• Welcome to the Green and Gold Rugby forums. As you can see we've upgraded the forums to new software. Your old logon details should work, just click the 'Login' button in the top right.

1st Test, Australia vs. South Africa, 9 - 13 Nov at the Gabba!

Status
Not open for further replies.

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
You should not listen to the Aus commentators specially Chappel. I'll say it again, you neede no more then 20 more overs to roll over us and THAT cost you the test despite after a day lost. Pretty sure if we had a cloudy days play you would have been in trouble with the ball moving around in those conditions.

We were scoring quickly at the end of day 4 and early day 5. If we'd declared earlier we would have had to bat again anyway. I think it was a better choice to keep batting whilst the runs were coming easily.

I think Australia needed at least another session to be in a position to force a result. We would have still run out of time if we'd declared sooner.
 

PaarlBok

Rod McCall (65)
We were scoring quickly at the end of day 4 and early day 5. If we'd declared earlier we would have had to bat again anyway. I think it was a better choice to keep batting whilst the runs were coming easily.

I think Australia needed at least another session to be in a position to force a result. We would have still run out of time if we'd declared sooner.
Off course you would have bat again but then at the least you would have known you gave your bowlers enough time to bowl our lot out. Wickets seems to come easier when the batters play shots. Eddie Barlow had in his days many successe with positive captaincy and out of the box thinking. In the modern days the captains and coaches always want to make the test safe for themself before taking any risk to get in a winning position. Cant understand why you lot cant see this, I'd be a bit frustrated if we were in this position.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I think a declaration whilst behind on runs in the first test match of a series would be a ridiculous risk to take. If we'd done that and lost the test it would have been one of the dumbest captaincy decisions in history. Declaring whilst behind is the type of action you'd take when you're losing a series and have to pull a win out of the hat.

I also think that as a bowling side you always think that the best time to take wickets is at the end of a test match. There is a reason teams get rolled on a 5th day pitch.

I think Clarke is a very aggressive captain and is close to Steve Waugh in his level of aggressive decision making. I really don't think I'd want him pushing the envelope any further. I think he's doing a fantastic job as Australian test captain.
 

barbarian

Phil Kearns (64)
Staff member
I'm with Clarke 100%. Put it this way: when the scores were level, to win the match Australia still would have had to score 150-odd runs. It's merely a question of scoring them now or later. So do you want to score them:

a) Now, when the pitch is still OK, the ball is old, the bowlers are tired and you have both batsmen well set (with one on 200)

or

b) Later, with new batsmen, a new ball and a potentially crumbling pitch.

It's an absolute no-brainer for me.
.
 

PaarlBok

Rod McCall (65)
I'm with Clarke 100%. Put it this way: when the scores were level, to win the match Australia still would have had to score 150-odd runs. It's merely a question of scoring them now or later. So do you want to score them:

a) Now, when the pitch is still OK, the ball is old, the bowlers are tired and you have both batsmen well set (with one on 200)

or

b) Later, with new batsmen, a new ball and a potentially crumbling pitch.

It's an absolute no-brainer for me.
.
Barbs you wanted that trophe Boet.
151533.2.jpg

Spilled your first change. No way that pitch would have crumbled and it was 4 not 5 days. If they knew they would declared towards the end of day4, they would have batted quicker and would end up with a decent lead.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
Paarl, they scored 180 in the last session alone, at one stage going at 6 an over. How much more rapid do you want? All of this deflects the attention away from the conservative approach of the Saffers of course, who barely got above three per over for the whole first innings. I reckon we could have declared overnight and had 90+ overs at them on day five, but I don't think that would have been enough to knock them over and get the runs. As far declaring behind, you only do that if you're really chasing a result on a track that will break up big style on day five.
 

PaarlBok

Rod McCall (65)
THE Greg Ritchie racism scandal has gone global, with Cricket South Africa preparing to report the former Australian batsman to the International Cricket Council.

Ritchie used the highly offensive term "kaffir" and made an insulting Muslim joke during a sportsman's lunch on the opening day of the first Test at the Gabba last Friday.

He has been subsequently banned from public engagements by Cricket Australia and sacked as a guest speaker at the South Australian Cricket Association Test match dinner next Tuesday.

CSA acting CEO Jacques Faul has thanked CA for its prompt response.

"I had a long conversation with James Sutherland, CEO of CA," Faul said. "He made a very full and sincere apology for what had happened which I appreciated. CSA is also very appreciative of the rapid and effective manner in which he dealt with the issue.

"I must stress that we take a very strong line on any kind of racist behaviour. It is one of the biggest evils in the world today and one that sport can play a major part in eradicating.

"It is a very sensitive and emotional issue for us, particularly taking our past history into account. Sport has been a big unifying force in our country and we cannot allow anything to happen that is going to undermine it.

"As far as Mr. Ritchie is concerned there must be consequences for his behaviour, particularly as he further inflamed the matter when he was confronted over the contents of his speech.

"CSA will be investigating its options in this regard with the International Cricket Council as the game's supreme authority."
Whats Greg Richie up to?
 

The Red Baron

Chilla Wilson (44)
Greg Ritchie? I have to concur with TBH, he is a buffoon. Wasn't he also the joker that dressed up as the character Mahatma Coat? Ugh.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Greg Ritchie is a racist clown.

For him to not consider some of the jokes he makes racist, he is either a bare-faced liar or has no idea what racism is.
 

Penguin

John Solomon (38)
Fat Cat Richie has always been one of the biggest dickheads in Australian cricket, unfortunately he thinks he's funny & well liked.
Even more unfortunate is that local media encouraged this buffoon when he retired from the game by giving him air time on radio & tv.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top