Cricket IV

[IheartTesla]

Australia seem to be two down now...Hayden is still at the crease. Perhaps he will Dravid himself to a scratchy 50 and save his place for another day.

[Paxter]

[quote name='cyrano' post='1636468' date='Jan 3 2009, 09.54']Australia seem to be two down now...Hayden is still at the crease. Perhaps he will Dravid himself to a scratchy 50 and save his place for another day.[/quote]

Hayden is so ridiculously out of form it's not funny. He could have been out several times already - inside edges onto pad, driving in the air, playing and missing. As David Lloyd would say "if he was batting in your front garden, you would draw your curtains". But, as you say, he might do a Dravid.

Very even session that, the ball was moving both through the air and off the pitch, so you would expect wickets to fall. SA will be thrilled to dismiss the two in-form batsmen fairly cheaply, but at the same time will be pretty disappointed not to have dismissed one of the two out of form players before lunch. The pitch will probably flatten out now, so SA will be keen to strike quickly after the break.

BTW, second golden duck of the series for Ponting. Big wicket because he was in superb touch at the 'G.

Edit: Batsmen starting to settle now. Is an unlikey pair of fifties (or maybe more...) in the offing now?
Side-note: Shame to see the NZ vs WI series being marred by rain. I was enjoying watch Ryder bat, but now the weather has gone downhill...

[Rimmer]

Christ, can we just stop trying to play cricket in the South Island?! Their one test match and two one-dayers in this series have ALL been rained out now, an impressive strike rate of 100%. Guess I'll be watching the Aus/SA game as well now.

[Paxter]

[quote name='Rimmer' post='1636523' date='Jan 3 2009, 11.50']Christ, can we just stop trying to play cricket in the South Island?! Their one test match and two one-dayers in this series have ALL been rained out now, an impressive strike rate of 100%. Guess I'll be watching the Aus/SA game as well now.[/quote]

Oh well, I'm sure you won't mind watching the Aussies at 109/3 on a flat deck. That was probably the worst and most painful 31 I will ever watch. Jeor, do you really think that Hayden still has something to offer? That knock pretty much sums up Hayden's form since return from injury. Phil Jaques is aiming to be fit for the SA tour...

[Rimmer]

Ricky's first-baller went some way to cheering me up. :)

[Horza]

Hayden has to retire. He's just past it.

[Paxter]

[quote name='Horza' post='1636532' date='Jan 3 2009, 12.08']Hayden has to retire. He's just past it.[/quote]

Agreed.

Great start for the Banglas in the second test - SL 31/2 and Mortaza has bowled the dangerous Sangakkara for 5. If they can just find a way past the 'Lankan captain now...

As for the Aussies, well Clarke is very lucky that the catch off Harris was dropped. Otherwise that would have been curtains for the Aussies. As it is, they will need decent contributions from McDonald, Haddin and the tail to get a par score (of about 350 I'd say).

[Rimmer]

[quote name='Paxter' post='1636590' date='Jan 3 2009, 00.39']If they can just find a way past the 'Lankan captain now...[/quote]
Looks like they just found it!

[Paxter]

[quote name='Rimmer' post='1636600' date='Jan 3 2009, 13.57']Looks like they just found it![/quote]

Yeah, well done Bangladesh - and it's Shakib doing the damage again. That is really excellent stuff from the Banglas, to remove Sanga and Jayawardene on Subcontinental pitches is always very difficult. But they [i]must[/i] get rid of Samaraweera now. He is a real danger man when SL plays Bangladesh (averaging over 70 against the Tigers).

And speaking of crucial wickets, wouldn't SA love to get one of Clarke or Haddin now. That would virtually snuff out any chance of Aus passing 300.

Edit: but the wicket just isn't coming, and Clarke and Haddin have finally figured out that this pitch is pretty flat. The following has happened numerous times in this series: just when a team looks certain to be bowled out for around 200, they go on to make 350+. Will it happen again for Aus at the SCG?

Edit: And now the 'Lankans are 4 down. And it's the dangerman Samaraweera who is dismissed! The only problem now is that SL have a strong lower-order: Dilshan, followed by the developing Kapugedera and then Mendis and Vaas, who can both handle the willow. Meanwhile, NZ struggling against WI. Taylor and Oram will need to steady the ship now. Edit: and Taylor falls just as I write this!

[Jeor]

South Africa letting things slip a bit now - Haddin and Clarke seem to be going fine, and the tail, although long, has some quality in it still with Johnson to come. Bollinger's first-class record (average of around 7 and no fifties) seems like a No.11's though, and with Hauritz at 9 and Siddle at 10 it looks like a more conventional tail, rather than the strong one that had Johnson in at 9. South Africa need at least one more wicket in this last half hour.

