***Official*** Australia in South Africa + South Africa in Australia 2016/17

[Spikey]

except for dougeh

 

[burr]

Is there a better pundit than Ponting right now? Not in my books

Ponting wasn’t impressed with Warner’s shot on a green deck and with the ball moving around.

“He has got the knack of setting innings up pretty quickly like he did in Perth,” Ponting told BT Sport.

“But that to me is still quite reckless as a shot for an opening batsman.

“On these sort of pitches, you are looking to score the majority of your early runs off the back foot; defend well on the front foot, leave on the front foot, wait for the bowlers to get a little bit short, and make them pay.”

Ponts is a national treasure. Did anyone see this, around the 30min mark. Pont's reaction to KP is classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF73kapDXMo

 

[SeamUp]

cool let's add another 32yo who isn't good enough

pick dougeh instead

Merlin. He will certainly bring a bit of magic to the attack. Maybe Pattinson, Cummins, Starc need to start eating what he is eating ?

 

[SeamUp]

Couldn't have asked for a better day really to back up a win in the first test of a series.

Cook's deficiencies unfortunately highlighted.

What the hell were Fergo's family doing in England at this time of year ? Great reaction though, shows how family lives cricket with the players through out all the years of them playing from early days and feels failure just as much.

 

[NUFAN]

Couldn't have asked for a better day really to back up a win in the first test of a series.

Cook's deficiencies unfortunately highlighted.

What the hell were Fergo's family doing in England at this time of year ? Great reaction though, shows how family lives cricket with the players through out all the years of them playing from early days and feels failure just as much.

His brother lives there. The good motivation for Callum is that he knows how he'd look if he wasn't a professional athlete and stopped training.

 

[listento_me]

Whats happening here? Are the Aussies allergic to double figures? The only saving grace is that SA arent doing much better.

 

[Burgey]

Everyone piling on TPC's captaincy needs to get off the vapour. You can't defend piss weak totals no matter who captains. Five gets you ten he'll end up a first rate skipper. Those suggesting Warner are kidding. First rate knob head.

 

[Spikey]

good writer though

 

[91Jmay]

Everyone piling on TPC's captaincy needs to get off the vapour. You can't defend piss weak totals no matter who captains. Five gets you ten he'll end up a first rate skipper. Those suggesting Warner are kidding. First rate knob head.

Most fair criticism is that he is a pony captain of spin. Seems to never trust spinners in any format.

 

[Burgey]

It's easy to trust your spinners when you're defending a decent total in tests. Agree his use of Zampa and others in recent ODIs has been strange(TM).

 

[Spikey]

i think everyone has forgotten that spinners can go **** themselves.

 

[91Jmay]

Yeah, Aus spinners also bowled quite poorly in Sri Lanka in his defence. But the Zampa stuff in ODIs is bizarre. I know his first class record is tonk but will he get a look at any point? Think he is a real prospect

 

[Compton]

Credit to Australia, completing their first innings so quickly in order to facilitate a result.

#GottaRiskLosing

 

[TheJediBrah]

Smh Maxwell would have tonned up on this deck, and Faulkner's home-town knowledge would have seen a valuable 70 not out and 5/30 from him today.

lol Joe Mennie




lol

Everyone piling on TPC's captaincy needs to get off the vapour. You can't defend piss weak totals no matter who captains. Five gets you ten he'll end up a first rate skipper. Those suggesting Warner are kidding. First rate knob head.

Warner was pretty decent as captain in the IPL though wasn't he? 12 months ago I would have laughed my head off at the idea of him captaining, but my opinion of him has changed.

It's easy to trust your spinners when you're defending a decent total in tests. Agree his use of Zampa and others in recent ODIs has been strange(TM).

Zampa being like the 6th bowler used and bowling 2 overs a game in the World T20 also comes to mind

 

[Dan]

No.

(@91JMay)

 

[Stefan9]

Mennie is quite awfull. He was terrible in the odi's vs S.A. and doesn't seem better here.

 

[91Jmay]

I don't know about awful but he is an odd player for Aus to pick. Not the type of guy they usually go for

 

[flibbertyjibber]

i think everyone has forgotten that spinners can go **** themselves.

No, spinners go **** Aussie batsmen, as do opposition pacemen. Well bowlers of any sort of late.

 

[Starfighter]

Mennie bowled okay, beat the bat a few times. But he's so pedestrian I'm not sure a nick would even carry. I reckon he deserves a wicket at some point but will probably go wicketless.
Not picking Bird on his home pitch or Sayers, who's been out bowling everyone, is something only our selectors could attempt to justify, and in fairness without Mennie's batting we might not have passed 70

 

[Top_Cat]

Warner as captain? Honestly? I know Smith is pretty average, but haven't Australia's troubles centred around their batting? I can only think Smith's part in the environment could impact on that, and even then that's much more of a Lehmann issue. And David Warner is a good/great player whatever, but what evidence suggests that Warner has any idea how to captain a side, how to lead a side, how to deal with the media, the pressure, etc.

Not really a golden age for evidence at the minute, it's time for action. #smexit

Can't believe there were people genuinely suggesting Starc should rest for this game. Bird on suicide watch. Also, there's runs in this deck for Ferguson 2nd dig. Looks like his sort of deck and attack.