2ND TEST MATCH AUST V STH. AFRICA AT THE MCG

[hearts on fire]

This is the worst performance i have seen in my life, this is utter sh1t.

Day 2 we were 99% chance to win, day 4 we are 99% chance to lose.

[hearts on fire]

We are in the box seat, we should win this and if we don't, i will think about committing suicide.

Also, i am praying for one thing, Hayden to crack a massive ton, that would really bring a nice end to the year.

I probably won't commit suicide, but jeeze it's tempting!

[locky801]

We are in the box seat, we should win this and if we don't, i will think about committing suicide.

Also, i am praying for one thing, Hayden to crack a massive ton, that would really bring a nice end to the year.

I probably won't commit suicide, but jeeze it's tempting!

I wont be, but I will be lining up for a nice little collect around lunch time tomorrow

[stan]

Well done to the South Africans, they are all over us at the minute.

[Thiele]

How come Johnson didn't open the bowling

[JK]

It's a **** drought. Think of the farmers!!!!

Exactly. We need all the rain we can get particularly at the MCG

With Thunderstorm and rain predicted as mentioned on here, I reckon the $13 Sportsbet currently have on the draw look a reasonable bet, particularly if you've already got a decent wager on South Africa to win (Ive got them at 6/1).

[locky801]

It's a **** drought. Think of the farmers!!!!

Exactly. We need all the rain we can get particularly at the MCG

With Thunderstorm and rain predicted as mentioned on here, I reckon the $13 Sportsbet currently have on the draw look a reasonable bet, particularly if you've already got a decent wager on South Africa to win (Ive got them at 6/1).

got them at 10/1 and looking at the long range maps for Melbourne those storms may not hit till around midday, game will be all over then

[the big bang]

what we all out for?

[NFC]

Brett Lee you freaking idiot, will you EVER learn to stop bowling no balls?

[Rik E Boy]

This is the worst performance i have seen in my life, this is utter sh1t.

CLOSING STATEMENT FOR THE DEFENCE

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. My client, the Australian Cricket team of 2008/09 has been accused of producing a 'worst ever' performance and that their performance is nothing more than 'utter sh1t'.

Yes the series will soon be lost but in some of the atrocities to be revealed below are not in evidence in this current test match. Young quick Peter Siddle surprised many, including this observer with a fine spell to give us real hope. However the fellow hasn't played all that much first class cricket and couldn't really back it up, especially with the senior man out injured with a stress fracture of the foot. One of our gun batsmen hasn't been able to trouble the scorers lately but he has been helped on his way twice this summer by umpires who should face the charge leveled at my client. The very same situation has also applied twice to the artist formerly known as Haydos.

Let us for a moment put all the toys back in the cot. The Saffies have been cleaning up everyone this season and our boys are shattered after the Indian trip with the Kiwis (unable to even defeat the Windies on home turf recently) not exactly being a good barometer to our own form. The 1984/85 Australians also played the top side but a score of over 300 would have caused dancing in the streets after serving up a mighty 76 at the WACA that day. Other sides did not play the best side in the world and lost chasing tiny totals. Even more infamously, the 1986 Australians were cleaned up by the second worst team in world cricket. We are still a long way from those


Exhibit A for the defence

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/austral ... 63291.html

This 1981 test match is one of the most famous in modern cricket history. After totalling a healthy 401 in the first dig they then proceeded to bowl out England for 174 who were forced to follow on a massive 227 runs behind. At one stage in England's second dig they slippd to 7/135. In Rod Marsh's The Gloves of Irony he wrote 'Brearley had packed his bags!'. Then Ian Botham played the innings of his life 149 not out and with first Graham Dilley and then Chris Old got the Poms 130 runs in front. Bob Willis then proceeded to take 8/43 as Australia somehow lost this test by 18 runs!

Exhibit B for the defence

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/austral ... 63292.html

The only thing worse than losing a test match is losing a test match you shouldn't have lost in the first place. The only thing worse than that is when you do it two tests in a row. The Poms were bowled out twice by Terry Alderman and then Ray Bright but the batsmen were not so Ray Bright. That man again Botham put in a spell of 5/1 to bowl out Australia 29 runs short of the meagre 150 target. Oops!

Exhibit C for the defence

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/austral ... 63383.html

Now the Windies in 1984/85 were one top notch outfit that has to be said. However we did have them at 5/104 on the first day with an Australian highlight being Terry Alderman bowling young gun Richie Richardson for a duck. The Windies then turned it around with the bat to post a commendable 416. For those of you old enough to remember this match you might remember how the belief visibly just leached out of the Australians it was a horrible sight. The Australians posted a truly lamentable 76 in their first dig. Yes the attack was good but this was the worst batting peformance until the 1986 surrender at Boxing day a few years later at the nadir of the Border era. Nothing starts off the summer worse than an innings loss and it didn't get much better for Kim Hughes as his career was about to be dashed on West Indian rocks mon. A real shocker.

