Ah, but you forget that getting out lowers Tendulkar's average.

It's now Kallis 56.91 and Tendulkar 56.89

Amazing. 146. Well bowled by Morkel.

Is 2 a handy lead? B)

I was banking on Sachin getting a red ink.

75 demerit points for excessive emoticon use.

75 demerit points for excessive emoticon use.

You better be nice to me, I'm judging your team now!

(RR's team took me over an hour!)

You better be nice to me, I'm judging your team now!

(RR's team took me over an hour!)

Somebody say demerit points ? what demerit points ? B)

You know things are going badly when Michael Hussey starts bowling...

Siddle's not bowling anywhere near like he did in Melbourne, Johnson is all over the shop, Hilfenhaus is about as damaging as Hussey, Beer is trying but isn't special, and Smith is worse.

What is Smith's role in the side? If you can't bat in the top 6 you have to be able to bowl, and he can't. Hopefully this is the last we see of him until he either learns to bat or learns to bowl.

You know things are going badly when Michael Hussey starts bowling...

Siddle's not bowling anywhere near like he did in Melbourne, Johnson is all over the shop, Hilfenhaus is about as damaging as Hussey, Beer is trying but isn't special, and Smith is worse.

Agree.

I have to apologise to Hilfy with my Scott Muller cant bat, cant bowl jibe. It was unfair. He is a far more accomplished batsman than a bowler. ATM he has 1-92 and it actually improves his seris average! The same assessment could be made about Johnson.

While I am not sold on Clarke as Captain I do sympathise with him in the field when his bowlers serve up the short and legside tripe. You just cannnot effect a plan when that happens. I am happy to give Beer a chance. He certainly has more variation than Doherty and he had to bowl in terrible situation. The batsman have failed and the opening bowlers bowling carp only gives him no support or protection.

The pitch is now a belter. Unless Aust is batting by stumps tonight, the game will be lost with the Poms 200+ in front with wickets in hand. And 3-1 would be an apt assessment of the Series result.

What is Smith's role in the side? If you can't bat in the top 6 you have to be able to bowl, and he can't. Hopefully this is the last we see of him until he either learns to bat or learns to bowl.

According to some he is the No 8 batsman. B)

If he makes a few in the 2nd dig then I would persvere with him.....unless someone better arises

According to some he is the No 8 batsman. B)

If he makes a few in the 2nd dig then I would persvere with him.....unless someone better arises

I wouldn't. I've seen enough to know that his technique isn't going to get him anywhere in Test cricket.

There are options. First off all, what if Ponting returns for the next series? They won't (and shouldn't) drop Khawaja, so Smith's spot down the order could be an option (i.e. Ponting at 6).

Secondly, Andrew McDonald is more than capable of batting at 6. Plus, in Sri Lanka most teams play two spinners, which sounds ridiculous for Australia but if we wanted to go down that path we could have McDonald as the third seamer whilst batting at 6.

There are, of course, the old chestnuts of David Hussey and Cameron White too.

I'd go with any of those before I play Smith again. Unless, of course, Smith becomes a spinner, not a batsman. But at the moment his bowling isn't good enough either.

johnson seems a better all rounder then Smith

Prior gets 50 and is listed as 2nd import player for bushrangers

Edited January 5, 201114 yr by WonnaJurah

I wouldn't. [...]

There are options.

I agree.

Whole heartedly agree. I was too focussed on Test Match cricket to make note of that.

I know your comment was about Test cricket - and that's what was being discussed - but I thought I'd just throw that in.

I'd play Cam White as captain of the T20 team. I'm not sure Clarke's in our best XI in T20 - a shame he doesn't bowl much.

Kallis is on 99.

Would be the first time he's scored a century in both innings of a match at home. Freak!

And there it is. 40th tonne, 8th at Newlands, 3rd of the series. He has almost 500 runs in the series! It's only 3 matches! It's only his 5th inning! He got run out at the non-strikers end and received a cracker in the second as well. Unreal.

Arent we glad were arent in South Africa,India,England group for World Cup, that should help us

Kallis is on 99.

Would be the first time he's scored a century in both innings of a match at home. Freak!

Singh pretty much took out the top order

Kallis is on 99.

Would be the first time he's scored a century in both innings of a match at home. Freak!

And there it is. 40th tonne, 8th at Newlands, 3rd of the series. He has almost 500 runs in the series! It's only 3 matches! It's only his 5th inning! He got run out at the non-strikers end and received a cracker in the second as well. Unreal.

Unbelieveable player. What a Test Match. Day 5 is a must watch. Should go down to the wire with these sides. They've been neck and neck throughout.

Kallis has now passed Ricky Ponting for Test Match centuries. Kallis 40, Ponting 39. Fwiw Tendulkar is on 51.

Harbhajan 5 wickets.

What a match. From 4/74 they managed to get to 342, meaning India needs 340 in a day to win the series, and South Africa needs 10 wickets in a day to win. Epic stuff.

Kallis now past Ponting on the list of century scorers. Trails Tendulkar by 11, and currently averages more than him. Did it all with a crumbled top order and a side strain. But great support from Boucher, Steyn and Morkel to get the score up where it is.

Oh, and in that other Test that no one cares about anymore, England has passed 600. Again. Apparently it's the first time the 6th, 7th and 8th wickets have all put on 100. To think that we'll have lost three out of our last four Tests, each by an innings (can anyone see us not losing this one by an innings?) is staggering, even if you'd said it before the Ashes no one would have believed you.

This will be Hilfenhaus' last Test, and it should be the last for a while for Smith and possibly Hughes.

