South Africa in Australia Nov-Dec 2012/13

[Doodlesweaver]

Kallis avg over 45 in Australia with his batting. Morkel have improved greatly and he will love the pace and bounce he get from the Aussie pitches as seems to generate it those almost on every type of pitch. But he a strike bowler which means they don't mind going for few as long as they pick up wickets.

Kallis has a far worse record at home than away to Aus, but that might be the case for a lot of the Saffer players considering how good they are away from home in the past few years.

 

[mavla87]

South africa will scrap through to win 2-0

 

[War]

Cummins is he available? Played a hell of a match against the Proteas last time, extremely promising bowler.

I am not ruling the Aussies, in fact I am sure they would win the series, it will be close but they have a better bowling side, SA only have Steyn to count on as Philander looks like a 7 test wonder. The fast men coupled with Clarke/Ponting/Hussey/Watson would prove to be too much for South Africa.

Ye Cummins is available, but as poster angryangy correctly mentioned he is back in the pecking order behind Siddle/Hilfenhaus/Pattinson/Starc simply due to his lack of first-class cricket bowling in the last year.

AUS certainly have the better bowling depth, in case of injury now the De Lange is injured for the proteas and the fact that they have not selected Chris Morris in the touring squad. However once Steyn/Philander (who i don't believe is a 7 test wonder)/Morkel stay fit - AUS batsmen have a lot of work to do.

AUS batsmen have a lot of prove in this series - so i don't think its fair to say the line-up on current batting form will be "too much for S Africa". The proteas are clear favourties really.

 

[sifter132]

^I think SA will get a good test.

However Starc is not a red ball specialist compared to Pattinson. Pattinson might bowl the odd bad innings, but lately, hasn't had a bad game. His last 10 first class games, 5 of which were for Australia, have netted 53 wickets. So his position is probably the most assured.

Yah Pattinson should be ahead, because his team missed the Champions League as much as anything (of course he's played more Tests too). He should have better rhythm than Starc or Cummins. Starc will probably be the 4th quick just for variety, and that leaves Cummins on reserve for when the first guy gets injured. Harris also to be in the mix after he gets fit again.

 

[Aalay]

Australia have so much depth in their bowling. Siddle, Hilfenhaus, Pattinson, Starc, Cummins, Harris, and they are all really good. I think Australia have found a tremendous limited overs bowler in Starc. He did extremely well in T20 WC, also during the tri series earlier this year and he is doing well in ongoing CL as well. Though I am still not sure if he is ready for the test level.I think he did play couple of test matches against NZ last year but didn't do so well I guess but he definitely needs to be in the squad. So for me:

It should be Siddle, Hilfenhaus and Pattinson and as sifter said, if they want variety, they can add Starc and Cummins in reserve.

But SA as too strong in all departments. Their first choice 3 bowlers are alll good enough to take 20 Australian wickets even without Imran Tahir. So for me, South Africa should win the series.

 

[sifter132]

I think Starc got a LOT out of playing with Yorkshire this last couple of months. He looks a much better bowler now than he did last summer in those Tests you mentioned. Phil Hughes is also playing much better after a stint in England. I think if any young players are serious about improving, some time in county cricket is a great way to round out your game.

As for the series, I'm waiting to see how good Philander is before I start crowning SA as world champs. He's done well at home, in NZ and in English, basically the 3 easiest conditions for a fast bowler in world cricket. Lets see him here in Australia on flatter pitches. Although, the schedule makers have done him a favour...Brisbane and Perth is like Christmas for a fast bowler. If Philander can't acclimatise, if Morkel bowls more bad than good (as he's prone to do) and if Steyn can't get through the Aussie lefties (bowling vs lefties his weakness-relatively speaking...), then there could be trouble. Yes I'm thinking rather optimistically

 

[aussie1st]

This will be the final big test for Siddle and Hilfy revival until the England come to Australia for the Ashes. Does sound like Starc will get a game anyway with Pattinson most likely being rotated.

