Christ on a bike.

Read. Comprehend. You're speculating. I'm speculating.

It's silly and plain wrong to suggest that time wasn't a factor. Of course it was. You want to a) accumulate enough runs to defend and b) ensure you are left with enough time to bowl the other mob out. Achieving (a) quicker assists with (b). Not complex. As it turned out, Doolan did finally sacrifice his wicket and Watto/Smith came in to achieve a and b, but it doesn't make examination of Doolan at the time any less warranted.

Yes, it was mentioned in the commentary a few times. So what? Moody thought it was an issue worth mentioning. You don't. I know whose opinion I give more weight.

Enjoy yours. Say hi to the cows for me.

yep,sorry your right as usual.

cows say mooooo to you.

have a good day,quote some figures next time to give your point of view ,more weight.

btw.doolan looked pretty good and WE need a top order bat,im sure the selectors and team would have been happy with what they saw.

A clear fine day is forecast ... we've effectively got 7 hours of cricket as a maximum.

An early wicket would be ideal and at least 3 wickets in the first session (150 minutes) will make things a little less uneasy. They're renowned for not giving up so victory may well be hard earned.

The new ball will be due not long after lunch (another 39 overs) so the South Africans will have a few hurdles to overcome.

Batting stats for all current test captains.

I've given their average overall, their average when not captaining and their average when (since) captaining.

Michael Clarke

Overall 51.82 (8240 runs - 27 centuries from 105 matches)

Captain 60.05 (3543 runs - 13 centuries from 37 matches)

Non-Captain 46.97 (4697 runs - 14 centuries from 68 matches)

Mushfiqur Rahim

Overall 32.43 (2173 runs - 2 centuries from 38 matches)

Captain 42.52 (978 runs - 1 century from 14 matches)

Non-Captain 27.15 (1195 runs - 1 century from 24 matches)

Alistair Cook

Overall 46.51 (8047 runs - 25 centuries from 102 matches)

Captain 47.02 (1834 runs - 7 centuries from 21 matches)

Non-Captain 46.36 (6213 runs - 18 centuries from 81 matches)

MS Dhoni

Overall 38.77 (4459 runs - 6 centuries from 83 matches)

Captain 42.18 (3037 runs - 5 centuries from 53 matches)

Non-Captain 33.06 (1422 runs - 1 century from 30 matches)

Brendon McCullum

Overall 38.09 (5219 runs - 9 centuries from 84 matches)

Captain 50.95 (1121 runs - 3 centuries from 14 matches)

Non-Captain 35.63 (4098 - 6 centuries from 70 matches)

Misbah-ul-Haq

Overall 48.75 (3218 runs - 5 centuries from 46 matches)

Captain 61.38 (2210 runs - 3 centuries from 27 matches)

Non-Captain 33.60 (1008 runs - 2 centuries from 19 matches)

Graeme Smith

Overall 48.72 (9257 runs - 27 centuries from 117 matches)

Captain 48.32 (8651 runs - 25 centuries from 109 matches)

Non-Captain 55.09 (606 runs - 2 centuries from 8 matches)

Darren Sammy

Overall 21.68 (1323 runs - 1 century from 38 matches)

Captain 22.43 (1032 runs - 1 century from 30 matches)

Non-Captain 19.40 (291 runs - 0 century 8 matches)

Brendan Taylor

Overall 35.00 (1260 runs - 4 centuries from 19 matches)

Captain 52.37 (838 runs - 4 centuries from 9 matches)

Non-Captain 21.10 (422 runs - 0 centuries from 10 matches)

Some interesting reading.

Of note, IMO:

Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe. Averaging 21.1 in 10 matches, has belted 4 centuries at 52 since taking over as skipper. Mushfiqur Rahim is another of note.

Smith's amazing record - 109 matches as captain after serving an 7 game apprenticeship. Leading the way he does with such minimal technique. (I actually started this two nights ago before I heard about his retirement - a great career, a shame that it ended on such a poor note form-wise, though that's often the way sport goes)

And the first bloke's average as captain hasn't been too bad, either.

