South Africa v Australia 1st Test

[drifter]

Obviously not spinners wicket, but why not give Lyon a bowl earlier. pretty sad to lose from the position they were in. Cummins for Johnson, has to happen. Let him loose. Haddin looks like he is struggling, got out to a 20/20 shot with 3 days to go !. Marsh can play, but will he come up. Get the feeling his body is about as reliable as a $2 watch.

[brod]

South Africa v Australia
First test
Cape Town

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 8 WICKETS

Australia 284
MJ Clarke 151
SE Marsh 44
DW Steyn 4/55
VD Philander 3/63 (on debut)
M Morkel 3/82
South Africa 96
GC Smith 37
SR Watson 5/17
RJ Harris 4/33
Australia 47
NM Lyon 14
VD Philander 5/15
M Morkel 3/9
South Africa 2/236
HM Amla 112
GC Smith 101*

South Africa lead two match series 1-0
Player of the match - VD Philander (on debut)

[NFC]

Disgusting.

Jonson, Siddle, Hughes, Haddin out ASAP.

[Jim05]

Weak as piss you overpaid muppets. Maybe if they got paid on performance they would pull their finger out. Must make at least 3 changes for next test, fly over replacements ffs

[Rik E Boy]

Disgusting.

Jonson, Siddle, Hughes, Haddin out ASAP.

Ponting gone years ago as well. Horrible team at the moment.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Hughes bashing a touch unfair for mine...

Made 126 in his last test... nicked up twice to two unbelievably good balls in this test & he has been in fairly good form of late.. Give him a break!
He is only 22 & has 17 FC hundreds - give him time people. Don't be suprised that in 10-15 years time we will be talking about him in the same breath as Hayden.

Hughes bashing is spot on. Openers are supposed to survive those good ones from time to time and he doesn't. It's one thing to make a ton against the Lankans on a road when Murali has retired but you've got to dig in and make runs when the going is tough. Fairly good form of late? You are kidding that ton is the only decent score he's made in ages. Shocking technique with a back foot that is rooted to the spot which squares him up outside off short of a good length and severely compromises his onside play as well. The bloke is a walking wicket and should not be wearing the baggy green.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

I know its far from his fault but Brad Haddin's dismissal sums up the twisted arrogance of our team. No pitch conditions can be blamed for that crap.

I can't think of a dumber Cricketer to ever play for Australia. He'd have a horrible highlight reel of poor shot selection outs to go with the superb highlight reel of great shots. We need smart batsman to shore up top six, not blokes who throw their wicket away.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Haddin played the right shot
You cant defend on this pitch
6/18
What the ....

dont think you can go charging down the wicket 2-3 ball you face either!

What about Clarkes shot in the first innings to get out
Bowled leg stump trying to cover drive

Fact is Clarke played his shots and made runs
Haddin has to play shots, if he trys to bat sensibly he will get out anyway

What crap Haddin isn't smart enough to know the difference. Bye bye.

regards,

REB

[rod_rooster]

I reckon i could pick a side from blokes not playing that would comfortably cover the current Test line-up. Here goes:

Chris Rogers
Simon Katich
Usman Khawaja
Callum Ferguson
George Bailey
Adam Voges
Mitchell Marsh
Chris Hartley
James Pattinson
Patrick Cummings
Doug Bollinger

That was just quickly off the top of my head. I'm not saying that all these guys should be playing Test cricket but i'd back that side to beat the current one.

Hughes and Haddin need to be sent home now. They are just not up to it. To play Test cricket as a wicket keeper you need to be either exceptional with the gloves or exceptional with the bat to cover for a weakness with the gloves. Haddin is sloppy at best with the gloves and his batting is nowhere near good enough to cover for it. As REB has said, he is a dumb cricketer.

Ponting also needs to go. It's sad but he is a shadow of the bloke who would consistently make a mockery of the best attacks in the world. I just hope he doesn't get remembered for the player he is now rather than the player who was every bit as good as Lara and Tendulkar in the late 90's thru to the mid 2000's.

[Jim05]

Not a bad side there apart from Ferguson. Fergs is currently not up to shield standard let alone test standard

[Gozu]

Seriously it's getting close to the time to pull the pin on Ponting, Hughes & Haddin.

