South Africa v Australia: 3rd and final Test, Cape Town

First topic message reminder :

So, a decider at Cape Town where, I gather, big crowds are expected. The only bad thing about this match is that it's the last in the series. This really would have made for a great 5-Test series.

Difficult to call this one. SA did wonderfully to come back at PE after the drubbing in the 1st Test. Much will depend on who bats first. Could be that the team that bats first will win the match. Interesting sidebar is the form of Clarke, who (I think) has not passed 24 in the last five tests. Until PE, they were winning without his contributions, but he may well be needed in Cape Town.

Who am I going for? Almost too close to call. Who are you going for?


South Africa:
GC Smith*, AN Petersen, D Elgar, HM Amla, AB de Villiers†, F du Plessis, JP Duminy, KJ Abbott, VD Philander, DW Steyn, M Morkel

Australia:
DA Warner, CJL Rogers, SR Watson, AJ Doolan, MJ Clarke*, SPD Smith, BJ Haddin†, MG Johnson, RJ Harris, JL Pattinson, NM Lyon

Great effort by SA, 14 overs left.

Aus getting frustrated.

Philander getting a lot of credit for that review on cricinfo. Might be a bit OTT as surely he would have reviewed any "out" decision at this stage as he knows the game is up if he gets out.

sirfredperry wrote:

Who am I going for? Almost too close to call. Who are you going for?

Still not sure!

Johnson would be struggling to walk just now...

Pattinson put up 43 overs in his first match back, of any sort... Harris nearly 50 overs with almost every body part probably rebelling... its been a fantastic effort from the bowlers... Greatest Test finishes in history generally need you to start off with
"South Africa vs Australia" ...

It took five days, but someone finally sent the message that this pitch is in fact flat... Only four wickets fell today... On DAY FIVE...

Could be too late... probably is too late

Will that 22 overs of Warner not playing any shots before lunch yesterday come back to haunt Aus?

A little unfair to blame anyone or anything, Skye. Australia have played eight Tests this summer - I think Clarke and management genuinely felt it better to give them proper rest, and then let them give it one more go. I'd probably have done the same as a skipper.

Think Johnson bowls the last four overs on one end

Thought the Aussies maybe batted 20/30 mins too long yesterday, but still enough time

Tense now

Called it!! But I would probably have gotten really short odds, as it seemed obvious to me

Not really blaming. Just saying, will that be one of the reasons the Aus press and others might give.

Others will praise the SA batting.

Olly wrote:Thought the Aussies maybe batted 20/30 mins too long yesterday, but still enough time

Tense now

Possibly Australia did bat too long but ... if they had declared earlier there's no guarantee they would have then reduced South Africa to 15/3. A game of opinions and judgments ... and all the more wonderful for it ....

Why is Watson bowling? Reminds me of Cardiff and Marcus North though perhaps not quite as bad as that one.

Don't think our batting deserves any praising to be honest - This is a very flat Newlands pitch and its a little disconcerting that we managed to dig ourselves into this hole. Done a fantastic job of digging ourselves out, but really - absolutely no reason to score less than 300 here.

Watson too wide, have to make them play.

Johnson has a maximum of 16 balls left...

Would top MJ's summer off if he took two in two 

Another match saving innings this time from Vern. Too much to bear!

I love that look Johnson gives after every delivery... Need to start practising it... This sort of lost, sort of bemused... "Huh" look. It's quite funny when hes hitting chins and doing that

And yes I'm a sadist

Solo man... strikes.

Harris strikes!

Harrissssssssssssssss.

One wicket 29 balls - think you've got it LB

Morne has the greatest theme song

Yes some Barbara Streisand as More Morkel walks out to bat, love it

Not even watching England 

Very tense stuff.

Crap

kingraf wrote:One wicket 29 balls - think you've got it LB

OMG... thanks mate. (was about to say 29 balls is a long time)

  

kingraf wrote:Crap

Wrong theme song

Congratulations LB! Deserving winners

Well done Aus, ended the great run.

Well done to Australia, you were better than us

harris dug deep.
and avoided Aus regretting that they batted 10 overs too late.

smith goes out on not quite a high

Great advert for Test cricket this series

Apologies in advance for my sour rant LB.....

Can someone donate some new knees to Ryan Harris?

What a bowler

skyeman wrote:Would top MJ's summer off if he took two in two 

Close skye... our man Harris came to the rescue.   

Jeez - this is almost too much to have to go through each time these two sides meet.

Well played SA.   

Considering they were a bowler down for most of the test and the emotional burden/expectation of doing it for Smithy... it almost would have been right for him to end his career on a high note.

