***Official*** Australia in South Africa

[Steulen]

On McDonald: I am starting to warm to him. He beats the bat fairly frequently and because of his wicket-to-wicket line, he gets a good number of credible LBW shouts. So as a bowler, he's a very useful 2nd change, imo.

 

[Matt79]

This must be the deadest match thread I've seen on here, for a test heading towards a tight finish on the 5th day, between two top teams. One post in an hour?

 

[irfan]

This must be the deadest match thread I've seen on here, for a test heading towards a tight finish on the 5th day, between two top teams. One post in an hour?

Not as bad as the SL-PAK match thread. Also fairly attritional cricket not really conducive to forum members posting.

 

[Matt79]

Jeez, watching McDonald bowl like this, you just wish his batting was good enough to merit a spot in the top 6, or even 7, and we could live with pushing Haddin up. He's a very useful option to keep an end tight, build pressure and maybe snag a wicket or two - seems a better bowling option than Symonds for instance.

As it is, you'd have to think we're not going to take 20 wickets regularly with him as one of our four specialists, with North/Clarke as the fifth option.

 

[Andrew Pollock]

This must be the deadest match thread I've seen on here, for a test heading towards a tight finish on the 5th day, between two top teams. One post in an hour?

Wishing i had Fox

Anyone else think that the Australian coach looks like Golem from Lord of the Rings.

Dumminy out

 

[Johnners]

Moobs!!

 

[mikeW]

How farking good is this? Mcdonald and Siddle have been phenomenal.

 

[Matt79]

From what I've seen of the SL-Pak match, and the Eng-WI match as well, both ceased to *matches* of cricket in any meaningful sense some time ago - more like batting practice with a tennis ball on a concrete pitch to judge by the scorecards...

 

[Matt79]

P. SIDDY!!!!!

Fare thee well JP!

 

[Nate]

Such a gun nut. Siddleeeee

 

[Matt79]

Got to love Siddle's killer instinct. When he gets the sense that a batsman doesn't like his short one, he goes for the throat (literally and metaphorically).

His bowling average is under 30 now.

 

[Nate]

Would prefer McDonald playing to Hilfenhaus for the next Test as it stands atm.

 

[mikeW]

Would prefer McDonald playing to Hilfenhaus for the next Test as it stands atm.

How gun is he bowling? Absolutely sensational tight stump to stump bowling getting them to jag back. I rekon theres a possie for him in the team.

 

[four_or_six]

To me, Siddle looks a really excellent prospect. Will be gun if he manages to stay fit.

 

[Steulen]

How gun is he bowling? Absolutely sensational tight stump to stump bowling getting them to jag back. I rekon theres a possie for him in the team.

His pace is a problem, though. In Johannesburg it's not that much of a problem because the altitude makes him quicker, but both Durban and Cape Town are at sea level and that might make him just slow enough to safely play with the bat all those deliveries that thud into pads this match.

Nevertheless, top effort in this Test.

 

[Johnners]

Can't remember the last time Clarke hit the stumps, so frustrating.

 

[Steulen]

Can't remember the last time Clarke hit the stumps, so frustrating.

Yeah, poor effort. Ridiculous running by Boucher and Morkel though.

 

[social]

Duminy is going to have to learn how to play the short ball if he is to make it at test level - teams around the world would've watched him here and in Oz and seen that he doesnt like it

 

[Matt79]

Can't remember the last time Clarke hit the stumps, so frustrating.

He and Ponting both used to be deadly, but neither ever seems to hit these days.

 

[four_or_six]

I was just looking at the workloads of the bowlers, and I noticed SA have already batted more overs than Australia. The Australian bowlers have really kept the run rate down.