Summer of 16/17

[Hugh Jarse]

It could be a long summer for the South Africans if they don't sharpen up their bowling.
<snip>

@#1?, That has to be one of the more interesting ways of spelling "Australians" and "Batting" that I have seen.

Funny old game is cricket but looks like old mate Hanrahan was right: "we're 'rooned".

Great response to a poor day 1 performance by the Saffers.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

We had all the advantages at the end of day one and chucked it all away by tea on day 2. Nothing I've seen in this test has dissuaded me from my thesis that our team is soft mentally at the moment. The captain has plenty of ticker but I really question the blokes around him.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Warner run out taking a suicidal single. SMarsh caught at slip. Aust 2/52

To be fair to Warner, that's some freakishly good fielding by Bavuma & he's only just short of his ground.

 

[Quick Hands]

Aust 4/152. Warner, SMarsh, Voges and Smith back in the pavillion.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Well that's the ball game then.

 

[The torpedo]

our team is soft mentally at the moment

Why though? Took the loss in SL badly or never prepped for wickets that do something?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Why though? Took the loss in SL badly or never prepped for wickets that do something?

My view is that the current team are great front runners and play well when things are in their favour, but fold a little too easily when they aren't. It could be pitches that turn or seam a little, needing to dig in and play a long innings or bowling ten or so overs of tight line and length, giving nothing away. The result is the same in each case, when they're required to win or break even in the tough moments of a test they just don't. Certainly not like our good sides of the recent past have. I know they don't have the talent that those sides did, but neither do they have the mental toughness or the unshakeable technique and in test cricket that mental side is the most important part IMHO.

 

[Quick Hands]

Why though? Took the loss in SL badly or never prepped for wickets that do something?

The thing is though, that this is just a good cricket wicket. There's a little bit there for the bowlers, but nothing that test standard batsmen should fear. For the past couple of seasons, we have seemed incapable of batting on anything other than flat docile wickets. Our game plan seems to have been to go in and try to hit the opposition bowlers out of the attack and then bat them out of the game.

 

[Teh Other Dave]

My view is that the current team are great front runners and play well when things are in their favour, but fold a little too easily when they aren't. It could be pitches that turn or seam a little, needing to dig in and play a long innings or bowling ten or so overs of tight line and length, giving nothing away. The result is the same in each case, when they're required to win or break even in the tough moments of a test they just don't. Certainly not like our good sides of the recent past have. I know they don't have the talent that those sides did, but neither do they have the mental toughness or the unshakeable technique and in test cricket that mental side is the most important part IMHO.

It's simple, they're just not patient. Warner's run-out is a good example, the brilliant fielding obscures the fact that the run wasn't on.

 

[Highlander35]

GOAT is done.

Bring in Dutchy and the Big Show for him and Marsh.

#VicBias

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Agree with that and that's all about being mentally tough -- digging in an occupying the crease to accumulate. We don't do that.

 

[Quick Hands]

To be fair to Warner, that's some freakishly good fielding by Bavuma & he's only just short of his ground.

Perhaps, but he hit it straight to the fieldsman at short cover (a fieldsman specifically put there to stop singles) and then sets off. Warner himself has run out countless opponents in exactly the same situation. Playing Russian Roulette chasing 539 isn't really what we needed.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Here's what's left:

At the wicket:
Khawaja 58, average incl. this innings 44.70 high score 174
M Marsh 15, 23.65, 87
To come:
Nevill average 20.88, HS 66
Starc 24.8, 99
Siddle 14.53, 51
Hazlewood 15.58, 39
Lyon 14.30, 40*

Clearly you need Khawaja to bat pretty much all day & at least two others to put in career-best innings. Who knows, maybe this is the day MM makes himself an undropable fixture at 6 in your order?

 

[No4918]

Here's what's left:

At the wicket:
Khawaja 58, average incl. this innings 44.70 high score 174
M Marsh 15, 23.65, 87
To come:
Nevill average 20.88, HS 66
Starc 24.8, 99
Siddle 14.53, 51
Hazlewood 15.58, 39
Lyon 14.30, 40*

Clearly you need Khawaja to bat pretty much all day & at least two others to put in career-best innings. Who knows, maybe this is the day MM makes himself an undropable fixture at 6 in your order?

MM improves on his average by a big 2 runs. And Neins experts are doing their best to convince the world DRS got it wrong they are correct because it looks like it's doing too much. Go back to your day jobs lads. Oh shit, this is.

 

[Quick Hands]

Here's what's left:

At the wicket:
Khawaja 58, average incl. this innings 44.70 high score 174
M Marsh 15, 23.65, 87
To come:
Nevill average 20.88, HS 66
Starc 24.8, 99
Siddle 14.53, 51
Hazlewood 15.58, 39
Lyon 14.30, 40*

Clearly you need Khawaja to bat pretty much all day & at least two others to put in career-best innings. Who knows, maybe this is the day MM makes himself an undropable fixture at 6 in your order?

MMarsh out for 26, Khawaja out for 97.

Channel 9 commentators becoming more of an embarrasment than they usually are.

Taylor and Clarke are a summertime version of Kearns and Marto.

Aust 6/259 15 minutes before lunch.

 

[The torpedo]

Australia all out for 361. Lyon the last man dismissed on 8. Nevill n.o. on 60 from 153 balls. RSA win by 177 runs. Rabada the pick of the bowlers with 5/92

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Bloody hopeless. We've chucked this game away after day one, when we had the whip hand. Big respect to the Saffers for overcoming a low first innings total and the loss of their strike bowler though. That's some effort.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The result flatters the Home team when you consider the Sefrikans played the game with one player short for most of the match.

Too much bubblegum cricket? Do we have a batsman with a Geoffrey Boycott stoic determination that can actually play a five day Test Match and save a game?


Well played Saffers. Deserved win.

 

[PaarlBok]

Test cricket is a test of character and the Proteas show up big time. Credit to the Aussies who fight right to the end. The second test will be much harder for the Proteas. I am pretty proud of Bavuma and Radaba, maybe new names to the Australians, myself knew they will perform at this level. Now we need to get Shamsi and Abbot to let lose in Australia. Riley Rossouw would make any other countries test side.

 

[The torpedo]

The result flatters the Home team when you consider the Sefrikans played the game with one player short for most of the match.

Too much bubblegum cricket? Do we have a batsman with a Geoffrey Boycott stoic determination that can actually play a five day Test Match and save a game?


Well played Saffers. Deserved win.

Khawaja & Nevill tried their best in the 2nd innings