*Official* Australia in South Africa Tests 2021

[RossTaylorsBox]

If you do any work before 12pm you're a sucker anyway.

 

[Spark]

Especially since CSA have spent money to try to meet CA's requests, money which they can't really afford to spend without getting any return.

I haven't heard anything yet about compensation but I honestly think it would be more than justified in this case. It really doesn't sit right that CA waited until so late to make this decision.

 

[Burgey]

he posted that at 8 AM Indian time lol

Yeah. And? The day is a third over ffs.

 

[Burgey]

If you do any work before 12pm you're a sucker anyway.

Who said anything about work?

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

What the hell else do you do before lunchtime

 

[StephenZA]

I think the biggest lesson Smith could take from this is being a little less naive. I genuinely think he was surprised when the tour got cancelled and that just shows how foolish he was to think this ever would go ahead. I little to much trust in his Aus counterparts I think.

 

[TheJediBrah]

If you do any work before 12pm you're a sucker anyway.

I've done all my work well before 12pm

 

[Burgey]

What the hell else do you do before lunchtime

**** post on cricket websites. though tbf that's a 24/7 thing to do.

Do some exercise.

Walk the dogs.

Occasionally walk down to the Fenwick and grab a coffee while taking in the harbour.

Make breakfast.

Have a tub. Can't stand non-tubbers. Attend to my skin care regime.

Answer fan mail.

Or on mornings like today, come upstairs after working out with the noise cancellers in and shout/ do what passes for singing Gold Digger while inadvertently walking in on Mrs Burgey's Zoom meeting just as I got to "We want prenup! We want prenup!"

That sort of thing.

 

[Burgey]

to much trust in his Aus counterparts I think.

What basis do you have for thinking CA wanted to cancel this tour?

 

[Spark]

What basis do you have for thinking CA wanted to cancel this tour?

"Wanted" is a bit strong but "placing a practically unattainable bar for the tour going ahead" is definitely a possibility here.

 

[StephenZA]

What basis do you have for thinking CA wanted to cancel this tour?

The fact that these tours are reluctantly done in the first place, combined with the fact that nothing has actually changed for the situation in SA. Largely it has improved (as bad as it currently is!). I am not even saying it is a wrong decision. But CA made some pretty big demands that the SA cricket authorities spent time and effort accommodating. In the end though it was never going to be enough. Even the fact they organised the NZ T20 tour shows some not great faith? And my tin foil hat side (cynical) definitely thinks that they waited until after the Indian tour had finished.

 

[Burgey]

How are these tours done reluctantly? Australia has regularly toured SA since 1993/94. I have never heard a single rumbling to the effect CA or its players don't want to tour SA. Ever.

 

[Burgey]

"Wanted" is a bit strong but "placing a practically unattainable bar for the tour going ahead" is definitely a possibility here.

Yes but Why? There's no reason other than a pandemic-related one for them to do that.

 

[StephenZA]

Yes but Why? There's no reason other than a pandemic-related one for them to do that.

Financial. They have only gained financially here.

 

[Burgey]

How have they gained financially though? This seems an odd conclusion tbh. If they were going to cancel for financial reasons then they'd surely cancel anything to do with playing NZ. No one is ever interested in that series.

I think one of the things being missed here is CA is often conservative when it comes to touring in circumstances where there is potential for players to be at risk. It goes back at least as far as the 1996 WC.

And yes ,I know they kept touring England post-2005 London bombings.

They've long been criticized on here when they haven't toured SL at times when they thought things were dodgy there, for example. They were openly laughed at on CW when they wouldn't tour Pakistan - players called cowards etc, then of course the Taliban played the SL tour bus a visit and suddenly that criticism disappeared without acknowledging CA had got it 100% right.

I'm sure there's a level of expediency at times associated with making these decisions, there's also been a pretty strong player's association here over going back as far as Taylor's captaincy, and that's played a part at times too.

A great shame the tour was cancelled. I was looking forward to seeing Smith in particular go about scoring a poultice of runs over there to set things right in his own mind.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Shocks me how quickly people forget the ramifications of the pandemic. Might be different in other countries but one case sends an Australian state into lockdown any risk is taken pretty seriously (personally IMO too seriously).

 

[Gnske]

Just interferes with gains

 

[StephenZA]

How have they gained financially though? This seems an odd conclusion tbh. If they were going to cancel for financial reasons then they'd surely cancel anything to do with playing NZ. No one is ever interested in that series.

I think you under estimate the financial pull of T20's here to the occasional fan, even against NZ. Easier tour in general for Aus to pop over to NZ than have a tour of SA. Tours of SA does not gain Aus much financially.

And there has been a number of acrimonious dealings between Aus and SA cricket, particularly when SA dared ask Aus to come tour here in December occasionally. There is a reason why all these Tests now happen in Sept/Oct and Feb/March.

And I reiterate I`m not even saying it is a bad or wrong decision, it is the apparent timing of the decision. There was nothing back in October, November even December that was not known that is now known. For me the timing just shows an element of bad faith and as I said naivety on Smiths part.

 

[Prince EWS]

Just interferes with gains

Like your face.

And your posts.

 

[StephenZA]

Shocks me how quickly people forget the ramifications of the pandemic. Might be different in other countries but one case sends an Australian state into lockdown any risk is taken pretty seriously (personally IMO too seriously).

If you think that I am not aware of the ramifications of this pandemic, then you are foolishly mistaken.