 

[aussie1st]

Squad: Andrew McDonald (capt), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Davis, Alex Doolan, John Hastings, Moises Henriques, Phil Hughes, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Rob Quiney, Steve Smith.

Inverarity defends pace omissions | Cricket | Fox Sports

Don't think there is much to read in it, definitely not our A squad. Did read an interesting bit though saying no one from this squad is expected to be in the Test series so that confirms Cowan as opener.

 

[sifter132]

Also interesting that they didn't pick Hazlewood or Bird or Cutting, guys who might be in the frame. Instead they've gone for an all-rounder heavy team. It's a fairly sorry state of affairs when Glenn Maxwell is the Australia A spinner - shame Jon Holland isn't fit. I would have thought Beer might be worth a go though.

Also noteworthy how far Peter Forrest has fallen. He got an ODI spot as a way of easing him into international cricket, but now after a winter of failures he is nowhere. Khawaja and Ferguson, as well as the Marsh boys would be considered just as quickly as him. Maybe even Cosgrove or Burns.

 

[War]

Yea its all pre-series tactics. If AUS are going to beat S Africa, it going to be on the strength of the current pace depth.

So hiding a few outside options in the tour match is smart.

But yea Cosgrove is unlucky to miss out i this squad.

 

[War]

Champions League T20 2012 : Fitness concerns for AB de Villiers | Cricket News | Champions League Twenty20 | ESPN Cricinfo

Also with regards to S Africa's team balance, i think this potential De Villiers set-back could potentially mess up their team balance to AUS slight advantage.

In Englad, De Villiers keeping allowed them to have Rudolph and Duminy in the team, thus giving them a long batting line-up.

But if AB doesn't keep, one of those two batsmen will have to dropped in place of the highly suspect Tsolekile - who many people realizing is not the best wicket-keeper batsman in S Africa (the clear better options in Heino Kuhn, Dane Vilas, Quinton De Kock all left @ home due to quota selection policy).

Tsolekile @ 7, would expose and lengthen S Africa's potentially longish tail of Philander/Steyn/Morkel/Tahir (although Philander has ability to be better with the bat). So once again, SA shadow quota selection policy could come back to haunt them in this crucial series.

 

[spooony]

^With Tsolikele in there you might as well put a bat in a trolley and push it on the pitch. It will probably score more runs as well.

We won't win this series think it will be a draw and closely thought. Reasons for that is if you know these two teams you will know the bring out the best out of each other. One maybe weaker on paper but in a match its all out the window as it always makes a team to play above themselves. SA going in as the favorites also a bad thing as the Aussies have less to loose and everything to gain in the series. Lets not forget they are playing at home as well with a crop of exciting talent mixed with experience that you will find inside the top 10 with batting and bowling in world cricket.

SA have a advantage over sides thanks to Kallis giving us that extra batsman and bowler over other teams. But like War mentioned we will lose the extra batsman if Tsolikele gets drafted in. Let me remind you last time Boucher was dropped for Tsolikele. Think his HS was 9.

 

[sifter132]

South Africa in Australia 2012-13 : Matthew Wade in Test squad, Brad Haddin misses out | Cricket News | Australia v South Africa | ESPN Cricinfo

Australia have decided to pick Wade over Haddin. I'm not a Wade guy (yet!), but I can see why he's worth a shot. He's only 24 and has plenty of potential. As for Haddin...well at least he's got all that Champions League prizemoney to cry into!

Rest of the squad was pretty predictable:

David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Matthew Wade (wk), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon

Expect to see Cummins in there somewhere after a couple of Shield games. Cue the usual bollocks about whether Australia should play 4 quicks or not

 

[spooony]

Is the prize money in rupees or dollars?

 

[aussie1st]

Would like to see Starc play a few more FC and perform before getting back his test spot. He still hasn't proven himself in that format yet, but like his debut I won't be against him being picked.

No question on my feelings on Wade v Haddin!