Well I don't think there's any way Saffers are going to chase this one.
South Africa versus Australia
- Thread starter zing
- Start date
Watson should be fit for the second test. Interested to see if either Doolan or marsh make way for him
Brilliant stuff. You gotta hand it to the Aussies. There is no way any other team on the planet would have declared like this, especially how SA have performed in similar situation in two occasions recently.
It is all on the four batsmen left now- Smith, Amla, AB and Faf. Once Oz gets the 4th wicket, they will back themselves to clean the lineup in no time
Smith gone.
That is simply a ridiculous catch.
And very good captaincy to put a fielder there.
And very good captaincy to put a fielder there.
Yup gotta love Clarke. They're making Saffers look pub standard.
This is exactly like watching the English face the Ozzies. SA are fecked
Johnson is a joy to watch
It's quite remarkable just how how similar this is to the Ashes tests, The Ozzies are all over SA.
Australia have numbers from 3 and 4. Big difference to the Ashes.
Well, not exactly 3 and 4. Doolan at 3 and Marsh at 4 who came in for Bailey who didn't bat at 4.
But IMO, that makes this Australian team a far scarier proposition if these guys can keep it up. Watson and Bailey are just not test quality batsmen at the moment.
Johnson's reduced his average by 3 points in 6 matches, in spite of having over 200 wickets at the start of those 6 matches.
Quite brilliant.
Quite brilliant.
I meant more the bowling, which is actually weaker because of the loss of Watson.
Feck me. Johnson's torturing SA.
Crickets not really such an intense sport but Johnson's doing some damage. McLaren on the helmet, blood on the ear.
Magnificent stuff.
Crickets not really such an intense sport but Johnson's doing some damage. McLaren on the helmet, blood on the ear.
Magnificent stuff.
Just superb from Johnson. The pace and aggression in his bowling, beautiful to watch.
2 to go
SA are in tatters. This is going to be another white wash for the Ozzies, this time against the #1 test team...
Game over.
Well deserved. Totally outplayed.
Well deserved. Totally outplayed.
great running Brilliant from the Aussies. Total domination with bat, ball & fielding.
Best in the world. This takes me back.
Stunning from Australia.
Might not be as good as some of their previous sides but they play with the same relentless aggression and positive attitude.
Might not be as good as some of their previous sides but they play with the same relentless aggression and positive attitude.
Reminds me of the great Windies sides
That's a bit much. Siddle and Harris have been great and consistent but it is only really Johnson that is on a different stratosphere. Ofcourse the role other two plays is vital to their attack.
Regardless SA have been battered here. Such a loss at home is astounding. State of pitch on day 4 itself was as such that they had no chance even chasing 300 on it.
Regardless SA have been battered here. Such a loss at home is astounding. State of pitch on day 4 itself was as such that they had no chance even chasing 300 on it.
Over the past months Johnson bowling has been as goods as I have ever witnessed. And Harris is also bowling 90mph accurately, combined with the extremely economical Siddle. They've got the balance of their attack perfectly. You don't get better pace bowling than this. It puts the opposition batsman under so much pressure it's almost impossible to get a big score.
Why's Johnson's pace so much of a difference? The difference between 150 KMPH and 140KMPH in travelling 22 yards is 0.02 of a second..
Johnson's pace isn't the difference. When he pulls it all together, his movement, bounce and angle are unplayable. It's a damn shame he's only really pulled it together for a select few series because he could've been one of the all time greats. He had bags of potential, Lillee discovered him as a teenager and it's been a bumpy ride since.
Yes.. I was sort of being rhetorical.
Think the speedometer has gotten into people's heads more than it should have. He's just become a better bowler with better control.
I think the one thing Australia have done really well with Johnson is that they never shut up about him.
I genuinely don't think there's much about him that 'unplayable' or something to that extent, but after that first test where I think he took England by surprise he's got into batsmans heads and made them do really stupid things.
And every now and then he does bowl you a ball with your name on.
I genuinely don't think there's much about him that 'unplayable' or something to that extent, but after that first test where I think he took England by surprise he's got into batsmans heads and made them do really stupid things.
And every now and then he does bowl you a ball with your name on.
That't not the main factor, there is only so much the hype can carry you. SA clearly came into the series thinking they could handle him and were shocked into reality.
SA 2 down already.. it is gonna come down to AB again. Also why are they so hesitant to start de Kock in tests. Might as well blood someone early into test cricket. He averages 48 in 20 first class matches as well
SA 2 down already.. it is gonna come down to AB again. Also why are they so hesitant to start de Kock in tests. Might as well blood someone early into test cricket. He averages 48 in 20 first class matches as well
It's not so much the hype.
But by talking about Johnson to the extent they're talking about him they're clearly getting batsman to second guess how they should be playing him. You saw it in Australia where the England batsmen all, at times, clearly could play him, and then got out doing braindead things like pulling him to show 'they weren't scared' or going after any length.
SA have a batsmen named Quinton De Kock.
That is all.
That is all.
Think the Aussies will be satisfied with their day's work on a slow, flat pitch.
De Villiers now has at least 50 runs in an innings in 12 straight Test matches, that is a new record. Superb player.
De Villiers now has at least 50 runs in an innings in 12 straight Test matches, that is a new record. Superb player.
Strong reply here.
SA are their strongest when playing with 7 batters.
Remains to be seen how the bowling fronts up now, though. First time they're playing just 4 bowlers without an all-rounder.
SA are their strongest when playing with 7 batters.
Remains to be seen how the bowling fronts up now, though. First time they're playing just 4 bowlers without an all-rounder.
By the sounds of it Zing its an absolute dog of a pitch, so I think they'll struggle for penetration regardless.
That said, I don't think Australia's players all have the correct application to score runs slowly.
That said, I don't think Australia's players all have the correct application to score runs slowly.
Yea, but if there's one attack I'd back to take wickets on a pitch like this with runs behind them, it's the Saffers.
Agreed, I think Philander could be crucial here. The Aussie's don't seem to rate him, and his accuracy on a pitch like this could be deadly if they're trying to hit him to prove how much better they are. A bit like Pietersen vs Siddle.
Like we said...
Great day for SA. Should've reviewed the Lyon decision. Would've been a crucial time to get a specialist batsman in. Warner's hitting it really well, though.
Also, this is why I blame India's bowling so much. Batting 2nd becomes so much more tougher when you have a big deficit to scratch away at. This is 400 runs on a dead pitch, but India constantly bat against 500+ on good pitches.
Great day for SA. Should've reviewed the Lyon decision. Would've been a crucial time to get a specialist batsman in. Warner's hitting it really well, though.
Also, this is why I blame India's bowling so much. Batting 2nd becomes so much more tougher when you have a big deficit to scratch away at. This is 400 runs on a dead pitch, but India constantly bat against 500+ on good pitches.
Just watching the highlights and that Warner drop is off an absolute brute of a ball. Hell of a delivery.
In my opinion, Morne Morkel is hugely under-rated. He gets the bowlers at the other end a lot of wickets. The 2nd best bowler in the world after Steyn, IMO..
In my opinion, Morne Morkel is hugely under-rated. He gets the bowlers at the other end a lot of wickets. The 2nd best bowler in the world after Steyn, IMO..
Morkel's bowling today was superb, deserved more luck.
Aussie lower order kept getting them out of trouble in the ashes, let's see if they can do it again tomorrow...
Aussie lower order kept getting them out of trouble in the ashes, let's see if they can do it again tomorrow...
Shocking fielding by saffers. Pathetic stuff.