South Africa in Australia 2008-09

[Burgey]

However hilarious it was, them getting done for 83 has me worried. They'll probably do some massive soul searching, train that much harder and come to Australia all revved up with a point to prove.

And lose 2-0.

I think there have been times in the more recent past when SA have played Aus and been way too wound up, and it's cost them.

Should be a good series though. Tipping Smith to have a bit less to say pre-series than last time TBH. Put so much pressure on himself it was ridiculous.

 

[pasag]

TBH, any one-off disastrous performance like that rarely registers for me. It's so obviously just a one-off - if they put in a good performance for the rest of the series, it'll be forgotten.

That said, Australia's ODI team is quite possibly stronger than theirs and I'm not out-and-out expecting SA to win whatever it is they're playing this season.

Doesn't register for you maybe, it's the players that I'm worried about however...

 

[Richard]

It doesn't register for me because of the fact it rarely seems to impact upon the players. Usually they just tend to write it off as a bad job and move on.

 

[pasag]

It doesn't register for me because of the fact it rarely seems to impact upon the players. Usually they just tend to write it off as a bad job and move on.

I highly doubt that.

 

[Uppercut]

Well, everyone gets a low score sometimes, so occasionally, they all get one at once.

Especially considering there's three more matches left in the series, I don't think it'll affect their preparations for Australia much. I'm with Richard on this one

 

[Richard]

I highly doubt that.

Why? It'd make no sense to dwell on such a woeful and anomalous performance - just get on with atoning for it. It's the sort of thing that happens once in a blue-moon.

 

[pasag]

Why? It'd make no sense to dwell on such a woeful and anomalous performance - just get on with atoning for it. It's the sort of thing that happens once in a blue-moon.

Maybe for a mediocre side, but for a proud team like SA, depending on the way they finish the series it will have a motivating effect on the team. Basic concept in sport - you don't want to be the one to face good sides right after they've been thrashed.

 

[Uppercut]

Maybe for a mediocre side, but for a proud team like SA, depending on the way they finish the series it will have a motivating effect on the team. Basic concept in sport - you don't want to be the one to face good sides right after they've been thrashed.

Yeah, but it's not right after. It's several months and three ODIs later. And a lot of the players are different. So the effect shouldn't be too big.

 

[Richard]

Maybe for a mediocre side, but for a proud team like SA, depending on the way they finish the series it will have a motivating effect on the team. Basic concept in sport - you don't want to be the one to face good sides right after they've been thrashed.

Well you'd hope SA can indeed pick themselves up - they're in trouble if they can't. Thing is, they should have been beating England all this series, so they'll merely be belatedly claiming something they should have had all along if so. On the other hand, against Australia I'm not 100% convinced they're the better team.

 

[pasag]

Depends on that third seamer really. If we have a situation like the WI were only two bowlers are performing, we're not going to win.

 

[Richard]

Well Australia have Lee, Bracken, Clark, Johnson, Watson and heck, even Hopes, who challenge for ODI places as seam-bowlers and vary between excellent and useful.

 

[pasag]

I thought we were talking about Tests again, yeah we'll be favourites in ODIs.

 

[morgieb]

Little early much?
Anyway, should be a gun series.

 

[pup11]

Well its gonna be gun series no doubt about it, but still there is sometime left before the series starts, and a lot can change during that duration so lets see how it goes.

 

[morgieb]

Well its gonna be gun series no doubt about it, but still there is sometime left before the series starts, and a lot can change during that duration so lets see how it goes.

Unfortunetly, SA always choke against us.

 

[pup11]

Unfortunetly, SA always choke against us.

Even as a die-hard Aussie fan myself, i won't be too ****y this time around, as our team has lost a lot of gun players in the last season or two, so its upto the new guys to make sure that they fill the void left by them, and that certainly won't be that easy a task, especially against a team like RSA, and the recent poor form shown by Proteas in UK can only make them more determined to do well in Australia.

 

[Richard]

Unfortunetly, SA always choke against us.

No such thing as "always". They have done 3 times in the last 12 years, but that doesn't mean a thing to future contests.

 

[pup11]

No such thing as "always". They have done 3 times in the last 12 years, but that doesn't mean a thing to future contests.

....... AWTA, I think just because the South Africans faltered in a few important over the years they have tagged as chokers, a team like England made it to many WC finals only to eventually lose, so aren't they chokers, NZ seem to have made it a habit of making it to an ICC tournament's semi-finals and then losing, so shouldn't they also be tagged as chokers, singling out just RSA isn't fair.

 

[Uppercut]

I think you guys may have taken his comment a big bit too seriously.

 

[morgieb]

....... AWTA, I think just because the South Africans faltered in a few important over the years they have tagged as chokers, a team like England made it to many WC finals only to eventually lose, so aren't they chokers, NZ seem to have made it a habit of making it to an ICC tournament's semi-finals and then losing, so shouldn't they also be tagged as chokers, singling out just RSA isn't fair.

I didn't call them the only chokers, however. In fact, SA will give us a run for our money this season.