Test AUSTRALIA v SOUTH AFRICA First Test. Dec 17-21, Gabba, Brisbane. 11.20am AEDT.

[LukeParkerno1]

Cummins is reported to be sitting out the test and preparing for Melbourne he still got that side strain and will miss.
From reports Hazellwood is in Melbourne.

Neser will play then but Cummins will ply anyway

 

[Jamurp]

This should be a really good match/series, so naturally it'll be an absolute fizzer, SA won't score enough runs I reckon.

 

[PhatBoy]

It’s worth remembering that SA won their last series here on the back of:

• de Kock salvaging the first innings at Perth with a run a ball 80
• Duminy smacking 140 in the second dig
• de Kock and Bavuma digging them out of trouble in Hobart
• du Plessis hitting a century in the first dig in Adelaide
• Cook hitting an incredibly underrated century in the second innings

They lost that third test but the point is they have a habit of coming out here and getting runs from players who either aren’t that great (Duminy and Cook) or are only making runs because the top 5 failed.

Although they don’t have Philander and Abbott in their attack now they still have a very potent side so it will simply be a matter of whether they can give their bowlers enough of a cushion.

If Kraigg Brathwaite and Tag Chanderpaul on debut can find a way to make runs against Australia on a reasonable Perth deck and a pink ball at Adelaide in Chanderpaul’s case I think there has to be a couple of batsmen in the SA squad who can manage it

 

[PhatBoy]

Btw that’s not to say I think SA WILL win.
But they have one thing going for them that only India of the other test nations have at the moment: no fear of Australia.

WI: have played some really good cricket against basically everyone they’ve met recently. They come to Australia and they state openly they are looking to just compete

England: never far from a win against someone good, they look as butch as an ice skater’s friend when they arrive here.

NZ: have played some legitimately excellent cricket under Kane Williamson over the last five years but in Australia they looked terrified

Pakistan: like England they’re never far away from a great series win but aside from the generic Azhar Ali or Babar Azam highlight reel they look bereft of any belief that they can win here

SL: like WI I think since the Mahela/Sanga era all they want to do is compete.

SA like India don’t come here with any of that baggage, they come here knowing that even when Australia have fielded some really strong sides, their rise in bowling level has made them struggle and that belief would have to count for a lot

 

[frankrizzo]

Cummins is reported to be sitting out the test and preparing for Melbourne he still got that side strain and will miss.
From reports Hazellwood is in Melbourne.

Reported where?

 

[big_e]

I expect many of these cricketers felt they were the ones being discriminated against as the quota system was racist to white South Africans.

Honestly, a white South African feeling hard done by?

 

[StillAtLarge]

Cummins is reported to be sitting out the test and preparing for Melbourne he still got that side strain and will miss.
From reports Hazellwood is in Melbourne.

Cummins has a quad injury, Hazlewood is the one with the side strain

 

[010203]

The pitch one day out from the test.

 

[grumbleguts]

Any of the players gonna be up watching the world cup final Monday morning? Might have an impact on performance, should look in to who of them are big soccer fans and exploit it

There's probably two in Australia, so no chance the cricketers are.

 

[timokane]

Bat first if win the toss or lose toss and be sent in

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Apartheid ended in the early 90s, so I expect attitudes change over time.

Head for the hills batsmen. Three day test upcoming. CA wont be pleased with the curator.

They will shave quite a bit off

 

[ROOTA#6]

The pitch one day out from the test.

View attachment 1574057

We always get these pics of tbe pitch the day before. It’s got a lot of mowing and rolling to be done yet. Not saying it will be a road but it will look much different come first ball

 

[LukeParkerno1]

You sure. I think you are confusing the skipper with Haze as it is he with the side train. Also not a peep about this on CA website.

Cummins is fine.

 

[Plugger35]

Looks as tho he'd snap in half in a strong wind..ala Bruce Reid. Tall with not a lot of meat on the bones. As for whether he is better than Starc. Bit soon to make that call as he has only played a handful of Tests. He may be down the track, more accurate at least, but can he emulate Starc at his best when he bamboozles opening bats with his unplayable late swinging yorker wiith the new Kooka cherry.

Jansen looks a lot like Bruce Reid but he doesn't seem to be as injury prone as him, I don't think he had any serious injury issues yet in his test career.

I wouldn't say he is better than Starc yet but he has the potential to be better than him, looks to be a very good bowler and he is a handy batsman too.

 

[BGman]

If you're talking about their stock ball I agree, but they do need to try short stuff.

They do, specially to rattle Marnus early in his innings. Clearly he is uncomfortable against a short pitched barrage. Besides he has yet to face a Saffa attack of any kind and this is quite a lethal one if everything falls into place for them.

 

[Gough]

They do, specially to rattle Marnus early in his innings. Clearly he is uncomfortable against a short pitched barrage. Besides he has yet to face a Saffa attack of any kind and this is quite a lethal one if everything falls into place for them.

They can cuss him out in Afrikaans too and he'll understand.

 

[the_interloper]

They can cuss him out in Afrikaans too and he'll understand.

I heard Ian Healy used to learn phrases in Urdu to sledge the Pakistanis

 

[PT Bar None]

Crap, I thought this started today

 

[BGman]

but he doesn't seem to be as injury prone as him,

Unknown. Only played 26 first class matches including his 7 tests and is almost 23. So he could have
suffered the developing bowler's curse.. back stress fractures when younger. Seems Reid's major back injuries hit after he had made his Test debut at bout the same age as Jansen, 22...

 

[Gough]

I heard Ian Healy used to learn phrases in Urdu to sledge the Pakistanis

Allan Lamb gave Botham a crash course in cursing in Afrikaans during Kepler Wessels debut hundred in Brisbane.

 

[StillAtLarge]

Apartheid ended in the early 90s, so I expect attitudes change over time.

Head for the hills batsmen. Three day test upcoming. CA wont be pleased with the curator.

Don't we say this about Brisbane every year? First session and a half is tricky and after that it's a batsmen's paradise

 

[BGman]

Kepler Wessels

Who is for the Aust v Saffa series to be called the Kepler Wessels Trophy/Cup or whatever. Evidently CA thinks it may be the case as 'blood' did play for both nations. Personally I like the two person title. Such as Warne/Kallis, McGrath /Donald, Ponting/ Smith. Or do we go back further to say Benaud/Proctor.

 

[Gough]

Who is for the Aust v Saffa series to be called the Kepler Wessels Trophy/Cup or whatever. Evidently CA thinks it may be the case as 'blood' did play for both nations. Personally I like the two person title. Such as Warne/Kallis, McGrath /Donald, Ponting/ Smith. or do we go back further to say Benaud/Proctor.

I suspect the realities of South African politics will necessitate their contribution to the naming of the trophy to be a player of colour.

 

[BGman]

I suspect the realities of South African politics will necessitate their contribution to the naming of the trophy to be a player of colour.

Maybe not a player. The Nelson Mandela Trophy? Everyone would be proud to play for that.

 

[Rabish Binney]

Just reading Rabada's bowling stats: averages 22 per wicket with a strike rate of 40.

Very impressive.