I better ban you, H_T. It's for our own good

I better ban you, H_T. It's for our own good

Yep. Test cricket is back. It's a Test alright. Ebs and flows.

spot on. Death to 20/20

More wickets than a 20/20 today ! 12/60 this session !

EDIT - We are now 9 / 21

The most bizarre 3 hours of Test cricket I've ever seen .

Edited November 10, 201113 yr by Nuggets

Haha, wowee.

Siddle 3rd highest scorer in our first innings, top scorer atm in our second (and likely to stay that way unless Lyon overtakes him).

Unbelievable. 47.

Well, I cant belileve it. I fell into bed last night at 1/46 and dreamt that Australia bowled SA out for 140.

I check the scores this morning Australia was also bowled out where both sides made 140. Wow. 9/21......

Clarke could be man of the match for his 150 but we still lose handsomely. His innings was outstanding...head and shoulders above other batsman.

Hughes, Ponting and Haddin must starting to feel some heat.

Something to note in the bowling...Harris and Watson taking wickets.....Johnson, Siddle no wickets... Since debut.. Lyon has no done much. We rely on too few with the ball.

SA in the box seat but I am too scared to call the result after what has happened! SA shouldn't win either because they won the toss and sent Australia into bat. Shame on them.

Something to note in the bowling...Harris and Watson taking wickets.....Johnson, Siddle no wickets... Since debut.. Lyon has no done much. We rely on too few with the ball.

I like Watson more and more each outing. Reminds me much of Kallis.

Mike Hussey dropped Hashim Amla in the gully from the last ball of the day

How good is this!!

How good is it!!

Wait, am I a bit late?

That Australian inning was deplorable...obviously too much Back Slapping after routing SA.

No Mental Toughness..The pitch is not that bad, as SA 1/81 has shown.

Hughes, Ponting, Haddin should not play Test Cricket again..

But what a second day....4 innings represented in one day!!! Only the second time it has ever happened.

Geez i wish watson had referred his wicket!!! Sliding Door Moment there....

Hughes, Ponting, Haddin should not play Test Cricket again..

Not much point making spur of the moment decisions based on a game that had part of four innings in one day, but you're not far off on them.

Haddin is struggling big time but he's fortunate that an understudy isn't pushing hard right now. (Paine is nursing a broken finger IIRC).

Ponting looks like he might be on his last legs; Roebuck or Baum wrote an article on this in the past few days.

As for Hughes, I've never been convinced.

I think they'll all play next Test, but anyone pushing for their spots probably feels like they're in with a chance (excluding The Kat, of course).

Not much point making spur of the moment decisions based on a game that had part of four innings in one day, but you're not far off on them.

Haddin is struggling big time but he's fortunate that an understudy isn't pushing hard right now. (Paine is nursing a broken finger IIRC).

Ponting looks like he might be on his last legs; Roebuck or Baum wrote an article on this in the past few days.

As for Hughes, I've never been convinced.

I think they'll all play next Test, but anyone pushing for their spots probably feels like they're in with a chance (excluding The Kat, of course).

Fair Points Rogue...But Haddin never puts any price on his wicket.

ONE Partnership is all we needed last night, just one. The shortened game has ruined a discipline of test cricket, that being Standing your ground against a fast bowler & taking some pain, before wearing him out.

That pitch was fine last night...The Australian Head Space wasn't....SA need 155 to win..They should get them. Should.

That pitch was fine last night...

The pitch may appear fine, but it has a bit in it for the bowlers (a bit of movement). If you listen to the commentators the conditions (overcast conditions earlier in the day when the cloud is burning off), the batsmen must be cautious. Bowlers were getting some movement. Both on Day 1 and Day 2 in the first two sessions, both countries struggled with the bat somewhat. Granted some of the Aussie batsmen are being outsmarted by the SA bowlers and in some cases outsmarting themselves at the crease. Hughes fishes outside off stump to a good line and the slip corden are just waiting every time. Ponting is out of sorts and has been for a while and Haddin doesn't seem to put a price on his wicket.

There was some exceptional bowling from certain individuals who were prepared to bowl a good line stump to stump and a bit fuller in length (most notably Watson), so too Philander, Morkel and Steyn in patches.

The likes of Clarke's innings really stands out. It's no coincidence that late on both days, there has been more runs and less wickets

The pitch may appear fine, but it has a bit in it for the bowlers (a bit of movement). If you listen to the commentators the conditions (overcast conditions earlier in the day when the cloud is burning off), the batsmen must be cautious. Bowlers were getting some movement. Both on Day 1 and Day 2 in the first two sessions, both countries struggled with the bat somewhat. Granted some of the Aussie batsmen are being outsmarted by the SA bowlers and in some cases outsmarting themselves at the crease. Hughes fishes outside off stump to a good line and the slip corden are just waiting every time. Ponting is out of sorts and has been for a while and Haddin doesn't seem to put a price on his wicket.

There was some exceptional bowling from certain individuals who were prepared to bowl a good line stump to stump and a bit fuller in length (most notably Watson), so too Philander, Morkel and Steyn in patches.

