Good test for both batting line ups here, one would think on paper, Aust has more runs in their line up, though SA bowling attack looks to have more X factor to theirs. Rabada is a class act, always a handful for Aust, Jansen is a bean pole leftie, who Aust batsmen will be facing for the fist time. Norjtie is very quick from all accounts, whilst Ngidi big n strong.
Aust looks like having Cummins back, Starc has looked dangerous, but due for a rotation sooner then later…would love to see Morris play, won’t happen, who out of Boland or Neser plays?..could do with Neser perhaps due to his batting and being a local lad. Reckon Green will show his class in this series, no way Aust will be 4/400 when Green comes in, or chasing quick runs…the fella will step up and hopefully score that maiden test ton…just needs to believe in himself…quality players always rise v quality opponents…reckon Green will show his test quality ilk.
Aust to win 2/1…with all games getting a result due to inconsistent batting line ups and consistent bowling attacks.
So Boland has been announced as the 3rd seamer assuming that Cummins is back, so Neser drops out.
Don’t get me wrong, Boland thoroughly deserves to play this game but was there any necessity to make this public announcement 4 days out from the game, giving South Africa time to prepare and also not seeing the final pitch and conditions?. I thought it would be better to keep the opposition guessing, particularly with someone like Lance Morris in the squad. If Morris was ever going to be given a spot it would be on a fast bouncy Gabba track where he terrorised the Queensland batsmen a few weeks ago
The SA batting outside of their skipper Elgar and to a lesser extent Bavuma (is Markham out here as well?) are a bit of an unknown especially in Australian conditions.
Their 4 prong pace attack of Rabada, Nortje, Jansen & Ngidi is exciting and will be suited to the Gabba you would think.
The question for their selectors is do they play one of their spinners in Maharaj or Harmer for a bit of variety as well or do they strengthen their batting line up with an extra batsman?
Their wicketkeeper Verreyne is pretty capable with the bat coming in at either 6 or 7.
What an amazing first day at the Gabba. 15 wickets for 297. The pitch was not easy for batting and I don’t know if it will settle down over the next few days. If Head and Co can somehow eke out a lead of around 100, that will put South Africa under a heap of scoreboard pressure in their second innings. From South Africas point of view, they will be looking at bowling Australia out for 200 or less. Great to see some competitive test cricket after the lop sided West Indies series.
2 day test match, good to see the bowlers get a look in for a change…who knows it may be short lived with a MCG road after Xmas. Head’s innings of 92 obviously got Aust to a match winning lead…good spread of wickets between the Aussie attack…another 40-50 to chase and SA could of easily won…rather see a 2 day test then a 5 day 1000 run road for fudge all wickets…
I agree Freeze and i read all the articles about how bad the Gabba wicket was. FFS batters have it easy enough and now they cry when there is a wicket they have to work on to score runs, what would they do in the days when wickets were uncovered
Agree it’s become a bit of a batters game these days, happy that we won, but really, this Brisbane pitch was a disgrace, as much of a disgrace as a pitch that resembles the Kwinana freeway and produces huge scores with few wickets. neither type of pitch should be tolerated, the Brisbane curator should be sacked. Barely 2 days of cricket, but at least Brisbane got it’s test on a weekend unlike Perth that had to start on a bloody Wednedsay, just mind boggling, and they wonder why Perth had such a low attendance. One might be forgiven for thinking there’s some sort of conspirisy afoot by the governing body, Cricket East Australia.
You would think so SS was some of the bulldust that comes out of CEA.
First they tell us we couldnt have the 1st Ashes Test in Perth last year which would have made sense as the players could have got the isolation all done and out the way before heading to the east coast for the final 4 Tests but no CEA says that Brisbane must always have the 1st Test which was bulldust anyway as Perth had held 2 of the previous 4 summers 1st Test of the series.
Then they give us the 1st Test this year against a WI side that would struggle in Premier League Cricket let alone Sheffield Shield starting on a Wednesday in November and wonder why we dont show up???
Go figure!!!
