***Official*** Australia in South Africa

[Midwinter]

Hate to repeat it
But what has changed since last summer ?

 

[Jacknife]

SA will be fairly happy with that start and with the ball not doing too much you'd fancy them to get some runs on the board.

 

[Ikki]

What pisses you off further is with Siddle and Johnson you're just not surprised. If they were actually taking wickets you'd be surprised. That kinda says a lot IMO.

 

[Spikey]

but really we all saw this happening right


likewise i won't rule out MJ or Siddle all of a sudden getting their **** together

 

[Top_Cat]

Before anyone goes after the bowling too hard, let's not forget who only scored 280-odd, propped-up enormously by the utter gun-like knock by one ****. It's always difficult to find the right combination of attack and defense when you're defending s crap total.

 

[uvelocity]

cant have it both ways spikey

 

[Jacknife]

I'd rather field without a box and a helmet at silly mid-off than get married young.



Always been one of those "see ball, hit ball" types, iirc. The commies have hyped him a lot but even in the 2004-2006, swing bowlers like Hoggard, Flintoff and even nondescripts like Sreesanth regularly exposed him.

Even during his time at Yorkshire you could see he improved a lot and looked much more comfortable with his game, much improved player from those early days when he first came up.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Probably Clarke will persist with Johnson even post lunch. If he finds his elusive holy grail - the late inswinger - he can be a handful.

Still surprised that the three Aus bowlers on display haven't moved the ball much today. Steyn and Philander were moving it heaps just an hour ago. And that thing was a lot older than this baby.

 

[mono]

has the pitch eased up a little

 

[Prince EWS]

Before anyone goes after the bowling too hard, let's not forget who only scored 280-odd, propped-up enormously by the utter gun-like knock by one ****. It's always difficult to find the right combination of attack and defense when you're defending s crap total.

While I definitely think that (as usual) the criticism of the Australian bowlers in general has been a little over the top, I don't think that has really been the problem in the session. Neither attacking too much or defending too much will see you bowl a leg stump half-volley; that's just crap bowling. And that's what's been happening.

 

[Dan]

Siddle will do his normal thing and be **** against the top order, but pick up 9, 10 and 11 to end with 3/90-odd, and maintain his place because he's "taking wickets".

 

[Spikey]

cant have it both ways spikey

shut it ****

 

[uvelocity]

And that's what's been happening.

only from one bowler

 

[Prince EWS]

Probably Clarke will persist with Johnson even post lunch. If he finds his elusive holy grail - the late inswinger - he can be a handful.

I've said it before but I reckon that's a lot of the problem with Johnson. He's swung the ball for one series in his entire career and ever since then he's moved heaven and earth to try and replicate it, forgetting the fact that he was quite a good bowler before that when he just bowled - for lack of a better description - really fast off-cutters. His natural undercut and scrambled seam (somewhat oddly) moves the ball away from the right handers consistently and before everyone got inside his head telling him he had to swing the ball back to be dangerous he regularly got good batsmen out just by bowling hostile stuff on off stump that moved away with his unorthodox angle and undercut. South Africa's tour of Australia before the famous return trip saw IMO Johnson's "best" bowling from a what-he-should-be-aiming-for perspective.

 

[Spikey]

we should make MJ play for SA cause what's the point in dropping him so he can play at the ****ing waca

south australia. that is

 

[NUFAN]

FFS. Siddle has only bowled 4 overs after being involved in the second biggest partnership this series.

 

[Spikey]

u mad.

 

[hang on]

didn't he also take 5 wickets in an innings in the last test in lanka?

 

[Ruckus]

While I definitely think that (as usual) the criticism of the Australian bowlers in general has been a little over the top, I don't think that has really been the problem in the session. Neither attacking too much or defending too much will see you bowl a leg stump half-volley; that's just crap bowling. And that's what's been happening.

Yeah agree. It's the lack of movement which is the main problem anyway. Mitch has been pretty ****, but Siddle and Harris have at least bowled in decent areas.

 

[Prince EWS]

didn't he also take 5 wickets in an innings in the last test in lanka?

Yeah but apparently anyone who played in the last Ashes is evil.

Even though he was Australia's second best player in that series anyway.