And just as I write, Steyn clean bowls Haddin. South Africa should continue to try and knock them over - it's bad light, new ball, overcast conditions, they should really try and clean up this tail quickly. If this pitch is really as flat as it seems, South Africa will probably hope to bat only once, especially if the rain takes charge of this match (forecast is for cloudy both tomorrow and the day after).

[The Anti-Targ]

[quote name='Paxter' post='1635895' date='Jan 2 2009, 18.35']I agree that the third umpire should have access to hotspot and maybe even snicko (although hotspot makes it almost obsolete). However, I am glad they are not using hawkeye beyond the point of impact. Overall, I think that the referral system is far from perfect, but is still infinitely preferable to putting up with plainly wrong decisions.[/quote]

[quote name='Jeor' post='1635959' date='Jan 2 2009, 23.12']I'm also happy for Hotspot to be used but not Hawkeye. Hawkeye makes a best-guess prediction about what might have happened, whereas Hotspot gives you more information about something that has [i]actually [/i]happened. I'm happy for referrals to be used (ie, the on-field umpires do not make an immediate ruling and refer the decision to a third umpire), but I don't think teams should be allowed to appeal against an umpire's decision. Third-umpire referrals strengthen the overall hand of umpires, but appeals against a decision do the exact opposite.[/quote]

Yeah, snicko is obsolete now with hotspot. Hot spot can also be used for LBWs to see whether the ball hit the pad first or the bat. In our first aborted 1-dayer one of the windies batsmen was plumb LBW but it seems the umpire thought the ball hit the bat first (or the bat only?), because he was given not out. Otherwise for std LBWs the 3rd umpire could only make calls up to the point where the ball hits the pad. Which means confirming where the ball pitched and whether the ball hit the pad in line with the stumps. They could also confirm height of impact on the pads, but I doubt that would ever be something an umpire would need confirming.

@ Rimmer: Totally agree about Sth Island cricket before the 2nd half of January. Late Jan - mid/late March should be OK down south. Still hail storm in Canterbury in January is pretty freakish weather. Up in Hamilton where I am on holiday at the moment hasn't exactly been dry so I can't moan too much.

[Paxter]

And Dilshan goes berserk in Bangladesh! Talk about trying to find a way to counter-attack after Bangladesh' dominance - 43 of 33 balls so far for Dilshan. Meanwhile NZ have been fairly ordinary in a rain reduced game - 141-8. Only Elliot showing resistance with 30 off 28 balls.

Another good day for SA - good all-round performance by the bowling attack - although they will be bitterly disappointed that they dropped Clarke twice. Especially since Amla and Ntini are usually very good fielders. Having said that they should still restrict Aus to around 300 - which is a good effort on a fairly flat wicket with a very fast outfield. Nevertheless, I think the Aus swing bowlers (Siddle and Bollinger) will be encouraged by the sideways movement that SA extracted throughout the day.

Edit: Dilshan past 50 now!

[Jeor]

Oh and Pax, regarding Hayden - yeah, he looks awful. But I still think it was worth the risk to have him play one more Test in Sydney here in the off chance that he might find some form. The price - one dead rubber Test - was simple enough to pay and the return could have been very good. Certainly I think a reasonably in-form Hayden, with all his experience, is more valuable to the team in its current makeup than yet another debutant, so it was worth the chance to see. As it is, it looks like he'll probably see the writing on the wall and retire after this series.

Hussey still hasn't scored yet either; the two of them have been the real passengers in the side so far. Hussey is a few years younger than Hayden and has an outstanding record, so he won't find too much opposition yet, but if he continues to have a poor return series in South Africa, he could be put under the microscope.

South Africa will be disappointed they didn't get more than 6 wickets, especially with the two crucial Clarke drops. Added to the passage of play where Mitchell Johnson nicked one through the slips and left a ball that came within an inch of off-stump, it wouldn't have been unreasonable for them to have got 8 wickets in the day, looking forward to knocking over No's 9, 10 or 11 tomorrow. As it is, Australia will probably scramble past 300 and get close to 350 again. But the bowling conditions tomorrow should still be good; overcast day again and a relatively new ball, and Steyn and Kallis should be able to find some swing again.

Still, a very good effort from South Africa and a poor one from Australia. They won the toss and chose to bat, and especially given the long tail, there was pressure on the top order and specialist batsmen to perform, and once again they didn't. None of them would have, if Clarke hadn't had some catching reprieves. Even though the cloudy conditions will likely disappear after the first two or so days, the dryness in the pitch may mean that when the second innings comes around, things won't be quite so friendly.

[Paxter]

This has turned into yet another nightmare for the fielding team. Just like Ponting, Hussey and Hauritz must have felt sick when Steyn passed 50, so must Amla be devastated at having dropped Clarke. Aus now odds on for 400+. Johnson is batting superbly and looks a much better bat than Brett Lee ever was.

Bangladesh will be deflated after getting themselves into a good position and then getting hammered by Dilshan. Good innings that. As for NZ, well the wheels are falling off. Though I thought 150 odd was a fairly average total in a 28 over game, they bowled quite well and should have finished the WI off. But they just couldn't stem the flow of boundaries towards the end of the game.

