Macca

If we can bat a fair bit past the tea break, we're back in the game. However, the slow wicket may not suit our batsmen to come who at times, like to hit the ball on the up. A few batsmen have been caught out in front of the wicket (Clarke and de Villiers come to mind but there's been a couple of others) Morkel seemed the most dangerous bowler for them although Parnell (the leftie) also bowled well. You're right about the weather forecast for Monday but we can't have a repeat of what happened yesterday. The situation is tailor made for Haddin - let's hope he can get amongst them again but he'll need to be a bit more patient on this deck. Johnson might be needed to chime in with a good contribution as well. I'm expecting the Aussies to fight back hard but the South Africans definitely hold the advantage right now.

Going to be tough for the Aussies to save this one. Their bowlers have got more out of this deck than our blokes so their advantage is fully deserved. A draw is our best chance from here but we'll need at least a couple of our batsmen to make big scores for that to happen. Still 311 behind with only 6 wickets in hand, we're also going to need some luck. Parnell has bowled well on debut for them. Cape Town for the decider looks odds on unless we can somehow bat out the whole day tonight. If, for instance, we can only bat 2 sessions, we'll probably still be at least 100 runs behind on 1st innings with a full session and 2 days to go - certainly enough time for South Africa to push for victory. However, batting 2 sessions might be a stretch anyway. We'll probably need Warner, Smith and Haddin to all make decent contributions when play resumes. Perhaps Johnson as well. ps ... both Warner and Lyon should be out. de Villiers dropped a soda off Warner and Lyon (the nightwatchman) nicked one down the leg side off Steyn which was given not out (the South Africans decided not to review it)

Yep, 'True Detective' and 'Rectify' are extremely good shows. Both quite "dark' in their own way. Thanks for the recommendations, chaps. The chemistry between McConaughey and Harrelson really makes the show (True Detective) Rectify has that brooding quality about it and the lead (Aden Young) is perfectly cast. Sundance TV made Rectify and they're owned by AMC. A few other quality drama shows made by AMC are/were 'Rubicon' (ceased production after 13 episodes but was quite a good show if you like that kind of genre), 'The Killing' (a remake of the hit Danish series) and 'Hell on Wheels' (a Western series set back at the time of the construction of the first Transcontinental railway in the States) AMC are probably more well known for making Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Walking Dead. And from the UK ... Series 3 of 'Luther' and series 4 of 'Mad Dogs' came out late last year. As is typical of these type of shows, they need to be viewed from the start. Idris Elba stars as Luther and plays his part exceptionally well. Mad Dogs is very entertaining and is a little offbeat.

Excellent catches weren't they, 'dc'. "Boon like" ... handy debut by Alex! Here's an excellent summary of the Test (and the last day) from 'Cricinfo' ... Johnson's 12 wickets destroy South Africa

That's 6 wins in a row for the Aussies. What a turnaround! Apart from taking 12/127 for the match and inflicting numerous blows on the South Africans, Johnno took time out to break Philander's bat! Who can stop this man? We've just completely outplayed them. 3 centurions and we win by 281 runs (we also declared at 4 down in our 2nd innings) Great win!

The shock of the new? Johnson's short ball could be hard to pick as well. Maybe the batsmen just don't see it coming - usually there's a "tell" but with Mitch, there possibly isn't. Also, his short one is extremely accurate and is designed for one purpose. Being a leftie helps and when he goes around the wicket against the left hand batsmen, he looks just as dangerous. All the best fast bowlers have usually had a great short ball but it seems that Johnson has taken it to a new level. Thommo and Andy Roberts were lethal with their short ball as well (when they were in their prime) At the moment, Mitch is an unstoppable force. As long as he maintains his pace and accuracy, he'll continue to get the wickets. The better batsmen should be able fight back though - de Villiers looked reasonably comfortable against him (he got out to him with a mishit aggressive drive) You'd half expect the South Africans to fight back hard with the calibre of players that they have. However, their batsmen will need to wear a few. Are they up for it? This track has a few tricks in it as well - there's a bit of variable bounce about. It won't be easy.

Doolan looks a nice player. Good, solid technique with an even temperament. There's something about the way he looks at the crease - comfortable, not flustered and a touch of elegance. An impressive debut against a world class attack. Warner gets another century. He's played a number of crunching shots as usual and has given a few chances. That's the way he plays though - there's always a chance he'll get out in an awkward way. It's pleasing that he's starting to turn his half centuries into centuries. Dave is a matchwinner in terms of how quickly he scores - by him scoring so quickly it effectively ends up creating more time to get the opposition out. As for Johnson - his turnaround continues to astound. 4 months ago he wasn't even playing Test cricket and now he's arguably the best cricketer in the world. He destroyed their batting with 7-68. There might be another knockout blow when he gets at them again in the 2nd innings.

Cricket on the radio is great. I can't think of another sport where one can paint a better picture when listening in. I've been watching the cricket and the Olympics and having the radio broadcast of the cricket handy is therefore a must. However, the footy wins tonight! Our Demons are doing alright. ABC Grandstand are also broadcasting the cricket from South Africa ... click here for the broadcast (it's the same radio broadcast as the 'tunein' one)

It was a nasty delivery alright. The Aussies have started the way they left off against England. Great centuries to Marsh and Smith. 3-23 the South Africans and we're well on top. The track has got a bit of spice in it as well. Johnno on fire!

