***Official*** South Africa in Australia 2012

[Noble One]

Scoring centuries on a tough deck against the best bowling attack in the Shield competition is a good way to fight back a place.

[flibbertyjibber]

He is the Aussie KP. Toys out of pram when he doesn't get his own way.

[Justo]

Not only has he been dickish but this is still his first Shield century since he was dropped. Every time someone scores a century they immediately seem to jump the queue. Cowan scored 4 Centuries in a row before being selected and because of that has deserved the chances he's gotten.

[Andre]

Not only has he been dickish but this is still his first Shield century since he was dropped. Every time someone scores a century they immediately seem to jump the queue. Cowan scored 4 Centuries in a row before being selected and because of that has deserved the chances he's gotten.

And to be fair to Cowan, he looked really good today. His best Test innings so far by a distance.

[Noble One]

Cowan needed the 4 centuries - mediocre careers are easily ignored by the public when a batsman finds short term form.

To think how close Peter Forrest or Dan Christian came to playing Test cricket for Australia.

[Spikey]

Not only has he been dickish but this is still his first Shield century since he was dropped. Every time someone scores a century they immediately seem to jump the queue. Cowan scored 4 Centuries in a row before being selected and because of that has deserved the chances he's gotten.

Yeah this. I really don't want Usman to get picked this series simply because I don't really think he has countered his problems. But when Alex Doolan can be in test contention (and Ed Cowan too) off the back of a one strong form patch, it's not a surprise the younger, higher rated prodigy will be too when he scores a ton.

[Spikey]

Also in a good sign for the tourists, Kallis, among the game's best-ever allrounders with 280 Test wickets at 32, declared himself fit to bowl at the Australians after starting the match with a niggle.

presumably smith will tell Kleinveldt to try some spin

[Prince EWS]

Also it seems strange that Khawaja hasn't been given the chances some others have to take a place in the side even though they have done worse than he did and looked worse too. Think he will be a good test player eventually and think he should be playing now.

well he shot himself in the foot by playing (and judging by what the nsw captain said, behaving) like a dick after he got dropped last year

Yep think he's a way off a recall yet. His attitude hasn't impressed many insiders at all in he team. Needs to acknowledge some faults with the bat and work hard on his fielding before they look to him again. Didn't make a great impression in and around the squad last time.

Yep, he's a complicated case. He was very unlucky to be dropped in Sri Lanka - he had the spot for his first extended run in Tests, but Ponting got injured so Marsh came in, and of course Marsh made a ton to hold his place for a while after that while Khawaja was left out. He came back in against South Africa but he was only there as an injury replacement for Marsh, and this is where he actually looked his best. Against New Zealand he looked horrible though and he was scapegoated a bit for the drawn series, dropped for the series against India (where he probably would've actually scored runs tbf).

All in all he was pretty unlucky throughout all that and I think the selectors would even admit that, but he's not been at all unlucky since. He averaged under 20 in the Shield for the rest of the season after being dropped and didn't cross 50 once, then had a fairly meagre stint with Derbyshire averaging 40 odd with one hundred in Division 2, and when Quiney was named as Watson's replacement he'd only passed 50 twice during the summer without converting on either occasion. He's picked up a MOTM award and scored a ton since which are good signs, but the way he handled being dropped he had no right coming back into the side, no matter how unlucky he was initially.

I think the selectors and most of the fans are thinking that the top three in Tests long term will be Warner-Hughes-Khawaja, but they all definitely have some work to do on their techniques before it becomes a reality, particularly the latter two. Hughes's problems have been well publicised but I actually think he has a better technique than Khawaja as it stands despite obviously being less orthodox and less aesthetically pleasing. The real downer for Khawaja is just how easy it is to bowl to a plan to him; if you pitch it up outside off you'll not only get him fishing in defence but completely tie him down as well. This is in contrast to Hughes who has a great strength right next to his weakness, so if you try to get him caught slip and you don't execute quite right he will murder you square on the off side; you actually have to tuck him up to tie him down which is unlikely to get him out. Being able to punish the bowlers when they err in their typical plans is what effective batting is all about, and Hughes does that so much better than Khawaja at the moment, who at Test level just isn't really going to get waist high balls on his body to pull away all that often.

