Australia in South Africa

[aussie1st]

Fixtures (from cricinfo)

PRO20 - Johannesburg, Feb 24

1st ODI - Centurion, Feb 26

2nd ODI - Cape Town, Mar 3

3rd ODI - Port Elizabeth, Mar 5

4th ODI - Durban, Mar 10

5th ODI - Johannesburg, Mar 12

1st Test - Cape Town, Mar 16-20

2nd Test - Durban, Mar 24-28

3rd Test - Johannesburg, 31 Mar-4 April

Current news:
SHANE Watson is unlikely to be chosen in Australia's limited-overs touring squad for South Africa because of ongoing concerns about his recently repaired left shoulder.

Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns will be seeking the latest medical information on Watson and South Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait, who has also just returned from shoulder surgery.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,18086231-32462,00.html

 

[MWaugh]

i feel pretty confident that the squad we have at the moment could win the one day series but my biggest concern is over the bowling stocks for the tests. if mcgrath isnt playing i dont feel we are able to trial stuart clarke and shaun tait isnt ready for a tough series like south africa will bring. i personally would look at the old firm of gillespie, bichel and kasper to keep the bowling tight while allowing brett lee, shane warne and possibly stuart macgill to attack at the others.

i read in the paper today that ian chappell wants michael clarke back in the test team for the tour. i agree entirely. clarke will be a key figure when the ashes comes around. take brad hodge's 200 in perth out and he has done less than clarke. the attacking nature of clarke is the style needed to beat the english. and i cant for the life of me work out why damien martyn isnt playing test matches either.

 

[jazz]

well i think if south africa have a fully fit squad this time around they could take the odi series under home advantage

test series will be 50-50, either side can win if both have fully fit squads

 

[MWaugh]

i feel south africa will need ntini and kallis back and firing while australia really need their bowlers to click. it will be interesting to see how nel returns against the australians. quite often we (here in australia) see an opposing fast bowler tour and bowl well then go missing after. nel looks to be a solid player though. it will be a good series if graeme smith can learn to keep his mouth shut until his side produces results. as for warney talking it up... the mans got over 600 wickets... talk man talk!!!

 

[Sureshot]

Well the 20-20 and ODIs are on Sky for those In England, so i'll be up watching them (obviously not when England are on).

Not sure on Tests yet, would've thought so.

 

[aussie1st]

The only guy I would bring back over 30 is Gillespie as he is at the maximum range to get back into the side. There is no point in going backwards and selecting past players as how are we ever going to build a new future by doing this? Now is the time to bring up at least one youngster. Rofe to me is the man to bring up. Hes done his time in domestic cricket and deserves a shot.

 

[ZexyZahid]

I'll hope the South African bowlers will be all fit and well. It was a good contest between South Africa and Australia in the Test series. I would have liked to see South Africa playing in the VB Series to really see how good they're at the moment.

I am predicting Series wins (of ODI's and Tests) for Australia.

Gillespie is doing a good job I heard, so I hope he will get a chance again.

 

[MWaugh]

The only guy I would bring back over 30 is Gillespie as he is at the maximum range to get back into the side. There is no point in going backwards and selecting past players as how are we ever going to build a new future by doing this? Now is the time to bring up at least one youngster. Rofe to me is the man to bring up. Hes done his time in domestic cricket and deserves a shot.

bringing through the young players should be done with the likes of mcgrath around though. if you bring a young bowler (like bracken or clark) through with mcgrath in the side they can feed off him and it takes that little bit of pressure off them as they learn how to play at the top level.

if you just thrust 2 young inexperienced quicks still learning their trade with brett lee they wont learn as much and lee will be less effective due to the high burden he holds.

while they need experience to build a new future for austrlaia they also need it in the right conditions with the right people around them. brett lee is only the bowler he is because he had mcgrath and gillepsie there to help him along the way. lee hasnt reached the point of mcgrath yet where he can usher through the young quicks.

as for rofe, ive only seen him bowl once and he was ordinary so im not going to comment there as i havent seen enough to pass judgement

 

[aussie1st]

Thats why I brought Dizzy in. He along with Lee would breed in the 3rd guy most likely Bracken. If something happens to Bracken we can then try Rofe/Dorey etc.
On Rofe his Pura cup form this year has been phenomenal, if its his day he will get a minimum of 5 wickets an inns.

