Australian Cricket Thread - No.3 🏏

No Steyn is a big factor and will be interesting to see what field placing Smith sets, if he is defensive minded and sets a few back we wont need to take as many risks as singles will be there whenever we like and if he stays aggressive with field placing whilst being a bowler down it could get out of hand quickly once they tire.

I am also going to miss the first hours play, just hope Warner is still there and flying when I get home.

Declaration just before tea would be ideal as Smith will be "shitting bricks" if he has to survive 4 or 5 overs before tea in his current form and after his announcement.

As long as things go to plan tonight, i'd declare maybe 30-45 minutes before tea just to give them a nasty little session and hopefully we can get a wicket or 2. Amla and AB are going to be the key wickets again, and Lyon will be key on a turning 5th day pitch.
 
Apr 22, 2008
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Holy sh!t, so he has!

Only 33, why not take the Ponting route, step down as skipper and aim to recover his form with the bat which is formidable when he's on song. He should have two or three more prime years in him as a batsman.
I guess when you consider Smith was made captain at 22 - just beginning his career - you can understand that it would be hard for him to contemplate playing on and not being captain. Also easy to see that he might just be burnt out.

All the same, a pity he didn't wait until the dust had settled on this series - seems like a knee-jerk decision otherwise.
Reckon he knows that South African cricket will be on a downward spiral and it will get even harder to win games now that Kallis has gone and their best players already past the age of 30/31.

Then again can probably earn a fortune in the English County leagues and the hit and giggle games of the IPL etc and not have to worry about facing Mitchell Johnson too much.
 

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Reckon he knows that South African cricket will be on a downward spiral and it will get even harder to win games now that Kallis has gone and their best players already past the age of 30/31.

Then again can probably earn a fortune in the English County leagues and the hit and giggle games of the IPL etc and not have to worry about facing Mitchell Johnson too much.

That is true, and perhaps there are undertones in that when he spoke of having to consider his family. He can still earn the big bucks, but the family will see more of him and without the commitment, stress and bother that goes with captaining the national side.
 
Reckon he knows that South African cricket will be on a downward spiral and it will get even harder to win games now that Kallis has gone and their best players already past the age of 30/31.

Then again can probably earn a fortune in the English County leagues and the hit and giggle games of the IPL etc and not have to worry about facing Mitchell Johnson too much.

Just did a quick google search, and these are the players current ages:

AB: Just turned 30 - at the top of his game and still has a while at the top of the ICC batting rankings
Amla: Turns 31 at the end of March - like AB still has a while to go before his form dips
Steyn: Turns 31 in June - Starting to get soft tissue injuries is never a good sign. Could he be on the decline?

They have an abundance of talent over there and whilst they're not the team they were when Kallis was still playing and Smith was making runs, they're still a pretty good side.
 
Apr 22, 2008
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Just did a quick google search, and these are the players current ages:

AB: Just turned 30 - at the top of his game and still has a while at the top of the ICC batting rankings
Amla: Turns 31 at the end of March - like AB still has a while to go before his form dips
Steyn: Turns 31 in June - Starting to get soft tissue injuries is never a good sign. Could he be on the decline?

They have an abundance of talent over there and whilst they're not the team they were when Kallis was still playing and Smith was making runs, they're still a pretty good side.
I can see Steyn still being effective for the next 2 to 3 years but injuries may hamper that output and regularity of games.

AB and Amla are at the top of their games now but cant see that form lasting for any longer then 3 years either, then the reflexes and reaction times start to go, they will still be effective but the consistency will start to decline.
 
I can see Steyn still being effective for the next 2 to 3 years but injuries may hamper that output and regularity of games.

AB and Amla are at the top of their games now but cant see that form lasting for any longer then 3 years either, then the reflexes and reaction times start to go, they will still be effective but the consistency will start to decline.

Thing with Steyn is that they've played him in all formats iirc so his body would have been crying out for a rest for some time now.
Will be interesting to see if they try to get him up for the T20 World Cup (assuming he's in their squad)
 
Apr 22, 2008
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Thing with Steyn is that they've played him in all formats iirc so his body would have been crying out for a rest for some time now.
Will be interesting to see if they try to get him up for the T20 World Cup (assuming he's in their squad)
Good point HBF, He may need Mickey Arthur to come back and introduce his rotation system for the fast bowlers...;)
 
Good point HBF, He may need Mickey Arthur to come back and introduce his rotation system for the fast bowlers...;)

Haha......
They do have some reasonable depth in their bowlers, so they really don't need to keep using Steyn as much as they do.
Leave him for test matches and perhaps ODI's. Keep him away from the T20's.
 

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Tea, and SA well and truly on the ropes - look like they'll be lucky to survive until stumps the way they're going. I have to go to bed now though, so I'll have to see how it played out in the morning.

Pity in a way to see Smith go like that, but certainly consistent with the rest of his series. MJ has been his nemesis right to the end.
 
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The period just before tea was always going to be crucial as I alluded to in an early post yesterday.

The timing of the declaration was perfect to put Smith under enormous pressure which he and Petersen ultimately succumbed to and exposed the rest of the top/middle order.

3/12 in that 6 over period suggested a rout was on the cards but AB and Amla showed much more fight then the top 3 to stall us until Pattinson trapped AB leg before late in the day courtesy of some great reverse swing bowling.

Need to break the Amla/Du Plessis partnership as quickly as they can once they remove the night watchman.

Reviews, new ball, field settings and rotation of bowlers is going to be critical, think it may spin a little bit today also as Smith got a couple past the bat late yesterday, going to be an enormous effort for them to bat all day but they do have form in terms of this.
 

BIGGUS 64

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If they do manage to bat out the remaining three sessions it will be a massive effort and well done, but a moral series win to Australia. With Steyn missing their attack has been toothless and the Aussie bats, led by Warner, were just toying with them. To see Rogers going the reverse sweep was hilarious. Sure he stuffed it up, but the fact that he had the cheek to try it twice - in a test!
They had to resort to stacking the off-side field for Warner and have Duminy bowl over after over down the off side. Annoying tactics, but sort of a compliment for Warner, saying "We can't get you out, and we can't contain you - this is all we can do to slow the scoring rate."

Even if they manage to wangle a draw (which would be really annoying, cos the Aussies deserve the series win), the Saffas will be in the embarrassing position of celebrating a draw (again), while knowing deep down that they were completely out-played in two out of three home tests.

Personally I doubt they can do it this time. The Aussie attack is at full strength (unlike last time) and have their tails up.
Harris continuing to pound in, with a buggered knee, is simply inspirational!
 
AB is already out. :p

Did yesterday's session of SA with the bat, remind you of the Ashes?? Top 3 looked scared and soft like butter.

Yeah it did.
Smith looked all at sea against Mitch. Could see that catch at short leg or leg gully coming from a mile away.
The ball Johnson got Elgar with would have gotten most left handers out.
SA have clearly dropped the anchor and will try and bat time.
 

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Meanwhile, we take a look inside Boof's poolroom.

udyduvat.jpg
 

Sam The Doc

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Need to take the new ball when it's available.
It's dull cricket at the moment, AB defending well. Spinners not threatening.
Patto bowled a few tricky balls.

PS- It's nice to know this thread exists. I wonder if many come in though...
 
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