***Official*** Australia in South Africa 2013/14

[Unomaas]

SA "experts" seem to be convinced that he will be replaced by De Kock with ABDV handing over the gloves and moving to 4

This would be consistent with the Saffers extremely conservative attitude but leave them a bowler "short"

Will be interesting to see how the protected Philander and rubbish RP go without having Kallis to pick up the slack on a good batting pitch

I'd really like to know who these "experts" are that you are referring to? I hope its not Darryl Cuillinan from Match Point? He's most probably the biggest **** in Saffer cricket with the most ridicule directed at him from the Saffer public.

QdK might be added to the squad but won't get a game. He'll be their just to soak up the experience and culture. He'll most probably get a debut in the following Zim or WI series. QdK is not even the front line keeper for his franchise and his glove work sucks. He most probably needs to spend quality time with Boucher to up his WK game. About 30-40 % of Saf bowler dismissals are WK related and ABdV highlighted this when he got the man of the series award backed by his glove work.

The first test is at Centurion...the home of SA cricket. The pitch will be bouncy with lateral and seam movement and pace galore. SA will field an all pace attack with JP the holding spinner. Team will most probably be:

1. Smith
2. Peterson
3. Amla
4. Faf
5. ABdV
6. JP
7. Elgar
8. Vern
9. Abbot
10. Steyn
11. Morkel

St Georges + Newlands will be more spin receptive. I expect Abbot to make way for Robbie P. Abbot is no mug with the bat and is on par with Vern's batting skill's. Which ever way SA do go, they will look to have a long tail to negate the chances of Aus getting 20 wickets.

 

[uvelocity]

noofers really loves de kock

 

[Debris]

probably all of that, but id put hughes at 6 and have d00lander in the sheds. north surely warrants selection as a reserve and im always in favour of a reserve keeper.

wouldnt shock me for rhino to retire after this test either

I want to see at least another season of heavy scoring by Hughes before I would pick him again. Failed too many times at test level for my liking.

 

[Tangles]

Shield doesn't start till the same day as the first test. Really ****ty timing. No one outside the squad will have played FC cricket since the start of the BBL. Taking a young bat for experience would be nice but would also rob them of cricket.

 

[Garson007]

Last time Kallis was injured, he was replaced by a bowler. I expect (and hope) the same this time around.

 

[social]

I'd really like to know who these "experts" are that you are referring to? I hope its not Darryl Cuillinan from Match Point? He's most probably the biggest **** in Saffer cricket with the most ridicule directed at him from the Saffer public.

QdK might be added to the squad but won't get a game. He'll be their just to soak up the experience and culture. He'll most probably get a debut in the following Zim or WI series. QdK is not even the front line keeper for his franchise and his glove work sucks. He most probably needs to spend quality time with Boucher to up his WK game. About 30-40 % of Saf bowler dismissals are WK related and ABdV highlighted this when he got the man of the series award backed by his glove work.

The first test is at Centurion...the home of SA cricket. The pitch will be bouncy with lateral and seam movement and pace galore. SA will field an all pace attack with JP the holding spinner. Team will most probably be:

1. Smith
2. Peterson
3. Amla
4. Faf
5. ABdV
6. JP
7. Elgar
8. Vern
9. Abbot
10. Steyn
11. Morkel

St Georges + Newlands will be more spin receptive. I expect Abbot to make way for Robbie P. Abbot is no mug with the bat and is on par with Vern's batting skill's. Which ever way SA do go, they will look to have a long tail to negate the chances of Aus getting 20 wickets.

Generally only use cricinfo for score updates as many articles are just BCCI propaganda

Source is SA and English rags

Anyway, 7 bats and bowlers is the way they will almost certainly go

 

[inbox24]

If Australia are serious about winning in South Africa then they should consider this batting lineup:


1. Chris Rogers
2. David Warner
3. Simon Katich
4. David Hussey
5. Michael Clarke
6. Shane Watson/Steve Smith
7. Brad Haddin


All guys who are averaging at or above 50 in first class cricket (with the exception of Smith). Age is no barrier. Other reserves would include Phil Hughes. I know North is averaging 100 this season, but class > form always and his long term FC average of 40 shows that he should not be playing tests. Hussey should have been a direct replacement for Symonds after he left cricket. Watson at 6 as he is not a test class higher order batsman.

Doolan is absolutely rubbish and should not ever play test cricket, ditto to Bailey. Blokes who average 35 at FC level should be deemed long term state cricket journeyman.