Great game in Capetown indeed.

As Australia slides to its 3rd innings defeat in this series. We beat England 5-0 in 2006-2007 in a complete whitewash.

Notwithstanding the final scoreline here of 2-1 or 3-1, England have dealt Australia a humiliating whitewash in return.

If you pick the best of the series, Hussey would be the only selection instead of Collingwood.

If you pick the best of the series, Hussey would be the only selection instead of Collingwood.

Up until this innings I would have picked Haddin over Prior but Haddin continually throws his wicket away and Prior's batting chances have been limited until today, where he's made 100. Siddle might have been close but Finn and Bresnan have taken wickets in wins, not losses, so one of them would pip him.

So yes, Hussey's the only Aussie who would make the series best team.

Mitchell Johnson's current spell 4-0-53-1. Smart bowler.

Hilfenhaus is now finally swinging the new ball. Its a pity its the 3rd new ball of the innings.

Embarrassing.

So yes, Hussey's the only Aussie who would make the series best team.

Can a case be mounted for Watson over Strauss as opener ? Or does Strauss get the nod due to his century and probably his captaincy ?

Can a case be mounted for Watson over Strauss as opener ? Or does Strauss get the nod due to his century and probably his captaincy ?

You could take the captaincy out and Strauss would still get in.

Watson has run his opening partner out twice. He hasn't scored a century despite reaching 50 four times. He might look like he's settled but he will find a way to get himself out.

When Australia has needed a solid opening partnership we have struggled to get one. Even if Watson's not the first one dismissed part of the blame rests with him. He needs to score big runs at the top of the order to give our middle order a platform.

Strauss has a crucial century which helped save the Brisbane match, and has worked much better in partnership with Cook than Watson has with Katich/Hughes.

Agree Titan.

I would have Strauss over Watson for this series. It a good contest. Haddin has been shaded by Prior. But there is no competition for the other positions.

England 639, Australian 280 is afair summmation of the series.

You could take the captaincy out and Strauss would still get in.

Watson has run his opening partner out twice. He hasn't scored a century despite reaching 50 four times. He might look like he's settled but he will find a way to get himself out.

When Australia has needed a solid opening partnership we have struggled to get one. Even if Watson's not the first one dismissed part of the blame rests with him. He needs to score big runs at the top of the order to give our middle order a platform.

Strauss has a crucial century which helped save the Brisbane match, and has worked much better in partnership with Cook than Watson has with Katich/Hughes.

Yeah that's fair enough. Watson has four 50's and Strauss three 50's and a century. Fwiw: -

Series stats

Watson - 397 runs from 9 innings @ 49.62 ; HS of 95.

Strauss - 307 runs from 7 innings @ 43.85 ; HS of 110.

All I asked was can a case be mounted....

Yeah that's fair enough. Watson has four 50's and Strauss three 50's and a century. Fwiw: -

Series stats

Watson - 397 runs from 9 innings @ 49.62 ; HS of 95.

Strauss - 307 runs from 7 innings @ 43.85 ; HS of 110.

All I asked was can a case be mounted....

Yes, a case can be mounted, but it wouldn't win. He's leaning on his superior average, that's it.

I forgot to post this the other day. This is one of the best articles I've read over the last couple of months regarding Australian cricket. Written by Geoff Lawson:

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/wanted-people-who-know-the-game-of-cricket-20110101-19cno.html

Haddin has had a better series than Prior IMO - if not through no fault of Prior's. I think it just gets to the stage where you get thrashed that everyone seems worse than they were.

I also find it pretty hard to split Watson and Strauss for the series. Sure, Watson should've gone on - but it'd be hard to argue that Strauss had a more difficult time of batting. He faced a much weaker bowling attack and was supported by Cook in the white hottest of form with quality below him. Watson has had to deal with an injured partner, a kid coming in who has struggled to score a run.

He's then got an injured captain in next and the incumbent who averaged about 18 this series.

Watson has also had to bowl almost 80 overs in the series, nabbing 3 wickets.

I forgot to post this the other day. This is one of the best articles I've read over the last couple of months regarding Australian cricket. Written by Geoff Lawson:

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/wanted-people-who-know-the-game-of-cricket-20110101-19cno.html

Found that a very interesting article by someone in the know (former Pakistan coach...) and found this quite interesting from Lawson:

Tactically, Australia's bowling was bereft in Melbourne. No tall bowlers hitting the pitch hard (four selectors who are all batsmen take note), no cutters, no cross seam, almost a total lack of bowling fundamentals.

Just to carry on with the Haddin vs. Prior debate.

These are the scores they've come in on this series, and what they've done in them.

1st test

Prior 5-197 (first ball duck)

Haddin 5-143 (uncharacteristic 136 from 287)

2nd test

Haddin 5-156 (56 from 95), 5-261 (12 from 21)

Prior 5-568 (27 not out from 21)

3rd test

Haddin 5-69 (53 from 80), 5-252 (7 from 10)

Prior 5-98 (12 from 42), 6-94 (10 from 9)

4th test

Haddin 5-66 (5 from 16), 5-134 (55 not out from 93)

Prior 5-286 (85 from 119)

5th test (dead rubber)

Haddin 4-143 (6 from 13)

Prior 6-380 (118 from 130)

I actually kind of find it laughable that you could say Prior has had a better series - all things considered.

The two times Prior has registered 50, his team has been 188 ahead and 100 ahead - both times in the first innings, both times facing lacklustre (at best) bowling.

Haddin's 4 times past 50 have each come when he has come in at 5 for less than 160 against pretty hostile bowling.