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Cricket XXIII


Xray the Enforcer

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I think it's unlikely South Africa are going to let Australia off the hook after getting the top order out cheaply the way England did so this partnership is fairly key.

Good effort from Marsh in his first inning back in the team though.

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Marsh has constructed a beautiful innings. These two (Marsh and Smith) have played themselves in and really need put together a 100+ partnership. Haddin still to come, this game is still finely balanced. SA bowlers have been good and will prove to be a much sterner test that the England bowlers. Mclaren, as the 4th seamer, has bowled really well. I'm at the ground and loving this. As far as i'm concerned, there's no greater test than going head to head with the Aussies.


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What's the mercury hitting there TB?

It's about 31 degrees celsius.

Marsh and Smith have played really well. Clarke was a big loss but I would have to say that Australia have just shaded this 2nd session. This could go down to the wire. I may have to extend my sick leave.

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It's about 31 degrees celsius.

Marsh and Smith have played really well. Clarke was a big loss but I would have to say that Australia have just shaded this 2nd session. This could go down to the wire. I may have to extend my sick leave.

Heh. They are saying on tv that it's a very hot day. :p

SAf look to be bowling a little too short.

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Heh. They are saying on tv that it's a very hot day. :P

SAf look to be bowling a little too short.

It's not as hot as Perth but it's pretty warm.

Yeah, SA need to bowl a bit fuller but the track has seemed to flatten out a bit. Historically, days 2 and 3 have been best for batting at Supersport Park. If SA can pick up 2 or 3 wickets before the close of play I would say they are on top after day 1. If Australia can get to the close of play at 4 or 5 wickets down then they will go into day 2 with the upper hand.

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I'm not sure about that. Having been put in to bat and being reasonably well on their way to negotiating the second new ball without losing a wicket I think Australia are fairly clearly on top at the moment. That's not to say South Africa are totally out of the game by any means.

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I'm not sure about that. Having been put in to bat and being reasonably well on their way to negotiating the second new ball without losing a wicket I think Australia are fairly clearly on top at the moment. That's not to say South Africa are totally out of the game by any means.

I agree that Australia have the upper hand at the moment but a couple of wickets could change things drastically. Marsh and Smith have batted beautifully but SA have not bowled or fielded badly either. The match is still finely balanced and I'm hoping it goes down to the final session on the final day.

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I would definitely keep Stokes at 6, as we have to have a 5 man attack without Swann to take wickets and plug up an end. Much as I love Ravi for Essex, I don't believe he has the temperament for Test cricket when the pressure is on, so I'd persevere with Ballance at 5. Finn probably won't be back for a while, so I'd try Turner or Mills, possibly both, with Root doing the spin.

To reply to this from the previous thread: I agree that Stokes needs to stay at 6 for the time being, but he has only played a few Tests and I think alternatives need to be kept in mind until he's a little more proven. I'm also slightly wary of the 5-man attack mantra; I know the theory but in practice batting collapses seem to cost us much more heavily than do bowling inefficacy, so if there is no true all-rounder to be had I'd rather see us play six batsmen than five bowlers. As you say, Root can also bowl a bit (as can Bopara, were he in the team) so there are still people to bowl a few overs, even if KP and Trott aren't around any more.

I agree Finn probably won't be back for a while, but I think he should be, although Onions looks like he might finally get a look-in, admittedly after the horse has bolted, acquired a passport, moved to France and set up a patisserie. But better late than never. Onions aside, though, I think Finn is still the most promising fast bowler England have - he has flaws of course, but he bowls genuinely fast and takes wickets, and those are assets England need.

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Marsh and Smith have batted beautifully. The 1st day belongs to Australia. Graeme Smith may be regretting his decision to bowl first. The morning session tomorrow is going to be critical. This is awesome. Limited overs cricket is like checkers between children but test cricket is like a game of chess between grandmasters.


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Always good to see another Sandgroper getting some runs in the test team. :)



I thought he played very well. Smith said this morning that he was impressed with the way Marsh let the bowlers come to his strengths and HD Ackerman said last night during the coverage that it was a "proper test match innings". I agree entirely with both of them.



