***Official*** Australia in South Africa 2013/14

[Prince EWS]

If David Hussey ever was a Test standard batsman (and IMO that's a pretty big if despite his awesome First Class record) then he certainly isn't anymore. Looking past his poor technique and pointing to his results is one thing, but looking past his poor technique and looking past the fact that he averaged 17 with the bat last season and has been dropped from his state side this season is another. I agree that his age shouldn't matter if he's scoring runs, but he's not. He's finished as a player IMO, regardless of how good or otherwise you think he may have been in the past.

 

[benchmark00]

Please do not respond to those claims, it only gives them air.

Average of 18 across a Shield season makes you test material ftr.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Battle of the fast bowlers. Really looking forward to this.

Would not play Duminy and replace Kallis with a batsman. I feel as if RSA will need a strong batting line-up to beat Australia.

Who are the good batsman available in domestic cricket for RSA (Seamup).

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Alviro isn't good and with Amla being out of form, RSA only have Smith, ABCD and Du Piss to rely on.

 

[Ruckus]

If David Hussey ever was a Test standard batsman (and IMO that's a pretty big if despite his awesome First Class record) then he certainly isn't anymore. Looking past his poor technique and pointing to his results is one thing, but looking past his poor technique and looking past the fact that he averaged 17 with the bat last season and has been dropped from his state side this season is another. I agree that his age shouldn't matter if he's scoring runs, but he's not. He's finished as a player IMO, regardless of how good or otherwise you think he may have been in the past.

A form slump like that could well be just because he doesn't have the same motivation (because he knows he has no chance anymore of ever being picked in the test side). If he was suddenly given a heads up that he was first in the pecking order, he could well lift his game to what it has been in previous years. But that's kind of beside the point anyway, because there are other reasons why he shouldn't be picked.

 

[Spark]

Lets not beat around the bush...since coming back from injury, JP's batting has been crap. He's pushing and prodding at balls that should be left and every time we've sent him in to bat at 3/4 in ODI's....he has failed miserably! But you can't deny that JP brings some history to the Aus/SA clash given his debut in Aus in 2008/2009. The scars of that 166 innings will not have left the aus cricketing public and having him come in at 7 would be daunting.

Elgar's batting stocks have recently increased especially with his double hundred against Aus-A (even though it was a road). He has also score runs this summer in the Sunfoil series (scored a hundred). His part time leg breaks are more than handy especially with JK having retired.

In terms of balancing the team, JP and Elgar as a package bring alot to the table. They will also be the 2 batsmen under the most pressure to perform. There are 2 guys namely Quentin de **** and Stiaan van Zyl knocking very loudly for a batting spot in the Saffa team.

Alot of people saying that we should play Robbie P but Centurion doesn't spin...in fact, its a spinners graveyard. The last time I saw someone spin it at Centurion was Shane Warne and that man can spin a ball on anything. I personally think the series is gonna be won at Centurion. St Georges will most probably fizzle out to a draw (unless someone bowls really well) and you don't want to chase the series at Newlands because SA has a bad record against Aus at Newlands.

That's why I've been saying lets all have a good ole fast bowling fire fight at Centurion! I would back our bowlers against the Aus batters and I would back our batters to score more runs (marginally) than the Aussie batters. In fact, I would say that all of us (Saffa and Aussie) want to see timber flying with Steyn and his crazy eyes bulling the Aus batters and MJ and his mo bowling rockets and skittling out Saffa batters like 10 pin bowling!

This may be true historically, but y'know, 47 all out. So I don't think history will be much benefit to us there.

 

[Top_Cat]

A form slump like that could well be just because he doesn't have the same motivation (because he knows he has no chance anymore of ever being picked in the test side). If he was suddenly given a heads up that he was first in the pecking order, he could well lift his game to what it has been in previous years. But that's kind of beside the point anyway, because there are other reasons why he shouldn't be picked.

With good players, this doesn't matter I reckon. Guys like Rogers and Bevan had their best run-scoring years after being dropped and told they were no chance of making the Test side again.

 

[Daemon]

Sorry Australian posters, but after your incorrect verdicts on Johnson and Rogers I fear I may never be able to trust you fully again.

I know you must be shattered but keep working on it, I may respect you some day again.

 

[Jono]

Sorry Australian posters, but after your incorrect verdicts on Johnson and Rogers I fear I may never be able to trust you fully again.

I know you must be shattered but keep working on it, I may respect you some day again.

!!!

 

[Garson007]

This may be true historically, but y'know, 47 all out. So I don't think history will be much benefit to us there.

Your batting order isn't that bad anymore, imho and you have a better bowling attack.

I expect South Africa to be shocked by the series and make some knee-jerk reactions, based on the premise that the hole must be Kallis; I fully expect a bits-and-pieces to be picked by series end. I do however hope they go with four front line seamers at the start.

