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

[Blocky]

Get him in the top 6, find an all rounder for 7. Think that makes them a stronger team.

I think this thinking is a little flawed at times, because very few test match quality all rounders are involved in the game and in effect, you're picking a bits and pieces guy who doesn't do either role well enough to be selected as a specialist.

It's like teams select guys and if they perform in either discipline it's considered a nice bonus - i.e if Mitchell Marsh either takes a couple of wickets, or hits a score higher than 20, it's considered a bonus rather than something they're selecting a player to do consistently.

I think what teams need to encourage more is the older days, where you weren't selecting a bit part all rounder to offer you some overs if your bowlers needed a break, because you had the Mark/Steve Waughs, the Borders, the Astle/McMillans, the Graeme Smiths who could give you some middling overs in test cricket when necessary.

That way you can go back to the six best batsmen and the four best bowlers, and if you happen to generate a Cairns/Kallis/Flintoff/Watson/Vettori then that's a nice bonus where you've got a guy who arguably can play on either facet, but it's not the reality for most line ups. The reason All Rounders are easily remembered is due to how few of them are actually honestly world class.

 

[Gnske]

Wade would have taken that

 

[Starfighter]

Now Neville does a Wade. Can this test get any better?

 

[Prince EWS]

Really struggling to see what they saw in Mennie. He seems a very honest bowler, don't get me wrong, but just doesn't seem to have the zip for test cricket. Hope he proves me wrong.

I think, more than anything, he just really earned it. He had a great Shield last season (was top wicket taker IIRC) which earned him a go for Australia A, for whom he was absolutely awesome against some of the same players who he's up against in this Test -- two cheap five wicket hauls and a fifty against a South Africa A side containing Cook, Elgar and Bavuma.

I definitely wouldn't pick him ahead of Bird, but beyond that I think his recent performances put him in the 'can't argue with that' basket.

In terms of his actual bowling, when I've seen him for South Australia he's usually bowled with a bit of a natural leg cut -- fingers rolling down the left side of the ball slightly with that perpendicular action I think -- and that just hasn't happened here, so I think he may just be struggling with his release a bit. His natural length tends to be perfect on the hard, flat ones he plays on at Adelaide too, and he just hasn't found the spot here with the requirement being a bit fuller.

I don't think he's ever going to be awesome and it was a bad call to pick him ahead of Bird but he'll be disappointed to have not shown his best here IMO; he is better than dead straight brisk medium half volleys.

 

[Prince EWS]

Get him in the top 6, find an all rounder for 7. Think that makes them a stronger team.

Yeah maybe, but it then becomes a question of which batsman to drop. They already need to find someone to drop to get AB back in and it'll be harsh on whoever gets the tap on the shoulder there now, so finding a second batsman to drop would even more difficult. I don't think they have an allrounder good enough to justify it tbh.

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Pie

 

[Blocky]

Seeing Lyon bowl recently, it's really hard to understand how he has 200 wickets at a touch over 33 as an average.

 

[Blocky]

Yeah maybe, but it then becomes a question of which batsman to drop. They already need to find someone to drop to get AB back in and it'll be harsh on whoever gets the tap on the shoulder there now, so finding a second batsman to drop would even more difficult. I don't think they have an allrounder good enough to justify it tbh.

Cook / Elgar are the droppable players, but sides seem loathe to think that #3 could do the job as opener.

 

[Nate]

Seeing Lyon bowl recently, it's really hard to understand how he has 200 wickets at a touch over 33 as an average.

He used to loop HE USED TO LOOP

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Seeing Lyon bowl recently, it's really hard to understand how he has 200 wickets at a touch over 33 as an average.

super natural power of voldemort embracing upon lyon

 

[Nate]

Really struggling to see what they saw in Mennie. He seems a very honest bowler, don't get me wrong, but just doesn't seem to have the zip for test cricket. Hope he proves me wrong.

I think it's amazing that he's made it to International Cricket, considering his left arm seems to be paralyzed. Great story.

 

[Blocky]

Like it's scary, but I agree with this Cricinfo comment

Scotty: "I think Maxwell is an option... to replace Lyon. Honestly i think he is just as good as Lyon. No disrespect to Lyon, he has taken a lot of wickets over the last few years, but he isnt really a matchwinner... neither is Maxwell, but at least he would provide some runs, and might have a gilly/qdk innings up his sleeve at times."

You wouldn't lose anything bowling Maxwell instead of Lyon considering the way he's been playing in the Smith era. Maybe it was more a case of captains knowing how to use him in previous eras?

 

[Starfighter]

Bad review. He's hit the ground.

 

[Daemon]

I hate Lyon but no

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

SeamUp saw this from cape town that he hit the ground not the bat, poor review

 

[Blocky]

Not a poor review, an Australian review..

Bowling:

ROW: "That's most likely out, we should review it as from all looks that looks good "
Aus: "We need a wicket, lets review everything!!! then complain when we run out of reviews and there is an umpire mistake... because the umpires always make mistakes we can review everything!"

Batting:

ROW: "That hit me on the pads, and I'm probably out... let me chat to my buddy and see if I should... no, not worth a review"
Australia: "That hit me on the pad, right infront of the wickets and I'm dead as sin... let me look at my budd... nah, **** it, REVIEW, might be a front foot no ball!!!"

 

[Gnske]

People actually think KP is an asset to the Channel 9 box

 

[Starfighter]

As far as the spin bowling situation goes I don't irrationally hate Lyon, unlike some other people here, but he's regressed since last summer and clearly Smith hasn't a very good idea how to use him. I think it's time for O'Keefe to get a run (even though I hate non-spinning lefties), as he'll be able to hold better and Smith will probably have an easier time. I don't think he can do worse than Lyon at this point, and stiffens up the batting as well.

 

[Blocky]

People outside of Australia enjoy KP giving **** to the partial completely one sided Australian commentary team

Corrected.

 

[Blocky]

As far as the spin bowling situation goes I don't irrationally hate Lyon, unlike some other people here, but he's regressed since last summer and clearly Smith hasn't a very good idea how to use him. I think it's time for O'Keefe to get a run (even though I hate non-spinning lefties), as he'll be able to hold better and Smith will probably have an easier time. I don't think he can do worse than Lyon at this point, and stiffens up the batting as well.

Well if you're thinking about a bits and pieces all rounder who can offer you overs and score a few runs from time to time, what happened to Ashton Agar?