Test Squad for South African Tour - predictions & discussion

[stan]

Saffers will come back at us unlike England. They have more ability and will come at us at some point. They are not the pathetic team England were.

Sent from my GT-I9197 using Tapatalk

[mal]

I reckon the SA bowlers have answers to get the Australian top order batters out next time
I'm not sure they have answers on how to deal with MmMMmMmMmMMmMmMmitchell Johnson

[whufc]

I reckon the SA bowlers have answers to get the Australian top order batters out next time
I'm not sure they have answers on how to deal with MmMMmMmMmMMmMmMmitchell Johnson

Totally agree,

The only way we will lose this series now is if the top order collapses.

Unless Amla and AB hit big hundreds the saffers can't get over 300

.

[beeroclock]

Mals mate Watto to do another injury to save his shame of not getting picked in the second test side,even money on sports bet.
Get on it it's a Monty.

[Rik E Boy]

I've been following Test Cricket since the 70s and I cannot recall a period of sustained excellence from a fast bowler that matches Mitchell Johnson's current run. 49 wickets in six tests is amazing. That ball he badged Amla with was an absolute corker, unplayable.

Every now and then he drifts back into 'old mitch' mode but Clarke seems to take him out of the attack when signs appear. Brilliant bowling and brilliant Captaincy.

regards,

REB

[Booney]

Since taking over the captaincy Clarke has seen his batting average increase on the back of a golden 12/13 summer and now he has developed into one of the best captains (IMO) that we have seen.

Clearly he now has "his team" with very few of Pontings men left and a new coach with Lehmann, creating a relaxed yet very aggressive atmosphere.

On the back of that we have Johnson who is in, as REB notes, in the form of his life and nothing like we have seen from an Aussie quick for years.

I also think Warner needs a mention. Not only the way he has plundered runs recently but I reakon the little bloke would be as good on the lip as Warne and Healy were in the days of "metal disintegration" under Steve Waugh. I think he has a lot to do with the attitude of the Australian side at the moment.

[bennymacca]

good observations all round there.

shows what happens when everyone is having fun too - they clearly werent under mickey arthur, but even in england when they were losing, you could just tell that they were having fun.

i know i cant really relate my personal experiences to that, but i do know that when we are having fun on the cricket field we almost always play better - as soon as we go quiet in the field we lose. thats not sledging either, unless you count sledging of your own teammates.

you can tell that they are having fun - getting mitch to grow his mo back as soon as they left aussie shores is another good example

[Gozu]

I'm not able to see this series because I don't have Foxtel and it's not on Firstrowsports but how has Mitch looked compared to last time in South Africa when he was destroying Kallis, Smith etc?

That back then was perhaps the most vicious & unplayable fast bowling I've ever seen.

[shoe boy]

I'm not able to see this series because I don't have Foxtel and it's not on Firstrowsports but how has Mitch looked compared to last time in South Africa when he was destroying Kallis, Smith etc?

That back then was perhaps the most vicious & unplayable fast bowling I've ever seen.

Gozu,His first spell of SA first innings was like watching the West Indies at their best.

[shoe boy]

On a point watching the game that decides the best in the world!

Crowd numbers are crap and considering the price of a ticket $8 Aus but love the work of the camera panning the crowd the SA have some lovely sights.

[bennymacca]

I'm not able to see this series because I don't have Foxtel and it's not on Firstrowsports but how has Mitch looked compared to last time in South Africa when he was destroying Kallis, Smith etc?

That back then was perhaps the most vicious & unplayable fast bowling I've ever seen.

Better than any of the spells that he produced against the poms

[whufc]

Since taking over the captaincy Clarke has seen his batting average increase on the back of a golden 12/13 summer and now he has developed into one of the best captains (IMO) that we have seen.

Clearly he now has "his team" with very few of Pontings men left and a new coach with Lehmann, creating a relaxed yet very aggressive atmosphere.

On the back of that we have Johnson who is in, as REB notes, in the form of his life and nothing like we have seen from an Aussie quick for years.

I also think Warner needs a mention. Not only the way he has plundered runs recently but I reakon the little bloke would be as good on the lip as Warne and Healy were in the days of "metal disintegration" under Steve Waugh. I think he has a lot to do with the attitude of the Australian side at the moment.

Agree with all of it except the bit about Warner.

Went to a Botham luncheon and he was mentioning about how he is privy to alot of the sledging going on due to the stump mics.

It brought it him to the conclusion Warner may not have went to school and that he struggles to put more than 3 words together, in Bothams view was the dumbest sledgerhe he had ever heard.

[woodublieve12]

Since taking over the captaincy Clarke has seen his batting average increase on the back of a golden 12/13 summer and now he has developed into one of the best captains (IMO) that we have seen.

