2009 AUS tour to SA - Tests, T20s and ODIs

[stefan9]

That's a piss-poor batting average Albie has.

That's an odi average coming in at the slogg overs. 24 is good for where he bats in the one day team.

His first class average is 42 with a highest of 201 not out. His bowling averages is 29.

 

[charles's birthday card]

That's an odi average coming in at the slogg overs. 24 is good for where he bats in the one day team.

His first class average is 42 with a highest of 201 not out. His bowling averages is 29.

Fair enough.

I would have thought they would go with an out-and-out bowler as a replacement, but I suppose it's moot as he'll just be carrying drinks.

 

[Morgoth]

I think kallis being injured on the 2nd day made a huge difference , but none the less well played to the Aussies,

 

[stefan9]

Fair enough.

I would have thought they would go with an out-and-out bowler as a replacement, but I suppose it's moot as he'll just be carrying drinks.

They would have with tsotsobe had he been fit. With him injured and langeveld not willing to play for SA anymore and the other candidates not ready for international cricket especially test cricket against aus it mean morkel was the best choice. He might play at Durban if its a green seamer in place of harris like polly vs the windies last year.

 

[charles's birthday card]

How do you feel about Prince's omission, Stefan?

 

[killadoob]

What about the 2 morkel's again?

 

[charles's birthday card]

What?

 

[stefan9]

How do you feel about Prince's omission, Stefan?

It was the right call at the time. JP was in too good form to be dropped and I am not in favor of moving batting orders in test cricket. Neil Mac also had a great year. Unlucky for prince but that's the way things ago.

 

[Morgoth]

I don't think there is much we can change about the current team, we need to prepare better, take Mitchel Johnson new reverse swing ball for example. no batsman expected it, many other similar small things we need to work on.

 

[charles's birthday card]

It was the right call at the time. JP was in too good form to be dropped and I am not in favor of moving batting orders in test cricket. Neil Mac also had a great year. Unlucky for prince but that's the way things ago.

Agree with you regarding moving batting orders. Though I still think Prince needs to be accomodated - he's solid and was arguably our best batsman last year, though several did shine in 08.

 

[feo]

Agree with you regarding moving batting orders. Though I still think Prince needs to be accomodated - he's solid and was arguably our best batsman last year, though several did shine in 08.

Prince in place of?

Definitely not replacing Smith, Kallis, Amla, JP, Bouch or McKenzie.

 

[charles's birthday card]

Prince in place of?

Definitely not replacing Smith, Kallis, Amla, JP, Bouch or McKenzie.

de Villiers at 7, Prince at 5, Boucher a warm hug and golden handshake.

 

[Morgoth]

Prince in place of?

Definitely not replacing Smith, Kallis, Amla, JP, Bouch or McKenzie.

Harris and teach duminiy to bowl more !

 

[killadoob]

Lets not have a go at duminy as he has been nothing but amazing for us.

Duminy is not a bowler by nature the other guys should take it upon themselves to bowl better lines, i mean when the commentators can see we are bowling too short and we continue to do so it makes me wonder why our captain or coach cannot see what the commemorators are seeing.

 

[charles's birthday card]

No one's having a go at Duminy. We did bowl poorly though.

 

[killadoob]

Yea we did without doubt, but to think that duminy is the answer when our main okes are bowling poor is crazy . Also losing kallis the first innings did not help us to much. We should also get a line to the commentators box so smith can hear them going on about how we should be bowling fuller

 

[stefan9]

Lets not have a go at duminy as he has been nothing but amazing for us.

Duminy is not a bowler by nature the other guys should take it upon themselves to bowl better lines, i mean when the commentators can see we are bowling too short and we continue to do so it makes me wonder why our captain or coach cannot see what the commemorators are seeing.

Maybe they did. They probably told the bowlers they are bowling the wrong lengths but the guys just didn't get it right. Graeme and mickey can't go and bowl for them.

'We weren't precise enough with the ball' - Smith
Brydon Coverdale at the Wanderers
March 2, 2009

Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle were Australia's main bowling weapons © Getty Images

It's no real surprise that fast bowling emerged as the key difference between Australia and South Africa at the Wanderers, where discipline is required to make the most of the seam- and swing-friendly conditions. But what few expected was that South Africa's imposing attack of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel would be outshone by Australia's unheralded group of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus.

South Africa's trio had played a combined 144 Tests compared to the 22 matches that Australia's fast men had under their belts. However, South Africa's bowlers consistently dropped the ball too short while Australia's men stuck to the team plan of sending down fuller, swinging balls and Graeme Smith was in no doubt that it was the major reason his side failed.

"We never were precise enough with the ball throughout the match even though yesterday we bowled Australia out for a pretty low total," Smith said following South Africa's 162-run defeat. "At the Wanderers there's a really good contest between bat and ball. You need to be precise with your lines and lengths.

