Cricket- the sport not the insect

[Ferminal]

Rudolph gone after a relatively long partnership.

That's 23 for the day.

 

[ramjambunath]

I'm at work

Not good form.
It's all looking a bit docile now. Not looking good for Australia. Wickets please.

Amla dropped on the last ball of the day by Hussey.

 

[Ferminal]

Wow, Amla plays a loose shot to the last ball of the day and Hussey drops it in the gully.

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

Got in about half an hour ago having not heard the score at all, all day. It sounds like the most mental day of test cricket I've ever (not) seen! All of a sudden, Clarke's 150 seems worth about 3 times as many!

 

[Spider1964]

Ok, so what happened in the cricket last night???

47? But they were already 8 for 214 at the end of the 1st day? How could they go backwards? 47 in their 2nd innings?? You're taking the pis?

So, what did SA make... 90 frickin what?? 96??? You're seriously shyting me?

Gee Whiz.

No doubt the ICC are all over this one? I thought they'd jailed all the match fixers?

This thread belongs in the clinic... these guys must be on drugs?

 

[ramjambunath]

Haddin must've been high on acid, there's no other way to explain his shot. A couple of right boneheaded shots from the middle order considering the situation. It doesn't look good for Australia anymore but talk about South Africa's fortitude and spring-ability, unbelievable.

I seriously hope this isn't a corrupted match, the last time I saw such a remarkable day(s) it sadly was (SA and England declaring at 0).

 

[Midnightfright]

Haddin must've been high on acid, there's no other way to explain his shot. A couple of right boneheaded shots from the middle order considering the situation. It doesn't look good for Australia anymore but talk about South Africa's fortitude and spring-ability, unbelievable.

I seriously hope this isn't a corrupted match, the last time I saw such a remarkable day(s) it sadly was (SA and England declaring at 0).

After having seen the highlights there were surprisingly few brash shots. It was mostly good bowling, I think Haddins approach was him trying to "counter-attack" which I've seen him to with moderate success a few times but he's a senior player now and at somepoint you need to put your hand up and admit your errors.

 

[ramjambunath]

I'd think there's a time and place for counter attack. 160/5 is a decent score for a counter attacking innings but18/5 surely isn't. The loss (of his impending wicket when he decided to play that shot) compared to four runs gained (or 30 that he could have added with a reckless approach like that) just didn't weigh out. Haddin has to be on edge of being dropped, his glove work isn't flash and his batting seems to flash. Prior being dropped from the team was just the kick up his backside he needed to become one of the better 'keeper batsmen around. I'm not sure about Paine's recent form but he's got to be close to a test call up.

Hussey's was also a bad shot for the first ball after tea. That was most surprising considering the way he negotiated adverse conditions in Sri Lanka.

When Watson fell I was thinking 150 is a match winning innings but 21/9, that's embarrassing.

 

[Spider1964]

I'd think there's a time and place for counter attack. 160/5 is a decent score for a counter attacking innings but18/5 surely isn't.

+1

Haddin has to be on edge of being dropped, his glove work isn't flash and his batting seems to flash.

+1

I'm not sure about Paine's recent form but he's got to be close to a test call up.

I'd be picking Matthew Wade for the next test. Paine's finger is a worry. IMO Matthew Wade is every bit as good as Paine as a bat and as a keeper. Plus he has the added bonus of having a bit of shyte in his system. Played some good Aussie rules footy for Tassie until cricket got in the way.

 

[ramjambunath]

I haven't seen too much of the domestic cricket in Australia this summer and my comments were based on last summer's performances (when Wade was very good as well but Paine up the pecking order) so it's good to hear Wade's coming along well. He's a bit of a pocket rocket type batsman isn't he, smashes the ball a long way. I'd like to see him do ODIs first like Gilchrist.

Hasn't Paine had an extended period of rest since he injured the finger of his? If no, why on earth not?

 

[Spider1964]

I haven't seen too much of the domestic cricket in Australia this summer and my comments were based on last summer's performances (when Wade was very good as well but Paine up the pecking order) so it's good to hear Wade's coming along well. He's a bit of a pocket rocket type batsman isn't he, smashes the ball a long way. I'd like to see him do ODIs first like Gilchrist.