 

[MWaugh]

fair enough of a call on dizzy. however you then have to keep in mind that dizzy would be as nervous as anything since he is returning to the team and having to fight for his place whereas mcgrath and lee would be more relaxed.

my lack of knowledge of rofe probably indicates just how little pura cup information is passed on around my way. ive never heard of him ripping any attack appart. i might have to follow it a little more closely.

i still feel clarke should be part of the test team aswell as martyn.

 

[aussie1st]

May have gone a bit over board on Rofe, he only has one 5 haul this season lol, but he has a fair few 4 wicket hauls. I think I was actually comparing his 5 wicket haul to Clark and Bracken. I guess I can see why you don't rate the 2 to take wickets as Rofe at 25 has 8 five wicket hauls the same amount as Bracken and Clark in first class cricket.

I agree Clarke should at least tour, I can't see the selectors dropping Hodge so Clarke won't go straight back. The reason is cause of that 200 he made. Martyn is on the same ship as Kasper, hes past his used by date.

 

[genghis_khan]

Australia wont win the test series with Lee, Bracken and Clark as their pace attack...simple (plus warne will be expected to takes hauls)
A pace attack of Lee, Gillespie and Tait, plus Warne, i feel can take 20 wickets in a match far easier.

As for Clarke i entirely agree, Hodge has looked dodgy, even in his innings of 203 he was dropped twice i think before he even got to 50.
I presume Symonds will get the all-rounders gig in the tests if Watson doesnt tour...which is good from a batting perspective but i feel his bowling is limited...although he does seem to move the ball more than Watson.

As for the ODI's they could go either way...i'll tip Australia in a tight ODI series.

 

[aussie1st]

Tait will depend on injuries, and as I said above Clark and Bracken aren't known to take big hauls of wickets. I wouldn't mind Tait for the test series but Dizzy would have to be back to near his best and not his Ashes form.

It is a worry with Hodge not doing as well as we expected but he'll get at the test series to prove himself.
Symonds is once again in the same position, he needs to bring his ODI batting to the test arena. His bowling I have never rated even his seamers because they are 10km/h too slow to cause any serious worries. Watson according to Lillee can swing the ball now, but I'll have to see that before I believe it.

 

[James219]

Tait is an attacking bowler and this tour will be a crucial part of his future and actually the team's chances. He obviously will learn alot from the different conditions, crowds, pressure and quality of competition. Also he can provide that wicket taking burst that can change a match. Gillespie deserves a re-call I would think, however I do not agree about Rofe. He doesn't seem to have the spark or uniqueness that will make a very sucessful bowler, however I have not seen quite enough of him to make this judgement definitely. South Africa I would say need Ntini, as he is their main attacking bowler, with extra pace and basically a wicket taker who can afford a few erratic spells if the other end is tied up by someone like Pollock. I also think Smith will be a huge part in this series, he should be finding his feet again, especially on home soil with hte support of the public, and is capable of making some big scores as many people seem to forget. He'll also be more confident in making positive and tactical decisions and experiments seeing as he knows the conditions and how his bowlers perform in these situations. Clarke should be given another go, because as mentioned is a big part of Australian Cricket's future and needs to gain as much experience in as many parts of the world as possible. Besides the fact about his future, he pretty much deserves the spot again, Hodge has looked very tentative as opposed to a newcomer like Hussey who seems to be born to play.

 

[genghis_khan]

Tait will depend on injuries, and as I said above Clark and Bracken aren't known to take big hauls of wickets. I wouldn't mind Tait for the test series but Dizzy would have to be back to near his best and not his Ashes form.

It is a worry with Hodge not doing as well as we expected but he'll get at the test series to prove himself.
Symonds is once again in the same position, he needs to bring his ODI batting to the test arena. His bowling I have never rated even his seamers because they are 10km/h too slow to cause any serious worries. Watson according to Lillee can swing the ball now, but I'll have to see that before I believe it.

yeh i'll have to see it before i believe it as well
Watson is supposedly more of a batsman, but the times ive seen him at international test level...he has looked very average at the crease.