South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Johannesburg, 17-21 November, 2011

lardbucket wrote:Well.

Can Australia salvage some respectability after the Capetown Nightmare? Hard to see it with the mental dsintegration that will have followed that unbelievably pathetic performance.

Changes?

... no need for any changes for South Africa ... it'd be unfair to dump Tahir simply because Australia weren't good enough to force him to the bowling crease, and I can't see any of the batsmen needing to be altered unless there is an injury.

Australia: if Marsh's back spasms settle, he should play. If not, bring Khawaja in for him. Either way, Hughes must be on his 'last chance saloon'. Haddin might just as well regard it as his finale. I'd give both Cummins and Copeland a bowl and drop Lyon, but suspect they will keep Lyon and choose only one of the two quicks. It would have been interesting to see how Copeland performed on that last deck, with its lateral movement ... suspect anything he did he would have shat all over Johnson's performance. Johnson's file should be marked NTPFAA and thrown into the Mariana Trench, alongside that of Hughes. Just spineless.

I would NOT fly in any other players, just for one Test, in a series that we now cannot win in any case.

reckon Aus will get tough on Johnson and give him the axe for Cummins

Henry wrote:I reckon Aus will get tough on Johnson and give him the axe for Cummins. Pitch will be as flat as they can make it but there's always something in the Wanderers wicket.

This is a make or break test for both Haddin and Ponting.

Big Dog wrote:

reckon Aus will get tough on Johnson and give him the axe for Cummins

That would be the logical move but our selectors don't have a good record with logic.
I reckon the side will be unchanged (unless mash is not fit). Afterall, the first game was a lot closer than people are giving credit for. If SA's tail had'nt gleened those extra few runs to avoid the follow on, the result may have been a lot different.

Spoiler: