***Official*** South Africa in Australia

[luckyeddie]

pollock bowled quite poorly in this test match and was quite comfortable the worst bowler of the test match and also looked distinctly ordinary all series. the idea of pollock still bowling more overs than everyone else in the side is beyond belief.

Not quite beyond belief - captains aren't often reactionary when it comes to their bowling assets.

Pollock is quite obviously the senior man when it comes to the South African bowling department - the man that Smith and other captains in the past (Pollock included) have turned to time and time again when the chips are down.

Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't - but the reason the captains take that approach is that they think that have a better chance of being rewarded with that choice than any other going on just history. It's the reason Ponting keeps coming back to McGrath, even if he's gone around the park a little. Obviously if the senior bowler is injured, that can affect the decision but usually he has an idea who his 'clutch' bowler is.

 

[Prince EWS]

You reckon?!

And Kallis won't have casually mentioned his shoulder wasn't feeling right?

Not as if he has a history of that sort of thing is it?!

Hoe does that explain him regularly bowling first change throughout this whole series then?

 

[parttimer]

Hey Marc, brilliant first and second innings knocks by Kallis wasn't it .Proper set up they match it did, but for US!! How would Warne put it? If I put an egg on Marcs face it'd fry up in about two minutes. . Marc - a big know it all, who knows jack all.

 

[marc71178]

So it's Kallis' fault that it rained is it?

It would've been so much better that he got out early for 30 or so and SA only made 300 or so in the first knock would it?

 

[parttimer]

Still maintaining it was a great knock eh? Poor boy can't admit when he's wrong awww

 

[parttimer]

I mean, if the guy could have played a more expansive knock, he would have. Fact is he played the same knock in hte 2nd innings despite his team desparately wanting quick runs. It was obvious from even his teammates he was doing the wrong thing for the team.

 

[marc71178]

You what?

I notice that some of the other SA players came out and said that had they known it was going to rain they would've gone about it a different way, but they didn't so they wanted the runs on the board.

Incidentally, if it hadn't rained then I see no way Australia would've won that game after those first innings.

But if you want to resort to insults and childish comments because you think you're right, then nobody's stopping you - just hardly makes you look the big clever man you seem to think you are.

 

[parttimer]

And your a WUM these days. Running around telling everyone they know nothing about test cricket bcos they agree with the advancing the game strategy. Well its blown up in your face now.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I personally think the 2-0 scoreline flattered the Aussies.

I agree. They were the better side, but if it wasn't for the rain they wouldn't have won the last Test (SA would have batted them out the game and then given themselves a day and a bit to bowl the Aussies out).

I really don't think the Aussies are a shadow of their former selves.

 

[luckyeddie]

And your a WUM these days. Running around telling everyone they know nothing about test cricket bcos they agree with the advancing the game strategy. Well its blown up in your face now.

Can someone explain to me what a 'WUM' is?

My best guess is that it's a double-secret term used by the intelligentsia that means something frightfully witty and cutting but what exactly, I cannot even hazard a guess.

 

[marc71178]

And your a WUM these days. Running around telling everyone they know nothing about test cricket bcos they agree with the advancing the game strategy. Well its blown up in your face now.

What on earth is a WUM?

And where have I told anyone they don't know anything about Test cricket?

And how exactly has it "blown up in my face"?

 

[open365]

Hey Marc, brilliant first and second innings knocks by Kallis wasn't it .Proper set up they match it did, but for US!! How would Warne put it? If I put an egg on Marcs face it'd fry up in about two minutes. . Marc - a big know it all, who knows jack all.

ermm....he's not exactly a big know it all if he doesn't no it all is he?

 

[aussie]

I personally think the 2-0 scoreline flattered the Aussies.

Problems have been revealed in the course of this series which the Aussies are ignoiring -for instance, you bowling let Saff make 450 in this test and couldn't bowl them out on the last day in Perth.
When Mcgrath and Warne go you guys will be in real trouble.

Also, South Africa's bowling is weak and they still caused your middle order problems - bad catching also let them down and contributed to Aussie victory margin.

Remember England next year won't be so generous

What makes you think that Australia are ignoring these problems that they have in the middle-order? & so what if SA made 400 in this test & Australia couldn't bowl them out in the 2nd innings, how does that make Australia bowling attack weak?, its not like they didn't bowl well...

 

[tooextracool]

Not quite beyond belief - captains aren't often reactionary when it comes to their bowling assets.

Pollock is quite obviously the senior man when it comes to the South African bowling department - the man that Smith and other captains in the past (Pollock included) have turned to time and time again when the chips are down.

Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't - but the reason the captains take that approach is that they think that have a better chance of being rewarded with that choice than any other going on just history. It's the reason Ponting keeps coming back to McGrath, even if he's gone around the park a little. Obviously if the senior bowler is injured, that can affect the decision but usually he has an idea who his 'clutch' bowler is.

pollock is clearly past it, to the point where there are at least 2 other bowlers in the SA bowling attack who are far better and closer to their peaks. almost everytime he came on in this series, he released pressure and in that last test continued to bowl tripe without getting changed. certainly botha and kallis should have bowled a lot earlier than they ended up doing.

 

[parttimer]

What on earth is a WUM?

And where have I told anyone they don't know anything about Test cricket?

And how exactly has it "blown up in my face"?

A wind up merchant.

You telling pple to go back to watching OD cricket for criticising Kallis.

They lost the match.

 

[marc71178]

Yes, they lost it, but that was because the rain more than anything else, certainly nothing to do with Kallis' first innings knock (or as it turns out the 2nd, since the time they would've been left to bat they would've chased down pretty much anything batting like that)

So how exactly are any of your allegations founded?

 

[parttimer]

The result proves my case. You need to prove yours. Go back to your bubble.

 

[Autobahn]

Kallis' job was to drop anchor and hold the innings together while the other batsmen started slogging.

It's what normally happens, unfortunley the rain screwed up the plan and left them with far less time.

But they still wanted kallis there so the innings wouldn't fall apart.

 

[Dasa]

The result proves my case. You need to prove yours. Go back to your bubble.

You haven't actually proven anything. You've just taken two events and tried to tell everyone that one directly resulted in the other.

 

[parttimer]

The best batsmen in the team is there the drop anchor? Thats so tragic its almost funny. You have to score runs in test cricket in order to win the game, occupying the crease can be good but will more likely result in draws (and open you up to a loss if rain or a bad session intervenes), esp when your playing a quality team like Australia.

Eng proved it this Ashes, to play winning cricket you have to create pressure on the opposition. It's not just a battle of who can shoulder arms the most, its a psychological battle over over who can get on top and dominate. All the great batsmen have been batsmen in this mould -Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Lara etc. They dominate the attack and try to win games for the team. Ok Lara often hasn't won many matches for his team but hasn't had the backup that Kallis has had. IMO the likes of him will be quickly forgotten once his career is finished.

How many test matches has Kallis actually won for the team ala Ponting and his SCG first innings knock?