***Official*** Australia in South Africa

[Evermind]

Originally Posted by Langeveldt

Well, lack of funds but a stupid passion for handing it to the Aussies in a test match has dictated that I've just booked a seventeen hour each way bus journey to watch the first test.. Look out for me on the Saturday and Sunday on the grass banks.. I can't wait, so excited.. So very stupid though!

If the Pre-Packer XI were playing the Post-Packer XI - Jesus having come again, resurrected the dead among both teams, and agreed to umpire the match - I still wouldn't travel 17 hours on a ****ing bus to watch it.

That's dedication.

[Precambrian]

[Woodster]

As a neutral it's disappointing that Australia won't have the chance to add Stuart Clark and Brett Lee to their line-up, to really test the strong SA top order. Lee testing out SA with pace and away swing, while Clark cleverly tests each batsmens technique with his impeccable probing line, patience and bit of nip here and there.

However, should still be a decent contest, the idea that Australia may play North and Mcdonald really puzzles me. Ok I appreciate an all pace attack given the expected conditions, and using North as a spinning option, makes sense. But to then suggest dropping a specialist bowler for Mcdonald's medium pace offerings simply cannot and I don't believe will happen.

The top 7 for Australia should be strong enough to pose a few problems for Steyn and co. and the added benefit of Mcdonald at 8, with either bat or ball, is questionable. Personally I see both batting sides as very strong, but the bowling department of SA currently looks stronger and may be the difference.

Will be interested to see how Australia play Harris. I said before the series in England and the one in Australia, that the batsmen will surely look to dominate him, and it's never really happened, which is credit to Harris, and I'm not one of his biggest fans.

[Langeveldt]

Originally Posted by Evermind

If the Pre-Packer XI were playing the Post-Packer XI - Jesus having come again, resurrected the dead among both teams, and agreed to umpire the match - I still wouldn't travel 17 hours on a ****ing bus to watch it.

That's dedication.

And 17 hours back

[Burgey]

Originally Posted by Langeveldt

And 17 hours back

That is dedication mate. Hope you regret it and we win .

Clarke's back improving while Yoko Ono is back in Sydney. Coincidence? I think not!

[Uppercut]

13 straight hours of cricket for five days, awesome.

[Burgey]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

13 straight hours of cricket for five days, awesome.

Yeah, it's pretty damn good, isn't it? Have to get the No Doze out.

Really looking forward to this because, even though we're underdogs, there's something exciting watching a group of younger players trying to make their way on the international scene. Should be ITSTL.

[Burgey]

Series Result: 1-1
Top SA Runscorer: Smitteh
Top Aus Runscorer: Hussey
Top SA Wicket-taker: Steyn
Top Aus Wicket-taker: Siddle
Player of the Series: Steyn
Surprise Packet: SA - Morkel; Aus - Dougie
Dropped Player(s): Hilfy for McGain test two.
Miscellaneous Event: Dougie to get in strife for backchatting the crowd when they serve it up to him.

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by pasag

The weird thing is on the WI tour, in the practice match he took 2/51 and 4/15 but didn't get a bowl for the rest of the series. When we were in trouble in the second Test and just couldn't make any breakthroughs and we had no options left, they still refused to give him a bowl. Even Hussey got a bowl before him!

Yeah exactly. Which means Ponting doesn't rate him (unlikely), he's not interested in bowling just wants to concentrate on his batting or he can't because of an injury he doesn't want to aggravate.

[Uppercut]

Originally Posted by Burgey

Yeah, it's pretty damn good, isn't it? Have to get the No Doze out.

Really looking forward to this because, even though we're underdogs, there's something exciting watching a group of younger players trying to make their way on the international scene. Should be ITSTL.

Yeah, love that. You get the feeling you could just possibly be seeing the start of an all-time great player.

The winter of night-time cricketing for me is over, bar the NZ-India tests. These matches start at 8.30 in the morning and run until 9.30 at night in the UK. The cricketing situation could not be more perfect.

[Woodster]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Yeah, love that. You get the feeling you could just possibly be seeing the start of an all-time great player.

The winter of night-time cricketing for me is over, bar the NZ-India tests. These matches start at 8.30 in the morning and run until 9.30 at night in the UK. The cricketing situation could not be more perfect.

Yes works beautifully for English times. For once looking forward to that alarm clock going off in midweek, as I will be settling down to a cricket-fest!

Yes agree with you guys, the idea of watching young players setting out on their Test careers is exciting. Hashim Amla is another player I have grown particularly fond of over recent months.

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by Precambrian

And Micheal Hussey is bowling 20 overs every Shield Game? I find Katich more dangerous than Hussey any day, and he showed it albeit briefly in the Delhi (?) game last year. The whole argument of he's hardly bowled in Shield Games is of really no merit as far as part time bowling in tests are concerned. Essentially because they are inherently parttime, and used as 1. Shock option 2. To relieve the others. So to have bowled a truckload in FC games is hardly the prerequisite. And Katich has proved he can more than roll his arm over previously.

When you're talking something like left-arm wrist-spin, yeah you do need overs under the belt. It's pretty unlikely a wrist-spinner can land them consistently enough to trouble Test batsmen without match practice even as a part-time shock option. Let alone left-arm wristies, which even front-liners struggle to bowl well. It's not like someone who bowls seam-up meds. And yes, Hussey has been getting more overs for WA than Kat for NSW.

Yeah he had a good day in India but other (rare) times he's been given the ball, he's gone the journey. And that's not really a reflection of ability because he does give the ball a decent rip. He's just woefully under-done. If I was Ponting, I'd be hesitant to use him too.

[Burgey]

Heard Hussy interviewed during the Indian tour or back home (not sure which) on the radio, and he said Katich didn't want to bowl, despite being asked a few times.

[Burgey]

Originally Posted by Woodster

Yes works beautifully for English times. For once looking forward to that alarm clock going off in midweek, as I will be settling down to a cricket-fest!

Yes agree with you guys, the idea of watching young players setting out on their Test careers is exciting. Hashim Amla is another player I have grown particularly fond of over recent months.

Yeah, he batted really well out here - looked like getting a big score virtually every time he wlaked out. Hoping he doesn't go on with it this series .

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by Burgey

Yeah, he batted really well out here - looked like getting a big score virtually every time he wlaked out. Hoping he doesn't go on with it this series .

Considering he didn't score a ton in Aus, you get the feeling he'll fire this series. The Aussies should be pretty worried about him, I reckon.