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

[Tangles]

Grats to the Saffers on 2 comprehensive displays. Looked unlikely after Steyn went off in Perth but a great effort from then.

 

[Burgey]

Mid 1980s Australia batting line ups vs Mid 2010s Australian batting line ups.

Player by player comparisons:

Warner = Boon
Burns = Hilditch
Khawaja = Wayne Phillips
Smith = Border
Voges = Ritchie
MMarsh = Tony Dodemaide
SMarsh = Graeme Wood
Nevill = Dyer/ Zoehrer
Maxwell = Greg Matthews
Starc = Bruce Reid
Hazelwood = McDermott
Mennie = Simon Davis
Cummins = Bruce Reid
Pattinson = Bruce Reid
Lyon = Peter Taylor
Siddle = Geoff Lawson

It's just a question of who in the country is going to be the next Steve Waugh/ Mark Waugh/ Ian Healy/ Tubby/ Swampy (his sons plainly aren't)/ Merv Hughes. Those type of players are there, but if you don't take a punt on some of them when they're young, you'll never know. If they cop some canings early on, they won't be any worse than the canings the side is copping now.

 

[Starfighter]

Cummins = Bruce Reid
Pattinson = Bruce Reid.

Would be funny if it weren't so frustratingly true.

 

[Burgey]

I think if they bring younger batsmen in, they have to do it with the promise of at least 10 or 15 tests. They cant bring the younger guys in and then drop them after they fail once or twice.

They need to be very deliberate now in picking young guys who they believe will be there for 8-10 years at least, and NOT dropping them at the first opportunity.

Agreed. The mid-80s strategy is the way forward, from a selection POV. Scout blokes who have the temperament to play at this level, even if you know they aren't ready yet, and stick with them.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Burgey please stop talking about your era. We don't care what happened a 100 years ago.

 

[Gnske]

Omfg the Ferguson and Voges dismissals

Absolutely disgusting

 

[honestbharani]

Who were bigging up Voges in every bloody thread in CC last year? Wasn't it TJB and Gob? Man, wish they get at least half of such posts in return... No disrespect to Voges, guy seems a decent enough bloke and there is nothing wrong in making hay but boy was reading CC a pain when he was going well...

 

[Victor Ian]

I just got to log on and see how things are going. Well....that sucks.

Great display by South Africa. I wonder how depressing things can get this summer.

From what I have seen, it's unthinkable how South Africa are (but about to change) the number 5 team in the world.

 

[Tangles]

Mid 1980s Australia batting line ups vs Mid 2010s Australian batting line ups.

Player by player comparisons:

Warner = Boon
Burns = Hilditch
Khawaja = Wayne Phillips
Smith = Border
Voges = Ritchie
MMarsh = Tony Dodemaide
SMarsh = Graeme Wood
Nevill = Dyer/ Zoehrer
Maxwell = Greg Matthews
Starc = Bruce Reid
Hazelwood = McDermott
Mennie = Simon Davis
Cummins = Bruce Reid
Pattinson = Bruce Reid
Lyon = Peter Taylor
Siddle = Geoff Lawson

It's just a question of who in the country is going to be the next Steve Waugh/ Mark Waugh/ Ian Healy/ Tubby/ Swampy (his sons plainly aren't)/ Merv Hughes. Those type of players are there, but if you don't take a punt on some of them when they're young, you'll never know. If they cop some canings early on, they won't be any worse than the canings the side is copping now.

I'm more wondering who the next Border is. He started the turn around and blokes like Steve Waugh learned a lot playing with him. Can't see Smith cracking heads in the sheds.

 

[anil1405]

FFS Australia. The way they batted yesterday I felt that they might last way beyond the first session today. Turns out that deciding to wake up to watch from 2nd session on was a big mistake.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Both Gob and TJB have gone missing

 

[Starfighter]

FFS Australia. The way they batted yesterday I felt that they might last way beyond the first session today.

Considering the Perth collapse it probably wasn't the wisest assumption to make.

 

[Burgey]

I'm more wondering who the next Border is. He started the turn around and blokes like Steve Waugh learned a lot playing with him. Can't see Smith cracking heads in the sheds.

