***Official*** South Africa In Australia

[The Sean]

1) Graeme Smith - bats at eleven, doesn't bowl, get him out of there.
2) So sick of boring Test Matches, bring on the 20/20 on Sunday!
3) DWTA

Nnanden getting some runs on the board for if and when the Skull ever returns.

 

[pup11]

1.Smith (c)
2.Katich
3.Ponting
4.Kallis
5.Clarke
6.AB
7.Boucher (wk)
8.Johnson
9.Steyn
10.Siddle
11.Harris

Haddin is clearly a better batsman than Boucher, but i think his keeping was too shoddy as compared to Boucher' and that' why i would have Boucher as the wicket-keeper, i think rest of the blokes pretty much pick themselves, and as for Harris v Hauritz, there wasn't much to choose between them, but i think Harris was pretty good at Perth and decent in patches at the MCG, so he gets the nod ahead of Hauritz due to that.

 

[Uppercut]

Don't think Ponting's case is that convincing. A lot of failures with the bat, he was dropped on his way to his only century and neither his 99 nor his 101 were enough in the circumstances- he really needed to go on, both times, and failed. De Villiers for me.

 

[Beleg]

^

you are clutching at straws. ponting was superb in the second test. being dropped was not his fault and blaming a guy for scoring (almost) two centuries in a game where the others failed is just messed up.

 

[Uppercut]

^

you are clutching at straws. ponting was superb in the second test. being dropped was not his fault and blaming a guy for scoring (almost) two centuries in a game where the others failed is just messed up.

De Villiers scored almost as many runs from one less innings at a significantly better average (62 to Ponting's 47). And hit two things that eluded Ponting- a chanceless hundred and a match-winning hundred. I'm also taking fielding into account. De Villiers was absolutely superlative in the field, beyond incredible. Ponting crucially dropped Dale Steyn at the MCG.

I'm not saying Ponting was bad, just that De Villiers was better.

 

[Beleg]

^
de villiers might have scored at a marginally better average but the fact remains, ponting played a greater number of better innings and just generally looked better. a hundred's a hundred - chancelessness doesn't come into it.

the fielding bit is fair enough.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Ponting also did one other thing AB did not, which is make a significant score while the rest of the team struggled. When SA had a tough time with the bat in the series, AB went with them for the most part. Ponting carried the team to a score in both innings in Melbourne.

Subjective I guess, but I was more impressed in general with the way Ponting played. He never looked out of his depth against the bowling, he got two first ballers and other than that played excellent cricket, and anyone can get a good one first up. The delivery he got on the first day in Sydney in particular would have got most people out. AB had one great innings and other than that generally struggled IMO.

AB's fielding was magnificent though, no doubt.

 

[Zinzan]

Ponting also did one other thing AB did not, which is make a significant score while the rest of the team struggled. When SA had a tough time with the bat in the series, AB went with them for the most part. Ponting carried the team to a score in both innings in Melbourne.

Subjective I guess, but I was more impressed in general with the way Ponting played. He never looked out of his depth against the bowling, he got two first ballers and other than that played excellent cricket, and anyone can get a good one first up. The delivery he got on the first day in Sydney in particular would have got most people out. AB had one great innings and other than that generally struggled IMO.

AB's fielding was magnificent though, no doubt.

I'm really surprised at you. I would have bet anything that your argument would be for AB over Ponting

 

[Beleg]

^

faaip's got more commonsense than that. :P

 

[Son Of Coco]

Good work by the Aussie team in this test I thought. I'm glad we won one! Good to see a wicket do a bit too...

 

[Zinzan]

^

faaip's got more commonsense than that. :P

I'm pretty sure Faaip will realise I'm just playing to be fair

 

[pasag]

Good work by the Aussie team in this test I thought. I'm glad we won one! Good to see a wicket do a bit too...

Meh, pretty slow track. Obviously the cracks and all made it a bit interesting but like all the wickets since the Gabba, haven't been impressed.

 

[Son Of Coco]

A very brave effort from Smith there, if it wasn't for his injury then this game would have been entirely different and even with it South Africa nearly escaped. Amazing heart shown by this South African team.

So are we going to look at all the injuries in this series then and their effect?

Let's not forget the vast experience Australia had to draw on in this last game due to injury. I think they deserve a little bit of credit. It hasn't been a one-sided series.

 

[Uppercut]

Ponting also did one other thing AB did not, which is make a significant score while the rest of the team struggled. When SA had a tough time with the bat in the series, AB went with them for the most part. Ponting carried the team to a score in both innings in Melbourne.

Dunno about that, South Africa were fairly in the **** when De Villiers came to the crease in Perth. It's only in hindsight that it looks like they were comfortable, at the time Johnson and Lee were all over them and Australia were big, big favourites. When Kallis fell, too, many felt the rest would wilt.

For me it's a case of two very good innings, a fifty and mediocre fielding versus one superlative innings, two fifties and incredible fielding. There's a case for both but i'd take AB.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Meh, pretty slow track. Obviously the cracks and all made it a bit interesting but like all the wickets since the Gabba, haven't been impressed.

I just saw a few balls moving around on the highlights and thought that was the norm with all the cracks I'm not in a great position to judge these things unfortunately.

 

[Uppercut]

Meh, pretty slow track. Obviously the cracks and all made it a bit interesting but like all the wickets since the Gabba, haven't been impressed.

Aye, made winning the toss a tad too much of an advantage for my liking too. Would have been even more severe if it weren't for the overcast conditions on day one.

 

[Zinzan]

Aye, made winning the toss a tad too much of an advantage for my liking too.

Agree, I honestly reckon it'd be a 3-0 scoreline had SA won the toss in this pitch

 

[Uppercut]

It's not like they can complain too much though. Catches win matches, Hashim.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I'm really surprised at you. I would have bet anything that your argument would be for AB over Ponting

In other news, Hayden in my team over Smith.

 

[Zinzan]

In other news, Hayden in my team over Smith.

Good man, true to form