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***Official*** Australia in South Africa 2018

stephen

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Well that was a disgraceful end to a disgraceful match.

When Boof started as coach his presence calmed the side after the Arthur fiasco and results came. But I think he's been in the job too long. There had been no sense of calmness at all this series. He needed to be the one to pull the players into line and tell them that they can't ball tamper and for Warner to cool it and to tell the boys that this second innings was their chance at redemption.

This second innings capitulation is by far the most mentally weak I've seen this side. They couldn't even bat to stumps ffs.

The difference between this side and those in the past is not the talent but the mental strength. Much as it pains me this side act like common schoolyard bullies - they can dish it but as soon as someone stands up to them they crumble.

Where was Shaun Marsh in all of this? The elder statesman of the side should be acting as a steady head and positive influence on the younger guys.

Once this series is dusted, the side should be:

Renshaw
Warner
Burns
Smith
Maxwell
M Marsh
Paine (c) (w/k)
Cummins
Starc
Hazlewood
Lyon

Give Marsh jnr a few more years before pinning the c on his chest. Warner and Smith are too good to drop but Bancroft, who hasn't done too badly with the bat this series needs to be dropped and Smith and Warner stripped of responsibility.

Khawaja I'm sad to say just doesn't seem to have it at this level - at least not consistently.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
Its bad tempered because someone stood up and didnt take any nonsense
Haha so much this.

I don't remember any Australian player condemning their former captain for threatening a number 11 with a broken arm.

South Africa bite back and suddenly a line is crossed.
 

straw man

Hall of Fame Member
Test ends with Warner selling Bancroft down the river and Paine last man standing. Come on now, I really feel the writers of this cricketing soap opera are getting too cutesy and obvious here.
 

BeeGee

International Captain
A ban of a few matches isn't good enough.

I used to enjoy watching Australia play because the high quality of cricket and competition. I can't be ****ed watching them these days due to the endless on field and off field bull**** that follows them everywhere they go. Their team culture is atrocious. If the leadership group continues to be same as it is now after the token bans are served, Australian cricket will forever be seen as accepting cheats in their cricket team.

The only way this is fixed is to clean out the cesspit.
 
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howardj

International Coach
Well that was a disgraceful end to a disgraceful match.

When Boof started as coach his presence calmed the side after the Arthur fiasco and results came. But I think he's been in the job too long. There had been no sense of calmness at all this series. He needed to be the one to pull the players into line and tell them that they can't ball tamper and for Warner to cool it and to tell the boys that this second innings was their chance at redemption.

This second innings capitulation is by far the most mentally weak I've seen this side. They couldn't even bat to stumps ffs.

The difference between this side and those in the past is not the talent but the mental strength. Much as it pains me this side act like common schoolyard bullies - they can dish it but as soon as someone stands up to them they crumble.

Where was Shaun Marsh in all of this? The elder statesman of the side should be acting as a steady head and positive influence on the younger guys.

Once this series is dusted, the side should be:

Renshaw
Warner
Burns
Smith
Maxwell
M Marsh
Paine (c) (w/k)
Cummins
Starc
Hazlewood
Lyon

Give Marsh jnr a few more years before pinning the c on his chest. Warner and Smith are too good to drop but Bancroft, who hasn't done too badly with the bat this series needs to be dropped and Smith and Warner stripped of responsibility.

Khawaja I'm sad to say just doesn't seem to have it at this level - at least not consistently.
Great post, mate.

Spot on with your Lehmann observations. I think the side has become way too hairy-chested; and that's even reflected in selection where guys who don't bowl quick (such as Sayers) find it hard to crack the team when there's an injury, and batsmen who are stodgy (like Renshaw) get dealt with harshly or at least don't get the benefit of the doubt.

Lehmann's reputation seems to be built on home Ashes series victories in 2013/2014 and last Summer (against two pretty poor English teams) and the 2015 World Cup. However, we've gone massively backwards in our overseas performances under Boof (not just on the subcontinent).
 
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NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Tbh, I haven't watched a single ball of this match. Controversy aside, how was Morkel's bowling? Seems like his achievement will be, obviously (and rightly) overshadowed.
 

morgieb

Request Your Custom Title Now!
A ban of a few matches isn't good enough.

I used to enjoy watching Australia play because the high quality of cricket and competition. I can't be ****ed watching them these days due to the endless on field and off field bull**** that follows them everywhere they go. Their team culture is atrocious. If the leadership group continues to be same as it is now after the token bans are served, Australian cricket will forever be seen as accepting cheats in their cricket team.

The only way this is fixed is to clean out the cesspit.
I can't see Smith/Warner remaining captain/vice-captain after this saga. The decision to stand down for the remainder of the Test was clearly a sign that they knew after the investigation they were ****ed. Lehmann is a bigger question. We'll wait and see with him. But I think only after he goes as well does Australia get in a position to move on from this.
 

quincywagstaff

International Debutant
Even without this ball-tampering saga, have to agree that there should've been questions about Lehmann already purely on performance alone.

He's basically coasted on the 2013/14 Ashes and 2015 WC for a fair while now; the side has been largely dire in overseas Test series. They've only won 1 of their last 5 away Test series and their ODI overseas record has been pretty poor post-WC15 as well.
 

max147

Cricket Spectator
As I was going to say, sending someone out in such an obvious way to warn Bancroft he had been rumbled also means Boof is aptly named....
 

Spark

Global Moderator
Smith won't get more than maybe the next series. Not sure it is any worse than getting help on reviews. What's caused the outrage is as much the cumulative nature of events over the past 18 months. There is clearly a culture in the team which is all wrong. Someone like Gilchrist who was honest, tough, competitive and gracious should be given an input to get Australian international cricket back to where it once was.
It is definitely worse than looking up to the dressing room for guidance on reviews IMO, which in my eyes is borderline trivial.
 

quincywagstaff

International Debutant
Interesting to read in The Australian that senior Australian cricket figures where unhappy to be implicated in Smith referring to the 'leadership group' as being responsible for the incident as opposed to it being apparently just him and Warner of the side.

Him passing the buck like that may actually do him more damage in the eyes of his teammates than the incident itself as it showed under pressure he wasn't able to take responsibility; even in the unlikely event that Smith wasn't sacked as captain perhaps his teammates don't want him in the role anymore.
 

howardj

International Coach
Interesting to read in The Australian that senior Australian cricket figures where unhappy to be implicated in Smith referring to the 'leadership group' as being responsible for the incident as opposed to it being apparently just him and Warner of the side.

Him passing the buck like that may actually do him more damage in the eyes of his teammates than the incident itself as it showed under pressure he wasn't able to take responsibility; even in the unlikely event that Smith wasn't sacked as captain perhaps his teammates don't want him in the role anymore.
Apparently Starc and Hazlewood are part of the leadership group, and were unhappy to be mentioned by Smith
 

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