No one is the next Border, because you'll see another ten Lara's and Tendulkar's before you see another Border. Having said that, he got the gig simply because he was the best player and there was no one else. He didn't want it and it took him a few years to become a good captain.

What he did do better than anyone was grind out runs and lead by example. Smith can do that too. He's good enough.

 

[Black_Warrior]

So finally Burgey realizes who the real AB is and starts calling him Border

 

[Burgey]

Look at footage of the young Border he played shots everywhere. Same with Waugh. Then they got ruthless because they had to. Border made about 8,000 of his test runs by playing three shots. Takes a special kid of genius to do that.

 

[Burgey]

So finally Burgey realizes who the real AB is and starts calling him Border

No, the situation is simply too urgent and important to have to deal with 50 posts like this instead of one.

 

[the big bambino]

I think we are at a stage now where we have to play younger batsman bcos the alternative has failed. They mightn't be scoring the quantity of fc runs but really has the shield scheduling ever given them a fair chance to force a claim? Besides I don't know how ready S Waugh was when he was first picked. We've now lost 10/86, 10/85 and what was it today? 8/40. These players have a ? for the next test: Burns, Voges, Ferguson, Nevill (a little unfair but 7 is now considered a batsman and he hasn't performed to even modest expectations) Mennie and Lyon. Might seem like a panic and not all should go but any of them could. To think all this started when just after Steyn was injured and everything was in our favour, which is a measure of how well SA have fought and played.

 

[StephenZA]

Went to bed last night, thought I would get up for 2nd session..... apparently Aus decided that they had other things to do today, than play cricket.

Well done SA. Now to find some highlights.

 

[sonnench]

Absolutely chuffed with the win. Surprised how easy it was in the end, each ball looked like it could be a wicket. It's incredibly impressive that we managed to win both tests so comfortably without the best batsmen or bowler in the world.

From a South African POV. Cook has been the only real disappointment so far this tour. No runs in either test, or even the warm-up games. I feel for a guy like Rilee, who's talent is undeniable, but I think Cook plays next game, and I wouldn't really mind that tbh. If we needed to win, sure, make the change. But it's a chance for Cook to find confidence for the future, in a game where there isn't much pressure.

Elgar, JP, Bavuma and QdK have all pitched in admirably. It certainly puts the mind at ease to know should Hash, or Faf fail, we have guys to back them up now. Bavuma now rivaling QdK as my favorite cricketer, what a little gem. The sheer size of the man still gets me

All bowlers, Maharaj included, were top class. Philander could of had another 5-for in the second innings. Abbot, man, I feel for him. He deserves to be playing regular international test cricket, but our depth right now is ridiculous. Rabada is simply the next legend of fast bowling, it's not even a question.

And lastly, Faf's captaincy has been a breathe of fresh air. Stays on for mine, which I feel AB will be more than OK with.


As for Australia. I won't pretend to have a great understanding of what's going on there, or their domestic scene. But there obviously needs to be changes. Batting wise, Warner, Smith and Khawaja need to be built around and supported. As to who comes in, I have no idea. But surely there's more to chose from than Fergs, Nevill and Voges, who I know has been impressive up until this series, but at 37, is just a gap filler. Surely there are some young guys scoring runs? Or have shown enough potential to be chosen? While test cricket is a different ball game, and the pressure can certainly wreck a young player, what you're doing now isn't working either.

Bowling wise, I think you're pretty OK for the most part. Starc and Hazelwood the obvious performers, and from what I saw from Mennie, before the Starc spell, he looked pretty impressive for mine. What happened to Cummins (injury?) and Bird? Lyon hasn't had a great series so far, but there hasn't been a ton on offer for him. Who are your back-up spinners btw? I literally have no idea. Boyce? O'Keefe still about?

 

[Nate]

Was picking my XI at the Fox Sports Team Selector, and somehow ended up with -

Warner
Darsh
Stoinis
Voges
Smith
Head
Nevill
Henriques
O'Keefe
Starc
Hazlewood

What have I become...

At what point does this become almost reasonable (swap Voges for Uzi though I guess)?