Australia v South Africa, 1st Test, Brisbane, 9-13 November, 2012

Hope it's nothing like the deck he served up 2 summers ago. We never looked like getting England out (or rather Strauss and Cook).

skully wrote:Hope it's nothing like the deck he served up 2 summers ago. We never looked like getting England out (or rather Strauss and Cook).

Didn't Siddle take a hat trick in that match?

Yeah, we got first use, and rolled England for 260 (Cot - 6-54 incl. hattrick). We then made 481, largely due to the massive Paris-Haddit partnership, then England just ground us into the dirt. 1-517. [*cough*]

skully wrote:Yeah, we got first use, and rolled England for 260 (Cot - 6-54 incl. hattrick). We then made 481, largely due to the massive Paris-Haddit partnership, then England just ground us into the dirt. 1-517. [*cough*]

Ah yes. Bad times. We barely looked like taking a wicket after that (other than Perth).

Had to chuckle at the Nova Drive Team this evening (I don't normally listen to them but flicked over looking for a song). It is fronted by two blokes and a chick, with Marty Sheargold the only one I've heard of. Marty was saying it is his and Nick's (the other guy) 2 year bromance anniversary. They shared their first unabashed man-hug when Siddle got Sturat lbw, as they watched the hattrick ball live at the ground.

Pity Blee isn't playing. Last time we played the Gabba, Meckiff got fixed.

JGK wrote:

skully wrote:Yeah, we got first use, and rolled England for 260 (Cot - 6-54 incl. hattrick). We then made 481, largely due to the massive Paris-Haddit partnership, then England just ground us into the dirt. 1-517. [*cough*]

Ah yes. Bad times. We barely looked like taking a wicket after that (other than Perth).

Aye, one of those innings where you simply just despair at the total lack of a sniff of a wicket. And Midge was abhorrent.

I don't mean to be a doom-sayer, but I have a bad feeling we may see one or two of these type innings this summer. The fantastic-on-paper SAffer top 7 is sure to fire at least a couple of times.

Having said that, after watching the Foxy 4 x 2 hour back-to-back highlights packages of the 4 Indian Tests from last summer, I forgot just how well or quciks bowled. Cot and Milf were immense.

This whole dossier palaver, with it's bumper barrage tosh, may just be a ruse to sucker-punch the Yarps with full swinging and cutting pace bowling.

Fingers crossed.

Thought that as well though Telford Vice who was interviewed thinks the whole dossier is fiction and badly written fiction at that. He's one of the most articulate journos I've heard interviewed.

JGK wrote:

skully wrote:Yeah, we got first use, and rolled England for 260 (Cot - 6-54 incl. hattrick). We then made 481, largely due to the massive Paris-Haddit partnership, then England just ground us into the dirt. 1-517. [*cough*]

Ah yes. Bad times. We barely looked like taking a wicket after that (other than Perth).

True but we were a tad unlucky in that England got first use in Adelaide and Melbourne when the pitches were at their spiciest. Punter batted in Adelaide but it did do quite a bit early and then roaded out.

Right, well that's my worries assuaged, that dossier clearly shows that the Aussies are on top and we'll get them out for a pittance. Only question that remains is what do we now do on the 4th and 5th day now we've got so much free time?

If I am posting here tomorrow night with Aus in a competitive position, I may let my current feelings of apprehension ease a bit. I can't help but thinking that the classy looking SAffers have had a trouble and controversy free build up, while Aus has had all sorts of set backs and dramas. To me it points to a mauling at the hands of the no. 1 team.

I hope I'm wrong.

skully wrote:If I am posting here tomorrow night with Aus in a competitive position, I may let my current feelings of apprehension ease a bit. I can't help but thinking that the classy looking SAffers have had a trouble and controversy free build up, while Aus has had all sorts of set backs and dramas. To me it points to a mauling at the hands of the no. 1 team.

I hope I'm wrong.

You're way too pessimistic.

In theory oz has had more speedbumps. For e.g. losing Watto was perhaps unexpected but his test batting has been ordinary over the past year anyway. Quiney may surprise.

Australia does have a few things going for it though. SA rarely wins two tests in a row. The Gabba has been a fortress of sort for us and the home bowlers know the conditions. Many of the SA players haven't had too much red ball cricket either and they only had one warm-up game which didn't tell a lot compared with England who prepared so well when they toured last.

