Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => Players => Topic started by: lewis_faulds on December 29, 2013, 10:46:18 PM
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With the Ashes secured and a whitewash on the cards, cricket Australia will look ahead to a brutal series in South Africa. Arguably South Africa seem to play as if they have to prove they are the best and this current series vs India has proven that they are perhaps slipping away a bit. They are still a great team, granted. But Steyn looks different, Morkel seems different and Smith appears different. It may be the impending loss of Jacques Kallis from their ranks perhaps. But they need to move on. They have Australia playing a good brand of cricket coming to South Africa. This brand of aggressive cricket is played by both teams. Both have aggressive captains, both have angry fast bowlers and both have SOME excellent batsmen on offer.
However a position for both of concern is the middle order. As you should know by now, the one and only Jacques Kallis is hanging up his whites and this opens a spot for a new batsmen to come in.. Yes. However JP Duminy's Batting will be of some concern to Smith who is still himself looking to regain some of his best cricket.
The Aussies however have George Bailey. With one fifty to his name in 5 innings and an average of 34 against what can only be described as a mediocre attack may prove a concern to the Aussies looking ahead. By the looks of things now, Australia will give Bailey a Sydney test match to showcase his talent at the test arena before looking to alternative
One of these alternatives is Marcus North. The Western Australian batsmen who in first class this season is averaging 98.83 with two hundreds to his name.
North's improved technique against the swinging ball may also be a cause for selection as Sa often provide quick and movey pitches. North made his debut 5 years ago in South Africa and went on to score 100 on his debut series. Following that he scored 5 100's and 4 50's before being dropped in the 2010-11 ashes series for Perth. His offies may also provide Clarke with another spinning option.
His batting this season in FC has proved he is still a top quality batsman and experience may be a useful thing for Australia against South Africa.
What's wrong with Dale Steyn. Has he lost the passion.. Nah. Has he lost the talent.. Definitely not. Has he lost his spark.. Yes.
Steyn's bowling has been out of sorts, it looks as though he's trying to hard to get wickets. His lengths are too full giving batsmen opportunities to drive him. This in turn makes him make rash decisions about his short ball. When trying to hurt the batsman, Steyn has managed to give them a pudding of a delivery which is pulled away.
Not for one moment am I questioning one of the best bowlers I've had the pleasure to watch however there is something missing about him. He looks defeated sometimes. After the rain delay and he came out and ravaged the Indians for 6 wickets the Steyn of old was back. But what can't be ignored is the fact that if he doesn't take a wicket early his attitude changes. He goes to full and to rash which was shown against Pakistan and now India however if he's mentally right bat batting line up must be scared!!
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It's kind of how Steyn has always bowled though I thought… He always looks to bowl full to get that outside edge when batsmen are driving from the crease… Nothing is wrong with Steyn at the moment, India have batted pretty well… They are the 2nd team in the rankings, and are known to produce excellent batsmen. I expected India to get destroyed this series, but to play this well with a young and inexperienced team, overseas against the best team in the world shows that they aren't 2nd in the world for nothing!
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The Saffers are on a par with England for safety first.
Marcus North has been on compassionate leave after the death of his brother, hardly the best prep for a Test recall.
The Aus top order is still susceptible to collapse.
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Smith is not an aggressive captain. The first test proves the saffers mindset when they are asked to snatch the game by the balls and win it.
Also the Indian batsmen have left the ball brilliantly. (Bar Rohit Sharma) that is key to test cricket batsmanship. Knowing where your off stump is. Steyn will relish the Aussies chucking hands at everything.
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The Saffers are on a par with England for safety first.
Marcus North has been on compassionate leave after the death of his brother, hardly the best prep for a Test recall.
The Aus top order is still susceptible to collapse.
He's back now. Is playing for Sydney Sixers ATM. He was asked and said if he was he'd be keen!
The Bird, just saw there that id dubbed him as an aggressive captain but meant to say partially before they are both!
I know, you are probably right about Steyn but he appears to me different for some reason!
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It will be a very interesting series as SA have under performed by their standards and Australia will have to maintain there standards against a far more accomplished batting lineup. It will be fascinating to see Gerry and Vic go head to head also :D
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Oh my, they will be at each other's throats.
It'll be a quality contest! Warner vs Steyn... Hm I'm excited already!!
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I dont think there is anything wrong with the SA bowling. They were all agressive , bowled in high 140s with seam and swing.
India batted well. Period! When do we acknowledge that!
The main concern for SA is loss of Kallis and form of Amla. They play the most important 3 and 4 position. Also, Tahir and Duminy. They are useless spinners and Duminy's form with bat is aweful.
For Australia, I would like to see how Rogers, Watson etc perform when the chips are down or the first few innings of the series. Their recent scores were after Australia had secured a series win or were almost there.
A very crucial role was played by Aussie tail also. Can Haddin, Johnoson etc contribute with the bat like they did in Ashes. Those runs were the difference in the innings total in lot of games.
