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South Africa and Australia yet to be separated
By Mark Tilley last year, at the end of March, 72 Comments »
If Australia’s series win in South Africa has taught us anything, its that they are not, repeat not, to be underestimated, especially by the English, ahead of this summers Ashes clash. Their mini resurgence has seen new players step manfully into the breach and come out victorious. Phillip Hughes, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle, Marcus North, etc; men who have been drafted in when the team was in a period of crisis and who have partially lifted their side out of the doldrums.
South Africa’s innings victory over the Aussies in Cape Town has levelled their six match rivalry spread across two tours at 3-3. If we were looking for any indication as to who is the best Test nation in the world, then it looks like we’re going to be kept guessing, at least for a little while longer. The manner of South Africa’s victory today suggests that the momentum is with the Proteas and it was the first defeat by an innings suffered by Australia since India crushed them in way back in 1998.
One could also argue that Australia’s defeat in India last year is further proof that they are in no shape to brand themselves the number one side. They are a team in more in transition than Martin Johnson‘s perennially developing England rugby side. Siddle and Hilfenhaus have done the jobs asked of them by Ricky Ponting and they have done them well but the imposing figures and reputations of Brett Lee and Stuart Clark must be looming large over them and predicting Australia’s line-up for the first Ashes Test in Cardiff in July is nigh on impossible.
South Africa, for their part, are also not 100% certain on a definitive starting team. Opener Neil McKenzie was dropped for the last Test, making way for debutant Imraan Khan. Khan didn’t have too memorable a debut but makeshift opener Ashwell Prince certainly did, ruthlessly blasting the small matter of 150 runs. Paceman Morne Morkel was also not called upon; brother Albie Morkel was drafted in instead, taking one wicket and scoring a helpful fifty in support of AB de Villiers. South Africa are not in crisis, not by a long stretch, but the series loss was unexpected in the wake of their heroics down under and they certainly have some improving to do before they can once more lay claim to being the top of the pile.
Three Test match victories each is a perfectly fair reflection of the two sides’ efforts against each other in both series. Australia looked dead and buried after defeats in Perth and Melbourne but have fought back in the manner of a wounded champion. The pretenders of South Africa were shocked by the resurrection from the Australians in the first two tests but their victory today has at least reminded doubting observers of their quality and potential.
By the by, how well is Mitchell Johnson playing at the moment? More wickets than he can possibly count and now a maiden Test hundred. The boy gets better and better with every passing game and he looks set to play an impossibly crucial role in the Ashes.
72 Comments »Just a few more moments
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-March, 2 Comments »
One moment towards the end of the second day of the South Africa vs Australia that raised a chuckle. Jacques Kallis, on 99 not out, tried to work a ball into the on side for a single to take him to a deserved hundred. He inside edged the ball onto his pads, watched it run away safely and then scampered through for the run and raised his bat to the adoring crowd.
The fans applauded and batting partner AB de Villiers warmly congratulated the elder statesmen. However, the general feel-good atmosphere was suddenly ruined when umpire Asad Rauf abruptly signalled the run as a leg-bye! It shocked pretty much everyone watching and even Sky Sports had to stop their flashy, ‘Kallis-hundred’ graphic. It all seemed like a bit of a joke but it got even funnier seconds later.
Rauf then checked with the third umpire, who informed him that it should have, in fact been given as a Kallis run. Rauf then reversed the decision yet again and Kallis, having had to sheepishly put his helmet back on, was finally through to his first Test hundred in almost a year.
Ricky Ponting was moved to question the decision briefly with the umpire, wondering why the third umpire was consulted on a matter as trivial as the difference between a run and a leg bye. Still, it must have brought a wry smile to some of the Australians in a day that saw their bowlers get marmalised all over the park by a rampant South African batting line-up.
I wonder if even Bryce McGain was moved to have a little giggle, having spent the day seeing his first 11 overs in Test cricket disappear for 106 runs?
2 Comments »ICC innovations structure isn’t very appealing
By Scott 4 years ago, at the start of May, 6 Comments »
It has been reported in today’s paper that the ICC are considering a trial where players can appeal against the umpires decision. They are talking about using the Champions Trophy as a test bed for the idea. I noted the other day that the players don’t take the Champions Trophy very seriously, and it appears that the ICC does not either.
