***Official Australia in South Africa***

[honestbharani]

I have to say I don't think there was any need to flash up the fact that Lewis has the worst bowling figures ever.

There was no reason to flash it up when Murali did it either.

 

[social]

Tests are more important and are tougher for players than ODIs. BUt that doesn't mean ODIs aren't important at all, esp. a year before the WC.

Until the last ODI, the whole tour was relatively meaningless.

Having hammered SA earlier this year, what's the point in playing them the following month?

 

[GotSpin]

Its not arrogant thinking Australia were going to win, or even saying "what a way to win the series" (although thats borderline, eh Faaip? )...

What is arrogant (and downright low) is kicking a team when they're down (as Benchmark put it) and making a stupid comment like "Sucks to be a saffie".

Tasteless if you ask me, and you got what you deserved, some nice yolk on your face.

Nevermind that, does it still suck to be a saffie?

Yeah i know some of my comments were low and totally out of order, call it spur of the moment. Sorry guys, just was amazed at the innings.

 

[honestbharani]

Until the last ODI, the whole tour was relatively meaningless.

Having hammered SA earlier this year, what's the point in playing them the following month?

giving them the chance to hit back. Personally, I like consecutive home and away series between two teams in both versions of the game. Gives a better idea of who is the better team, IMHO.

 

[Woody_cloudofsm]

"With those sort of statements, he's going to end up with egg on his face again. I just don't understand why he makes those statements."

Warne's attack came just days before the first Test begins in Cape Town, and ensured the three-match series will retain the edge of hostility that has been a recurrent theme in matches between the two teams over recent years.

He singled out Smith's lack of faith in left-arm spinner Nicky Boje, who was overlooked for the final Test in Sydney and subsequently cut from the one-day squad for the series in Australia and South Africa. Boje returned to play a significant part at domestic level in South Africa and mounted a strong case for a recall in the upcoming Test series, despite Smith's misgivings.

But Warne claimed Smith's lack of understanding about the role of a spin bowler at Test level represented a significant shortcoming in the Proteas' game plan.

"Tactically they were poor (in Australia), they had no real spinner," Warne said.

"And the way he treated Nicky Boje -- Graeme Smith doesn't seem to understand how spin bowlers work.

"He doesn't give him (Boje) confidence at all.

"He comes on to bowl and he (Smith) puts everyone out on the fence.

"You need a spinner, particularly in Australia. But South Africa really haven't played a spinner, they don't seem to have a role for a spinner, they don't understand it.

"They think it's medium pace bowling with ring fields and try to dry them (scoring opportunities) up.

"There's not much imagination to his captaincy. I think they should try to encourage a spinner, try and bring on someone like Nicky Boje, who I think is a quality bowler.

"When he first started, he was an attacking bowler who took five-fors, and suddenly, when Smith took over (as captain), he doesn't play much.

"I don't think (Smith) understands how to captain a spinner."





Ive been saying this for sooo long Nicky Boje averages 30 under pollock and cronjes captaincy and has taken 90 wickets hes taken something like 10 at 80 under smith. The reason for this is that smith makes Nicky bowl outside leg stump ashley giles style with a 6 3 on side feild and half the feilders on teh boundary finally someone has heard my sentiments and it was warney. Nicky boje is a wondeful attacking spin bowler and The Safaz really dun untilise his immense ability. If you ask me Nicky should be plaing every test match for SA and he should be bowling around the wicket to teh right handers and take the ball towards the slips with a decent off side feild in attcking positions to help him out. Warne is in no way wrong in saying that smith is an unimaginative captain. He is just a rotator of a seam attack and anyone can do that your mother or mine could do better, for south africa to be a competetive side at test level they not only need to always play a spinner against the top sides for variety but also utilise him properly and that man is Nicky Boje who shoudl be used like vettori is used for neq zealand or Mohammed Rafique for the deshis. Please offer your thoughts.

 

[TazzX]

1981??????? It's been 25 years, it's time to get over it.

I can't believe you have the nerve to accuse someone of poor sportsmanship. Check out these lovely posts........

but I wasn't dumb enough to turn the TV off and think *No way can they score that* ... that is what I refer to as complete arrogance. But it came back and bit you dingo lovers in the ***

Im p1ssing myself read from about 68 onwards and the comments by some of you Aussies is just

How pathetic is this WIndies team :| I don't think I have ever watched a Test thats been more boring than this :|


I bet Gilly and McGrath is chasing wallabies for a lil bit of love and now not able to find their way back to the stadium ...

the kiwi's don't really bother with the crap most Aussies have to say. Its always blah this we are hard done by or cry here and there

Lee = Most hated cricketer in the world Im sure.

(on Ponting) when things don't go his way he throws his toys out of the cot and cries like baby.

I don't get it, whats your point here?

 

[Demolition Man]

As much as I don;t rate Kasper, with no dizzy in the squad kasper must play the first test. Tait and Lee in the same side seems too dangerous ATM.

A turning pitch plays into the aussies hands. MacGill and Warne on a turner is awesome for the aussies.

 

[andyc]

As much as I don;t rate Kasper, with no dizzy in the squad kasper must play the first test. Tait and Lee in the same side seems too dangerous ATM.

A turning pitch plays into the aussies hands. MacGill and Warne on a turner is awesome for the aussies.