Clearly he now has "his team" with very few of Pontings men left and a new coach with Lehmann, creating a relaxed yet very aggressive atmosphere.

On the back of that we have Johnson who is in, as REB notes, in the form of his life and nothing like we have seen from an Aussie quick for years.

I also think Warner needs a mention. Not only the way he has plundered runs recently but I reakon the little bloke would be as good on the lip as Warne and Healy were in the days of "metal disintegration" under Steve Waugh. I think he has a lot to do with the attitude of the Australian side at the moment.

i certainly disagree with you there, but that's my opinion...

Waugh, border and Taylor all better captains i reckon...

[bennymacca]

as a leader of men waugh and border were great, but tactically as a captain i dont think he is anywhere near as good as clarke. and clarke is improving all the time as a leader, especially with the help of boof as others have mentioned.

waugh benefited greatly by having the greatest team in the history of the game, not to take away from him at all

[Booney]

Since taking over the captaincy Clarke has seen his batting average increase on the back of a golden 12/13 summer and now he has developed into one of the best captains (IMO) that we have seen.

Clearly he now has "his team" with very few of Pontings men left and a new coach with Lehmann, creating a relaxed yet very aggressive atmosphere.

On the back of that we have Johnson who is in, as REB notes, in the form of his life and nothing like we have seen from an Aussie quick for years.

I also think Warner needs a mention. Not only the way he has plundered runs recently but I reakon the little bloke would be as good on the lip as Warne and Healy were in the days of "metal disintegration" under Steve Waugh. I think he has a lot to do with the attitude of the Australian side at the moment.

Agree with all of it except the bit about Warner.

Went to a Botham luncheon and he was mentioning about how he is privy to alot of the sledging going on due to the stump mics.

It brought it him to the conclusion Warner may not have went to school and that he struggles to put more than 3 words together, in Bothams view was the dumbest sledgerhe he had ever heard.

Perhaps that's the case, I dont doubt it for a minute to be honest. But it doesn't need to be Rhodes Scholar English if it gets in the batsmans ear and takes his mind of off the job he should be doing. It certainly seemed like Pietersen was engaging Warner throughout the summer. Thanks Davey.

[whufc]

Since taking over the captaincy Clarke has seen his batting average increase on the back of a golden 12/13 summer and now he has developed into one of the best captains (IMO) that we have seen.

Clearly he now has "his team" with very few of Pontings men left and a new coach with Lehmann, creating a relaxed yet very aggressive atmosphere.

On the back of that we have Johnson who is in, as REB notes, in the form of his life and nothing like we have seen from an Aussie quick for years.

I also think Warner needs a mention. Not only the way he has plundered runs recently but I reakon the little bloke would be as good on the lip as Warne and Healy were in the days of "metal disintegration" under Steve Waugh. I think he has a lot to do with the attitude of the Australian side at the moment.

Agree with all of it except the bit about Warner.

Went to a Botham luncheon and he was mentioning about how he is privy to alot of the sledging going on due to the stump mics.

It brought it him to the conclusion Warner may not have went to school and that he struggles to put more than 3 words together, in Bothams view was the dumbest sledgerhe he had ever heard.

Perhaps that's the case, I dont doubt it for a minute to be honest. But it doesn't need to be Rhodes Scholar English if it gets in the batsmans ear and takes his mind of off the job he should be doing. It certainly seemed like Pietersen was engaging Warner throughout the summer. Thanks Davey.

Yeah, it may have been Warners lack of wit that really got up Pieterson.

From what Botham was saying it sounds like the old goldys like curry and toilet doors get a run from our boy Davy

[Grahaml]

The more I hear about Botham the more it seems he finds himself with totally different versions of stories to everyone else. Strong chance if he thinks something it's wrong.

[tigerpie]

Yeah grade 5 would have been the hardest 3 years of Daveys life, but good on him...he's going alright.
Dropped twice before he made 30 and still made a hundred.

We've all played with a bloke who was not too bright in the player communication stakes and cringed at the things he says......but still piss yaself laughing!!!

[LaughingKookaburra]

Do you really want to know who are dumb Ian?

All those people who ran your country when they decided to make Australia a colony and then decided to populate a cold, dull and overcrowded shit hole.

They then also sent the people who would assist in creating a succesful sporting culture in a sport you created but yet some how are behind the 8 ball in history to a country with 1/4 of your population.

Stick to sinking piss mate your group of scholars are being schooled by the very criminals you sent out here again all those years ago.

You're the dumb pricks England...

[Booney]

The more I hear about Botham the more it seems he finds himself with totally different versions of stories to everyone else. Strong chance if he thinks something it's wrong.

Agreed. He's one legend of the game who should stay out of the media spotlight.