Not a fan of Johnson at all but can understand why he's there because on his day he's the best bowler in the world the problem is he is almost always not on his day. I can't forget how badly he destroyed the South Africans over there in '09 some of the best fast bowling I've ever seen, in a session 3/15 off 9 overs plus two retirements (opening up Kallis' chin & breaking Graeme Smith's hand).

[locky801]

Seriously it's getting close to the time to pull the pin on Ponting, Hughes & Haddin.

Not a fan of Johnson at all but can understand why he's there because on his day he's the best bowler in the world the problem is he is almost always not on his day. I can't forget how badly he destroyed the South Africans over there in '09 some of the best fast bowling I've ever seen, in a session 3/15 off 9 overs plus two retirements (opening up Kallis' chin & breaking Graeme Smith's hand).

Yes but it's 2011 now and nearly 2012, no use living on past glories

[Squids]

Johnson has not a good day in 3 years....Steyn is probably better than Johnson on his best day.

[mal]

This is quirky and did it happen ?

DATE : 11/11/11
At 11.11 South African Time
South Africa needed another 111 runs for victory

[Media Park]

MJ Clarke 151- Amazing innings on that deck, becomes a two day Test match if it did not occur. For all the times I have knocked him, it was a special innings.
SE Marsh 44- Can only imagine if he was fit and able to bat properly in the second dig, another gritty knock, the Aussies are not deflated, and we are half a chance.

DW Steyn 4/55
VD Philander 3/63 (on debut) VD Philander 5/15
M Morkel 3/82 M Morkel 3/9- The Saffer quicks were simply too good, Morkel and Steyn are the most lethal combo in the world, and Philander has just joined them as another genuine quick threat. This will cause us problems in the next Test.

SR Watson 5/17
RJ Harris 4/33- Two great lots of bowling figures, albeit pitch assisted. Like the Clarke innings, if these did not occur, it becomes a two day Test. Having said that, it could have easily been Siddle and Johnson with those figures.

NM Lyon 14 and Siddle- Showed the top order how to bat. Played some shots, nothing too silly, and they put on a little cameo stand to save the blushes. If we need thirty to win the next Test with this last wicket pair in, I would back us.

HM Amla 112
GC Smith 101*- The pitch became a road, our bowlers were deflated, and these two tore us a new one.

More negatives than positives, if Matthew Wade is still over there, get him in for Haddin, Marsh out for Khawaja, Johnson out for Cummins.

[tigerpie]

not a hughes fan but geez he got 2 pearlers. even would have got the great man out imo. pretty ordinary deck though and some soft dismissals.

[hearts on fire]

Surely changes have GOT to happen, the obvious one being Johnson out for Cummins.

Hughes for anyone, doesn't matter.

When is the next test?? As long as we are trying to change things up and try new things, there will be no complaints from me, but when we keep the hacks in time after time like Johnson, Hughes, Haddin etc... thats when things get sh1t.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Sack the skipper.

[the joker]

I know its far from his fault but Brad Haddin's dismissal sums up the twisted arrogance of our team. No pitch conditions can be blamed for that crap.

I can't think of a dumber Cricketer to ever play for Australia. He'd have a horrible highlight reel of poor shot selection outs to go with the superb highlight reel of great shots. We need smart batsman to shore up top six, not blokes who throw their wicket away.

regards,

REB

hadds doesn't bat in the top 6. He did the other day because of marshys injury. And I can see where he was coming from. Wickets had been falling all around in the last2 hours and he saw most of them from behind the stumps and he wanted to take to the attack and get out hitting out rather then blocking, and that isn't his game

[Rik E Boy]

I know its far from his fault but Brad Haddin's dismissal sums up the twisted arrogance of our team. No pitch conditions can be blamed for that crap.

I can't think of a dumber Cricketer to ever play for Australia. He'd have a horrible highlight reel of poor shot selection outs to go with the superb highlight reel of great shots. We need smart batsman to shore up top six, not blokes who throw their wicket away.

regards,

REB

hadds doesn't bat in the top 6. He did the other day because of marshys injury. And I can see where he was coming from. Wickets had been falling all around in the last2 hours and he saw most of them from behind the stumps and he wanted to take to the attack and get out hitting out rather then blocking, and that isn't his game

Not his game? Test cricket? I agree. See ya Hadds.

regards,

REB