Agreed - ridiculous number of wicket-taking deliveries just failing to find an edge in that spell. That spell would be the most craft-full, intelligent, spell I've seen Lee bowl to date. If he can consistently produce that kind of bowling, even if he does only average 140kph from now on, he'll be the first choice seamer for a while yet.
Quality not quantityWhat a great day for quality cricket... kallis getting runs and wickets dravid hitting a century and we win our local park cricket derby by 80 runs... doesn't get much better
edit: w00t... 50 posts and it's only taken me 2 years
Siddle is a bowler who depends on either a bit of swing or seam to be effective, neither were there and hence he struggled, but to his credit in first innings even despite that he just kept running in and bowling at the stumps therefore despite not picking wickets he was pretty economical, but the second time around Siddle in desperation to get wickets started experimenting way too much and as a result was all over the shop.
That really is no argument at all, Lee too played in the two tests that Siddle has played in but he has also not picked many wickets either in those tests, the thing is Siddle and Johnson are two completely different bowlers and therefore their effectiveness might vary in different conditions and add to that Johnson seems to be in red hot form atm, which too makes a huge difference.
South Africa still have a long way to go. It's 50/50 at best for them, they're only halfway to the total and they're three down, with a pretty weak tail. If Australia get a couple of early wickets tomorrow it's pretty much over. If South Africa bat until lunch without losing more than one or two wickets, then they're in a position to win the game.
As i said in the other thread from where i see it he is definitely not out of form, because an out of form player can't time the ball like he is doing atm, he looks perfectly at ease when he is at the crease every time he comes out to bat, but he just seems to get out one way or the another, or he ends up being at the rough end of an umpiring decision or when none of these things happens he tends run himself out, so that pretty much goes onto show that he is not having the best of the time as far luck in concerned, but he is too good a player to be kept quite for too long and he would surely bounce back soon.
It is unfair to compare a newcomer like Siddle to a great like Johnson.
Indeed and only averaging 140kph is hardly a bad thing too, when the peak is still up at 146kph. It is sad to see his pace dropping, but he seems to be just staving up the ravages of age as far as his performances go. That slower ball "leg cutter" (was actually an outswinger grip with the ball held deep in the hand) to Kallis was a work of art.
Steyn certainly did not seem to 'know' his length in both innings. That being said, the natural talent of his swing and pace carried him through somewhat.
Get Nannes in the Test team while he's still tearing it up
I have not seen much of the game, so this comment could be irrelevant, but Siddle does not seem to be a bowler who gets massive amounts of movement but rather one who just runs in and pounds the corridor. I think he should shift his line to an off stump line rather than outside off stump and look to attack the stumps and force shots. He will be expensive, but he will take wickets and that is what is expected of the first change seamer (that, or extreme economy, and it is safe to say that economy is not Siddle's trade).
It'll be interesting to see which bowler they pick as 12th man for the next test, it will show us who's next in line. I presume not Watson, they will only pick him as a fourth seamer otherwise why jump Siddle over him when Clark got injured? So I'm guessing Bollinger, but perhaps someone else?
Dry humour, not a fan?
Yeah, and it's his kind of situation. Also he can hit out very well with the tail. But they need to cut the deficit down quite a bit before they'd be comfortable with him coming in. The key is the first session. See off Lee and Johnson's first spells of bowling without loss and it's South Africa's match to lose.