"They achieved better areas than us with the ball, putting our batters under more pressure than we put theirs under. That was the difference at the end of the day. For the first time in a long time we haven't achieved the results with the ball that we have over the last period of time. Our bowling attack has the ability, there's no doubt about that, and we've just got to improve those levels in Durban."

Australia's youthful bowling unit was led by Johnson, who was the Man of the Match for his eight wickets and unbeaten 96 in the first innings. The exhausted Johnson said by the time the fifth morning rolled around he was feeling "flat", which was a worrying sign as Australia needed another eight wickets to claim victory.

It was Siddle and the medium-pacer Andrew McDonald who made the early breakthroughs and Hilfenhaus applied impressive pressure. Johnson finished the task by grabbing two wickets in the final ten overs and he said there was a positive feeling in the enthusiastic young group.

"Before this tour, the last Test in Sydney it was starting to click," he said. "We had a lot of young players in the side then. Coming over here, the boys are a very tight-knit group. Sidds and myself get on very well and are always talking. Hilfy playing his first Test bowled extremely well. I'm very excited about the group that we've got at the moment and just looking forward to the future."

The immediate future means Friday at Kingsmead. South Africa have three days to regroup but 1-0 down is not an unfamiliar position for them. Last summer against West Indies, South Africa lost the first Test at Port Elizabeth before coming back to take the series 2-1 and the previous season against India they also returned from one-down to win the three-game series.

"It's probably a bad habit to be getting into," Smith said. "We probably haven't always started at our best in South Africa. It's an unfortunate thing and it's tough to put our finger on why it happens. We know what we are capable of and if we play to that level we can win the Durban Test match.

"We also know Ricky [Ponting] is not going to give it to us on a platter. We are going to have to earn it. The confidence is still there, the confidence of knowing we can match Australia and we've just got to go out there and perform better than them and put it into play in the middle."

South Africa have the option of altering their attack with the inclusion of Albie Morkel in the squad to replace the injured Lonwabo Tsotsobe. However, it's unlikely they will tinker with the group that performed so strongly in Australia.

Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

 

[AirWolf]

Albie has been added to the squad.

Australia in South Africa 2008-09
Morkel to replace Tsotsobe for remaining Tests
Cricinfo staff
March 2, 2009

Will Albie Morkel finally get his chance in the longer version? © AFP

South African allrounder Albie Morkel will replace fast bowler Lonwabo Tsotobe in the squad for the remaining two Test matches against Australia. Tsotsobe, who has injured his right knee, will undergo surgery at the end of the week.

"Our medical team has established that Lonwabo Tsotsobe has suffered a torn cartilage injury to his right knee," Mike Procter, the South African convener of selectors, said. "The medical committee feels that he should have surgery as soon as possible and this will take place towards the end of this week. We certainly could not risk him in a Test match."

Morkel, 27, has played 35 ODIs for South Africa, scoring 432 runs at 24.00 as well as picking up 41 wickets at 30.53, but is yet to feature in a Test match.

It was Morkel's five-wicket haul on Monday in a Supersport Series match against the Dolphins that had earned him the call-up. "Albie showed good form for the Titans at the weekend and is an experienced international cricketer," Procter said. "He gives us an extra seam bowling option if we want to follow that route."

Morkel gets his chance ahead of Monde Zondeki, who was part of the Test squad which toured Australia recently. "Monde Zondeki, who was in our Test squad in Australia, has also undergone surgery and both players [Tsotsobe and Zondeki] will need about three months off to complete the rehabilitation process," Procter said.

The second Test begins on Friday in Durban, and the third will be played in Cape Town from February 19.

© Cricinfo

Someone's invented a time machine?

Back on topic:
I agree with killa; our batting was pathetic today. Just think about it - we had 98overs to get 280 runs with 8 wickets in hand - not a mammoth task at all:

• We got 438 in 50 overs.
• IIRC, the highest score in last year's IPL was 240 from 20 overs.

Yeah, yeah, I know those are different formats but coming out with a blinkered mindset will never ever win you the game.

 

[feo]

de Villiers at 7, Prince at 5, Boucher a warm hug and golden handshake.

Don't quite agree with you here. Bouch has keeping duties and replacing him with a specialist batsman? Dunno bout that..

Harris and teach duminiy to bowl more !

Well, Harris had a brilliant spell in the Aus 2nd innings and really seems to be working on his action. I'd keep him.

Basically, I'd let Prince sit out the next test and keep the team unchanged. One loss and we shouldn't be shuffling a (more often than not) winning formula around.

 

[charles's birthday card]

Don't quite agree with you here. Bouch has keeping duties and replacing him with a specialist batsman? Dunno bout that..

Yeah, it's a tricky call. I just like the idea of 7 batsmen. But you're right, you need a specialist keeper.