Australia v South Africa, 3rd Test Perth

First topic message reminder :

Australia:
David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke*, Michael Hussey,
Matthew Wade†, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon

South Africa:
Graeme Smith*, Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers†, Dean Elgar,
Faf du Plessis, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel

Ricky's last Test.

Should be a cracker with those bowling line-ups and both teams able to score runs.

Suppose one day someone will run down something like 500 to win a Test , msp
, but 630 ?

I don't think they have any chance of getting near it. Pitch will remain OK , but no matter what partnerships develop , the bowlers will still know it just takes a couple of good balls , so we won't see the resignation that usually overtakes any team which is kept in the field for a long time ...and that is even if the Aussies get a good start or a huge stand...just as likely they'll lose a couple tonight and fold up.

If they get through safely tonight , I reckon they'll make SA really work . But I am not certain we'll see a fifth day.

Interesting that Steyn and Philander regularly open against the two left handers. In England Morkel used to start ...must have been just a Strauss thing.

Think we'll see Morkel pretty soon if they don't get a break.

Philander was sure he had one then ...but no edge. Good bowling though.

Philander has produced some absolutely unplayable ones to Cowan, but the Australian opener has survived. the bowlers were in business mostly with the new ball, after that they just existed for batsmen to make merry. On the first day and half, there was some life in the track, since then it has been rather relaxing for the batsmen. Will that be the case in the 4th innings as well?

Good call alfie Morkel on.

Oh, Morne Morkel is down on the ground, seemed like some serious damage there, but he's back up and yes he's continuing.

Warner is going along at a run a ball, he's pretty much on the chase. Cowan's stay hasn't been very comfortable though, but the importnat thing is that he's still there.

So - the openers survive . Well done Warner and Cowan

Two days more at 300 per day...

Reckon lunch day five approximately now.

Too high a mountain to climb for Australia. I hope I'm wrong though.
I reckon they'll fall a couple hundred short - all out.

Can't see Australia getting that close to a score of over 600 - but scoring big in the fourth innings is no longer quite such an impossibility so they might possibly get over 400.

The stage is set for Ricky Ponting to make a double-hundred...

Duty281 wrote:The stage is set for Ricky Ponting to make a double-hundred...

If he scores a double century to win the match I think he will be fast tracked into our v2 Hall of Fame within about 48 hours of his retirement!

Really happy that FAF du Plessis have started his international career well.

That sorts our batting lin up out with Rudolph being dropped AGAIN.

So looking at our specialist batsmen.

Smith
Peterson
Amla
Kallis
De Villiers
Du Plessis
Duminy
Steyn
Philander
Morkel
Last place to be decided (seam bowler)

Almost there.

I'd suggest you need a proper spinner - with those three and Kallis a fifth seamer should be surplus to requirements. In the absence of anyone stunningly good, Peterson can do the job for now - I'm sure he's capable of doing the job Lyon is for Australia.

Linebreaker wrote:Too high a mountain to climb for Australia. I hope I'm wrong though.
I reckon they'll fall a couple hundred short - all out.

Just a Couple of hundreds , not really, they will fall well short.

Saffas made a fun out of Kangaroos in the 3rd test with the thunderous batting display, they scored at 5 and above run-rate thats ridiculous.

Shelsey93 wrote:I'd suggest you need a proper spinner - with those three and Kallis a fifth seamer should be surplus to requirements. In the absence of anyone stunningly good, Peterson can do the job for now - I'm sure he's capable of doing the job Lyon is for Australia.

well truth be told we don't have any real spinners, Peterson does come of once un a while, but I don't have confidence in him being a regular, he will be worked out.

Biltong has Paul Harris retired? Certainly he's not young, but he was good enough to hold up an end. An all 4 seam attack with Kallis as the all-rounder may not be the best way to go about even on seam friendly tracks. A spinner is needed, Petersen can also bat a bit. So in my view he has to play, at least for now. Kleinweldt isn't quite test class from what I have seen of him in the first 2 tests.

Msp, I think Harris is too old now, he has fallen out of facor it seems anyway.

I personally think we must face the fact that we don't have quality spinners, Our lack of depth on this tour in the seem department showed when Kallis and Philander got injured.

Besides as some of the SA commentators and studio guests intimated, we might not see much more of Kallis bowling in the future.

I think Marcelle de Lange and Tsotsobe must be given some opportunties at test level.

so Elgar, 2 innings 2 ducks...

I would like to see Quinton Du Kock, invovled in future squads..

Biltong wrote:Msp, I think Harris is too old now, he has fallen out of facor it seems anyway.

I personally think we must face the fact that we don't have quality spinners, Our lack of depth on this tour in the seem department showed when Kallis and Philander got injured.

Besides as some of the SA commentators and studio guests intimated, we might not see much more of Kallis bowling in the future.

I think Marcelle de Lange and Tsotsobe must be given some opportunties at test level.

