3rd Test: Australia vs South Africa, Newlands, March 1-5

[Sea fog]

Clarke was battered but mainly because he took his eyes off the ball. The Windies would have killed him in another era.

 

[wild side]

Clarke captain courageous, great innings.

Haggers, with one first class game under your belt, you should know! I salute you.

 

[Bradesmaen]

Does that mean you can bowl 6 short pitched deliveries as long as 4 are slower balls?
What's their definition of fast?

I would think anything around 100km/h would be counted as slow as that is the regular slower ball from most bowlers.

 

[Jackfrost]

Any doubts I had that Warner is a world class Test cricketer have been smashed into oblivion

 

[Doggy doo doo]

Too far?

Like the first test pitch maybe?

Morkel has 5 wickets for the series. He bowled bodyline without the umpires intervening considering he was bowling 4 bouncers an over.

Morkel is a basically a dumb bowler, bangs it in short over and over exciting the neanderthals in the crowd, but look at the scoreboard, Clarke is 92 n.o.

Just an aside, Johnson now has free licience to bowl multiple bouncers per over, apparently 2 per over os now out the door, or is it just rule for the home side.

Dont like to see anyone hurt, but two can play he bodyline game, and Mitch has already put one Yarpie in hospital this series.

Hopefully he wont do that here, it is not what I want to see, but the neanderthals in the yarpie crowd should not get upset if their batters get the same treatment as Clarke.

Time will tell if they have the same courage as Clarke

 

[3rdManUp]

Not to get too far ahead of myself BUT, does anyone know what our ICC ranking will be if we win this test?

 

[The_Reaper]

Not to get too far ahead of myself BUT, does anyone know what our ICC ranking will be if we win this test?

2nd.

 

[Main Man]

Jam it up your shooter South Africa' this is what happens when you prepare feather beds and lose the toss.

 

[3rdManUp]

Just calculated it on the ICC predictor
A 2-1 series win will result in this

 

[sherb]

*Brilliant innings by Warner, well done to him.
*Clarke proves just how tough and resilient he is.
*More runs to Smith. Settling nicely into the side.
*Give away the ill judged pull shots Alex.
*Happy to let Rogers off the hook after his effort last test.

 

[King Elvis]

What I can't understand is why Clarke didn't call for an arm and chest guard when facing morkel especially when he chooses not to attack the short stuff.When morkels spell is finished he takes the safety gear off.

I would have been so pissed off if he'd had his arm broken and could no longer bat,which would make us extremely vulnerable at losing this test.

Because **** them, that's why.

He should've told them to piss off when he wore the one to the jaw as well.

Gutsy stuff thought, great knock, hope he gets his century.

 

[DeadlyAkkuret]

If Clarke can weather the first few overs I can see him turning this into a real big hundred.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Will be interesting to see when Clarke calls a declaration if needed. Will it be 550 or will it be time and go a bit longer? After or before tea?

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

If Clarke can weather the first few overs I can see him turning this into a real big hundred.

Yeah, he's looked more than comfortable to anything that isn't at his head, no Steyn, Morkel throwing pies...
He's got form for turning gutsy, responsive tons into double tons, so it'd be fantastic to see him fight his way out of this trouble having weathered that storm and come away with a massive score.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

Will be interesting to see when Clarke calls a declaration if needed. Will it be 550 or will it be time and go a bit longer? After or before tea?

Just after or just before, could be either. I'd back just before, to unsettle them a little bit and give them the mentality of survival.

 

[damochandler]

again davey let the bat do the talking and that's all we want.

tough by clarke

 

[Super Hans]

I wouldn't declare until half way through the last session, make them work out in the field and face 45 minutes of flat out Johnson, Harris and Patto.

That's if they don't bowl us out.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

I wouldn't declare until half way through the last session, make them work out in the field and face 45 minutes of flat out Johnson, Harris and Patto.

That's if they don't bowl us out.

That was my original though but that would mean us making 600+. That is a lot of runs for Clarke, he is generally very aggressive with declarations.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

That was my original though but that would mean us making 600+. That is a lot of runs for Clarke, he is generally very aggressive with declarations.

It'll be pretty disconcerting for South Africa to be trying to put up a decent score in response to 600, if they do go that far. They could be minus a batsman too if Steyn wakes up in poor nick.
But unless Clarke wants to really grind them into the dirt it'll probably be 500-550ish, he'll declare after someone reaches a milestone so it might be one of those odd declarations on a number like 533 or something.
But who knows, we could lose 7/20 in the morning. I doubt it though.

 

[1989]

No harm in getting 600 ahead if we can get there quickly. Must have a good old fashioned swing prior to a declaration if we have that luxury. Any runs we get today are going to be quicker and easier than second innings runs, and being 600 behind would be very demoralising for an opposition.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

No harm in getting 600 ahead if we can get there quickly. Must have a good old fashioned swing prior to a declaration if we have that luxury. Any runs we get today are going to be quicker and easier than second innings runs, and being 600 behind would be very demoralising for an opposition.

That is the only reason I would probably go to 600, plus it takes one result out of the equation- South Africa can't win. The pitch is EXTREMELY flat though, but you are right, the bounce will get more variable as the pitch wares on so maybe getting the extra 50-60 in the first innings is the right call.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

It'll be pretty disconcerting for South Africa to be trying to put up a decent score in response to 600, if they do go that far. They could be minus a batsman too if Steyn wakes up in poor nick.

If they are relying on Steyn as a batsman they are more stuffed than ever, the bloke is no more than a handy number 10!

 

[Sea fog]

Think the game is already looking pretty doomed for SA. Agree about featherbeds. You can't rely on winning the toss. Disappointing really to see the pitch asking no questions on day one of a test.

 

[Patron]

Will be interesting to see when Clarke calls a declaration if needed. Will it be 550 or will it be time and go a bit longer? After or before tea?

I would bat until just before the end of the day and send them in for a dangerous little spell. So around 600 runs or just over.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

'MORKEL WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING' - DONALD

• 
  
  Allan Donald said Morne Morke's spell, in the absence of Dale Steyn, was worth two or three wickets

Pity he didn't get two or three wickets then, really...