[Jeor]

Australia look well on top here and I think (unlike the previous two Tests) they have a real good chance of maintaining the advantage. South Africa trail by 300 runs with only 7 wickets in hand because Smith's out with a broken finger. This means he won't be on the field or batting, so the Boks are a batsman down. Batting last on a pitch that looks progressively worse is bad enough, but doing it with only 9 wickets would be even harder. Steyn also has a bruised heel and although they said he's fine to bowl in the second innings, he might not be at his best.

Smith is tremendously important to the team, not only as an aggressive batsman, but also as a good slip fielder and a fairly astute captain in the field. His captaincy has outdone Ponting's this series, and the reports are that McKenzie will take over the role. If McKenzie's captaincy is as defensive as his batting, this can't be a good thing. That being said, Boucher also has some experience, but I think it really was Smith who drove their whole aggressive approach, and now that he's out, the South Africans might revert back to their old tried and tested defensive attitude. So at this stage I'd have to say that the Aussies look like they'll take this one.

Regarding the newbies...McDonald's bowling is very tidy and tight, wicket-to-wicket sort of stuff, but although he can get some movement off the pitch, I think he lacks the penetration and class to get top-class wickets. That being said, if his better hand is batting, then he could be a useful all-rounder indeed. He wouldn't be the worst fifth bowler going around, and has more bowling potential than Symonds, although probably not as much as Watson. He can be used as an economical option to tie up one end.

[Paxter]

Well, Aus should win this now. Quite comfortably too. SA four wickets down (effectively 5) and the last two recognised batsmen at the crease. And they still haven't saved the follow-on. I'm not going to say they will win, because my kiss of death has been very efficacious in recent times after I predicted that England and then Aus would win twice. However, the writing is on the wall. When, SA look back on this match, they will no doubt see Amla's drop of Michael Clarke as the turning point in the match. I actually feel a bit sorry for Amla on this tour - he has batted beautifully at times without ever getting a big score, and now he has dropped a catch that will probably snuff out any chance SA had of a clean sweep and a number 1 ranking. More importantly, losing this match will halt the momentum that SA would have otherwise taken into the ODIs and the tests in SA.

It's a shame Smith is out. If he, Lee, Clark and Watson are all missing during Aus' tour of SA, then the series will likely be a much lower-quality affair.

[Horza]

According to Neil Manthorpe on ABC radio McKenzie is a pretty clever field strategist - he was behind the field placings that lead to two of Ponting's dismissals, and Boucher sets the regular fields when Smith captains anway so there won't be a huge amount of difference in that regard (except some of McKenzie's crazier ideas might get a go ahead). McKenzie's not put on a good show here but he's no turtle with the bat - 1073 runs at 53.65 in the year just past.

[Jeor]

Morkel and Boucher fighting back but they have a very long way to go; still 170 runs behind with not much batting to come - I know Harris and Steyn put in some runs last time but I doubt they'll do it again.

Kallis was the big wicket today; the pitch is starting to play tricks, and Kallis is the one guy in the South African lineup who has the technique to bat well on a bad pitch. The others can bat well, but Kallis is solid enough to even keep out the surprise balls.

It's playing quite badly for only a third day pitch; lots of cracks, balls deviating and taking off. It's too late now for them, but if South Africa could have figured out a first innings lead, on this pitch I would have backed their bowlers to roll Australia cheaply in the second innings.

Interesting re: McKenzie. I know he's had a good year with the bat, but even so, his is a rather conventional, defensive type of batting. Ideal for an opening left-right partnership with Graeme Smith mind you. If he's an attacking captain that would be good; would be a real shame if South Africa revert back to their defensive mindsets of old.

[Paxter]

Has Asoka de Silva just saved Matt Hayden's test career? A ball that would have crashed into middle and leg given not out...that's the second time this series he has been given not out when it should have been given...

Great innings by Boucher today, and Siddle and Johnson were also very impressive. Bad day for Hauritz, though he was unlucky with the Boucher near-dismissal. Aus now in an extremely commanding position.

[Jeor]

Cannot believe that LBW was not given. Hit him on the half-volley, dead in front, he was playing back so the ball didn't even have very far to travel and the bat was nowhere near the ball. That was stone dead plumb if I've ever seen it - de Silva has definitely gone some way to saving him, now it's up to Hayden as to whether he takes it. But by rights he should be out.

I like this crumbling pitch...my money's safe, I doubt a draw will happen now. ;)

Really depends on what sort of target Australia want to set. On a pitch like this, and with South Africa a batsman down, anything over 200 is really going to be a stern test. Australia can probably feel confident in declaring with a lead of about 350 especially without Smith there. Even if South Africa can somehow find a way to skittle Australia for 150 or less and get themselves a target of about 250, it won't be a cakewalk.