South Africa take on Australia in the first test of the return series in what promises to be a real humdinger.
Archie Henderson reports for www.thetimes.co.za
The first test takes place at the Wanderers (Bull Ring) and the last time the Proteas won in the Bullring, Hansie Cronje, who scored a century, was not yet captain or match-fixer-in-chief.
The disparity in experience alone puts them there. The difference in Test caps is stark: South Africa have 630 in the 11 who are likely to take the field at the Wanderers, while Australia have a mere 281, 128 of which belong to Captain Ponting. No wonder the Aussie press is calling its team the Baggy Greenhorns.
A bit of smugness creeping back in?
Then take a closer look at this Aussie team. Without being patronising, it is still a formidable outfit.
For a start, the batting is strong and even if Phil Hughes, at 20, is the greenest of the Baggy Greenhorns, he has solid support in Simon Katich (Test average 43.43), Ponting (56.87), Michael Clarke (49.40) and Michael Hussey (59.36).
The bowling is hardly weak, even though the attack musters 24 Test caps between them, and only six if you ignore Mitchell Johnson’s 18.
Last week, on the Potch track that seemed to have been laid by the National Roads Commission, they might have looked like your local town team, but the Wanderers is as different from Senwes Park as Taboo is from The Dros.
There’s been a lot of talk from the Aussies about South Africa’s relentless pace attack, but their own is not too shabby.
Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger can swing it with the best and Peter Siddle, like Dennis Lillee, will bowl all day if you need him. We know all about Johnson.
As in the most recent Test series, this one will come down to the nitty-gritty of Test cricket: the catching and the “crunch” stages. In Australia, the Proteas won both.
South Africa team: Smith, McKenzie, Amla, Kallis, Duminy, de Villiers, Boucher, Harris, Morkel, Steyn, Ntini
Australia team: Katich, Hughes, Ponting, Hussey, Clarke, North, Haddin, McDonald, Johnson, Siddle, Hilfenhaus
Tweet
Hughes to face his first ball at Test level. Steyn has the ball. Three slips in. Game on!
I know what ‘The Dros’ is but what is this ‘Taboo’?
A duck for Hughes on debut! Short delivery just outside off stump, rises up off the surface and Hughes jumps at it, trying to slash it over the slips, but can only succeed in getting a faint under-edge through to a gleeful Boucher, who springs up and takes the offer
Aus 0/1
Morning Proteasworld. 🙂
Go Dale!
HAHAHAHA
A duck on debut for Hughes. Welcome to Safferland.
Australia haven’t lost a Test at the Wanderers in 15 years.
@McLovin (Comment 6) : Unless rain saves them, they will.
Cool thing about the home series is that we wont have to hear a player is making his ” Dayboo”
@klempie (Comment 7) : Hope so. What’s the weather like?
@McLovin (Comment 9) : There are showers predicted for Joeys over the next couple of days.
Katich gone!
yay… guess it’s cricket world.
McL… you ok after today’s announcement? Or do you need to wait and see?
18/2!
sportsbet was paying $3 for a Proteas win… $100 down… giddy-up!
@robdylan (Comment 12) : What announcement? ❓ 😕
@robdylan (Comment 12) : Oh the bank… 💡
@McLovin (Comment 6) :
In that case I know where I was 15 years ago.
Klempie are you at the Wanderers, if not why not – a packed bullring for a test match is a sporting highlight.
@robdylan (Comment 12) : Thanks for asking. Had my contract terminated in Dec already, but fortune was on my side for a change and got something else immediately. 😎
@Salmonoid (Comment 17) : going on Saturday Sammy. It’s not packed today anyway.
@McLovin (Comment 18) : ah – really glad to hear that, dude. That must’ve been a kak Christmas present, courtesy of Fred the Shred.
@robdylan (Comment 20) : Not nice at all. 👿 But all’s well that ends well. 😀
Hussey gone!!
38/3 15 overs.
Mr Cricket…gone.
This is too easy. 38/3
@klempie (Comment 19) :
Enjoy it, I hope the weather holds – pity its not packed today.
@McLovin (Comment 21) : indeed 🙂
Still a long way to go before all this nonsense is behind us, though
Australia stink.
