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***Official*** Australia in South Africa

centurymaker

Cricketer Of The Year
It's all just down to the wicket, isn't it? If it's juiced up a tad overnight, with an early start there'll be enough in it to cause dramas. If it hasn't, the seam movement will be there but neither as pronounced nor extravagant.
Let's just blame the pitch.

Watto - wasn't out, should have reviewed, possibly will cost us the match
Hughes - got out the same way he always gets out
Ponting - out shuffling across his stumps, has done it all his career, nothing special about the delivery, may have moved ever so slightly off the seam
Hussey - poor shot off the first ball after tea, could have easily left it
Clarke - out to a dead straight ball, played the wrong line, perhaps his mind was clouded by what was going on around him?
Haddin - the worst shot you will ever see, just disgraceful
Johnson - out trying to be too aggressive, nothing special about the delivery once again
Harris - out to a good ball, the first dismissal that can be definitely credited to the bowler
Marsh - dead straight ball, played across the line
Lyon - caught going for the smash
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Disgraceful Batting says the Australian captain

:notworthy:notworthy

I have never been a great fan of Clarke but his batting yesterday was a revelation and this is even better. I can think of many captains (current and past), particularly in the part of the world where I come from screaming "Disgraceful Wicket" and the next day's papers hitting two inch thick headlines repeating the same.
 

centurymaker

Cricketer Of The Year
But did you?
only watched bits and pieces on a live stream.

it was hardly as bad as it's being portrayed...

aussie batsmen struggled against english bowlers on pretty flat pitches in the ashes, so on this lively deck they WERE expected to register a low score, obviously nowhere as low as this.
prob 100-150 runs.

why sa collapse? it's because watson bowled better than any other bowler in this match.. plus SA batting is top heavy...

it's not really a sub 150 pitch imo.
 

centurymaker

Cricketer Of The Year
Disgraceful Batting says the Australian captain

:notworthy:notworthy

I have never been a great fan of Clarke but his batting yesterday was a revelation and this is even better. I can think of many captains (current and past), particularly in the part of the world where I come from screaming "Disgraceful Wicket" and the next day's papers hitting two inch thick headlines repeating the same.
I've always liked clarke. :)
 

hang on

State Vice-Captain
only watched bits and pieces on a live stream.

it was hardly as bad as it's being portrayed...

aussie batsmen struggled against english bowlers on pretty flat pitches in the ashes, so on this lively deck they WERE expected to register a low score, obviously nowhere as low as this.
prob 100-150 runs.

why sa collapse? it's because watson bowled better than any other bowler in this match.. plus SA batting is top heavy...

it's not really a sub 150 pitch imo.
and the yarps were terribly undercooked too.
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
only watched bits and pieces on a live stream.

it was hardly as bad as it's being portrayed...

aussie batsmen struggled against english bowlers on pretty flat pitches in the ashes, so on this lively deck they WERE expected to register a low score, obviously nowhere as low as this.
prob 100-150 runs.

why sa collapse? it's because watson bowled better than any other bowler in this match.. plus SA batting is top heavy...

it's not really a sub 150 pitch imo.
Well there were patches in the game where most every ball was oing something sideways - for both sides.

You seem to think I am blaming the wicket for Australia making 40 odd, you're wrong. But the point is at various times during the first couple of days, there was consistent movement - not up and down, but sideways. Not jagging a foot sideways, doing enough sideways. It was great to watch.

The point I was making in the post which you erroneously thought was my blaming the pitch for Australia making 40 something, is that for Australia to win they will need the pitch to behave in a similar manner for the first two sessions today, and not to flatten right out. Bit of cloud cover would help too.

That's the only point I was making. I had thought i'd made it quite clearly, but plainly I hadn't.
 

tooextracool

International Coach
Really surprises me to see 2 sides that on paper possess such quality batsmen come out and bat like amateurs. Is it that hard to play a forward defense these days?
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Is it that hard for quality batsmen not to commit themselves early into a stroke on a difficult wicket? Not to push when they should be playing with a dead bat? Not to flash when they dont have to? Not to play square of the wicket even when the ball is coming in towards them?

Smith and Amla showed that it could be done. Even someone like Smith with his very typical style of playing refused to play square of the wicket and the result showed. Amla played so late and left almost everything that he could except rank half volleys. He was so relieved at having reached the end of the day's play in safety that he lost it on the last ball of the last over. I would say he deserved the reprieve for he, along with his skipper, had shown to his team mates, the Australians and the rest of the cricketing world that there are difficult wickets and there is bad batting. It is the combination of the two that is an unmitigated disaster.

I hope South Africa bat well enough to get the target to show the folly of batting on bad wickets as if they are good wickets . . . or worse, batting as if to say "What's the point in trying anyway"
 
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tooextracool

International Coach
yeah indeed. Reckon if Watson didn't have potential injury flare ups he would make a better frontline bowler than both Siddle and Johnson tbh.
You think so? I reckon that he wouldn't be half the bowler that he is today if it wasnt for those flare ups. Watson, the tearaway quick bowler was a pretty terrible bowler to be honest, its only now that hes been forced to bowl within himself that he's actually realized the value of line and length.
 

social

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Australia's batting lineup is an absolute joke as any self-respecting grade team wouldve managed more than 50

Anyway, this match just provides more evidence that test cricket is at its lowest ebb in at least 40 years (probably much more but I couldnt be bothered going back any further) - the standard is just completely ****
 

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