Exhibit D for the defence

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/austral ... 63447.html

The 1980's was a tough time in Australian Cricket. Walloped by the Windies and then the Kiwis the next year, we were drawn to play a team that apparently 'can't bat, can't bowl and can't field'. Problem is we got belted in that first test at Brisbane. The Ashes were finally surrended in miserable fashion in what I consider Australia's worst ever test performance in my 33 years of watching the game. The English attack in this match included the persistent workhorse Gladstone Small who put in a good spell for SA earlier in his career, an overweight Ian Botham on one leg, the underwhelming Phil DeFreitas who is perhaps best remembered for a match winning innings at Adelaide rather than anything he did with the ball and the venerable spin twins of Phil Edmonds and John Emburey providing most of the quality. Somehow this devasting attack managed to bowl out Australia for a mere 141 runs in a shocking batting display. Remember there was no Marshall, Hadlee or Steyn out here boys. Chris Broad got yet another ton (and what a wanker he was too) as England made a respectable 349. However, that relatively modest score was enough to see them win by an Innings!

So yes, while our team is not what it was. I believe that Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, your duty is to aquit my client.

regards,

REB

[RoosterMarty]

To be fair he did say 'in his life' and he hasn't seen as much cricket as you have....

This is just about the worst I have seen Australia also, especially that 'effort' yesterday. One of the earliest series I can remember is when the Windies beat us here... which is our last loss on home soil so I have been lucky to see Australia do pretty well.

We are no longer the best side in the world now though and we could end up losing this one 3-0.

[Rik E Boy]

If we lose 3-0 we lose the number one ranking I believe.

regards,

REB

[stan]

All I can say is we as a country in all forms of cricket have done really well in the last 10 - 15 years. We have been the bench mark team on the backs of some of the most brillant cricketers the world has seen and not only brillant but tough as nails as well. But we are entering a dry spell. The South Africans are good, although they always are good, but this time they are the best, truly. So as well hand over the mantle to the next team I look back on our run and think, damn there were some fine cricketers. Will we ever see the likes of the waugh brothers again? the chappel brothers?, McGrath, warne or even the mighty Gilchrist? Possibly in the future. We have a really strong domestic competition and will again see sucess that we are used to. But it will be a few years away. So inclosing well done to the South Africans, they are the best team at the moment and have beaten the best side on our home deck - much like when Australia beat the windies in the carribean all those years ago.

Good night all.

[Dutchy]

God I love this South African team and in particular the punters that under rated them....

Interesting how everyone NOW says they backed them

[Sheik Yerbouti]

God I love this South African team and in particular the punters that under rated them....

Interesting how everyone NOW says they backed them

Yes, not many declared their bets until now eh Dutchy.
Luckily it's not the gambling room.

[cyclops]

we are not the no1 team at the moment,and we are not the no2 team either,india is.what i would like to see is india v south africa rite now,3 tests home and away,what a contest that would be.by the way i rekn this time next year we probably wont even be no3,i rekn the poms will flog us in england and probably go past us.

[Interceptor]

Losing to the Kiwis (Hadlee 15 wickets) by an innings in Brisbane (85/86) is the worst I can remember seeing when we truly sucked.

There have some pretty crappy days in recent years as well:

-Laxman & Dravid batting all day in India to turn the match and the series
-Windies chasing down 418 to win a test
-India making 700+ in Sydney a few years ago

South Africa have caught us at a great time for them with senior players like Hayden, Hussey and Lee struggling and the previous champs gone.
Overall, the bowling is indifferent and either lacking in good tactics and/or can't execute them well -yorkers should be mandatory to tailenders, yet I saw very few bowled in India and again in this series.

Oh and I find the glee that some punters here are taking from seeing their country lose a bit sad.
Obviously some don't care that much as long as they can line their pockets.

[Dutchy]

Oh and I find the glee that some punters here are taking from seeing their country lose a bit sad.
Obviously some don't care that much as long as they can line their pockets.

Hey Id love to see Aussies smash them, even if I lost $$$, but you have to bet with head and not heart and the Bookies/Punters have massively underrated SA and/or overrated the Aussies...are we greedy for seeing an opportunity and cashing in?

TBH it is refreshing to see a series on Aussie soil that is competitive, but maybe too far the other way now

[spell_check]

If anything, this South African team is the team you would rather lose to (if there had to be a lost series), over the Indians. Good luck to them, there's no doubt they deserve the series, but I'm still hoping for either a lot of rain tomorrow or somehow they collapse of course.

[locky801]

All I can say is we as a country in all forms of cricket have done really well in the last 10 - 15 years. We have been the bench mark team on the backs of some of the most brillant cricketers the world has seen and not only brillant but tough as nails as well. But we are entering a dry spell. The South Africans are good, although they always are good, but this time they are the best, truly. So as well hand over the mantle to the next team I look back on our run and think, damn there were some fine cricketers. Will we ever see the likes of the waugh brothers again? the chappel brothers?, McGrath, warne or even the mighty Gilchrist? Possibly in the future. We have a really strong domestic competition and will again see sucess that we are used to. But it will be a few years away. So inclosing well done to the South Africans, they are the best team at the moment and have beaten the best side on our home deck - much like when Australia beat the windies in the carribean all those years ago.

Good night all.

That is by far the best piece that has been posted on here as far as Australian Cricket at the minute goes, well done Stan, after reading it, thinking about it, you are right on the money, well done Stan, take a bow for a great post