The likes of Clarke's innings really stands out. It's no coincidence that late on both days, there has been more runs and less wickets

Fair calls...But my meaning was it was not a 20 wicket in 42 overs of Test Cricket pitch...That was mental Fragility.

If Australia get an early wicket tonight we can still win, But we do not deserve too.

29 for 299 in 92 overs.

2 for 364 from 74 overs.

Cricket is a crazy game.

I don't know why, but Australia's cricket fortunes really affect me, so much that I can't sleep when the pathetic "9/21" is broadcast into the ether in the early hours of the morning,

the on-going management of the flannelised sportsmen has been ludicrous and unaccountable for years now. The ongoing debacle of selection decisions read Andrew Hilditch, and the wax-like preservation of non-performers, read Ponting, mitchell sling em anywhere Johnson and not-to-mention Phillip Hughes incredulous promotion over Katich (who should forthwith receive a Federal Government Apology for all preceding dummy-spitting and tantrums.

mighty demons, you are now officially forgiven for your kardinia park transgressions in season 2011, these aussie cricketers and their minders have cast you as true australian sporting heroes forevermore.

Call me un-Australian but I get a little giddy inside when the Aussie cricket team suffers any kind of misfortune. Years of dominance and a string of off-field embarrassments have rendered me completely unable to root for Australia in any cricket game other than the Ashes (and only then if we're losing).

Call me un-Australian but I get a little giddy inside when the Aussie cricket team suffers any kind of misfortune. Years of dominance and a string of off-field embarrassments have rendered me completely unable to root for Australia in any cricket game other than the Ashes (and only then if we're losing).

Slightly off-topic here Chook but does that Pollos thing have anything to do with the Breaking Bad series or is that just a bird-like reference?

On second thoughts, the 1970 Aussie tourists should be awarded a National Street parade. Well done, Ian Redpath, Paul Sheahan, Douggie Walters, Garth, you wouldn't have laid down like these professional hamsters.

Slightly off-topic here Chook but does that Pollos thing have anything to do with the Breaking Bad series or is that just a bird-like reference?

I used to have a picture of a chicken because of my name, but with the rise to fame of everyone's favourite meth distributor/fried chicken joint, I thought I'd go with that instead.

So yes, it is Breaking Bad related, but it's a little less random than some picture of Gus smiling (which someone else went with). I'm pleased to know, however, that MFC supporters also have terriffic taste in television shows.

Edited November 11, 201113 yr by Chook

Well I'm just in a bit of shock really - trying to make sense of an 8 wicket loss from a commanding position .

I suppose if we win next weeks Test it may soften the blow but the team would have to be in shock as well .

Huge task for Clarke to get the team up next week .

If we lose again there should be reprisals .

As it is they will possibly find room for Cummins ( for Siddle ? Johnson ? ) and Khawaja ( prob won't happen but should )

Edited November 11, 201113 yr by Nuggets

Well Clarke's innings in the first dig was a thing of beauty.

When the pitch flattened out a bit batting became quite easy. Unfortunately it was the 4th innings by then!

We had a lot of players that didn't adjust to the seaming pitch. Haddin was the most susceptible. I dare say he is close to the end than the beginning. Especially with Paine as the heir apparent. But he's luck Paine isn't fit yet. Ponting hare earned chances. He certainly hasn't used them up yet. As for Hughes, I think he'll be a good player. But not yet. It depends if we stick with him because he's the future, or whether we flick him because he is struggling. Inverarity said something about investing games in those that we should be investing games into. Hughes is probably one we should be investing games into. Khawaja is a great looking batsman though. Watson opening is a bit of a worry on a seaming deck, though. Interesting decision if Marsh doesn't play. Play Watson at 6 and open with Ussie? 6 probably suits the counterattacking style of Watson more in the longer format.

Breaking Bad is completely superb....The coaching of the Australian XI is not.

I blame the coaches for yesterdays debacle....there was no structure at all in that innings. Rudderless in every way.

Long Summer.

Go Demons.

How Hilditch still has a job, I will never know. I had heard that the test was a debacle, but 9/21??? WTF???? I cannot deal with another summer like last. And this one has the potential to be much worse. All credit to Clarke for his 150, but FFS, sort this [censored] out. And Chook, I will call you un-australian Just beacuse we were the best cricket team in the world for years does not mean we should lose. I want Kelly Slater to lose, and am sick of him winning, but that's cause he is a Seppo. If he was an aussie there is no way I would feel that way. This is our national cricket team, and a team we should always be proud of, but at the moment I can only feel shame. Something needs to be done, and quickly. We don't have to win every game, but innings totals like that should never be seen.

Call me un-Australian but I get a little giddy inside when the Aussie cricket team suffers any kind of misfortune. Years of dominance and a string of off-field embarrassments have rendered me completely unable to root for Australia in any cricket game other than the Ashes (and only then if we're losing).

So you want your Country to lose ! Will you want the Demons to lose if we start winning again ? Your comment must be tongue in cheek yeah ? Otherwise one of the most astonishing posts I have ever read .