P.S. I'm not superstitious but I opened the front and back doors at 02:45am to let the good spirits flow through the house. Seems to have worked... just.
Maybe should have done it earlier though! ffs... nearly 3am here!

Biltong wrote:Well done to Australia, you were better than us

Biltong - yes but at least and unlike England, your boys fought so hard to the end to give us a wonderful Test and series.    

Congrats Australia, just that 5/10% top good over the 3 matches.

Warner and Johnson carried the great form over from the Ashes.

First series without the King, and unfortunately it showed badly in this series.

Sad that we salute Biff epic career off with a rare series defeat, but he led us to so many highs. I never thought I'd see a Proteas team without Biff and the King...

and mark my words again......this is no lucky side Aus riding a high......amazingly...so quickly we have see a side resurrect towards being the best in the world after the 4-0 wash-out in India.

The earliest signs of turnaround were there in Eng...when they came so close to winning about 2 to 3 tests.

the comprehensiveness of the win shows how quickly they have gone beyond the turn..around to a full dominant resurgence.

SA on the other had was hit by Smith's lack of hunger....and the earliest signs of it was in him letting India get away with dominance in first test and nearly in the 2nd test.
They need to find a hungry leader...and they will be back as a top side...they have still a pretty darn good batting and some very high quality fast bowlers.

guildfordbat wrote:

Biltong wrote:Well done to Australia, you were better than us

Biltong - yes but at least and unlike England, your boys fought so hard to the end to give us a wonderful Test and series.    

True mate, if you told me we were going to take this to the last 5 overs I wouldn't have believed you.

kingraf wrote:Congratulations LB! Deserving winners

kingraf wrote:Apologies in advance for my sour rant LB.....

No worries Raf. Apologies too... for getting a little over-excited the other day.  

I was hiding for a couple of hours... computer switched off. The tension in that match was immense.

Biltong wrote:Well done to Australia, you were better than us

Cheers mate! You are a great sport. That was a another nail-biter.

If it had been a draw... you really couldn't split the sides much. Even with the win... you still can't split them. We are like twins!

Let's hope CSA and CA will ensure 5 test series from now on.

When these two trams gave met over the recent past it has always been quality

Dammit in 23 years of of unity this could be the worst to ever hit our shores. Man for man we were supposed to comfortably win this! I can't believe we've lost... Been a bit of a horror tour...
Steyn - An absolute hospital pass for our best bowler to go down having bowled ten overs. Horrible!

Philander - I keep hearing he's been found out. Most amount of hogwash I've heard since David Warner opened his mouth. What's really happened is there's a bug in his system. Not his immune system, but his bowling mechanics. The arm used to come out straight, which meant he was always in the money. Recently, it's gotten a little rounder, Its no longer hitting the seam... And if Vern doesn't seam it... he really is a plodder.
Duminy -
CSA also - Let's have our t20 competition just before the test series, and then give them a freaking 3-day friendly and call it preparation.
Australia - Honestly losing to Australia hurts more that anyone else... I see AB crying in the background... feel the same, probably. I'm going to go kick something, probably cuss all things Australian, and unfriend all my Australian friends on Facebook... and eat some twinkies , but what a Test summer!!! Don't think I've ever been more upset at a defeat (not that we've experienced many) but I'd love to capsulate the 2013/2014 season forever...

3x100 2x50 for Warner... 1000 runs for the summer, he's a bit of a Tinkywinky, but I genuinely love watching him play

Next Australia-S.A. test series is in 2016. Damn

Take it easy on all things Australian, Raf.

I know exactly how you feel given your last tour here.

May I suggest you go to the zoo and pat a kangaroo, kiss a sheila and blow on a didgeridoo. 

Well, that's my plan for the day.  

Linebreaker wrote:Take it easy on all things Australian, Raf.

I know exactly how you feel given your last tour here.

May I suggest you go to the zoo and pat a kangaroo, kiss a sheila and blow on a didgeridoo. 

Well, that's my plan for the day.  

Linebreaker - make sure you don't do any of those things the wrong way round or it might be a while before we next hear from you!   

guildfordbat wrote:

Linebreaker wrote:Take it easy on all things Australian, Raf.

I know exactly how you feel given your last tour here.

May I suggest you go to the zoo and pat a kangaroo, kiss a sheila and blow on a didgeridoo. 

Well, that's my plan for the day.  

Linebreaker - make sure you don't do any of those things the wrong way round or it might be a while before we next hear from you!   

That might be a blessing for most of the folks on here, Guildford. I shall heed your advice of course and focus on the correct order of the plan.