Australia tour of South Africa, 2008/09

[Precambrian]

HAHA - that gave me my good laugh for the day.

Firstly, Australia were in front in all 3 tests this summer, just the bowlers couldn't finish the SA guys off. Aussies could easily have won the series with a bit of luck. Sure the conditions will favour SA now they are at home, but impossible to beat them??? Hopefully the SA team are thinking like that, complacency would be a great weapon.

:

Aus used to be in SA's position many times during their dominance, and yet used to comeback strongly because of 1. Gilchrist, 2. Bowlers, 3, Self belief. It's just that the shoe is on the other leg. And SA are demonstrating that typical character that was once forte of Aus, and Aus are choking at the crucial moments.

Luck? You need to put in effort to earn your luck. And probably make Johnson sit out, because at the moment 50% of his wickets are due to luck.

 

[venom2011]

We don't mind it at all. Its not smart to have a part time keeper in a test match. One or two drop catches can cost you the game/series.

I don't think I've ever seen De Villiers drop a catch, except for a few finger-tip attempts....and that includes keeping for both SA and his franchise team. He might be a part-time keeper, but there's not a better catcher in the game right now. So i don't think that having him play as a keeper is a weakness at all.

 

[sifter132]

:

Aus used to be in SA's position many times during their dominance, and yet used to comeback strongly because of 1. Gilchrist, 2. Bowlers, 3, Self belief. It's just that the shoe is on the other leg. And SA are demonstrating that typical character that was once forte of Aus, and Aus are choking at the crucial moments.

Luck? You need to put in effort to earn your luck. And probably make Johnson sit out, because at the moment 50% of his wickets are due to luck.

Yeah I realise Australia have made a living out of comebacks. My point is really for locals Aussie fans who think the sky is falling on our heads. It certainly isn't. We matched the new best team in the world, and it was a very close series.

Luck?? I think Australia has made their share over the years. Aussie bowlers used to ALWAYS force more plays and misses than the opposition for example. Jason Gillespie was the king, probably unluckiest bowler I've seen play the game. Now it's not so one sided, but Mitch Johnson for example, does force a lot of plays & misses. Usually that means you're pretty good. Sure 1 or 2 balls every over are wide, but hey batsmen still have to show respect.

 

[honeybee]

Ashwell Pince . I feel should be playing. Yeah Duminy has been having a good trot of late. What if he fails!!!!! MacKensie I feel has passed his sell by date. Prince should be in before Mackensie.

 

[smssia0112]

I think Australia are a big chance for this, simply because we finally chose the right squad. Our selectors have picked probably the best possible squad for this tour, so I'm very confident that the guys in there will be able to perform much better than the team that lost to South Africa in the first two tests - look how much better we played already when Symonds and Lee were gone for the last test. Now remove Hayden as well and the team is good enough to win here.

 

[stefan]

Ashwell Pince . I feel should be playing. Yeah Duminy has been having a good trot of late. What if he fails!!!!! MacKensie I feel has passed his sell by date. Prince should be in before Mackensie.

Prince is not a better opener than mckenzie. You don't move players who have been succesfull in their positions the middle order is settled. There's no room for prince unless he want to open, which I don't think he wants to do.

Will be interesting to see how the aussie new comers fair, not many of this squad has played on SA tracks.

I am pretty confident we will the series, will still be close its never easy against the aussies.

 

[honeybee]

Prince is not a better opener than mckenzie. You don't move players who have been succesfull in their positions the middle order is settled. There's no room for prince unless he want to open, which I don't think he wants to do.

Will be interesting to see how the aussie new comers fair, not many of this squad has played on SA tracks.

I am pretty confident we will the series, will still be close its never easy against the aussies.

I have read on supersport-Australian team have many young players coming to SA. The pressure is on Proteas as they are on a high. This 6 week series will be a test of the team who wants to take the number 1 spot in the test arena. It will be the most awesome 6 weeks
With regards Prince, Gibbs could have been moved to number 3. However we have a very good stable team- so rightly so -dont change a winning team

honeybee added 24 Minutes and 38 Seconds later...

MacKensie had a poor form in Australia. My feeling he will be given a one test spot chance. If he does not perform, they the selectors could use AB de Villiers as an opener. SA(Proteas) have so many options.

 

[stefan]

I have read on supersport-Australian team have many young players coming to SA. The pressure is on Proteas as they are on a high. This 6 week series will be a test of the team who wants to take the number 1 spot in the test arena. It will be the most awesome 6 weeks
With regards Prince, Gibbs could have been moved to number 3. However we have a very good stable team- so rightly so -dont change a winning team

honeybee added 24 Minutes and 38 Seconds later...

