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

[Spark]

"Too often in recent times the Australians have been guilty of whingeing when things haven't gone their way. Over the last 12 months we've heard about pitches in India and England being doctored to suit the locals, about DRS decisions that have cruelled us, and about Stuart Broad not walking. Before this Test all the talk was about how the curator was going to dupe the Aussies."

That's true tbh, but I think it was more fans and media than the actual team.

Yeah I'm thinking less about any individual points and more the general WE LOST THE SKY IS FALLING IN!!!11!!1 tone that sort of underpins the whole article

 

[BackFootPunch]

What's with all this talk about the pitch being a flat one? Sure it wasn't a green seamer but it hardly seemed easy to bat on. Pretty rough to devalue Rogers' runs as being scored on a road when no one else from his team seemed to really come to terms with the pitch except for Warner.

 

[Tangles]

In a cricketweb first, I agree with Benchy in relation to the Australian batting lineup for the 3rd test

Fact is that both Doolan and Marsh performed brilliantly in the first test and if we were to punt everyone that performed poorly in the 2nd test then we'd have to fly about 6 replacements in as there wouldn't be enough cover in the squad

Sink or swim rather than knee-jerk is the way to go for mine

For me the question is if Watsons bowling adds enough value to the team to help us win. He did some useful work in the Ashes with the ball. If fit to bowl properly then he edges out one of Dools or SOS for me.

 

[dermo]

00 really battling his epic, once in a lifetime day of taste. the perfect tastestorm.

 

[Jono]

It really is Benchmark vs. CW here.

 

[benchmark00]

No surprises that Australia lose when the players I advocate do badly and win when they do well itbt.

 

[Burgey]

Hilarious missing of the point by some pundits in here. The batting gets bulldozed twice and all the talk is about which bowler to drop for a bloke who's last FC game was the Lords Test 8 months ago, Harris has one bad day and suddenly he's 'cooked', etc.

Tough game if you're a quick, eh. I can see Siddle missing out but, as alluded to by Benchmark, it's not as simple as dropping one guy and grey skies are gonna clear up. SA are the better side and they really showed it here on a pitch which really didn't suit them.

Seriously thought he looked pretty tired in the first dig too tbh. It would only be the case to sit him out if his body is ****ed - would never sit him out based on his second dog stats

 

[Burgey]

No surprises that Australia lose when the players I advocate do badly and win when they do well itbt.

Nom nom nom nom nom

 

[benchmark00]

Baileyesque.

Except my players made 140 odd and 80 odd on a green seamer against the best attack in the world.

 

[Burgey]

In other news, de Kock has made it big in the Athens marketplace...

 

[Burgey]

Baileyesque.

Except my players made 140 odd and 80 odd on a green seamer against the best attack in the world.

Nah look. You can't (rightly IMO) say adub was tasting after Marsh's first test ton then not accept tasty goodness after Rogers tons up, Marsh & D00lers fail and Siddle bats ten and gets red ink. It was a tasty day.

 

[Prince EWS]

Benchmark, you weren't posting during Doolan's innings so I gather you were asleep. I'm not being a dick here, I don't really have any interest in partaking in a big pissing contest with you about whether or not you were right, but I think you should find a way to actually watch the innings - preferably in full - before making comment on selection.

I know you're a fan, but it was a truly terrible, possibily opinion-changing innings. He looked completely out of his depth; had edges drop just in front of the slips/keeper a couple of times, played and missed at least once an over and got completely stuck, had no way no way to rotate the strike or score at all and just piled pressure on himself until the inevitable happened and one of his edges did carry. It was a real momentum changer in general.

 

[Tangles]

Watched the highlights and that ball to Smith was a Jaffa.

 

[dermo]

Baileyesque.