Hasn't Paine had an extended period of rest since he injured the finger of his? If no, why on earth not?

Wade has just made a 100 and an 80 in his latest shield game. http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-domestic-2011/engine/match/527829.html

I think that Paine re-injured his finger? Or it didn't heal as well as hoped? He's currently doing commentary on FoxSports coverage.

 

[ramjambunath]

Good match for Wade with the bat (especially the second innings), 18 byes may be a bit high. Then again, I didn't see the match and some of them could have been rank deliveries. Still, not many can be worse than Haddin at the moment.

Just checked Paine's injury status- he injured his finger in August and had surgery in September, so quite some time remaining before he will keep again and when he makes his return, I'm sure it will be as a batsman not as a keeper.

 

[craig1985]

I'd think there's a time and place for counter attack. 160/5 is a decent score for a counter attacking innings but18/5 surely isn't. The loss (of his impending wicket when he decided to play that shot) compared to four runs gained (or 30 that he could have added with a reckless approach like that) just didn't weigh out. Haddin has to be on edge of being dropped, his glove work isn't flash and his batting seems to flash. Prior being dropped from the team was just the kick up his backside he needed to become one of the better 'keeper batsmen around. I'm not sure about Paine's recent form but he's got to be close to a test call up.

Hussey's was also a bad shot for the first ball after tea. That was most surprising considering the way he negotiated adverse conditions in Sri Lanka.

When Watson fell I was thinking 150 is a match winning innings but 21/9, that's embarrassing.

Johnson's shot wasn't exactly a good one either. As for Haddin, Bryan Cloverdale on Cricinfo is already calling for Haddin to be dropped, you just don't do that when your team is in that situation.

 

[ramjambunath]

Johnson's cut was irresponsible but I don't really expect anything better from him. Like Swann, I don't think he's got much of a defence.

It's impossible to disagree with Cloverdale's analysis. He makes a very good point about Australia's inability to play the moving ball. They also struggle against high quality spin (apart from Hussey and Clarke) of which there aren't many these days and just seems that it's a team with a lot of flat track bullies. Martyn was never the most glamourous Aussie batsman(since he was dropped in the early '90s) but in 2004, without him (and the marvellous Gillespie) Australia may well have been rolled over against India on some spinning tracks.

I'm not sure a player like Inverarity would appreciate some of the shots yesterday. The 1968 Ashes was more than 20 years before my time but I've seen the extended highlights of the last day of the last test of an already retained Ashes and the grit he showed in defying an unstoppable Underwood on a super sticky pitch that day was magical and thrilling (as hard as it may seem to say a forward defence being thrilling). Someone could have done at least half of what he did and the total would be respectable.

1968 Ashes- 5th Test scorecard

 

[craig1985]

Hey ramjam, is that the right scorecard?

 

[ramjambunath]

I've learnt that browsing 13 tabs in one window and 4 in another at the same time is not advisable.

here's the proper scorecard
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/63027.html

-15 year old Hilfenhaus bowling to -19 year old Wade, and Wade smashes it for four.

 

[Midnightfright]

I'd think there's a time and place for counter attack. 160/5 is a decent score for a counter attacking innings but18/5 surely isn't. The loss (of his impending wicket when he decided to play that shot) compared to four runs gained (or 30 that he could have added with a reckless approach like that) just didn't weigh out. Haddin has to be on edge of being dropped, his glove work isn't flash and his batting seems to flash. Prior being dropped from the team was just the kick up his backside he needed to become one of the better 'keeper batsmen around. I'm not sure about Paine's recent form but he's got to be close to a test call up.

Hussey's was also a bad shot for the first ball after tea. That was most surprising considering the way he negotiated adverse conditions in Sri Lanka.

When Watson fell I was thinking 150 is a match winning innings but 21/9, that's embarrassing.