Maybe the toss could be a big factor at this venue. The ABC team made the point on Sunday that if a teams has a theoretical advantage on paper a greentop can bring the teams together. If Australia inserts them and goes through them as the dossier suggests, it may put them on the backfoot.

Adelaide looks like a venue that could be tougher for the Aussies because if the pitch is flat the likes of Amla might drop anchor.

Red wrote:

skully wrote:If I am posting here tomorrow night with Aus in a competitive position, I may let my current feelings of apprehension ease a bit. I can't help but thinking that the classy looking SAffers have had a trouble and controversy free build up, while Aus has had all sorts of set backs and dramas. To me it points to a mauling at the hands of the no. 1 team.

I hope I'm wrong.

You're way too pessimistic.

In theory oz has had more speedbumps. For e.g. losing Watto was perhaps unexpected but his test batting has been ordinary over the past year anyway. Quiney may surprise.

Australia does have a few things going for it though. SA rarely wins two tests in a row. The Gabba has been a fortress of sort for us and the home bowlers know the conditions. Many of the SA players haven't had too much red ball cricket either and they only had one warm-up game which didn't tell a lot compared with England who prepared so well when they toured last.

Maybe the toss could be a big factor at this venue. The ABC team made the point on Sunday that if a teams has a theoretical advantage on paper a greentop can bring the teams together. If Australia inserts them and goes through them as the dossier suggests, it may put them on the backfoot.

Adelaide looks like a venue that could be tougher for the Aussies because if the pitch is flat the likes of Amla might drop anchor.

Translation. SA is undercooked.

Less than three hours. Good old times. Times are good. This will help exorcise the last two months of filth ingrained into me from non-stop T20s... better than the constant Ajax and Brillo showers I've been taking.

Red wrote:

skully wrote:If I am posting here tomorrow night with Aus in a competitive position, I may let my current feelings of apprehension ease a bit. I can't help but thinking that the classy looking SAffers have had a trouble and controversy free build up, while Aus has had all sorts of set backs and dramas. To me it points to a mauling at the hands of the no. 1 team.

I hope I'm wrong.

You're way too pessimistic.

In theory oz has had more speedbumps. For e.g. losing Watto was perhaps unexpected but his test batting has been ordinary over the past year anyway. Quiney may surprise.

Australia does have a few things going for it though. SA rarely wins two tests in a row. The Gabba has been a fortress of sort for us and the home bowlers know the conditions. Many of the SA players haven't had too much red ball cricket either and they only had one warm-up game which didn't tell a lot compared with England who prepared so well when they toured last.

Maybe the toss could be a big factor at this venue. The ABC team made the point on Sunday that if a teams has a theoretical advantage on paper a greentop can bring the teams together. If Australia inserts them and goes through them as the dossier suggests, it may put them on the backfoot.

Adelaide looks like a venue that could be tougher for the Aussies because if the pitch is flat the likes of Amla might drop anchor.

You're 100% right, Red. I have always found that starting from a pessimistic standpoint sets you better for either outcome. If you win, then it's euphoria. If you lose, then at least you were ready to some extent.

If we bat and bowl as well as we did last summer then it will be a cracking series.

Can't wait, about farking time. Can't believe if we win the series we get the #1 spot back, no way this team deserves that, shirely.

Lyon playing and Proteas win the toss. Hmm.

Yeah? We've got Barclay's Premier World on at the minute instead. No thanks, we don't want any build up, just a SWAT team intro so we can watch repeats of shitty goals.

Tubby doing a "skully" when it comes to using the touch screen. Rofl.

Fark, didn't realise Cot has more experience than MILF, he's been around awhile.

Micing up a player as he walks out for the anthems. New ****** low, get rid of this evasive shit, I don't care now to know what wank you want to talk to the player about, that's what the pre-match circus is for.

I hate the whole miking of players palaver. Just let them get on with their job FFS.

I'm quite happy that Smiffy won the toss. I was dreading us facing Stain when the Gabba track was at its juiciest.

Forgot how much of a goliath Smith looks like. Makes Hayden look like David...

Aye, a big man. Michael Clarke is just on 5'11 and Smiffy towers over him.

Good first over from Milf. Beat the bat once, kept it full.

Wicket looks good. Flat and white - perhaps just a little tinge of green. Good carry.