@robdylan (Comment 26) : Unfortunately so.
bwhahahahahahahaha
I hope we demolish these whining convicts!!!
It’s PAYBACK time!!!
😈
Steyn to Ponting, no run, edged and Smith drops a dolly at first slip!
Next ball goes for six. 👿 👿 👿
Lunchtime score 78/3.
Do they really need to take a 40min lunch? What’s wrong with 30min?
First over after lunch and two fours already.
Ponting 50 up. 👿
103/3
Current partnership 73 runs, 15.3 overs, RR: 4.70 (Ponting 36, Clarke 37)
A quick peak at BIFFworld… 😎
Ponting is still around? What has Makhaya been doing all day?
Ok- hope I’ll return to good news later…
Off cricinfo.
Jay: “For everyone commenting on the empty stands, bear in mind it’s a fairly arbitrary Thursday. Tomorrow there’ll be a lot more (I and about 15 mates have all taken the day off to go) and Saturday and Sunday you can expect the ground to close to full. Johannesburg is the SA rat race hub. We can pull a sickie on Friday, but not Thursday as well. There’s work to be done.”
Unfortunately true.
Ric: “Regarding Jay’s comments, there is definitely people in Jo’burg who could come out to the game, there are always plenty of loafers at News Cafe on a weekday.”
is this still on?
Yes it is. It’s a game that lasts 5 days and this is only the first.
Ponting gone!
Ponting’s decision to leave a full, massively inswinging delivery denies him a century, what was he doing? Ntini pitches the ball up to Ponting, who doesn’t get far enough across as he decides not to offer a shot, the ball darts back in, brushes his front pad, and cannons into off stump
151/4
@blackshark (Comment 37) :
Ntini to Ponting, OUT, bowled em! Ponting’s decision to leave a full, massively inswinging delivery denies him a century, what was he doing? Ntini pitches the ball up to Ponting, who doesn’t get far enough across as he decides not to offer a shot, the ball darts back in, brushes his front pad, and cannons into off stump.
Ntini finally gets his man.
153/4
Time to get rid of Clarke. He is looking far too dangerous….oh and the fact that I have a bet on that no Aussie makes a first innings century! 😉 😆
Cricinfo:
“Grey clouds lurk like unwanted loan sharks.” 😆
Clark gooooone!
@Villie (Comment 46) : Your money is still safe.
182/5.
WICKET!!!
49.4 Steyn to Clarke, OUT, silly shot and thats the end of Clarke just before tea! A needless shot from the vice-captain, chasing one pitched up rather wide and gently starting to shape away, he’s nowhere near the pitch and swings a thick outside edge through to Boucher and Steyn is red-faced in celebration
Villie gets his wish.
@McLovin (Comment 49) : 😀 Woo Hoo….that’s just perfect!!
I also have a bet on the draw though…had some weather information and was informed that there was a good chance of rain for 4 out of the 5 days. Klempie how is that weather looking?
GOODTIMES
We’re going to roll them for around 270. Remember where you read it first.
@McLovin (Comment 49) : Are you at work today?
I have cricinfo at the bottom of my screen and keep checking scores while I work! 😛
@Villie (Comment 52) : Dude this is Joburg. If it rains it buckets down for maybe 40 mins and then it’s done.
Steyntjie has 3 already. 😎 What a legend.
@klempie (Comment 57) : He’s gone off! 😯 Hopefully not serious.
@Villie (Comment 55) : Unfortunately I am. 😥 But a man’s got to eat. 😎
Fantastic ball by Ntini earlier… left Punter looking like a stunned mullet… particularly as Makaya bowls less than 130km/h these days….
@klempie (Comment 56) : I will have to lay off my bet then. It was quite a substantial one.
@Villie (Comment 61) : what does lay off mean?
@McLovin (Comment 59) : McGenderConfused……what industry do you work in these days? And what area of London? 😉
And now they take tea for 20min. 👿 Why not 15min?
They should invest in faster boiling kettles.
@klempie (Comment 62) : It means the opposite of BACK. That is what is so wonderful about Betfair…you can play the bookie and both BACK and LAY.
So basically if I lay the draw it means I am backing anything but the draw. I will probably have to lay off at worse odds now, but it will only cost me if the draw is the final result!