 

[Swingpanzee]

Having both Duminy and Elgar significantly weakens the team. It makes tons more sense to replace (for lack of an appropriate word) Kallis with a bowler like Abbott, considering that SA might end up being a bowler short. Not sure whether to bring de Kock - don't know whether he's test class.

Australia still have to sort their top order issues out. Smith's centuries at crucial stages in Perth and Sydney seem encouraging but he hasn't been good in the other tests. Warner has been disappointing in a way, has gotten out cheaply more often than not especially in first innings after making quick starts. Rogers look solid enough but performed only in the last two tests (and 2nd innings of Perth). I also don't expect Haddin to be able to rescue Australia again if they are say 90-odd/5 because unlike directionless England, SA can clean up the tail pretty quickly.

Either way, it's going to be a cracker of a series. Hope SA don't make paranoid knee-jerk reactions after this Ashes series; Australia too have to be wary and not get too carried away by this win.

 

[subshakerz]

To me, it is pretty clear that SA need to bring in Abbott and have a four-man pace attack with Duminy as spinner. Either Elgar or DeKok as the new bat. Batting deep until no.7 has paid off for this batting lineup, whenever the big four (Smith, Amla, AB and Du Plessis) fail, one of the other three bats plus Philander have chipped in to prevent a complete collapse. This is why they havent been dismissed for less than 200 since becoming no.1.

This SA lineup has gained a new killer instinct and will not be as careless as they were at home from 2009-2011. Australia will give them a good fight, but in the end, I feel its 2-1 to SA.

 

[smash84]

am so looking forward to this contest

 

[Spark]

Your batting order isn't that bad anymore, imho and you have a better bowling attack.

I expect South Africa to be shocked by the series and make some knee-jerk reactions, based on the premise that the hole must be Kallis; I fully expect a bits-and-pieces to be picked by series end. I do however hope they go with four front line seamers at the start.

That may be the case but if there's any confidence to be gained from history, it isn't to be found at Cape Town for us.

 

[Unomaas]

This may be true historically, but y'know, 47 all out. So I don't think history will be much benefit to us there.

As a saffa cricket supporter, I feel it is my nationalistic duty to rub salt into the 47 all out wound but even I will admit that that was a day of unbridled mayhem and carnage...a once in a generation display of bowling excellence (from both teams) which was made even more surreal by the fact that the next day, Smith & Amla both scored hundreds to negate any suspicion that the pitch had demons in it! It wouldn't surprise me if some years from now someone discovered that the 47 all out performance coincided with some cosmic astrological event.

It was an aberration and if I was the aussie team, I would treat it as such.

 

[Spark]

Not that much of an aberration for us at the time tbf. But yeah my point is mental as opposed to the possibility of a repeat.

 

[sreeku7]

Duminy batting below Philander?

he is playing as a front line spinner i think

 

[Unomaas]

am so looking forward to this contest

You and the rest of SAF smalishah84! Malcolm Conn fired the first broadside at SAF with his article where he baited SAF ridiculing JK on his retirement by saying that he was too scared to face MJ (which is true in some sense but not for the obvious reason). This of course had the Saffa's all up in arms especially considering the cricketing holiness of JK in the SAF cricket pantheon. The fact that a lot of cricket pundits in Aus are unilaterally stating that the Aus bowling attack is the most superior has alot of saffa's frothing at the mouth. I'm actually surprised that someone from the Saffa cricket public hasn't fired a return salvo!

I don't think there's ever been such hype and hyperbole with regard to the Aus/Saf series before and the fact that its happening > 1 month before hostilities start is a wonderful advertisement for Test Cricket!

 

[Top_Cat]

Never listen to a word Conn says. Bloke has the hide to act like a massive insider but has stepped on too many toes so just flat-out makes **** up now. Anyone remember his beat-up on Warne, preying on the young guns like Clarke exclusively to get their scraps when out on the tiles? Such a who cares issue in terms of the team.

 

[Jono]

You and the rest of SAF smalishah84! Malcolm Conn fired the first broadside at SAF with his article where he baited SAF ridiculing JK on his retirement by saying that he was too scared to face MJ (which is true in some sense but not for the obvious reason). This of course had the Saffa's all up in arms especially considering the cricketing holiness of JK in the SAF cricket pantheon. The fact that a lot of cricket pundits in Aus are unilaterally stating that the Aus bowling attack is the most superior has alot of saffa's frothing at the mouth. I'm actually surprised that someone from the Saffa cricket public hasn't fired a return salvo!

I don't think there's ever been such hype and hyperbole with regard to the Aus/Saf series before and the fact that its happening > 1 month before hostilities start is a wonderful advertisement for Test Cricket!

Yeah the build up is good but as TC said, please do not associate Malcolm Conn with the Australian cricket media. He's an outlier in terms of his dickness.