***Official*** Australia in South Africa 2018

[Spark]

Now that the current events are winding to an inevitable conclusion, it's probably time to move on.

Tour fixtures
22-24 Feb 2018: Tour match: SA Invitation XI v Australia, Benoni

01-05 Mar: 1st Test, Durban

09-13 Mar: 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth

22-26 Mar: 3rd Test, Cape Town

30 Mar-3 Apr: 4th Test, Johannesburg

===

Ugh, PE.

 

[vcs]

Finally, a 4-match series between these two teams.

Hope the quicks on both sides stay fit.

 

[StephenZA]

Ugh, PE.

Hey.... PE is a beautiful (if extremely boring!) city.

 

[CricAddict]

Imagine both steyn and Patto coming back from injuries for this one.

Steyn Morkel Philander Rabada Maharaj vs Starc Haze Cummins Patto Lyon

AB vs Smith. Imo no 1 batsman vs No 2.

Mouth-watering clashes.

 

[Heboric]

 

[Black_Warrior]

Not that Smith has anything to prove but watching the best batsman of our times against quite possibly the greatest pace attack since the 80s would be the closest thing we get to "how would Lara/Tendulkar/Ponting face the WI quartet"

 

[Gob]

Imagine both steyn and Patto coming back from injuries for this one.

Steyn Morkel Philander Rabada Maharaj vs Starc Haze Cummins Patto Lyon

AB vs Smith. Imo no 1 batsman vs No 2.

Mouth-watering clashes.

Pattinson won't be back for a long time given the nature of the surgery. Hoping to see Steyn

Would be an excellent series.

 

[Gob]

Hey.... PE is a beautiful (if extremely boring!) city.

poo pitch

 

[StephenZA]

poo pitch

Nah... slowest, lowest pitch amongst the bigger cities; but still gives results, has its own characteristics. Not a pitch you play the sub-continent teams on, but perfect against the Aussies .

Wish it got more Tests, but when SA keep only playing 3 Test series, difficult for the ground to get games before the Wanderers, Newlands, Centurion, Kingsmeade.

 

[OverratedSanity]

PE atleast is a bit abrasive and brings reverse into play at times. Variety is good. Every track having pace and bounce would get boring.

 

[Gob]

Glad that Micheal isn't a selector

 

[Furball]

Not that Smith has anything to prove but watching the best batsman of our times against quite possibly the greatest pace attack since the 80s would be the closest thing we get to "how would Lara/Tendulkar/Ponting face the WI quartet"

He's smashed them once.

 

[Slifer]

Imagine both steyn and Patto coming back from injuries for this one.

Steyn Morkel Philander Rabada Maharaj vs Starc Haze Cummins Patto Lyon

AB vs Smith. Imo no 1 batsman vs No 2.

Mouth-watering clashes.

Would possibly imo, be the best assembly of bowlers since WI toured pakistan in 1990. In the 3rd test the bowling attacks were: Bishop, Ambrose, Walsh and Marshall vs Imran, Wasim, Waqar and Qadir. Ordinarily, i wouldn't encourage rsa to play 5 bowlers and possibly be a batsman short against Australias formidable attack but despite their ashes exploits, i still think that australia has a very fickle batting lineup . I'm actually looking forward to this series more than most others.

 

[Slifer]

He's smashed them once.

Awta but now rsa has a complete attack with rabada and maharaj. Imo ,much better than what smith faced before, even if steyn doesn't fully recover in time.

 

[Gob]

Awta but now rsa has a complete attack with rabada and maharaj. Imo ,much better than what smith faced before, even if steyn doesn't fully recover in time.

Smith him self was half of the batsman though

He did face Rabada at home and had a reasonably quiet series by averaging 40 something (Complete failure according to Blocky) but that included being stranded for 48 out of **** all team total at Hobart

 

[Slifer]

Oh don't get it twisted Smith certainly smashed an awesome RSA attack back in 2014 but an attack of Morkel, Philander, Rabada, Maharaj this time around is better than the one from 2014. More so, if Steyn makes it bk for the series in March

 

[Black_Warrior]

That was a good attack and I didn't say it in the context of Smith having holes to fill or anything to prove but purely from a cricketing entertainment perspective. Smith is a better batsman now than he was 3 years ago. Morkel is a better bowler now than he was 3 years ago. Rabada did not play in that attack. SA attack is better now than it was 3 years ago.

Just higher quality of cricket and entertainment for the fans

 

[inbox24]

This should be our squad for the South Africa tests:


1. Burns
2. Warner
3. Khawaja
4. Smith
5. S Marsh
6. Maxwell
7. Paine
8. Cummins
9. Starc
10. Lyon
11. Hazlewood


12. Handscomb 13. Bird


A) This is the perfect time for Joe Burns to come back into the team. Both Bancroft and Renshaw average in the mid 30s at first class level, a whole 10 runs lower than Burns does. Burns has had a good last few months in form to and deserves a chance to redeem himself after his last dropping. There's no need to shift Shaun or Khawaja up to opener as Burns slots right in and preserves the harmony of the batting order.


B) Not convinced about Mitch Marsh, he's scored two centuries on flat tracks against flat bowling attacks. He averages sub 30 with the bat at first class level and is virtually useless with the ball. Maxwell averages 40+ at first class level and deserves a chance.


C) Handscomb should be a long term play for middle order batsman below Steve Smith, he's got the first class numbers to back it up (compared to other options) and also has age on his side. Cameron White be the only one to average more than him at FC level, but Cameron's age works against him at this point.


D) Bird should be persisted with, South African conditions will offer more than our flat pitches and Bird is line and length to balance the other pace options we have.

 

[stephen]

Regardless of how anyone feels about whether M Marsh should have been picked or not he's just made two centuries in the last three tests and blocked out a draw in the other one. You can't drop him now. Maxwell should be considered as next in line for a middle order spot (or Handscomb) but the Marsh brothers have both cemented themselves in the starting lineup for South Africa.

And I'm over the moon that M Marsh proved me wrong. He has such a high ceiling as a batting all rounder that if he comes good he'll be so valuable in the middle order long term.

 

[Heboric]

Australia squad for South Africa tour:

Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc

One player not so happy:

Cape Town - South Australia swing bowler Chadd Sayers has admitted to calling chairperson of selectors Trevor Hohns after being left out of the tour to South Africa.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/sayers-calls-hohns-after-exclusion-from-sa-tour-20180122

I dont know if he has a leg to stand on, dont know how good this guy is