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

[Marius]

Apart from the question of the keeper I think SA's team is pretty settled.

AB has done his back, but I have heard they are still planning to use him as keeper in the series.

What do you guys think?

I reckon Tsolekile should be given a go, he has a contract, let's use the guy now.

So, the likely team will be:
Smith
Petersen
Amla
Kallis
De Villiers
Duminy
Rudolph/Tsolekile (Rudolph will play if AB keeps)
Philander
Sten
Morkel
Tahir

[uvelocity]

Originally Posted by Quaggas

Couldn't resist, seeing page one of cricinfo just now. Avatar bet, 1 month, SA to win series. Draw no result. Should you lose, your avatar will be

accept, yours to be this (will crop etc)

[Cabinet96]

Originally Posted by Quaggas

Couldn't resist, seeing page one of cricinfo just now. Avatar bet, 1 month, SA to win series. Draw no result. Should you lose, your avatar will be

Err, I'm up for that.

[flibbertyjibber]

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

Watson himself has said bowling too much affects his batting, tbh. He also plays all 3 forms so it stands to reason his workload will affect his batting and that's on top of his brain's propensity to leave his body at key moments.

On Lyon, that's a massive 'if' at the moment. That's what Benchy and I are getting at. If Lyon gets pumped, that puts the load back on Watson and the bowlers to do the job. The likelihood of that occurring is looking, well, likely.

Having said that he didn't bowl a massive amount in the last ashes series and still never got a ton. He is just one of those cricketers who will always frustrate the hell out of you despite being a bloody good asset to the side.

[Quaggas]

Originally Posted by uvelocity

accept, yours to be this (will crop etc)

My blood will boil every time I log in.

Excellent.

[Quaggas]

Originally Posted by Cabinet96

Err, I'm up for that.

[Pup Clarke]

Predictions lads?

Runs (Aus) - Warner
Runs (Saf) - Peterson
Wickets (Aus) - Pattinson
Wickets (Saf) - Morkel
Who's getting the axe? (both teams) - Hussey
Bolters to play (at least 1 test) - Cosgrove
Result - Aus 2-1
MOTS - Warner
Miscellaneous - Smith and Kallis to both break thumbs/fingers//wind during the series. MJ to play a test before Starc.

[Cabinet96]

Runs (Aus) - Ponting
Runs (SA) - Amla
Wickets (Aus) - Siddle
Wickets (SA) - Steyn
Who's getting the axe? - Nathan Lyon (Dropped for Perth)
Result - 1-1
MOTS - Siddle

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by flibbertyjibber

Having said that he didn't bowl a massive amount in the last ashes series and still never got a ton. He is just one of those cricketers who will always frustrate the hell out of you despite being a bloody good asset to the side.

This is absolutely true although he's bowled a lot more under Clarke. And, I might add, he's bowled really well (which complicates things). But now he's not even getting the regular 50-99 scores he was so readily mocked for here, struggling just to get past 50. 4 Test 50's since his 95 in the Perth Test. Now, that's pretty stark. Would suggest his OD form has been affected by the workload too.

Basically, he's got the performances of a really good contributor at the moment. Your Test number 3 should not be a contributor but primed to be scoring big tons, especially in a line-up which could crash at any time. Anything which gets in the way of that, in my view, should be gone, no matter how well he's bowling and especially since OZ has such a glut of excellent young pace at the moment.

[Top_Cat]

All about the Saffers this series, I'm afraid.

Runs (Aus) - Clarke
Runs (SA) - Amla
Wickets (Aus) - Siddle
Wickets (SA) - Morkel
Who's getting the axe? - Cowan
Result - 3-0 (SA)
MOTS - Morkel

[Justo]

I reckon it'll be a good contest.

Runs (Aus) - Ponting
Runs (SA) - Smith
Wickets (Aus) - Hilfenhaus(chances are Pattinson will be rested)
Wickets (SA) - Philander
Who's getting the axe? - Could see any of Hussey, Rudolph, Lyon, Tahir, Cowan or Tsolekile(if chosen) getting the chop depending on the series result
Result - 1-1 (Adelaide draw, Brisbane to Aus)
MOTS - Ponting or Philander

[sonnench]

Runs (Aus) - Clarke
Runs (SA) - Amla
Wickets (Aus) - Siddle
Wickets (SA) - Steyn
Who's getting the axe? - Cowan
Result - 2-0 (SA)
MOTS - Amla

[grecian]

Runs (Aus) - Warner
Runs (SA) - Smith
Wickets (Aus) - Pattinson
Wickets (SA) - Philander
Who's getting the axe? - Siddle, Cowan, Tahir (wishful thinking)
Result - 2-1 (SA)
MOTS - Smith

[uvelocity]

Originally Posted by Quaggas

My blood will boil every time I log in.

Excellent.

It will be a little sad for me to make you associate such pain with visiting cw

Runs (Aus) - Warner
Runs (SA) - Kallis
Wickets (Aus) - Lyon lol jk Patto
Wickets (SA) - Philanders
Who's getting the axe? - Rudolph
Result - 2-0 (Aus)
MOTS - Warner

[Dan]

Runs (Aus) - Clarke
Runs (SA) - Amla
Wickets (Aus) - Siddle
Wickets (SA) - Steyn
Who's getting the axe? - Rudolph, Tahir (at the WACA), Lyon (WACA)
Bolters to play (at least 1 test) - Kleinveldt, du Plessis
Result - 1-1
MOTS - Clarke