***Official Australia in South Africa***

[Jono]

LOL! Love your work Rich. Part-time bowlers

In all seriousness, this is exactly what I expected from Australia when I saw the named squad, and that was when Stuart Clark was fit. Now with Mitch Johnson playing, you just have to wonder what the hell is going through the selector's minds. Just seeing Tait bowl like he did yesterday makes me think that he had to be in the squad if Dizzy wasn't going to be. Honestly I know he came out and said that he's not 100% yet (he looked it today though!), but an 60% Tait right now is a better option that Mitch Johnson. This is plain rubbish, and win or lose today (it should be a win though) I'd back SA to take the ODI series here (I have some money on it too, and I haven't won a sports bet in a while ).

Australia are missing Symonds and Ponting which hurt them with the batting, and will soon hurt them in the bowling department (Symonds > Johnson right now) but even with their return, and Stuart Clarks, its going to be countered by Nel and Ntini continuing to improve post-injury gaining more match practice (Ntini was good today anyway). Pollock looked fine today as well, so his injury may not be as bad as one thought.

Obviously Australia are never out of a series, or currently not even out of this match but gee, but a lot rests on their batting this series IMO. A lot more than usual.

Yes... YES... YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

After my loss of money regarding my bet for England to make less than 340 in the England vs. India test, I need this baby. Just one more win boys! GO SAFFIES! GO MAKHAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

 

[Langeveldt]

Yes... YES... YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

After my loss of money regarding my bet for England to make less than 340 in the England vs. India test, I need this baby. Just one more win boys! GO SAFFIES! GO MAKHAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

word..

I tend to bet on the team I don't want to win, financial aid softens defeat.. But I'm not betting on this Aussie side..

 

[MoxPearl]

I could be wrong, but i feel next few years would be a golden period for cricket.

5 teams (Aus, Sa, Eng, Ind, Pak) all vying for the top spot with SL and NZ not far behind now we only need the Windies to pull up their socks.

Intresting times ahead for our sport and i am sure the next WC would be the most open and exciting tournament in years.

New Zealand "Not far behind"

Forgive me if im wrong but we are ranked the 2nd best ODI team in the world...

 

[luckyeddie]

I think 'oops' sums that match up from an Australian perspective.

Anyone blaming Gilchrist?

 

[luckyeddie]

Yep they should chuck in the towel right now shouldn't they? I mean who cares if SA got thrashed all summer here

Don't both sides have exactly the same problem?

Scratch beneath the surface and there appears to be less talent coming through now than at any time in the last 15 years.

That's probably not really the case - just that injuries and other reasons have taken so many of the stars out at the same time during both tours, and the newcomers haven't found their feet yet.

 

[kvemuri]

New Zealand "Not far behind"

Forgive me if im wrong but we are ranked the 2nd best ODI team in the world...

No you aren't 2nd best yet, Safs are..you are 5 pts behind at 3.

http://www.icc-cricket.com/

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

New Zealand also has some way to go as a Test team.

 

[Zinzan]

I could be wrong, but i feel next few years would be a golden period for cricket.

5 teams (Aus, Sa, Eng, Ind, Pak) all vying for the top spot with SL and NZ not far behind now we only need the Windies to pull up their socks.

Intresting times ahead for our sport and i am sure the next WC would be the most open and exciting tournament in years.

Do you actually know your cricket??? New Zealand are right up the top as oneday team. The fact that you put them behind Eng, India and Pakistan tells me you haven't payed much attention to oneday cricket in the last couple of years. Only South Africa and Aust have beaten New Zealand in a series for years !!

 

[TazzX]

Do you actually know your cricket??? New Zealand are right up the top as oneday team. The fact that you put them behind Eng, India and Pakistan tells me you haven't payed much attention to oneday cricket in the last couple of years. Only South Africa and Aust have beaten New Zealand in a series for years !!

Are you serious? You ask someone else if they know cricket and you come up with a **** statement like only SA and Aus have beaten them in years?

In the last 4 years they have lost series against SA, Aus, Pakistan and West Indies.

We wont even go into Test series results.

 

[Blaze]

0/48
0/42
0/58
0/59
1/51

Brett Lee is on fire!

Bowling average of 50.11 in his last 10 games.

 

[Blaze]

New Zealand also has some way to go as a Test team.

