South Africa v Australia, 4th Test, Johannesburg, 30 March - 3 April, 2018

After their metaphorical Philandering with the ball, this team will have a permanent Steyn on its character.

The Oz batsmen should metaphorically chew lollies and spit them on the ground in front of Yarp Captain, Good School.

I do not believe gcspoc will play cricket for Oz again and prolly not again in this country. Oz fans would make it unbearable for him.

Seasick Steve is in a similar position but will play again. He is not a psycopath like Faff, Afridi, Broad, Prior and the like. I have no doubt he is contrite, but really idgaf. Doubtless he will play again tho prolly not for a while.

I will watch this match and laugh at the hypocrisy of the whitey Yarps as they sink the boot in.

Oz will

The other thing to note is that will be terrific to watch an Oz team without the gcspoc.

DD will never play for Australia again. SS will, but will never captain anybody again - not because the powers that be will decree it but because The Debacle has demonstrated as clearly as is possible how completely shithouse he is at it.

Aye Fred. SS has always seemed clueless as a skipper in the field.

JGK wrote:

Big Dog wrote:

embee wrote:Spanner
Candy Warner 
Koaja
Bog 
Wank
Puddle
Paine 
2nd
Koo
Goat
Haze

I'll give the game three days....tops.

Depends who bats first.

Burns & No Show have also been parachuted in. We'll probably lose in two.

I don't rate Burns. Talent wise, I do rate NoShow. If he has put away the mug lair, look at me persona, then here's a fantastic chance for him to make a play for a permanent middle order spot.

Then again, he probably won't be in the XI, although on form, he probably should be in front of Wank, or even Bog or Puddle, who have been pap in the past 2 Tests.

In terms of this series the ball tampering thing is awful.

As someone else posted this was turning into a cracker of a series.

SA had shown how to combat and beat Smith - hostile pace and that scary kryptonite left arm spin, which KP can attest to as being deadly.

De Villiers showed up to remind us he is such a beautifully rare talent with the bat. He has batted on those pitches in a way no-one else has come close to matching on either side.

Rabada (I know people are calling him a qunt etc but I'm not in that camp) bowling with skill and a hostility which test cricket needs in order to attract SA crowds back to the game. Honourable mention to Morne and Cummins too on that front.

They've been compelling contests - and I wish this fourth one could be too but it will probably end up being a bit of an impostor.

embee wrote:Oz will bat third and last

Sage as always.

Lindsay no.2 wrote:In terms of this series the ball tampering thing is awful.

As someone else posted this was turning into a cracker of a series.

SA had shown how to combat and beat Smith - hostile pace and that scary kryptonite left arm spin, which KP can attest to as being deadly.

De Villiers showed up to remind us he is such a beautifully rare talent with the bat. He has batted on those pitches in a way no-one else has come close to matching on either side.

Rabada (I know people are calling him a qunt etc but I'm not in that camp) bowling with skill and a hostility which test cricket needs in order to attract SA crowds back to the game. Honourable mention to Morne and Cummins too on that front.

They've been compelling contests - and I wish this fourth one could be too but it will probably end up being a bit of an impostor.

Fair comment. The off-field madness has overshadowed this series from test one.

BTW, Aussies, I'm flying to Tassie and will be enjoying the wilderness of the West Coast over Easter so you will be deprived of my so-called woofing and wild speculative stabs in the dark.

Happy posting in the thread to all. Maybe Skully is the ballast if there is not enough to sustain the rest.

Taips will be devastated.

Enjoy the West Coast. Hope you get to see a bit more than the usual tourist spots.

Fred Nerk wrote:Taips will be devastated.

I'm fine. It's BD and Lardy I am worried about

I’m out of the state.

lardbucket wrote:I’m out of the state.

Prewarned?

That works both ways. Red may have been.

lardbucket wrote:Enjoy the West Coast. Hope you get to see a bit more than the usual tourist spots.

Thanks. It will be my third time over there. It's beautiful!

Mercifully, I am going bush this arvo into the internet/phone dead zone so won't be contributing for the next few days.

I fully expect a truncated Test match with the momentum-filled SAffers sure to cane the morale-shattered Aussies.

Maybe some players can make a mark to enhance their own futures. Good luck, boys.

Enjoy West Taswegia, Red. I hope to do that region myself next year.

Expecting a rather dour affair.

Probably the only interest will be in how the replacements fair, and how the Australian team gels under pressure.

OP Tipping wrote:Expecting a rather dour affair.

Probably the only interest will be in how the replacements fair, and how the Australian team gels under pressure.

That’s exactly the reason I’m actually looking forward to this Test, even though it’s highly likely Australia will be soundly beaten. Also hoping for a less abrasive approach in the field (in all ways).

I am really worried that this could be Aust all out for 100 twice.

You think we'll make 100?

Yeah... I mean there's sometimes situations where a team under fire comes back against the odds but I'm expecting this to be an absolutely brutal win for South Africa, even with their choking pedigree I can't see them messing this one up.

We definitely won’t win, but it presents an opportunity for the remaining players and the new call-ups to show what they can do. Can’t imagine what mental state they’ll all be in though.

England and Australia combined... buy or sell 600 over four innings?