When Marchant de Lange is fit, he's the 4th inline after Steyn, Philander and Morne BB.

I like Robbie Peterson as the spinner. He does what we need. Holds up an end so the fast men can attack in bursts.

The holding spinner has all ways worked for us, so I don't see the next for an attacking spinner.

I don't Tsotsobe is Test standard if I'm honest. Bowling 125-130 kph isn't gonna get the job done.

Gerry you may be correct about Tsotsobe, but does Robbie Peterson really hold up an end though?

True he got 3 wickets in the last innings, but his bowling is innocuous and was it not for some seriously rash shots he wouldn't have made much inroads.

Let's hope marcelle recovers and is less injury prone.

Just seen the massive run chase the Aussies have to get to win

Surely thats not possible?

I don't think it is impossible though.

They will obviously have to bat well, but they have dangerous batsmen and considering the start Warner had, he might just collect a run a ball century, then Clarke and Hussey get three hundred between them and it is on.

They only need about 3 runs an over, we'll have to be very disciplined.

Just too many runs, i really cant see it. It would be a hell of an effort though

2 days left, all 3 results still possible!

Of course all is still possible but i just think that SA has too many runs.

Biltong wrote:Gerry you may be correct about Tsotsobe, but does Robbie Peterson really hold up an end though?

True he got 3 wickets in the last innings, but his bowling is innocuous and was it not for some seriously rash shots he wouldn't have made much inroads.

Let's hope marcelle recovers and is less injury prone.

I would say Robbie showed good cricketing brain during his bowling spell.

His first 4 overs went for 29. Then he came back well. He showed the courage to keep flighting the ball. If it was Tahir he would bowled fast long hops. And we have to remember the pitch isn't really spinner friendly, so it was a top effort from Robbie.

de Lange could be back for the Pakistan series in February. On flatter pitches, his hostility is vital. So fingers crossed his recovery is successful.

pitch has no gremlins though, looks good to bat on..

im not saying AUS will chase it, but i am saying, this isnt a foregone conclusion.

There's only 1 realistic result in this match.

A Proteas victory. 638 is an impossible run chase.

Australia's batting is pretty ordinary excluding purple patch Clarke and 2nd wind Hussey.

If expect Australia to get no more than 350.

It would be brilliant if the Aussies did chase it but i really cant see it happening.

No it won't br brilliant.

Aah sure now, even you would admire it Biltong

We have lost enough tests to Australia over the last 20 years, so no admiration from my side billy.

Although I did admire our batting onslaught.

South Africa have just plundered 569 on this track, Australia need 592 more in 2 full days. This is the same Australia that hit 550 in the last Test. Therefore, Australia have around a 10-15% chance of doing this, but they need Warner, Clarke, Hussey and Ponting to score big.

I don't see Australia getting anywhere near.

Its true that Perth is a strange ground - on the first couple of days the batsmen get caught out by the unusual amount of carry and the bowlers get it to move around quite a lot before it normalises into a good batting track from Day 3.

However, the SA bowling attack has more than enough quality to ensure that this will be over or near enough by the end of tomorrow in my view.

Duty281 this is also the same Australia that were dismissed for 163 in their first innings.

They may take it into a fifth day at a push but winning it? Chances between Slim and nil plus Slim has just left the building.

That's why I've only given them a 1 in 10 chance of doing it. Because it's incredibly slim that they will.

Australia have lost three wickets for 110. South africa's session but Punter's moment.

He leaves rhe crease only a few minutes prior to lunch. Ponting has played his last innings, what a player.

A bit sad... if only...

Well done SA... and congratulations to Biltong, Gerry and any other SA fans lurking around.

Not long to go now. 204/7 and 428 behind.
Seems I was a couple more hundred out in my prediction above.

Mighty effort to win the series (shortly) and stay No.1.

Linebreaker wrote:A bit sad... if only...

Well done SA... and congratulations to Biltong, Gerry and any other SA fans lurking around.

Not long to go now. 204/7 and 428 behind.
Seems I was a couple more hundred out in my prediction above.

Mighty effort to win the series (shortly) and stay No.1.

Thanks LB!

Gotta say I was a little nervous overnight, I thought it was impossible to chase 638, but these days nothing's certain!

Nice to see Robbie in the wickets again in the 2nd dig!

It will do them a world of confidence mate. They all chipped in - in the end.

One thing is for sure - the Proteas have shown a ginormous amount of ticker through all the adversity. It was a positive way to wrap it up and they must be looking forward to the next series knowing they'll have all their 1st choice players back and confident of the abilities of those who had to step up and fill the injury positions in this series.

Also to those players struggling with injury/tiredness now - (it won't feel so bad now!), to have rested and recovered for the next challenge knowing they have a great group of players who can perform at the highest level.

LB the fights back on!

Mitchell Starc batting like Adam Gilchrist!

Still 312 is a bit steep!

