South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Cape Town, 9-13 November, 2011

taipan wrote:Warne and Thommo had potential, as did JK.

Philander is just shyte without a modicum of BMT. What did he do at Potch last week.

He wasn't totally shyte. Remember also SA chose to give Australia the most bowler-friendly conditions by design. I'm no fan of him but it's not as if any of your other first class bowlers are bashing down the door ahead of him from my reading of the scoreboards etc. Name somebody who deserves to be in the squad ahead of him.

And keep up the good work taips and Red. Thread is humming along nicely.

skully wrote:Toss at 11.45.

Does Woody know?

Red wrote:

taipan wrote:Warne and Thommo had potential, as did JK.

Philander is just shyte without a modicum of BMT. What did he do at Potch last week.

He wasn't totally shyte. Remember also SA chose to give Australia the most bowler-friendly conditions by design.

Exactly. And he got 2 wickets.

I know Chappelli likes Clarke but he said tonight that he thought he'd 'lucked' into the captaincy at an opportune time playing a shyte Lanka, undercooked SA, shyte NZ and ageing India. He laments the lack of good teams around and worries about the crowds in test cricket. On the Boxing Day impasse between the two countries, he understands SA's position but feels they need to get better crowds to demonstrate how they value test cricket.

The India series later in the summer will be interesting to see if their ageing stars can muster one last effort to make it a memorable match up.

Looks like Philander is definitely playing and it will be a 75 min. first session. Hope we don't lose power here.

Aussie team probably as we all predicted.

Aust batting.


3 for at lunch?

Doesn't anybody care that it's raining here?

JGK wrote:Aust batting.


3 for at lunch?

According to the radio commentators earlier on it looks quite dry with just the odd grassy patch. Fox still showing a T20 match.

With a shortened session Australia would have to bat badly to lose three. Given Hughes' record here we might have a productive session with lots of runs and few wickets. According to Lawson the only four day game played here to date was slow and low and hard going for both batsmen and bowlers so nobody really knows how it will play with the last oz/SA test at this venue this early in the season back in the 'Big Ship's' days.

Brass Monkey wrote:Doesn't anybody care that it's raining here?

You say that like its unusual.

Brass Monkey wrote:Doesn't anybody care that it's raining here?

It's always raining there isn't it?

Clarke wanted to bat anyway so the toss was redundant.

Red wrote:Talk seems to be that whoever wins the toss will bowl. Siddle marking his run up.

Fark me.

Red wrote:Clarke wanted to bat anyway so the toss was redundant.

Maybe he's just saying that so there's no "psychological edge" arising from the toss.

Red wrote:
It's always raining there isn't it?

Northampton gets less average rainfall per year than Jerusalem. Thanks for asking, though.

So has taips reverse woofed Philander into the side?

Jackerman and Ackerman predict slow sideways movement on a greenish wicket.

skully wrote:So has taips reverse woofed Philander into the side?

Jackerman and Ackerman predict slow sideways movement on a greenish wicket.

No, I don't woof, or reverse woof.

Its an illogical decision. We had a balanced seam line up of Steyn, Morkel, Tsotsobe and Kallis. Now we have some medium paced crap. We also have people talking of him improving the batting. He has a FC average of 27 FFS. I don't think he has a CSA contract and he's so bad he can't even get a county gig.

WTF is going on? We've had five minutes of slow-motion blue-arsed-fly impressions from both sides and sod all else since they came on. Utter shambles!

Well on the evidence of his first over, yeah, Philander is definitely crap.....

Fred Nerk wrote:Well on the evidence of his first over, yeah, Philander is definitely crap.....

He's opening the bowling?????

Tell me you are joking.

taipan wrote:

Fred Nerk wrote:Well on the evidence of his first over, yeah, Philander is definitely crap.....

He's opening the bowling?????

Tell me you are joking.

actually not a bad first over from Mats

He bowled the second over and beat Watson comprehensively twice.

Aye, aced him twice

Careless catches Watson off Steyn....1-9.