And they also give Adelaide & Sydney the Semi Finals of the World Cups here despite Perth Stadium capacity being larger than both.
Could all be conspiracy theories against the West though!!!
At the end of the day both sides had to bat and bowl on that same pitch twice in 2 days, but gee how poor are some of the batsmens techniques these days?
Whilst there is some rhetoric around SA’s poor batting I must say ours didnt fare that much better with us scoring 253 runs for the loss of 14 wickets.
Yes there was the odd unplayable ball (Nortje to Smith & Starc to Van Der Dussen spring to mind but certainly not the worst I have seen, in some English grounds the ball days way more than that we saw at Brisbane over the weekend.
Once again Warner failed miserably, he should retire but no doubt will want to finish up in the 3rd and last in his home town Sydney, as the next Test in Melbourne is his 100th Test as well.
If Warner were a West Aussie he would have been already been dropped, anyone else remember how Aussie v/c Geoff Marsh was unceremoniously dumped before the 5th & last Test at the WACA too for the 1991/92 Series against India?
The miserable selectors wouldnt allow him the last Test at home to finish his career at!
BH, Marsh averaged 33 as an opener, played 50 tests for only 4 100’s…think Marsh got a few more opportunities then he actually deserved TBH mate…so not sure Marsh has a leg to stand on, about not getting a home finale…not a Warner fan, but with 24 tons and average of 45, think Warner, will go down statistically as one of Aust best openers…hopefully he pulls the plug sooner rather then later though.
[quote=“Freezin post=224271 userid=945”]BH, Marsh averaged 33 as an opener, played 50 tests for only 4 100’s…think Marsh got a few more opportunities then he actually deserved TBH mate…so not sure Marsh has a leg to stand on, about not getting a home finale…not a Warner fan, but with 24 tons and average of 45, think Warner, will go down statistically as one of Aust best openers…hopefully he pulls the plug sooner rather then later though.
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I am fully aware of their respective stats Freeze but when was the last time Warner scored a decent amount of runs against a quality attack?
It would be over 12 months ago now I would have thought and he has played on some absolute roads in that time too!
I stand to be corrected but I think Warners last ten tests have produced an average in the mid 20s, certainly hasn’t scored a century for a few years. My feeling is that he may pull the pin on his test career this summer and focus on white ball cricket.
As for the two day test, it was great to watch but all over a little too quickly. Only Head and Verreyne played in a counter attacking manner which was the best way to survive on the pitch. It was far too spicy a track for a test match. There must be a middle ground somewhere between the roads and a pitch where the batsman never feels like they are ‘in’
Ideally It should have something for the pace bowlers on day 1, settle down into a good batting wicket on days 2 and 3 before it starts to take spin on days 4 and 5.
Hopefully the MCG will be a wicket which provides an even contest between bat and ball
BH agree, Warner has been mediocre the last 12 months…yet his average sits at 45 and he hasnt scored a 100 for how long?..yet has 24 of them…Marsh’s batting must of fell of one huge cliff to end up with an average of 33 then…thus the reason why he probably didn’t get that WACA finale…Warner unfortunately has more credits in the bank then Swampy, thus he will get his SCG finale.
Freeze Geoff Marsh was replaced by 30yo VIC opener Wayne N Phillips (not Wayne B Phillips the SA left hand bat and part time keeper) who played 1 Test and failed dismally much like his first class career.
Warner should be replaced by either 26yo Matt Renshaw who has shown a bit previously as a younger Test opener and or 25yo Henry Hunt who looks a solid young opener. Bancroft is another who has solid first class form with Test experience although he is now 30yo himself.
Yep Renshaw, Hunt, Ward, Bancroft and Whiteman all in the running… obviously Pucovski would be there…if fit…with Wyllie stepping in hopefully in 5 years time with Kellaway from Victoria.
[quote=“premiership hangover post=224300 userid=1206”]Travis Head will open the batting in India if Warner retires
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Thats an interesting one PH. He may be better value opening in India. If they leave him at number 5 he will be exposed more to the spinning ball which he seems to have a weakness with,given his previous record in the sub continent
