The Cricket Thread

[Anakha56]

Everyone seems to be talking about how much we will miss Kallis in batting & bowling but one of the areas hardest hit will be his fielding in the slips...

[Mystical_Titan]

I think the bowling is the area in which we'll miss him the least, but having said that, he was a good partnership breaker. At the end of the day, SA is going to feel the pinch without him any which way, so they just have to make do. Personally, I'd bring in Ryan McLaren at seven, move Faf into the number four slot and shift Duminy up to six. I know I've said in the past that Ryan McLaren is not test material, but at this point he's the closest SA have to filling the void left by Kallis and maybe he can carry his ODI bowling form into test matches.

On another note, New Zealand is really cranking up their squad with guys like Corey Anderson and Mitchell McClenaghan. Corey hits a VERY loooooong ball!

[Ark]

On another note, New Zealand is really cranking up their squad with guys like Corey Anderson and Mitchell McClenaghan. Corey hits a VERY loooooong ball!

+1

[Ark]

On another note, New Zealand is really cranking up their squad with guys like Corey Anderson and Mitchell McClenaghan. Corey hits a VERY loooooong ball!

+1

[Stuart]

On another note, New Zealand is really cranking up their squad with guys like Corey Anderson and Mitchell McClenaghan. Corey hits a VERY loooooong ball!

+1

So, +2 then?

I see that England finally won a game, right after three English sports journalists were expelled from Australia!

[Mystical_Titan]

Mmm... not surprising, but maybe still just a little unexpected.

Pietersen discarded by England

Maybe he'll try and qualify for SA's test side now?

[Stuart]

Mmm... not surprising, but maybe still just a little unexpected.

Pietersen discarded by England

Maybe he'll try and qualify for SA's test side now?

T20 only player is my guess.

[Anakha56]

Anyone else find cricinfo's new layout frustrating?

Oh and thoughts on the Test Match so far?

[Mystical_Titan]

Oh and thoughts on the Test Match so far?

My thoughts are that I'd rather pick Paul 'Can't-turn-the-ball' Harris than Robin Peterson. At least Harris still kept the runs down. I've said it before and I'll say it a million times more: Robin Peterson IS NOT TEST MATCH QUALITY.

Rant for the day: Check.

Personally I'm very happy for Shaun Marsh, I've always liked him as a player, he's a very good batsman, if a little inconsistent. I'd pick him over Phillip Hughes every day of the week and twice on Sundays. I'm also a big Smith fan, he's a tough little cricketer.

Today's morning session is going to be very important, our bowlers need to strike early. Our top four will also really need to come to the party when they take guard probably later today sometime.

[Anakha56]

So Steyn is still suffering from stomach issues and now this news that Morkel is injured . Now we are a bowler down...

[Anakha56]

*sigh*

Collapse of the top order... :/ Seems the talk about who has the best pace attack seems to have gotten to our guys head...

[Mystical_Titan]

AB is just showing again why he is the best batsman of his generation. Pure class!

[Anakha56]

Yeah but what about the rest! We seriously underestimated Johnson going into this game...

[Mystical_Titan]

Yeah but what about the rest! We seriously underestimated Johnson going into this game...

South African pitches were always going to suit him and regardless of how well you prepare, facing an out-and-out pace bowler on a lively pitch is a seriously tough prospect. It's also something international batsmen don't do very often these days, since there are very few bowlers in world cricket that are so consistently quick.

In short, I don't think it's a case of underestimating, but more a case of being unprepared to cope with it. Graeme was trying to be too aggressive, you could see that he wanted to pull the ball, instead of ducking underneath, like he would do 8 times out of 10. Peteren played an extremely poor shot and Faf just got a real brute.

[Anakha56]

I agree that our pitches were going to suit him and they should have suited our guys as well but oh well. All out for 206 hopefully our bowlers will eat a big, fat chilli and get their respective A into G and bowl AUS out cheap.

[Mystical_Titan]

I agree that our pitches were going to suit him and they should have suited our guys as well but oh well. All out for 206 hopefully our bowlers will eat a big, fat chilli and get their respective A into G and bowl AUS out cheap.

The closest thing we have to Mitchell Johnson in terms of skill set is Morné Morkel, he needs to show a bit more aggression in the second innings.

[Anakha56]

Well we need some magic, anyone got any? This game is running away from us quickly and all the drop catches... What are we schoolboy cricket again?

/awaits the flames from MT asking the inevitable question, "Could you do better?" Answer: No but then I am not paid to do that game better...

[KALSTER]

We are getting humiliated on EVERY level and I didn't have much hope for us from the beginning to be honest. I am sure though that we do have the ability to trash their behinds, but the mental thing keeps popping up. Just look at how well AB was getting on!

[Anakha56]

I reckon Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball was made for the Aussies . They have wrecked us!

[Mystical_Titan]

South Africa is developing this very unhealthy habit of taking too long to get into the groove. It's like they've been on a tropical island for six months every time they take the field for the first test of a series.

[Anakha56]

It's really odd isn't it? You start to wonder what they did for those 10 days prior to this match...

[StarPhoenix]

LOL

/runs

[Anakha56]

Yeah, win? Highly unlikely. Draw? Going by the pitch and our ability to handle said pitch and the pace of the bowlers, slim at best. Loss? Nearly a surety. My fingers are crossed for a draw but somehow I don't see it. Smith you idiot why oh why did you choose to field first...

[Anakha56]

And just like that the draw is now over and the inevitable lose looms overhead. Our top batsmen have failed yet again, our fielding was best said by AB:

“After lunch the fielding was one of the factors that made me feel almost embarrassed ... very, very disappointed with the way we both fielded and bowled at times. There was just no intensity, which is not like us.”

Sums up the bowling as well. I wonder if it's to late to bring Abbot in?

[Mystical_Titan]

It's now time for the South African selectors to get rid of all the freeloaders in the team:

- Alviro Petersen
- Robin Peterson
- JP Duminy

I'm also not entirely sure Ryan McLaren should be filling the all rounder slot. I was sure they'd give it to Wayne Parnell, who adds more variety to the attack. I'd like to see:

- Quinton De Kock
- Stian Van Zyl
- Imran Tahir

David Miller may even be an option.