Except my players made 140 odd and 80 odd on a green seamer against the best attack in the world.

morkel and steyn were much better in this test than the last

 

[dermo]

Benchmark, you weren't posting during Doolan's innings so I gather you were asleep. I'm not being a dick here, I don't really have any interest in partaking in a big pissing contest with you about whether or not you were right, but I think you should find a way to actually watch the innings - preferably in full - before making comment on selection. I know you're a fan, but it was a truly terrible, possibily opinion-changing innings. He looked completely out of his depth; had edges drop just in front of the slips/keeper a couple of times, played and missed at least once an over and got completely stuck, had no way no way to rotate the strike or score at all and just piled pressure on himself until the inevitable happened and one his edged did carry. It was a real momentum changer in general.

arguably the worst innings ive seen from an australian 3 tbh

 

[indiaholic]

A lot of test cricket is played on flat decks though, those games still need to be won, and you particularly need big runs in order to win them

Forget about winning. If your team doesn't have batsmen in your team who can capitalize big time on flat decks then you will essentially turn a match which should have been a draw into a loss. Every series anywhere in the world will have at least one test on a flat track and you can't afford to lose those matches. Moreover Rogers runs today were not only very valuable but was against top quality bowling.. I think his innings would have been rated more highly if the last wicket did not fall and the next day was rained out.

 

[benchmark00]

Nah look. You can't (rightly IMO) say adub was tasting after Marsh's first test ton then not accept tasty goodness after Rogers tons up, Marsh & D00lers fail and Siddle bats ten and gets red ink. It was a tasty day.

I admit it was a tasteful day, ofcourse. Always put my hand up when there's a taste to be taken. Just so happens that my tastes co-incide with an Australian loss and my non tastes co-incide with an Australian win.

Benchmark, you weren't posting during Doolan's innings so I gather you were asleep. I'm not being a dick here, I don't really have any interest in partaking in a big pissing contest with you about whether or not you were right, but I think you should find a way to actually watch the innings - preferably in full - before making comment on selection.

I know you're a fan, but it was a truly terrible, possibily opinion-changing innings. He looked completely out of his depth; had edges drop just in front of the slips/keeper a couple of times, played and missed at least once an over and got completely stuck, had no way no way to rotate the strike or score at all and just piled pressure on himself until the inevitable happened and one his edges did carry. It was a real momentum changer in general.

So we're judging a guys ability on the basis of one innings? I've seen Michael Clarke play some horrible innings as well, I struggle to see the points gained in going over the top over one horrible innings.

My opinion on Alex Doolan has been formulated over a number of seasons watching him play cricket. He gets selected on a pace bowlers paradise and for and away exceeds what is an acceptable innings from an international number three. Did you change your opinion of him after that innings? Nope, you sure didn't.

One of Doolan's two major weaknesses as I have tried to tell you in the past, is starting off against spin because he is often hesitant to use his feet (not as bad as Hughes but not international level at playing spin at all). I watched the first 4 or 5 overs of Doolans innings then went to sleep and I can confirm he was forced to do so yesterday where Elgar was bowling into the rough just outside off stump and spinning into him. Which is a near impossible task to do when you don't properly used your feet, and at the pace Elgar was bowling it would be difficult for anyone to use their feet to get to the pitch, never mind a guy who isn't that great at it when he first comes in.

To say that someone mind should be changed after one poor innings is so poor itbt. And if that was the mentality of selectors then I can guarantee Australia would slump down to number 10 in the world in no time. It's just silly.

Good on you for not rating Doolan, but you have to put up your hand and admit you were proven brutally wrong after the Centurion match, which you have not done so.

 

[benchmark00]

Forget about winning. If your team doesn't have batsmen in your team who can capitalize big time on flat decks then you will essentially turn a match which should have been a draw into a loss. Every series anywhere in the world will have at least one test on a flat track and you can't afford to lose those matches. Moreover Rogers runs today were not only very valuable but was against top quality bowling.. I think his innings would have been rated more highly if the last wicket did not fall and the next day was rained out.

Sorry pal but a team with a winning culture, or an attitude to win, doesn't worry about trying to draw a match.

 

[benchmark00]

morkel and steyn were much better in this test than the last

Funny how that seems to work when an opposition bats/bowls well once and doesn't the other time.

 

[Maximas]

Sorry pal but a team with a winning culture, or an attitude to win, doesn't worry about trying to draw a match.

You've missed the point, he's saying you can't even draw matches on flat decks if your batsmen don't pile on runs in them, let alone win. e.g. this game.

As for your point about Doolan, what good is he if he can only win matches for us on greentops, do you also think Dean Brownlie is some amazing player?