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

[Daemon]

Seriously impressive from Rabada. Murali the real benchmark, though, with 22

Even Herath's got nine. Shows it's easier to get big match hauls when you have no competition in your own team I suppose.

 

[SeamUp]

I'm also getting over Durbs as a venue for the SA team. We just so ****ing **** here.

In 16 tests from 1992 to 2008 we only lost 2 test matches.

From 2009 to 2016 we've played 7 tests - lost 5 drew 1 and won Jk's last test. That co-incides with the change of experienced groundman and the pich becoming tired.

 

[Top_Cat]

Rabada's shared with Big Vern and Steyn and co. though

An interesting stat

Without checking, fairly sure Steyn’s missed most of his career, Philander’s been out of sorts and he’s mainly bowled with an assortment of randoms like Abbott and Morris, etc. Which, really, gives him just as much credit because someone needed to step up and lead and, well, his record speaks for itself. He’s not just an outstanding talent, already an outstanding Test cricketer.

So young too, two years younger than Cummins.One of the reasons to watch Tests is getting to see a guy like this do it so well.

 

[SeamUp]

This is my personal gripe with announcing a retirement before a series has even started. Will it be harder to drop him now? I actually think so.

Yeah , are retirements being announced more before a series starts these days or not ?

Tough situation but he hasn't quite been what he was in England and New Zealand this home summer.

 

[Top_Cat]

Haha, ah that always sucks for Test keepers.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Even Herath's got nine. Shows it's easier to get big match hauls when you have no competition in your own team I suppose.

Also easier for spinners, able to bowl longer spells, and especially when you play more than half your games on spinners' wickets.

Murali almost seemed like taking 10-for every game he played at home. The rest of his team was just so **** except for maybe Vaas, but even then Vaas didn't seem to take too many poles.

 

[Bahseph]

I'm also getting over Durbs as a venue for the SA team. We just so ****ing **** here.

In 16 tests from 1992 to 2008 we only lost 2 test matches.

From 2009 to 2016 we've played 7 tests - lost 5 drew 1 and won Jk's last test. That co-incides with the change of experienced groundman and the pich becoming tired.

It's totally changed in 10 years. The domestic games are literally bossed by spinners now. Which explains Maharaj's rise. So I guess we do have Kingsmead to thank for that ?

 

[wpdavid]

Also easier for spinners, able to bowl longer spells, and especially when you play more than half your games on spinners' wickets.

Murali almost seemed like taking 10-for every game he played at home. The rest of his team was just so **** except for maybe Vaas, but even then Vaas didn't seem to take too many poles.

I suppose the other example may be Hadlee; not in his first few years of test cricket, as he started very young and took a while to find his feet. But from around 1978 he must have picked up 10-fors at quite a rate.

 

[Daemon]

Without checking, fairly sure Steyn’s missed most of his career, Philander’s been out of sorts and he’s mainly bowled with an assortment of randoms like Abbott and Morris, etc. Which, really, gives him just as much credit because someone needed to step up and lead and, well, his record speaks for itself. He’s not just an outstanding talent, already an outstanding Test cricketer.

So young too, two years younger than Cummins.One of the reasons to watch Tests is getting to see a guy like this do it so well.

Philander averages 22 in the 19 matches he's played with Rabada and Abbott was obviously no trundler himself. Morkel was also really good for periods during Rabada's career. Steyn's played sfa with him.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Spinners seemed to have risen in stocks in general lately. So much cricket played in the subcontinent with seemingly more dustbowls than ever. The increase value of spinners in T20 cricket, and that's translated to ODIs to some extent as well. WI has become a spinner's paradise. More spin friendly wickets in SA and Eng too it seems.

70s, 80s and 90s was all about the big Fast bowlers. The spinners are taking over now

 

[social]

What the hell is Mikey babbling on about?

 

[Bahseph]

Man Khawaja looks hopeless against spin. Yikes.

 

[robbypark]

Spinners seemed to have risen in stocks in general lately. So much cricket played in the subcontinent with seemingly more dustbowls than ever. The increase value of spinners in T20 cricket, and that's translated to ODIs to some extent as well. WI has become a spinner's paradise. More spin friendly wickets in SA and Eng too it seems.

70s, 80s and 90s was all about the big Fast bowlers. The spinners are taking over now

Spinners will never take over. As great a spinner is, the fear and destruction a top pacer puts in you, especially at world cups is something different that a spinner is unable to replicate in general. It's just like baseball - the fastball pitcher is never going to be completely overtaken.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Spinners seemed to have risen in stocks in general lately. So much cricket played in the subcontinent with seemingly more dustbowls than ever. The increase value of spinners in T20 cricket, and that's translated to ODIs to some extent as well. WI has become a spinner's paradise. More spin friendly wickets in SA and Eng too it seems.

70s, 80s and 90s was all about the big Fast bowlers. The spinners are taking over now

Not to mention Australia keep producing spinner-best-friend Batsmen like Uzzie

 

[Gnske]

Lmao Usman

He went for the panicked sweeping meme, just hopeless

 

[Stefan9]

How does the umpire not see that and does kwawaja reckons he will get away with that one ?

 

[morgieb]

What the hell was that Khawaja?

 

[quincywagstaff]

Geez, Khawaja basically becoming a liability in all conditions outside Oz; I think apart from NZ 2016 tour he hasn’t had a good o/s Test series.

On the other hand, Bancroft really knuckled down with his defence and batted much better.

 

[TheJediBrah]

How does the umpire not see that and does kwawaja reckons he will get away with that one ?

Firstly, it can be tough with sweeps like that to tell if it was off glove or arm, secondly Khawaja was probably just hoping they wouldn't review, and sometimes you honestly can't tell.

 

[Burgey]

The state of South African cricket is really depressing. They stink worse than a pile of my **** and that's in every format. You can hold on to their two wins over India but let's be honest, they got lucky in both games - nobody would pick them to even win a game if they played a test series now.

They just beat the number one team in the world in a test series