@Villie (Comment 63) : Still in the banking industry 😯 Still in the City.
@McLovin (Comment 66) : Aah okay….I used to work right next to Liverpool Street Station. I tell you what, there are some stunning Essex girls that pass through that station daily!! 😆 😆
@Villie (Comment 67) : Pfffft. If you mean the Essex in England you’re lying.
@Villie (Comment 67) : Worked very close to Liverpool Street station for 2 years. But Essex girls? 😯 They’re a bit ‘rof’ for my liking. 😆
@McLovin (Comment 69) : And ‘dof’.
200 up for Aus.
Does it look like we’ll get a full day?
@blackshark (Comment 72) : Probably not. We’re behind in over rate and might be cloudy.
@McLovin (Comment 69) : I was at Bluewater on Sunday… damn, those girls are something else.
We mus still organise a lunch meeting in the City
@robdylan (Comment 74) : Take your orange fake tan with you so you can fit in…
@robdylan (Comment 74) : Bluewater is nice, better quality of people than the one accross the river.
@McLovin (Comment 76) : You guys have been over there WAAAAAAAAY too long.
Hey this reminds me, I am coming over mid-March. You monkeys wanna get together?
Damnit man. North is killing us.
If you have been trying to listen to ball by ball commentary on SABC’s radio 2000 well then you would have been disappointed because there wasn’t any. Seems that the SABC had applied for the necessary ISDN line for the broadcast but only from tomorrow, day 2. 😯 The same scenario played itself out in an earlier test against New Zealand. The SABC say they have had technical problems. 😈
The Australian broadcaster had applied in time and for the correct days but their lines were only installed at lunch. The mornings session was relayed via phone. 😳
@Salmonoid (Comment 79) : Geez. This country never ceases to find a way to embarrass me everyday….
Bad light & raining. 👿
I have not even seen a single thing on the cricket…or heard for that matter…
Jinne I am busy…
@Salmonoid (Comment 79) :
??????
Just checked….not too bad…254 for 5…but we know how stubborn the Aus tail can be…we must hope that our bowlers are up for it…
@klempie (Comment 57) :
Yeh I just checked…he already has 154 wickets in only 30 matches and a strike rate of 38 balls per wicket….best ever in the history of cricket…
@Hmmm (Comment 85) : He’s awesome. 😎 He can easily get 600.
klempie
This one’s for you… 😉
South Africa is apparently the most difficult place for opening batsmen to score runs. Very interesting article from cricinfo:
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/392432.html
Day 2 has started, but so has the rugby. Going to be a killer tomorrow.
Australia 283/5 (79.2 ov)
Haddin 57*
North 59*
Not good… 👿
@blackshark (Comment 89) :
Ag man, we will get a breakthrough soon…
Can we have a Day 2 thread please?
Hopefully the new ball cleans them up.
@klempie (Comment 91) :
Go and complain in the rugby section – someone will pay attention there… 😈
@wpw (Comment 90) :
Hope so…
I wish I was at home flipping channels… 😥
@wpw (Comment 90) :
Breakthrough!!!
Ntini gets Haddin…
@klempie (Comment 92) : Did I call it or did I call it?
Ntini to Haddin, OUT, short just outside off stump and he pulls it straight to Harris at mid-on! That was a poor ball, short and wide, but Haddin reached out and swatted it nowhere but to the man there
BJ Haddin c Harris b Ntini 63 (105b 9×4 0x6) SR: 60.00
DAMN I”M GOOD!!!
Radio 2000 back on air today… 🙄
STEYN!!!!
McDonald gone!
And McDonald.
Australia 296/7 (84.5 ov)
Steyn to McDonald, OUT, got him! McDonald goes for a duck, pushing at a full, away-swinging delivery from middle and off very tentatively and the thick edge is snapped up by Kallis to his left at second slip
AB McDonald c Kallis b Steyn 0 (4m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
😯 😆
@klempie (Comment 95) :
#
@blackshark (Comment 89) :
Ag man, we will get a breakthrough soon…
Comment 90, posted at 27.02.09 10:49:31 by wpw Reply Edit
I called it before you… 😈
@wpw (Comment 102) : Dude. New thread please! I am on 3G here.