each of them. Shows how much Clarke has matured as a batsman since the 06/07 Ashes.

 

[Briony]

Clarke approaching an average of 50 in tests now.

Took a lot longer for guys like Ponting and Kallis to get their average above 50, for reference. More than 60 tests for each of them. Shows how much Clarke has matured as a batsman since the 06/07 Ashes.

Although he still plays reckless shots early in his innings, even off a trundler like Harris.

 

[NUFAN]

Clarke approaching an average of 50 in tests now.

Took a lot longer for guys like Ponting and Kallis to get their average above 50, for reference. More than 60 tests for each of them. Shows how much Clarke has matured as a batsman since the 06/07 Ashes.

Yep, averaging exactly 50 now, fantastic effort, also reaching 3000 runs.

 

[Briony]

Yep, averaging exactly 50 now, fantastic effort, also reaching 3000 runs.

A bit weird that he's the same age as Smith who's scored double the number of runs he has. Just shows you how differently the two countries think in terms of age and promotion.

 

[pasag]

Great stuff from Clarke. Deadset, there's no batsman I enjoy watching more than Johnson.

 

[NUFAN]

I've just done a quick check to see where Clarke ranks as the quickest batsman to 3000 runs in innings played.

This is his 69th innings, the same number it took his hero Michael Slater, he's tied in 38th spot all time, a very good effort IMO.

Recent players and the number of innings they took.
V Sehwag (India) 55
ML Hayden (Aus) 61
AC Gilchrist (Aus) 63
GC Smith (SA) 63
KP Pietersen (Eng) 63
DPMD Jayawardene (SL) 65
SR Tendulkar (India) 67
R Dravid (India) 67
Yousuf Youhana (Pak) 67
KC Sangakkara (SL) 68
MJ Clarke (Aus) 69
MP Vaughan (Eng) 69
Younis Khan (Pak) 70
ME Trescothick (Eng) 74
JL Langer (Aus) 75
DR Martyn (Aus) 75
AJ Strauss (Eng) 75
RT Ponting (Aus) 77
VVS Laxman (India) 77
Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pak) 78
SC Ganguly (India) 80
AB de Villiers (SA) 80