Yeah, I think it's going to be something like

Hayden
Langer
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke/Martyn
Symonds
Gilchrist
Lee
Warne
Kasprowicz
MacGill

The downside with playing Warne and MacGill is that the selectors feel we need a third seaming option for some reason, and so one of Martyn and Clarke miss out.

 

[Demolition Man]

Yeah , I would put money on it being Clarke, keep in mind he is not actually 'in' the test team atm.

 

[Demolition Man]

After our regrettable ODI performance, I'd like to make the following changes to the squad:

Cosgrove for Martyn
Jacques for Katich
Tait for Lewis
McGrath for Johnson

I also think Hogg (if Warnie is not coming back) should not be discarded the way he was for the last two games.

Agree on all of that excpet Cosgrove for Martyn.
Katich, Lewis and johnson at their best would not make Australia's best ODI team, Martyn would, he is the odd one out, the other three are not good enough, martyn is just out of form. Martyn needs a kick in the butt, he seems to have lost his passion since he got dropped after the Ashes, he does not seem to fear being dropped ( nor care) . Maybe his time is up but if he switches on he must be in the side.

Hogg should never have been dropped, Ponting refused to bowl him so the selectors did not have much choice. I really don;t know what is going on there. Hogg was one of the bowlers of the series.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

With talk of greentops again, I think Australia will really miss McGrath in this series. There's no better bowler in the world on a seaming pitch, and it would be practically suicide to prepare a series of seamers when facing an in-form McGrath.

Without him, a lot of pressure is going to be on Lee and Kasprowicz, and I think the other genuine seam options in Gillespie and Bracken are going to be sorely missed with a semi-fit and inexperienced Tait and an ineffective Clark the replacements.

 

[howardj]

Without him, a lot of pressure is going to be on Lee and Kasprowicz, and I think the other genuine seam options in Gillespie and Bracken are going to be sorely missed with a semi-fit and inexperienced Tait and an ineffective Clark the replacements.

Hear, hear. Is there a better leather-flinger (Roebuckism) than Bracken, in helpful conditions? In our ranks, only McGrath bests him.

The amazing thing is that, even though the South Africans have foreshadowed 'greentops' weeks ago, the selectors (in full knowledge of this) still sent Bracken home.

 

[Nate]

So true. Bracken on a green-top is an extremely dangerous bowler, even people who say he`s crap otherwise will admit to that. So to have Clark and Tait as your main replacements seems a bit weird.

 

[marc71178]

I actually like Brett Lee as a person/bowler I just wish he was more consistent in his line & length & stopped trying to be the fastest ever. McGrath & Pollock have become better bowlers later in life when their pace has gone.

McGrath and Pollock never really had the "pace" though, and I wouldn't say they've got better over time, been pretty much consistent through their careers.

 

[James]

1981??????? It's been 25 years, it's time to get over it.

I can't believe you have the nerve to accuse someone of poor sportsmanship. Check out these lovely posts........

but I wasn't dumb enough to turn the TV off and think *No way can they score that* ... that is what I refer to as complete arrogance. But it came back and bit you dingo lovers in the ***

Im p1ssing myself read from about 68 onwards and the comments by some of you Aussies is just

How pathetic is this WIndies team :| I don't think I have ever watched a Test thats been more boring than this :|


I bet Gilly and McGrath is chasing wallabies for a lil bit of love and now not able to find their way back to the stadium ...

the kiwi's don't really bother with the crap most Aussies have to say. Its always blah this we are hard done by or cry here and there

Lee = Most hated cricketer in the world Im sure.

(on Ponting) when things don't go his way he throws his toys out of the cot and cries like baby.

Welcome to the forum.

Please can you avoid trying to by-pass the filter. It is against forum rules.

 

[marc71178]

Having hammered SA earlier this year, what's the point in playing them the following month?

That's a good point. I for one like the FTP, but surely some thought could go into it to prevent sides going 3 or 4 years without playing then playing twice in 6 months!

 

[Demolition Man]

With talk of greentops again, I think Australia will really miss McGrath in this series. There's no better bowler in the world on a seaming pitch, and it would be practically suicide to prepare a series of seamers when facing an in-form McGrath.

Without him, a lot of pressure is going to be on Lee and Kasprowicz, and I think the other genuine seam options in Gillespie and Bracken are going to be sorely missed with a semi-fit and inexperienced Tait and an ineffective Clark the replacements.

So very true and it makes it all the more painfull to watch bracken fly home and see dizzy take another 5-for in domestic cricket the other day.

Hohns loves kasper, and while tait is good backup for Lee I struggle to see why atleast gillespie is not over there aswell. Would it really hurt that much to sned him over ???
Are they trying to save money or something ??

 

[Nate]

Welcome to the forum.

Please can you avoid trying to by-pass the filter. It is against forum rules.

To be fair, I think he is just quoting what others have said.

 

[marc71178]

The downside with playing Warne and MacGill is that the selectors feel we need a third seaming option for some reason, and so one of Martyn and Clarke miss out.

I think that reason could be that one of the 2 is Brett Lee and he's not consistent enough to be risked as one of only 2 seamers.

 

[Nate]

Kasper should be quality IMO, especially if he doesn`t bowl heaps of no-balls, which he has been doing a bit lately. I think he`ll be great.