No doubt it was irresponsible, I'm trying to point out that it isn't out of character for Haddin to play this way he pretty much has done his whole test career ( I was more answering the suggestions that it was dodgy) I wouldn't drop him for yesterday, altough I would never of had him in the team for that long. Ive never seen much of Wade except for T20s so can't comment on him but I do rate paine as higher.

 

[ramjambunath]

I know and I wasn't disagreeing. It's frustrating to see such silly shots being played at such a crucial time (maybe the 2020 effect). He's not as good a batsman as Gilchrist and he should play accordingly. When Australia were under pressure Healy would regularly deliver despite not being supremely talented as a batsman. Wicketkeeping wise, I don't think Australia have a really great keeper in domestic cricket. I'd rate Manou as the best keeper but not great as a batsman. Wade is aggressive from what I've seen but made mistakes last year like Tim Paine. They got stagnated in the last era (the great one for Australia) when there were such keepers as Darren Berry playing for Victoria on a regular basis.


4th innings averages for the current line-up
................................I.......W.......Avg
Mitchell Johnson.... 26......46.....29.6
Peter Siddle.......... 10......13.....31.23
Ryan Harris............ 4.......11......16.18
Shane Watson .......11......7........32
Nathan Lyon ...........2 ......1......77

Weird, no improvement in their stats in the 4th innings at all barring Harris. Lyon's living off one innings but his replacement Michael Beer doesn't even have that.

 

[craig1985]

South Africa are making this look easy.

Famous last words...

 

[Midnightfright]

I know and I wasn't disagreeing. It's frustrating to see such silly shots being played at such a crucial time (maybe the 2020 effect). He's not as good a batsman as Gilchrist and he should play accordingly. When Australia were under pressure Healy would regularly deliver despite not being supremely talented as a batsman. Wicketkeeping wise, I don't think Australia have a really great keeper in domestic cricket. I'd rate Manou as the best keeper but not great as a batsman. Wade is aggressive from what I've seen but made mistakes last year like Tim Paine. They got stagnated in the last era (the great one for Australia) when there were such keepers as Darren Berry playing for Victoria on a regular basis.


4th innings averages for the current line-up
................................I.......W.......Avg
Mitchell Johnson.... 26......46.....29.6
Peter Siddle.......... 10......13.....31.23
Ryan Harris............ 4.......11......16.18
Shane Watson .......11......7........32.
Nathan Lyon ...........2 ......1......77.

Weird, no improvement in their stats in the 4th innings at all barring Harris. Lyon's living off one innings but his replacement Michael Beer doesn't even have that.

Can't say I disagree about there wicketkeeping situation but the Australian domestic scene doesn't have a lot of depth at the moment. If they do choose to replace Haddin its important they give whoever it would be a good run in the team, wicketkeepers seem to progress a lot better when they are offered consistency.

 

[ramjambunath]

Agreed, there were a spate of retirements in the past few years in domestic cricket with Maher, Elliott, Lehmann, Martyn, Love, MacGill, Hogg, Gillespie, Tait and many others who provided the backbone for Shield cricket just leaving and inflating the averages of comparatively average players.

I think Haddin's been given a very long leash and dropping him may actually allow him to do a Prior ie work on his keeping and batting.

Tahir and Steyn's mini partnership turned out to be very vital in the context of the match and the Saffers avoiding a follow on.

Where are the slips?

100 for Amla, South Africa will win and will try to do so before lunch.

 

[craig1985]

Amla is making this look too easy. Would hate to know what Hussey and Watson (who both dropped him) are feeling right now.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

This is the first match i follow after a long time and its suprising to see how Austraila have been rolled over so easily.

 

[ramjambunath]

It's a good time to bring this out-

Q: What do you call a world-class Australian cricketer?
A: Retired.

Q: What do you call an Australian who can hold a catch?
A: A fisherman.

Q: What do you call an Australian with a bottle of champagne?
A: A waiter.

Q: What is the main function of the Australian coach?
A: To transport the team from the hotel to the ground.

Q: Where do Australian batsmen play their best cricket?
A: In advertisements.

Q: Why don’t Australian fielders need travel injections?
A: Because they never catch anything.

 

[Midnightfright]

Amla seems to be trying his hardest to refuse Smith his hundred.