[uvelocity]

really good post

[Briony]

Yep, he's a complicated case. He was very unlucky to be dropped in Sri Lanka - he had the spot for his first extended run in Tests, but Ponting got injured so Marsh came in, and of course Marsh made a ton to hold his place for a while after that while Khawaja was left out. He came back in against South Africa but he was only there as an injury replacement for Marsh, and this is where he actually looked his best. Against New Zealand he looked horrible though and he was scapegoated a bit for the drawn series, dropped for the series against India (where he probably would've actually scored runs tbf).

All in all he was pretty unlucky throughout all that and I think the selectors would even admit that, but he's not been at all unlucky since. He averaged under 20 in the Shield for the rest of the season after being dropped and didn't cross 50 once, then had a fairly meagre stint with Derbyshire averaging 40 odd with one hundred in Division 2, and when Quiney was named as Watson's replacement he'd only passed 50 twice during the summer without converting on either occasion. He's picked up a MOTM award and scored a ton since which are good signs, but the way he handled being dropped he had no right coming back into the side, no matter how unlucky he was initially.

I think the selectors and most of the fans are thinking that the top three in Tests long term will be Warner-Hughes-Khawaja, but they all definitely have some work to do on their techniques before it becomes a reality, particularly the latter two. Hughes's problems have been well publicised but I actually think he has a better technique than Khawaja as it stands despite obviously being less orthodox and less aesthetically pleasing. The real downer for Khawaja is just how easy it is to bowl to a plan to him; if you pitch it up outside off you'll not only get him fishing in defence but completely tie him down as well. This is in contrast to Hughes who has a great strength right next to his weakness, so if you try to get him caught slip and you don't execute quite right he will murder you square on the off side; you actually have to tuck him up to tie him down which is unlikely to get him out. Being able to punish the bowlers when they err in their typical plans is what effective batting is all about, and Hughes does that so much better than Khawaja at the moment, who at Test level just isn't really going to get waist high balls on his body to pull away all that often.

''

Yes very astute but Warner may have some work to do at curbing his ego. Rather than making statements about taking on Steyn and co. he should learn to temper his aggression with good shot selection given that he's playing against the new ball. Khawaja appears to have been more aggressive of late but many of the critics were concerned that he could get anchored at the crease and take too much of the bowling while his partner got frustrated. Fielding appears average too.

[Ruckus]

I thought it was a piece of **** tbh

[Spikey]

and Hughes does that so much better than Khawaja at the moment, who at Test level just isn't really going to get waist high balls on his body to pull away all that often.

that said cowan got some today. dead set alan donald should be fuming.

[Prince EWS]

''

Yes very astute but Warner may have some work to do at curbing his ego. Rather than making statements about taking on Steyn and co. he should learn to temper his aggression with good shot selection given that he's playing against the new ball. Khawaja appears to have been more aggressive of late but many of the critics were concerned that he could get anchored at the crease and take too much of the bowling while his partner got frustrated. Fielding appears average too.

Yeah, as I said, they all have some work to do. Warner is the best technically but the worst temperamentally at this point. I think that probably has a lot to do with just straight up not playing a lot of long-form cricket so far though. For someone who has only played 21 First Class games amongst a whole heap of one day cricket, T20 cricket, three-day Futures League cricket and two-day grade cricket, his methods on how to build a substantial innings at this level are actually pretty good for the most part IMO; his hundred against New Zealand being one innings I always think of in this regard. He does go a little too hard too early at times but I think that's just what he's used to from playing shorter formats and against lesser opponents than actually being "ego" as such. It's all a bit of a stereotype though, this Warner stuff; he's not a T20 specialist slogger.

[Teja.]

In an airport aws. Can anyone tell me if Morkel was really good today and it looks like he is likely to be the best SA bowler this game?

[Prince EWS]

In an airport aws. Can anyone tell me if Morkel was really good today and it looks like he is likely to be the best SA bowler this game?

He bowled a jaffa to get Ponting. Aside from that he was just Morkel.