Clarke and Misbah have really blossomed since captaincy. Amazingly, Misbah has passed 50 24 times in 47 innings since taking over, though Clarke's centuries have been impressive. He has a touch of feast or famine about him.

^ Great stats. Smith is going to be remembered by many for his poor finish and his conservative captaincy, but his batting, as an opener no less, for 109 Tests, was masterful. South Africa never lost a Test in which he made a century.

As for the current Test - major struggle. Memories of Adelaide flooding back. Abbott batted beautifully for a tailender to survive as long as he did. We're in a bit of trouble now, with de Villiers looking completely trouble-free, and du Plessis being, well, du Plessis. With Duminy still to come, plus handy batting in Philander, this is no certainty (the draw's at $2.50 with Sportsbet, for those who are interested...).

Nice work, 45, appreciate it.

I like Misbah. Even though there's still some speculation re: Pakisan captaincy, I reckon that it's been about as stable as you'll get for a Pakisani cricket captain over quite a long time now. (He'll probably get the sack tomorrow).

Wow, what a finish!!!

Never in doubt.

Wow, what a finish! Well fought out South Africa ... a mighty effort.

We certainly earned that win. A great series with some outstounding individual performances from quite a few players on both sides.

'tis a pity we have to wait so long before we play them again.

harris,just kept on bowling better and better in the last 8 tests,waiting for his knee to disintergrate [amazing effort]

patto,looked ok on the last day.

the new number 3 looked ok also,but we need to see more of him at this level before making a long term judgement.

one minus was the coaches reaction after the replay appeal not going our way.[didnt like the reaction in england when he did this either,not good for on field moral}

but otherwise a good series to watch,

You have to admire the South Africans for their fighting spirit against the odds. They almost pulled off another Adelaide.

As much as our blokes have improved, I doubt they would have been able to do the same - as we showed in the second test, we're not up to it in those circumstances.

In any event, to finish the last two series 7 - 1 is a mighty and certainly unexpected effort.

There are no words that can suitably describe that effort from Rhino.

If anyone stayed up to watch it, I am extremely jealous.

There are no words that can suitably describe that effort from Rhino.

If anyone stayed up to watch it, I am extremely jealous.

I had no work on Thurs am so I stayed up. When I went to bed at 3.15, I couldn't get to sleep because my heart was still pounding!

There was huge irony when Phillander was given not out caught at short leg, because his hand was adjudged by the third ump to not be in contact with the bat when the ball hit his thumb.

We lost the (?2005 or 2009)Ashes because Kasprowicz was given out caught behind when his hand wasn't on the bat, and we only needed about 2 to win!

It looked like we were going to not win this series ,due to the DRS preventing this error from being repeated.

However it wasn't clear enough from multiple replays, to overturn the umpire's decision , in my opinion.

With 4 overs to go, and two wickets to get, it was hard to be optimistic. The bowlers looked so tired.

I was cursing the time wasted the previous day when Doolan couldn't hit it off the square. Also the time lost due to rain early in the Test, which wasn't entirely made up for by the early starts .

I also felt Clarke under -bowled Smith.What did it matter if he served up some tripe and got belted? We had so many runs to spare.

There are no words that can suitably describe that effort from Rhino.

If anyone stayed up to watch it, I am extremely jealous.

unbelievable it was.

his last 10 tests have been enormous,still cant believe his body has stood up in the last 2 series

Even if Harris never plays another Test, I think he'll be able to look back pretty satisfied with his work in the international arena.

Interesting watching the ABC's Offsiders programme today. The two female panelists were Tracy Holmes and Caro and IMO their prim and proper PC denunciation of the Aussie's behaviour towards Faf du Plessis demonstrated their complete ignorance of the mind games involved in cricket's art of sledging.

Du Plessis had earlier called the Australians a pack of dogs and questioned their ability to attain reverse-swing in the first innings.