MacKensie had a poor form in Australia. My feeling he will be given a one test spot chance. If he does not perform, they the selectors could use AB de Villiers as an opener. SA(Proteas) have so many options.

Gibbs is not in the test team.

De villiers has done better at number 5/6 than he did at opening. Amla has done well at number 3. You don't tinker with an succesfull batting lineup.

Mckenzie had a poor series in aus but before that he scored more runs than prince did last year. Its right to give him another chance.

 

[venom2011]

What kind of SA cricket supporter doesn't know how to spell McKenzie and doesn't know that Gibbs is not in the test team?

 

[aussie1st]

I have read on supersport-Australian team have many young players coming to SA.

All of them have been forced on us. The bowling is the most inexperienced and probably youngest we have had it in decades. Take McGain out and all the bowlers are under 30. Selectors certainly took a punt on Hughes instead of going for the usual player in the 30s.

 

[Roofrom50]

All of them have been forced on us. The bowling is the most inexperienced and probably youngest we have had it in decades. Take McGain out and all the bowlers are under 30. Selectors certainly took a punt on Hughes instead of going for the usual player in the 30s.

Guess it's exciting times ahead for Australia then ey

 

[stefan]

Australia arrive keen to remain No. 1
Cricinfo staff
February 16, 2009

Ricky Ponting with the Test Championship trophy in Johannesburg ? AFP

Ricky Ponting is hoping Australia will be able to regroup and beat South Africa in the manner that his team reclaimed the Ashes from England in 2006-07 after losing in 2005. South Africa recently won their first Test series in Australia and Ponting said the pressure would be on the hosts as the teams battled for the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings.

"We want to be recognised as the best and being No. 1 does mean a lot to us," Ponting said on arrival in Johannesburg. "We were a long way off our best cricket in Australia and our worst cricket was very bad. We need to maintain a level of consistency but I am looking forward to the challenge.

"I remember at the end of the 2005 Ashes in England, when we lost for the first time in a long time, we went back to Australia and regrouped. England then came to Australia as favourites but they did not live up to expectation and could not handle the pressure."

South Africa captain Graeme Smith, however, felt his team would wear the favourites' tag comfortably. "It's going to be an unusual place to be for a South African team," Smith told the Sunday Times. "It's a great feeling and a reward for all the sacrifices everyone has made. But we know that Australians are very competitive people and they don't like to be on the back foot.

"On previous tours they have come here with confidence having had the foot on us right through the summer there and they've just carried it on. Now, even their experienced guys will come here in a different frame of mind, while the younger players are coming here for the first time. They're a touring team under pressure and it's never easy."

Australia open their tour with a warm-up game against South Africa A in Potchefstroom from February 20 and their only fitness concern for that match is Michael Clarke, who sat out of the Twenty20 international against New Zealand on February 15 with a back problem. "We'll have to see how Michael's back is after the flight," Ponting said. "Hopefully he'll be okay. Everyone else is fully fit."

Australia go into the first of three Tests against South Africa in Johannesburg on February 26, three days after the end of the practice game.

? Cricinfo

Must be my bad memory but I certainly don't remember england ever being favorites for that series. Though they would put up a good fight but certainly don't remember anybody calling them favorites.

On Smith himself he is fine and looked in pretty good nick in the two 20/20 he has played for the cobras this week. Made two good 30's in each game. So there doesn't seem to be any issues with the hand or elbow.

 

[honeybee]

What kind of SA cricket supporter doesn't know how to spell McKenzie and doesn't know that Gibbs is not in the test team?

Can you direct me to "where "the test test team has been announced.
You seem to be very affay with inside info. I have not read anywhere where the team has been announced and I was just throwing in ideas.
Mckenzie... in my humble opinion should not play, however I await the team announcement

 

[mdoggie]

Can you direct me to "where "the test test team has been announced.
You seem to be very affay with inside info. I have not read anywhere where the team has been announced and I was just throwing in ideas.
Mckenzie... in my humble opinion should not play, however I await the team announcement

Here we go Cricinfo - Prince overlooked for first two Tests
Gibbs hasn't being in the team for ages, not in the last year or 2.

On the Mckenzie issue, he did well last year, better then prince. He had a bad series against Australia so people forget his century versus India. Mckenzie is settling into one of the hardest batting positions, where most players struggle. We either need to bring in a new specialist opener or stick with Mac and see how it goes.

 

[honeybee]

Here we go Cricinfo - Prince overlooked for first two Tests
Gibbs hasn't being in the team for ages, not in the last year or 2.

On the Mckenzie issue, he did well last year, better then prince. He had a bad series against Australia so people forget his century versus India. Mckenzie is settling into one of the hardest batting positions, where most players struggle. We either need to bring in a new specialist opener or stick with Mac and see how it goes.

Thanks- So it is the squad for the first two tests