***Official*** Australia in South Africa

[Cabinet96]

Yeah was very brief and he did **** all.

Enough time for Cork to form an impression but certainly does not know him well.

He was returning from injury to be fair.

 

[robelinda]

So good to see Punter back on the pull and smashing it. Glorious. It would be so bad to see him turn into an accumulator and nudge it around.

 

[Pothas]

He was returning from injury to be fair.

Yeah, as I said was a very short spell anyway so would certainly not judge him on it. He showed that he is more than capable of scoring plenty of runs in England in his other county stint, would not do him any harm to go back actually.

 

[Ausage]

Mate tbf there's been a fair bit of luck involved for anyone who's made runs this match so far. Not like there aren't chances bring made by most bowlers*



*not Mitch or Sid obvs.

Oh no doubt, I just think that it's unlikely our luck will hold out to 310. Particularly if it's grey overhead and the pitch starts doing even more than it currently is.

Poor Mitch. Love the bloke, but he's firming up as the butt of all jokes atm, and has been for a while. Doesn't look good

 

[Redbacks]

Hughes was seen hanging around with the Mundine entourage, needs a new brain obv.

 

[Burgey]

Will be such a shame if day five is lost to rain. Two great test matches so far, albeit the batting frailties of both sides have been badly exposed at times.

Well done to Ponting. Such a scrapper. You almost get the feeling he's doing this to be contrary.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Will be such a shame if day five is lost to rain. Two great test matches so far, albeit the batting frailties of both sides have been badly exposed at times.

Well done to Ponting. Such a scrapper. You almost get the feeling he's doing this to be contrary.

Yeah, speaking as a neutral it's been an absolutely enthralling series.

& obviously a massive travesty it's cut off in its prime.

 

[Viscount Tom]

By prime you mean at least 2 tests short of what it should be.

 

[Redbacks]

By prime you mean at least 2 tests short of what it should be.

5 would be even better.

Cricket Australia dug their heels in long ago, they insist we must have a boxing day and new years test each year which constantly ruins the prospect of a longer series against South Africa home or away. They too have said STFU so rather than be fair and alternate each time, we get contracted series in each country.

Surely with the Big Ba$h CA don't have to care about tests (to balance their books) and can just put on a double header 'kicks and giggles' T20 bonanza on boxing day with 2 Vic teams and on new years day with the NSW teams. It would certainly draw massive crowds.

 

[Redbacks]

Did Clarke indicate in his presser why we didn't take the new ball for 13 overs?

 

[Spark]

Clarke didn't do the presser today, but I assume it was something to do with the old ball swinging anyway and Cummins needing a break.

 

[Viscount Tom]

And taking the new ball would have meant Left-Arm Steve-Harmison and Right Arm Gurner bowling again.

Why not just cut out the Kiwis and let them go face Sri-Lanka or someone for some tests; or perhaps even more a better suggestion would have been to give the NZ Zim series another test so we could do away with them touring Australia.

Either way the FTP is messed up, how can we be no.1 If we can't crush Zimbabwe in a series?

 

[howardj]

With likely rain, a draw seems the most likely outcome. If so, then I think the nature of the draw becomes important for guys like Ponting, Haddin and Johnson. If we are eight down (i.e. just hang on and are saved by the rain) then such an outcome will likely be viewed dimly by the selectors who may then just wish to start afresh at the Gabba by blooding some young punks against the benign Kiwis. By contrast, if we're only four or five down and are robbed by the rain, then the selectors may take the view "well, we won in SL, and pretty much drew against the 2nd best team in the world, in the their own backyard" and push on with largely the same team.

Another observation I would make is that events in this Test make it harder for the selectors to drop Watson down the order. Those events being Usman and Ponting both scoring runs. You would think that Marsh would come back in to join Ponting, Clarke and Hussey as our middle order for Brisbane. If Marsh is unfit, then Usman for Brisbane.

 

[Athlai]

With likely rain, a draw seems the most likely outcome. If so, then I think the nature of the draw becomes important for guys like Ponting, Haddin and Johnson. If we are eight down (i.e. just hang on and are saved by the rain) then such an outcome will likely be viewed dimly by the selectors who may then just wish to start afresh at the Gabba by blooding some young punks against the benign Kiwis. By contrast, if we're only four or five down and are robbed by the rain, then the selectors may take the view "well, we won in SL, and pretty much drew against the 2nd best team in the world, in the their own backyard" and push on with largely the same team.

Another observation I would make is that events in this Test make it harder for the selectors to drop Watson down the order. Those events being Usman and Ponting both scoring runs. You would think that Marsh would come back in to join Ponting, Clarke and Hussey as our middle order for Brisbane. If Marsh is unfit, then Usman for Brisbane.

Hope we humiliate you ****s.

 

[howardj]

Nah, it's a glorified net session against you mob.

For the guys who don't take the opportunity for a get away or a freshen up, NZ series will be a mere warm up for the main fare against India.

 

[Spikey]

i don't think it changes much. ponting was getting brisbane anyway cause of marsh and watson. likely he was then gonna get given hobart anyway. a ton here but 3/4 failures there still puts him in the gun











or we can go back to wanting to sack hussey. i never really stopped ftr

 

[Redbacks]

Another observation I would make is that events in this Test make it harder for the selectors to drop Watson down the order. Those events being Usman and Ponting both scoring runs.

Khawaja to open? He looked a lot better coming in 4th ball than he did in the 1st innings after 40 odd overs. Agressive fields let him score more freely and get into his groove.

 

[Athlai]

Khawaja to open? He looked a lot better coming in 4th ball than he did in the 1st innings after 40 odd overs. Agressive fields let him score more freely and get into his groove.

But he didn't look comfortable at all with those aggressive fields at all. It took him a long time to settle in.

 

[Redbacks]

He plays across his front pad a bit but he was at ease compared with the 1st innings. Any batman would have had a bit of diffuculty on that deck given the quality of the bowlers.

 

[robelinda]

Imagine when Tahir is really firing, and Steyn has more of a season under his belt, SA could be unstoppable. SL are going to murdered in December, quite horrendously.