Spinners have only really bowled like 6 overs this innings. Don't mind a spinner on (well I do, but whatever) but it shouldn't be at both ends.So why the **** does Smith bowl his four front line seamers so little? I don't get it. It'd be one thing if it was a dead pitch or turning square or Australia were ahead by 600 or something, but it's going up and down and the game is still somewhat winnable. Why would he be bowling two half-assed spinners?
Say what you will about Cook and his overbowling of Anderson/Broad in the England home series but at least he'd be bowling his wicket takers and trying to win the game until it was genuinely draw-or-lose status. With a defensive field mind you, but still...
I feel like they all have to be carrying niggles or something or it just makes no sense at all. I mean, Philander hasn't bowled since the 15th over.
edit: Especially annoying because he did it in the first innings too.
Right. A spinner at one end for a bit and rotating the seamers at the other would be fine, especially just for a change or whatever. But bowling them both with four seamers picked in the team just feels like aimless captaincy.Spinners have only really bowled like 6 overs this innings. Don't mind a spinner on (well I do, but whatever) but it shouldn't be at both ends.
tbf it's day 3 and SA have been bowling on all 3 days.So why the **** does Smith bowl his four front line seamers so little? I don't get it. It'd be one thing if it was a dead pitch or turning square or Australia were ahead by 600 or something, but it's going up and down and the game is still somewhat winnable. Why would he be bowling two half-assed spinners?
Say what you will about Cook and his overbowling of Anderson/Broad in the England home series but at least he'd be bowling his wicket takers and trying to win the game until it was genuinely draw-or-lose status. With a defensive field mind you, but still...
I feel like they all have to be carrying niggles or something or it just makes no sense at all. I mean, Philander hasn't bowled since the 15th over.
edit: Especially annoying because he did it in the first innings too.
Can understand it a bit more when you're fourth quick is batting at 4, but McLaren is at 7, use him till he's stuffed, he'll get plenty of rest by the time he has to bat.I've never rated Smith in terms of managing his quicks so he can bowl them more. Is ridiculous how much we've seen of the likes of Tahir and Peterson on day one of tests in South Africa, despite the home side almost always having four quicks and three world class ones.
What was poor was bowling them with the fields he had leading up to a break where you want some threatening bowlers on as the batsmen play for tea.Right. A spinner at one end for a bit and rotating the seamers at the other would be fine, especially just for a change or whatever. But bowling them both with four seamers picked in the team just feels like aimless captaincy.
Don't miss Warner post tea. You may hate yourself when you read tomorrow's newspaper if you do.ughhh i have to be up at 6, should i wait for a warner ton/doolan 50 or go to bed?
Stay up *****.ughhh i have to be up at 6, should i wait for a warner ton/doolan 50 or go to bed?
That might be why he's going to bed. It is Valentine's Day.Stay up *****.
Yeah. I'm glad I was the first to mention this on the forum though.Yeah noticed that too.
Yeah, both of which are pretty terrible ideas in the session South Africa really had to win to get back in the match. A session in which Steyn and Philander bowled 4 overs each. That said, maybe there's a fitness issue that isn't apparent from the outside or they are just stuffed from the first innings. But I think that was the time you really had to put it all on the table and try and get a few wickets, because Australia probably have enough already by now and there's still 9 to get.1. They're waiting for it to reverse, so just going into a holding pattern until that occurs.
2. Smith likes to use little breaks to regroup. When the DRS first came in he'd sometimes tactically review decisions just to get his team together like a time out and they'd come out better. Maybe he was just bowling for the tea break and letting his seamers have a big rest and then unleashing.