South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth, 20-24 February, 2014

So this is the acid test for Australia.

Have they really come back to the top - or were they just the successful muggers of a bunch of dozy Pommie mugs in the last quarter-year, who on that bounce also caught SAf cold in the First Test?

They'd better up their performance a little bit from here, or the second conclusion might be hard to avoid.

Hmm. When I made that estimate, I wasn't aware they were going to be 10 overs short on the day.

Might have to tell Amla he won't be getting a go at that ton.

The weather looks bad but it's always fraught with danger to make a declaration based on it when there are two full days left in theory.  Doubt Clarke would declare in this position either. When he declared early on day four in Centurion he had over an extra hundred runs up his sleeve. Think Amla will be given the chance to get his ton. The chance to win the series is a serious carrot for them though. Parnell missing from the attack makes things trickier. Faf been unlucky with his balls this series, another great one today led to his dismissal. After the new ball it certainly seems to get reasonably easy to bat.

taipan wrote:Is it just me but has the world's best bowling attack struggled a bit in this game?

This is one of the few times they didn't get much rest. It happened to the SA bowlers last game and the pom attack most of the summer.  

Saffies should declare now, if they want to win. If the rain forecasts are right, there may not even be 90 overs left in the game, and the likelihood of Australia scoring at 4 rpo all day tomorrow to win is virtually nil.

If they bat on they miss the opportunity to win the series, and The Red Mantra remains true.

With the earlier 'debate' on pace ... how much does simple trigonometry and the elongated hypotenuse come into it? Is there any actual data on ball speed at the release point (rather than pure biomechanical theory)?

Of course the trigonometry thing can't be the whole explanation, if it has any place in the discussion ... or all the fastest bowlers in the world would be 3 foot dwarves and orcs, with round arm actions. It's a shame PP isn't here to give us his thoughts.

Get to 400 in front as quickly as possible, then declare.

That seems unnecessarily cautious to me, especially given the series position. I can understand them going out for 2-3 overs, just to stretch the bowlers' hamstrings once more, and to introduce a slight delay to the preparation of the Australian opening batsmen, but if they bat on for an hour today, they might yet regret that all tomorrow.

PeterCS wrote:So this is the acid test for Australia.

Have they really come back to the top - or were they just the successful muggers of a bunch of dozy Pommie mugs in the last quarter-year, who on that bounce also caught SAf cold in the First Test?

They'd better up their performance a little bit from here, or the second conclusion might be hard to avoid.

They're riding the wave of the superb form of a few veterans. A year ago they were TAYPOC and they certainly haven't solved their longer term issues... but none of the other Test sides can say anything much different. Even losing 2-1 away to the team who were clear number one wouldn't have been seen as a bad showing at all a few months back.

By the way, Ryan Harris looks on his last legs to me. He could barely get up to 130 kph in the evening session. His knee must be grinding to dust.

Red wrote:

taipan wrote:Is it just me but has the world's best bowling attack struggled a bit in this game?

This is one of the few times they didn't get much rest. It happened to the SA bowlers last game and the pom attack most of the summer.  

They had plenty rest time between tests.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:

taipan wrote:Is it just me but has the world's best bowling attack struggled a bit in this game?

This is one of the few times they didn't get much rest. It happened to the SA bowlers last game and the pom attack most of the summer.  

They had plenty rest time between tests.

Yes but it's incremental; it's been a long, hard summer. Moreover rest within a test match seems to be just as much a key.

Noticed this morning they flagged the possibility of Watto playing in CT because of this factor but obviously only if can bowl.

The other option is for instance to replace Harris with either Bird or Pattinson with their problem being they haven't had much red ball cricket of late.

SA probably will need to replace Parnell with their options being Kleinveldt, Abbott or McLaren one would think.

If at 9am the best meteorological minds still say that Monday is gone, then I think Smith might have to bite the bullet and declare. If he does send them in, they best have instructions to treat it as the last few overs of a twenty20 to get to 400 odd.

Dunno why ppl are saying that the teams didn't get much rest, they had four days off. No tour match or anything. That's enough.

This may be a selfish and narrow view but given that we have already lost overs from this match and are expecting to lost many more, and given that this is the southern summer... could not play start at 10 am?

OP Tipping wrote:This may be a selfish and narrow view but given that we have already lost overs from this match and are expecting to lost many more, and given that this is the southern summer... could not play start at 10 am?

No because play only starts earlier when overs have already been lost to weather, and weather only. They bowled fewer overs yesterday than is mandatory but these are lost forever.

Clarke sending out mixed messages. On the one hand he said that he probably would have declared already, on the other hand he says one shouldn't factor weather into the equation.  

Red wrote:

OP Tipping wrote:This may be a selfish and narrow view but given that we have already lost overs from this match and are expecting to lost many more, and given that this is the southern summer... could not play start at 10 am?

No because play only starts earlier when overs have already been lost to weather, and weather only. They bowled fewer overs yesterday than is mandatory but these are lost forever.

Clarke sending out mixed messages. On the one hand he said that he probably would have declared already, on the other hand he says one shouldn't factor weather into the equation.  

Clarke is trying to play mind games, which, given the state of his mind is not a good idea.

Well anyway Morkel said they will target 450 and they won't get too focussed on the weather. Perhaps if Parnell could bowl things might be slightly different re. their plans.

Saf still paying 1.61.

Get in. Aust haven't batted to save a test in years.

JGK wrote:Saf still paying 1.61.

Get in. Aust haven't batted to save a test in years.

In all probability though we will only have to bat less than a day on a pitch which isn't playing tricks. Shouldn't be that hard. And they are a bowler down.

Did you see us bat in the first innings?

Has anyone mentioned that SA are missing Parnell yet?

No luck for Rhino so far this morning.

Rhino's last test?

de Kock looked a bit deflated after that miscalculation. Still he was looking for quick runs. Lead over 400 now.

WR target now.

Rain you farker, rain. We are owed a bit of luck after Old Trafford and The Oval.