3rd Test: South Africa v Australia

at what, 6:30 qld time?

company man

SA bowling has been putrid all series. Too short, too full - haven't been able to apply any pressure whatsoever. Australia's batting ability has never been the issue for mine - and Johnson, Siddle and Hilfenhaus have been working well. Even the plodder McDonald can keep it tight at one end.

You in NSW?

I feel you. I'm 8:30-5 but never seems to finish that way.

Ouch:

Ntini to Katich, no run, loud loud shout for Lbw but it's turned down. Kallis, at first slip, looks at Boucher to say whether we should go for a review but Boucher shrugs. It was full in length and straightened on the middle stump, Katich got the bat way outside the line and was hit in front of middle and off. IT would have crashed into off and middle! oh boy!

First over. That one will come back to bite me no doubt.  Yeh, I live and work in Sydney Rod.  My contract says 8:30 - 5:30, but I don't think I have ever left before 8pm, midnight is the norm.

Clearly. My name is Battler.

You need some sleep.

And a new career

When they said the only way was down for Mike Hussey's test average, they weren't wrong !  

Guy must be under a little pressure for his place in the lineup, or at the very least his place at number four

I think he has hid behind his earlier feats all summer. Well, not him personally, but the selectors. Age shall weary and he seems to be picking the ball up late. I think it may be time to go, and I thought this during the Australian summer.

BUT, the Australian team / selectors need to be really careful, as they have already blooded a heap of guys and they still need some old heads in the squad. Conversely, I guess you can argue that guys belting out quality numbers in the Sheffield Shield can more than hold their own in Test cricket and that you should pick guys on form.

Either way, the ashes will be a career defining tour for M Hussey I think.

Quote Originally Posted by rod_steel:

Australia win the toss and elect to bat.

 

I've taken Katich over Hughes H2h for some late night degenerate action on my end

Cha ching

Not so sure. I think he could be a good middle order test player.

Certaintly a one-day goer

Good eye AB, Clarke has been inconsistent for quite a while now, but the difference between he and say Hussey is that Clarke hasn't looked hopelessly look out of nick. It's been more of a concentration thing with him. I guess similar in a way to Ricky Ponting, who's also been very hit and miss for the past 12 months.

But yeah, Clarke is at the point in his career now where he either knuckles down and becomes the 50+ average elite batsman many think he's capable of becoming, or he goes the way of Mark Waugh and joins the "unfulfilled talent" file.  

Scarey thing about Australian domestic cricket at the moment is the serious lack of "test match ready" batsmen there are among the state sides.

Just watching a bit of that Shield final earlier in the week, none of those Victorian batsmen (Brad Hodge aside) look to have anything that closely resembles a technique that would hold up at test level. And by domestic standards, they're the benchmark at the moment  

Good start for the SA openers, only 2 runs needed for this to hit - even despite the terrible fielding from the saffers