The Aussies returned fire by giving du Plessis a barking send-off when he was dismissed and, during his innings taunted him about his ball-tampering charge last year.

The ladies thought this was immature and childish. Masters got things in the correct perspective describing the antics as funny.

Heaven help the sport if the likes of Wilson and Holmes take control.

Anyway, that's it for Aussie test cricket until October when we're due to take on Pakistan in three tests in UAE and then four home tests v India in our summer.

I wonder if we'll ever see Harris again post surgery and whether our young gun pace bowlers will be healthy by then.

It's a bit like waiting for MFC's talls to get fit.

disagree WJ.

when out in the middle the dog jokes and banter apply.

if there was another test or innings to play,they apply.

but after taking his wicket and having no more tests to play,it was childish.

we wont see them for awhile and it was like somebody throwing rocks at you from a moving car.

cheap and weak,just because we are aussies,doesnt mean we are always right.

They were neither funny nor are they like someone throwing rocks at cars.

While it didn't look good it's a storm in a teacup.

disagree WJ.

when out in the middle the dog jokes and banter apply.

if there was another test or innings to play,they apply.

but after taking his wicket and having no more tests to play,it was childish.

we wont see them for awhile and it was like somebody throwing rocks at you from a moving car.

cheap and weak,just because we are aussies,doesnt mean we are always right.

I prefer to go with Patrick Smith's view that this is all about how modern cricket is played. The days of gentlemen cricketers is well past and while I note your point about there not being another test or innings to play in this series, I'm sure the mind games will go on when next they confront du Plessis who stonewalled us in Adelaide a year or two ago. That could also include the coming T20 games including the world championships and next years World ODI Cup.

I prefer to go with Patrick Smith's view that this is all about how modern cricket is played. The days of gentlemen cricketers is well past and while I note your point about there not being another test or innings to play in this series, I'm sure the mind games will go on when next they confront du Plessis who stonewalled us in Adelaide a year or two ago. That could also include the coming T20 games including the world championships and next years World ODI Cup.

Also ... the South Africans are back here in November for 5 x ODI's and 3 x t20's (just prior to the Tests against India)

No tests against the Proteas until October 2016 though (which is a pity) As well as that, we fight another Ashes battle in less than 15 months (in England) ... Future Tours

I prefer to go with Patrick Smith's view that this is all about how modern cricket is played. The days of gentlemen cricketers is well past and while I note your point about there not being another test or innings to play in this series, I'm sure the mind games will go on when next they confront du Plessis who stonewalled us in Adelaide a year or two ago. That could also include the coming T20 games including the world championships and next years World ODI Cup.

i generally dont bother with newspaper writers opines.

its just my sporting upbringing to sling as much mud as possible,but theres a time and place.

the aussies looked bad with what they did and i think a lot of it comes from being chitkickers for 4 years they now want to overlord .

anyway,thats just opinion from your mind and mine.

We're left with T20 and the Aussies will at least tie the series courtesy of the Duckworth-Lewis system turning last night into a 7 over match.

Stupid.

What is going on with Shaun Marsh? His First Class form reads like this - 148, 44, 0, 0, 0, 113.

His Test record is similarly up and down, although not to such an extreme.

From memory I think his WA teammate Marcus North was a bit the same.

How about Evan Gulbis for Tassie? 229 runs in the first (and only) innings and 4/7 bowling in the second innings. This guy has had the weirdest career - started out playing for Victoria as a batsman who could bowl a bit (batting at #3), came to Tassie as a bowler who can bat a bit (batting at #8), has done virtually nothing at Shield level with either the bat or the ball, then produces *that*. Amazing stuff.

Apparently his score is the second highest ever first class score from a #2 after Wasim Akram scored 257 against Zimbabwe in 1996.

His Test record is similarly up and down, although not to such an extreme.

From memory I think his WA teammate Marcus North was a bit the same.

Those first 4 scores are from the first two tests. His test record is truly bizarre / and I thought Clarke was feast or famine!