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I too was thinking about North after watching the lunch interval game and his ton at Headingly
I hear he was dropped last season from the WA side but has risen again after personal loss.
Always rated him in a kind of Brad Hodge way a quality batsman
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Well Australia have just brought Doolan into the squad so that May give us an idea what they are thinking
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I think Australia need someone who won't flash at anything outside off stump. North.
They need experience. North.
They need capability. North.
I personally like Doolan and would have him in the side but North can bowl
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I think Australia need someone who won't flash at anything outside off stump. North.
They need experience. North.
They need capability. North.
I personally like Doolan and would have him in the side but North can bowl
The bowling won the ashes for the Aussies I don't think they need to look at another bowler unless it's to replace an injured bowler and that case it wouldn't be North
They already have Clarke, Smith and Warner who can bowl part timers
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I think Marcus North has had his time in the Australian side. At 34, his last remaining hope would be when Chris Rogers walks and it is deemed that experience at the top of the order is still needed...
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I guess so :( my point however is that he is batting well and his experience could help them against the extremely talented proteas. :D
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It will be fascinating to see Gerry and Vic go head to head also :D
Yeah, just like we were at each others throats last summer...not.
Ain't going to happen, because unlike the delusional English fans on this forum; "England will be #1 for a decade or more", "Jimmy Anderson is the greatest bowler in the world", "Australia will spend the next 20 years in a West Indies type decline where they ill struggle to beat Bangladesh" etc etc, Gerry is a gentleman who knows his cricket. I respect him just like I respect his team.
SA is #1 for a reason, because they are the best in most departments.
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Be interested to see who they bring in for Kallis. They are losing two plays, firstly one of the finest batsmen of the modern era, but also a 4th seam option and someone who has near on 300 Test wickets to their name. For team balance I can't see the replacement being just a straight batsman. Whoever it is won't be anywhere near as good as him, so that weakens the Proteas side somewhat. He's also a very good slipper with 200 catches, so that's another aspect to think of too. I can see a re-shuffle of their batting order, either one of Du Plessis or Duminy will have to move to #4, keep AB at #5 and Duminy/Du Plessis at 6 with the new all-rounder at 7. I don't know enough of Sth African domestic cricket to tell who the Kallis replacement will be, but they have massive shoes to fill.
On Australia, it will be a big challenge, far bigger than the "effort" England have shown, in some ways this has been a soft series and maybe not the most ideal preparation to take on the #1 side in the world. I'm very keen to see how Johnson goes and whether he can back up this stellar summer. Also will be interesting to see how the likes of Rogers and Bailey will go there. I think Buck will do his job, as he has done since his recall, but for George failure here against Steyn and co. will spell the end of him as a Test player.
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Yeah, just like we were at each others throats last summer...not.
Ain't going to happen, because unlike the delusional English fans on this forum; "England will be #1 for a decade or more", "Jimmy Anderson is the greatest bowler in the world", "Australia will spend the next 20 years in a West Indies type decline where they ill struggle to beat Bangladesh" etc etc, Gerry is a gentleman who knows his cricket. I respect him just like I respect his team.
SA is #1 for a reason, because they are the best in most departments.
I Didn't use the phrase at each other's throats...
I am looking forward to you two discussing each teams capabilities. Not everything said on here towards you is hostile.
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Do you think they will give Bailey more than one test over there? Looked like the English had him sorted out pretty quickly. Personally would have love to see North back in the team but I think his time is done sadly. There is also Phil Hughes as well, he has already hit 3 tons this year including a double and has proved he can bat over there.
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Bailey is the big ? I'd rather see him get a few tests if he fails in the 1st test. I 'd also like to see Kwalja have another go in the future and be told you are number 3 for the series.
Australia bowled brilliantly in the Ashes and the tail batted well. Batting is still subject to frailty and the Saffers have been good for a number of years - so consistent - looking forward to it!
From a Aussies perspective I think the viewing has been great the last 2 Ashes, bring on Sth Africa throw in the odd Indian tests to spice things up - brilliant. The other nations I am watching are putting me to sleep WI v NZ, Sri Lanka v Pakistan.
Back to watching an empty stadium.....
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Why bother with Bailey. He is lucky to get selected in the state squad. Until he was named captain of t20 I didn't know his name. Put Watson at 6 and Hughes at 3 or even Lynn at 3
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Dale Steyn's recent on/off form, in the Test series against India, was due to Steyn playing with a fractured rib.
Firstly I'm unsure why he was risked, but secondly even with a busted rib, when Smith needed the X factor - Steyn delivered in Durban.
He's closing in on full fitness so he should be good to go against Australia.
Will be interesting to see whether the Proteas are aggressive in the replacement for Kallis, as an Australia series win sees them regain the number 1 ranking.
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Why bother with Bailey. He is lucky to get selected in the state squad. Until he was named captain of t20 I didn't know his name. Put Watson at 6 and Hughes at 3 or even Lynn at 3
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I was thinking the same thing about dropping Watson back down to 6 and trying to blood another number 3, Doolan possibly?