Also, I guess this is me eating humble pie about Smith. The lad can bat.


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So with the level of corruption in the Indian Cricket Administration that's been talked about / exposed recently does that not give everyone pause over hacing more control of international cricket over to BCCI? Or do people think the Aussies and Brits will be able to keep that corruption in check?



Anyway, here's hoping for another karmic victory this weekend, so glad we didn't blow it in the first test, though we tried our best.



Walked past Tim Southee on the street yesterday, he's taller than I thought (taller than me, which means >6ft).


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Always good to see another Sandgroper getting some runs in the test team. :)

I thought he played very well. Smith said this morning that he was impressed with the way Marsh let the bowlers come to his strengths and HD Ackerman said last night during the coverage that it was a "proper test match innings". I agree entirely with both of them.

Also, I guess this is me eating humble pie about Smith. The lad can bat.

I'm particulary interested in Marsh. Granted, I don't know too much about the inner workings of domestic cricket in Australia but Marsh sort of came across as a T20 and ODI specialist. Seeing him today, he looks like the real deal. Watson's injury may be a blessing in disguise for Australia.

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So with the level of corruption in the Indian Cricket Administration that's been talked about / exposed recently does that not give everyone pause over hacing more control of international cricket over to BCCI? Or do people think the Aussies and Brits will be able to keep that corruption in check?

I was never very fond of the idea in the first place, to be honest: the current shenanigans are just perfectly timed to make it obvious how bad an idea it is. As to trusting the ECB/CA to keep the BCCI in line... I don't see it, if nothing else because they've already caved in on the issue once in agreeing to the restructuring deal in the first place.

Whatever the new structure looks like, I don't think it's actually a triumvirate. We've all known for a while that the BCCI has been the biggest bully in the playground by a factor of about ten, and the new deal makes that official. Including England and Australia brings - in theory - a degree of history and credibility to balance the BCCI's money and power, and ensures that the ECB and CA maintain their position as "best of the rest" in relation to the other boards. But in reality the BCCI is going to carry on as before and in fact there's probably even less that could be done to stop it, because even England and Australia combined don't have the weight. They've just accepted posts as long-term Deputy Dictators and recognised the hegemony of the BCCI, rather than run the risk of ending up on the pleb benches.

If all the boards had united in telling the BCCI to go swivel and tried to make do without its money, invested in new - and relatively untapped - markets (the rest of South Asia?), excluded India from ICC events until an accommodation was reached, and so forth, they might have stood a chance. It might have been a disaster but they'd have gained credit for trying. But once it became clear that England and Australia had defected, it was already game over.

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I was never very fond of the idea in the first place, to be honest: the current shenanigans are just perfectly timed to make it obvious how bad an idea it is. As to trusting the ECB/CA to keep the BCCI in line... I don't see it, if nothing else because they've already caved in on the issue once in agreeing to the restructuring deal in the first place.

Whatever the new structure looks like, I don't think it's actually a triumvirate. We've all known for a while that the BCCI has been the biggest bully in the playground by a factor of about ten, and the new deal makes that official. Including England and Australia brings - in theory - a degree of history and credibility to balance the BCCI's money and power, and ensures that the ECB and CA maintain their position as "best of the rest" in relation to the other boards. But in reality the BCCI is going to carry on as before and in fact there's probably even less that could be done to stop it, because even England and Australia combined don't have the weight. They've just accepted posts as long-term Deputy Dictators and recognised the hegemony of the BCCI, rather than run the risk of ending up on the pleb benches.

If all the boards had united in telling the BCCI to go swivel and tried to make do without its money, invested in new - and relatively untapped - markets (the rest of South Asia?), excluded India from ICC events until an accommodation was reached, and so forth, they might have stood a chance. It might have been a disaster but they'd have gained credit for trying. But once it became clear that England and Australia had defected, it was already game over.

The restructuring is certainly concerning. The CSA (SA cricket board) has come in for severe critisicm and the SA public has basically called Chris Nenzani a puppet. The 8 year cycle until 2023 looks good as the ECB/CA/BCCI have struck deals to secure votes. Beyond 2023, who knows what will happen.

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