Yes! Another quality all rounder performance by the Proteas! Still undefeated in Tests in 2012!

The unbeaten away record lives on!

South Africa become the first team to win consecutive Test series in Australia since the fabulous West Indies sides in 1988-89 and 1992-93.

At the start of this year we had a thread about who will be number one at the end of it, I said at the time for SA it would be an almighty challenge considering they played England and Australia away thus year with no home series in that time.

For us to win two more test series away this year and now being unbeaten on the road since 2007 is an incredible feat.

What made this such an impressive seires was the fact that we had injuries that caused us to play with ten men in the first test, the second test we didn't have philander and this test kallis couldn't bowl, it caused the australians to literally bat the toffee out of us in the second test.

My man of the series would in fact be faf du Plessis, was it not for his 370 ball century in the second test we would not have won this series, add to that his tenacious innings on the first day we would have had a deficit going into our second innings.

I am rather impressed and very happy.

Since 2007 we now have won 8 away series and drawn 3.

SA seem to have found some steel recently. They were outplayed for large patches in this series, but somehow clung on, and then when they had a sniff they went in for the kill with (for SA) uncharacteristic ruthlessness.

Similarly in England, when at times it looked like England might pull off the run-chase in the final test.

Kirsten doing a good job I think. Could South Africa at last rid themselves of that chokers tag?

For Australia, well, with hindsight Hastings...? They competed well, but ultimately their batting was too brittle. They desperately need to find some consistency at the top of the order. However, they can consider themselves a bit unfortunate: the weather maybe cost them victory in the first test, and Pattinson's injury undoubtedly in the 2nd (in fairness SA have had their injury problems too). Worryingly though, because a few years ago (going back to the previous SA series) they had a similar patch where they got into good positions only to lose or draw; recently it seemed they'd turned that corner around. Is this just a minor blip, or will it prove more lasting?

Won't argue with any of that , Biltong.

Plenty of character as well as ability shown in this series. Guts saved Adelaide , and class then took this game.

They've earned Top Spot.

Gerry SA wrote:LB the fights back on!

Mitchell Starc batting like Adam Gilchrist!

Still 312 is a bit steep!

I think the Don & Arthur Morris put on 403 runs in just under a day but that would be hope beyond hope surely?

Australia have the basis of a good team (and, whatever some England fans think, they've never cesaed to be at least a decent side, particularly in the bowling department). But I think they need to have a good think about what their first choice XI is. Looking back to the best teams, and even to some extent at SA today, selection takes care of itself. With this Australian side it tends not to.

Cowan and Warner scored tons in this series and so they obviously must keep their places. The issues is then how to balance the middle order. Given that there are still some question marks over Cowan and Warner, I think they need a strong three. Even in spite of concerns about his bowling workload, I think that that should be Shane Watson. I'd move Clarke and Hussey to 4 and 5, to avoid the possibility of the best two players batting 5 and 6, and then slot in Usman Khawaja for another go at 6. His form has been good of late, he did a few good things in his first run, and frankly there is a paucity of other options.

I like Brad Haddin, but after his first innings knock Matt Wade will keep the gloves. As a spinner, Nathan Lyon continues to be solid but unspectacular, but again, a paucity of options means he keeps his place (I don't think they should ever have dumped Hauritz, but its too late to reverse that one now).

In the pace department things become a little tricky. Pattinson has been a star (but can he stay on the park?), Hilfenhaus was exceptional last year (and is a good bet for England), and Siddle is a real tryer. Personally I liked the Hilfenhaus/ Pattinson/ Siddle combination in the absence of Harris (who I think is an exceptional bowler, but may now have missed the chance of displaying his talents regularly on the world stage). Both Mitchells showed enough at Perth to not be forgotten about, although Hastings really isn't a Test bowler.

Aussies like to talk about a squad system, rather than a team, but as I say, I prefer to know my XI. So I'm going Hilfenhaus, Siddle, Pattinson with Starc first reserve and Mitchell J second reverse (assuming injuries to Harris and Cummins)

Seems reasonable , Shelsey. Although right now Pattinson is a non starter so your "first reserve" , Starc plays. Definitely Siddle , not so sure about Hilfenhaus. Another one who might be considered is Bird , who has form in his favour at present.
Batting is the issue though. Three down for very few too often lately. Khawaja is in the mix , though a lot of people here like Hughes for a recall.

I suspect it will take a while to get a settled lineup again , especially as Hussey can't have too much left on the clock.

Well done South Africa. I wonder if their home form will now improve, home series against New Zealand and Pakistan coming up.

SA have a greater chance of holding on to that top ranking for longer than the other recent toppers managed. Having seen their rather flat performance in the first test and most of the 2nd, one wondered whether the curse of the first rank caught up with them, but South Africa saved the 2nd testt from a very dificult position, and then showed greater skill and mental strength to take the 3rd test.
Well done South Africa.