 

[Spark]

Considering dropping Smith and picking Hussey is one of the worst ideas I've heard in months.

 

[Pup Clarke]

That post is so full of fail it's hilarious. I mean - David Hussey?

 

[Daemon]

I haven't watched either of them play shield cricket, but people were saying Rogers had no chance of success at Test cricket as well, so using that perfectly sound logic Hussey will do/would have done reasonably well in Tests.

 

[Spikey]

but rogers can play the short ball

 

[Spark]

And the moving ball. And has also scored FC runs in the last year.

 

[morgieb]

Also, I'm pretty sure Katich is retiring from cricket full stop after the BBL.

 

[uvelocity]

I haven't watched either of them play shield cricket, but people were saying Rogers had no chance of success at Test cricket as well, so using that perfectly sound logic Hussey will do/would have done reasonably well in Tests.

yeah but those people are dumbs

 

[dermo]

yeah but rogers was actually getting picked for his state

 

[NUFAN]

Team will most probably be:

1. Smith
2. Peterson
3. Amla
4. Faf
5. ABdV
6. JP
7. Elgar
8. Vern
9. Abbot
10. Steyn
11. Morkel

I can't wait to watch Johnson vs Elgar. Elgar struggled hilariously on debut with dire Mitch, hows he going to go against the current version.

 

[dermo]

also sick of ****s saying hughes needs to go back and score runs in shield cricket, of course hes going to score runs in shield cricket the ****s been doing it for years and will continue to do so

 

[inbox24]

That post is so full of fail it's hilarious. I mean - David Hussey?

David Hussey is better than any international batsman England have produced in the last 10 years. He averages (correction averages 50) at state level and 40s at one day domestic level. He has been a victim of a lack of foresight and lottery selections from the selectors who have not given him a chance at test level and not an extended run in ODIs.

At the same time even North was given a decent chance to prove himself even though he averages only 40 in at first class level and exhibited absolutely no confidence or technique when he played. Yes, you can't just pick players based on numbers but if these numbers mean absolutely zero then why even keep scores, just let them go out there and swing the bat and if they look good enter them into the random number generator and do a lottery pick. We had one of the best first class systems in the world arguably and that served us so well through the 90s and early 00s and could produced 2 or 3 World XIs and squandered all of that talent, work, time and investment with the wrong guy picking players. A bunch of "part time selectors" getting paid 40 grand a year to pick players worth ten times more than that. Ridiculous

If the Australian selectors were actually competent they could have remained number 1 in the world for the past 6-7 years with a batting lineup containing:

Ponting, Clarke, Hodge, Katich, Hussey, Hussey, Watson (batting lower down), Jaques (who was cut short by injury), Hughes (who still has a lot of potential for the future although needs to work on his play against spin), Rogers

Instead they ****ed it up trying to find the next superstar picking players based "feeling". These are players with proven records who all would have played 100 tests if they played for other countries. The saddest part of all of this is that this is not even 20/20 hindsight, this was all known about 4-5 years ago when they could have changed things and righted wrongs, but they kept banging their head against a brick wall with dumb selections and picking players based solely on age.

 

[Rasimione]

I'd really like to know who these "experts" are that you are referring to? I hope its not Darryl Cuillinan from Match Point? He's most probably the biggest **** in Saffer cricket with the most ridicule directed at him from the Saffer public.

QdK might be added to the squad but won't get a game. He'll be their just to soak up the experience and culture. He'll most probably get a debut in the following Zim or WI series. QdK is not even the front line keeper for his franchise and his glove work sucks. He most probably needs to spend quality time with Boucher to up his WK game. About 30-40 % of Saf bowler dismissals are WK related and ABdV highlighted this when he got the man of the series award backed by his glove work.

The first test is at Centurion...the home of SA cricket. The pitch will be bouncy with lateral and seam movement and pace galore. SA will field an all pace attack with JP the holding spinner. Team will most probably be:

1. Smith
2. Peterson
3. Amla
4. Faf
5. ABdV
6. JP
7. Elgar
8. Vern
9. Abbot
10. Steyn
11. Morkel

St Georges + Newlands will be more spin receptive. I expect Abbot to make way for Robbie P. Abbot is no mug with the bat and is on par with Vern's batting skill's. Which ever way SA do go, they will look to have a long tail to negate the chances of Aus getting 20 wickets.

Gun post. The team will more likely look like this Although im not sold on Elgar. He does nit inspire confidence.

 

[Daemon]

I agree completely inbox. What are your opinions on Brad Hodge?