To be fair we haven't played a lot of test cricket in the last 18 months.

 

[Zinzan]

Are you serious? You ask someone else if they know cricket and you come up with a **** statement like only SA and Aus have beaten them in years?

In the last 4 years they have lost series against SA, Aus, Pakistan and West Indies.

We wont even go into Test series results.

Firstly we aren't talking about test cricket !!! Unless you have come up with your own test world-cup to happen next year ???

And secondly, your right that since 2003 New Zealand has only lost a series to Pakistan (outside S.A and Aust) when we sent a 2nd string side to Pakistan, so its been over 2 years. Since 2003, NZ has beaten pakistan 4/1, S.L 4/1 and south africa 5/1 at home including winning the natwest trophy in 2004 against England and Westindies without dropping a game and the recent tri-series between NZ, India and Zim. Beating India 2 out of 3 games including the final, and only dorpping the meaningless game when they had already made the final and rested Bond and Vettori. After that Funnily enough India trashed Pakistan in the oneday series.

Oh I almost forgot in 2003 NZ also won the tri series in Asia against Pakistan and Sri lanka.

You have to go way back to early 2002 for that oneday series lost to west indies away

You should educate yourself and have a look at NZ's results in the last couple of years. You might learn something.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Bracken hell even Mick Lewis > Any current West Indian bowler.

Even Dwayne Smith > Mick Lewis.
Dwayne Bravo, Corey Collymore, Pedro Collins, heck even Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell > Mick Lewis.
Dwayne Bravo, Corey Collymore and Pedro Collins >>> Mick Lewis, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken.

Don't cry yourself to sleep. It doesn't mean you're crap, just that your bowling reserves are.

 

[andyc]

To anyone who watched the game, how was Watson bowling? His figures were pretty good.

 

[Demolition Man]

Aussies absoplutly destroyed by suddies. Confidence is sky-high in their camp. They are a different team with confidence behind them, not to mention a couple of decent bowlers returning from injury.

Members of the aussie top order are in a bit of a rut atm, they did not need 2 of the 3 inform batsmen symonds, ponting and hussey to be missing. Gilchrist can't really be added into that group as he is so enigmatic you can never predict what he is going to do. Martyn is out of form, Clarke is not at the top of his game, the baggy green at the back of his mind is not helping either. Katich, well he is not exactly a fast scorer, Jaques, very inexperienced and watson was not picked purely for his batting.

Hussey was the Aussies only chance last night, barring marto returning to form. Given the way the suddies bowled it was no suprise the aussies lost.

All credit to pollock and Ntini, very tight and pressured the batsmen.

Lee needs to find some movement or out attack will go for plenty.

 

[Demolition Man]

To anyone who watched the game, how was Watson bowling? His figures were pretty good.

Better than the other day but the suddies top order got out to some silly shots.

He did get a little bit of movement but not much. He got a bit of agression/confidence back after his first wicket which helped.

He looked better than the last match but it has to be said many of the wickets were more the batsmen getting themselves out, than the bowlers getting them out.

 

[howardj]

[/B]
i rekon its time for Hussey Jnr or Cosgrove....

....who cant even make the Victorian side.

geez, it really is the end for australia, if david hussey gets picked.

 

[mikeW]

....who cant even make the Victorian side.

geez, it really is the end for australia, if david hussey gets picked.

One day cricket is completely differnt, hes the 2nd or 3rd highest run scorer/average and has proved in the past he can make runs against international teams.

 

[howardj]

One day cricket is completely differnt, hes the 2nd or 3rd highest run scorer/average and has proved in the past he can make runs against international teams.

Definitely have to agree to disagree on that. Anyway, with our bowling, I really think Australia need to look towards - and I said this before last night - guys who can take wickets. As we've seen, guys like Lewis, Clark, Bracken etc, are just as likely to hammered as Tait etc, but the latter is much more likely to take wickets. When Lee struggles, you really notice our inability to make incisions into the opposition.

 

[mikeW]

Definitely have to agree to disagree on that. Anyway, with our bowling, I really think Australia need to look towards - and I said this before last night - guys who can take wickets. As we've seen, guys like Lewis, Clark, Bracken etc, are just as likely to hammered as Tait etc, but the latter is much more likely to take wickets. When Lee struggles, you really notice our inability to make incisions into the opposition.

Why do you disagree?