The ICC cricket committee, chaired by Indian great Sunil Gavaskar and including former Australian captain Allan Border, will debate whether players should be allowed to appeal against a certain number of decisions per innings if they feel they have been wronged by umpires.
An appeals system has been used in the National Football League for years, and the ICC denied such a process in cricket could undermine the authority of the standing umpires.
“What we are looking to do is increase the already high numbers of correct decisions made by our on-field umpires without diminishing their role and this approach has the potential to do just that,” said Dave Richardson, ICC’s general manager of cricket.
Presumably, a captain could appeal, say, two contentious decisions per innings and ask that they be referred to the third umpire. The standard of international umpiring has been a big issue recently.
The standard of international umpiring is in fact fine, if you ask me. Australia toured South Africa and Bangladesh and played 5 tests and 8 odi games and I don’t remember a single contentious decision.
While I am a crusty old curmudgeon, I do not in fact have a problem with new ideas in cricket. However, I do have notions about the proper place to test new ideas, and the ICC Champions Trophy, whatever its merits, or otherwise, is not in fact one of those places. If the ICC had asked a member country to test its ’supersub’ rule in a domestic competition, the flaws in the idea, which were manifest at the time anyway, could have been demonstrated in a slightly less public manner.
6 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 3rd Test, Johannesburg, 4th day
By Will 4 years ago, at the start of April, 11 Comments »
Fourth day from Jo’burg. Chat away for those with Sky…
11 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Durban, 5th day
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of March, 11 Comments »
Final day. South Africa’s backs against the wall. Equally, the weather might play a part – and the pitch, too (it’s 22.40 the night before…rumours there’s a dispute with the pitch which was repaired yesterday when it shouldn’t have been. So it’s being unrepaired!)
11 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Durban, 4th day
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of March, 2 Comments »
I really need to plan this better, but because I post these things in advance (it’s Friday and I’m about to go out), I have nothing to add. I do like beer though, and have just had some rather nice cheddar. Rock on, cricket fans.
(it’s now Sunday night – Australia in command. Can SA pull it back? Can they b*******)
2 Comments »South Africa vs Australia again
By Scott 4 years ago, at the end of March, 3 Comments »
Brett Lee has just sliced through the South African lower order to engineer a collapse. South Africa lost 5 for 12, to be all out for 267. Australia’s lead is over 100, and it is GAME ON as far as Ponting’s boys are concerned.
There’s nothing in cricket quite like a rampant Australian fast bowler tearing through the opposition. Except, perhaps, a rampant Australian leg-spinner tearing through the opposition! The stoush between Nel and Lee was exciting as it was brief. Top stuff!
3 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Durban, 3rd day
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of March, 6 Comments »
3rd day at Durban. Rock on like the rockers you are.
6 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Durban, 2nd day
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of March, 2 Comments »
Second day at Durban. Rock on.
2 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Durban, 1st day
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of March, 7 Comments »
29 hundreds for Ricky Ponting. Sachin’s record is under serious threat; the bloke’s an utter run machine (and not in the criminally-dull Kallis-mode – he’s great to watch, too). Even stevens…perhaps Australia just about edge the first day.
7 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Cape Town, Day Three
By Will 4 years ago, mid-March, 30 Comments »
Day three of the first Test between South Africa and Australia at Cape Town
Chat away. (posted in advance, hence lack of any interesting words here)
30 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Cape Town, Day Two
By Will 4 years ago, mid-March, 12 Comments »
Day two of the first Test between South Africa and Australia at Cape Town
Chat away. (posted in advance, hence lack of any interesting words here)
12 Comments »South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Cape Town, Day One
By Will 4 years ago, mid-March, 21 Comments »
I’m posting these templates in advance. After the dramatic events in the recent one-day series, this Test series could either be a humdinger or a damp squib. And that, ladies and gentlemen, might well be the most useless sentence I’ve written on this blog.
Chat away
21 Comments »Video of South Africa’s chase to beat Australia
By Will 4 years ago, mid-March, 19 Comments »
It’s available here. 435 to win a one-dayer…the mind continues to boggle.
19 Comments »New poll: was it the greatest one-dayer?
By Will 4 years ago, mid-March, 6 Comments »
Was South Africa’s win over Australia the greatest? Submit your vote. I’ve still to fully absorb the events, but I hear Barry Richards has made some interesting comments about it, which I’ll dig up soon
6 Comments » « Previous Entries