You can listen to the cricket online here 'dl' ... Cricket Radio (tunein) The broadcast cuts out occasionally but hopefully the glitches can be sorted out. Doolan and Marsh both playing (listed to bat at no.3 and no.4) Interesting that Pup has moved down to no.5 and the selectors are happy to go in with just the 4 specialist bowlers. Aussies sent in and we're 1-15 (Warner chopped one on to Steyn)

Super Bowl advert ... Seinfeld reunion Frank Caliendo ... 30 for 30 'Mockumentary' .

Seattle were just far too good today and if the Seahawks can keep all their players together, they'll be thereabouts for a number of years. Their defense is like their "other" offense. They were all over the Broncos and it seemed like their defense was making all the plays against Denver's offense. Sooner or later their young guns will be come out of their existing contracts but if their GM (John Schneider) is switched on like he has been, they'll remain strong. And they'll always have that huge home field advantage. Wilson and Seattle's offense has a big upside as well. Who's gonna stop 'em? It would be easy to be critical of the Broncos but really, it was all about the Seahawks today. Worthy winners is a phrase thrown around a bit but this team was emphatic with their dominance. Kudos to a champion team! And ... we have a winner in the playoff comp. Congratulations to 'titan' - he even gave himself a bye in the Super Bowl and still won! Thanks to all for participating - it adds a bit of interest to the thread. Final points tally in the playoff comp ... 7 - titan_uranus* 6 - DemonDave 5 - cowboy from hell, Macca 4 - Strafford* 3 - Gorgoroth 2 - Pantaloons*, the master* * denotes missed out on 1 or more weeks of tips.

Bruno and the Chili Peppers were great - they certainly know how to put on a show. That Harvin TD has to hurt - who would've predicted a 29-0 scoreline at this stage of the game. Stunning!

Wow! Everything has gone pear shaped for Denver. They finally get a break with that fumble but lots of work to do. Seattle have brought their A game and look like men on a mission. It's not over yet but if the Seahawks are smart, they'll eat up the clock in the 2nd half. Broncos need a score here - but that's an understatement!

You'd have to be pleased with the weather forecast, Cards. Heard Eli talking about how the wind behaves in the stadium and he reckons it won't be a problem unless it's really windy. They're predicting only 13km winds and a top temperature of about 9 degrees celsius for the day of the Super Bowl (at this stage) If it had of been below zero with gusty winds I would have probably picked the Seahawks but now I'm leaning towards your Broncos. Game starts at 6.30pm local time so it's sure to get a bit colder than the expected top temperature. Not cold enough to effect Peyton if we look at how he's performed historically (in certain weather conditions) Peyton is such a key player in this game but if Lynch and/or Wilson have big games then Seattle will be right in it. Obviously the Seahawks defense and in particular their secondary is super strong but the conditions have now swung around in Manning's favour. His offensive line has been tremendous all season and he's certainly got enough targets to throw to. Anyway, here's my tip ... (remembering there are 3 points on offer for correctly picking the Super Bowl winning team) Denver 27 Seattle 24 ... MVP - Peyton Manning Points tally in the playoff comp ... 7 - titan_uranus 6 - DemonDave 5 - Macca 4 - Strafford* 3 - Gorgoroth 2 - cowboy from hell, Pantaloons*, the master* * denotes missed out on 1 or 2 weeks of tips. Oh, and here's the BS Report for this week. Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal go over all the weird prop bets surrounding the Super Bowl. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but this particular episode of the BS Report is usually good for a laugh.

Their tracks are a lot like our wickets. Good bounce generally which should suit Lyon. Philander gets good seam movement on his home tracks so he could be a real handful (apart from Steyn's swing and pace and Morkel's pace and bounce) 3 tests in 22 days will test a few of our fellows out. Same for the South Africans of course. If any of their 3 fast bowlers breaks down it will open the door for our batsmen. They will miss Kallis' bowling a lot unless either of their all rounders (Wayne Parnell or Ryan McLaren) steps up to the plate. They might have to expose their spinner more than they'd like and what's the bet the Aussies will go after Robin Peterson regardless?

Phil Hughes gets the nod for Test recall

I'm sure Richard Sherman will be nice and fired up on the day of the Super Bowl but here's an interesting view on proceedings by Keith Olbermann ...

Last October they played all the domestic 50 over games in one hit. All the games were held in Sydney and I'm not sure if any of the games were televised. It seemed like an ok idea at the time but I'm not sure it worked in terms of exposure. Previously, the 50 over domestic games were played over a 6 month period. I can see CA keeping the games in October but it needs a lot more promotion. It's needed, otherwise what happens to the Australian ODI side? The "Big Bash" probably has to be played over the holiday period and I can't see them moving it anyway. It's been very successful in terms of crowds and TV viewers.

Tuned in for the 4th quarter and it wasn't too bad a standard this time around. Apparently there's been a few decent hits and the tackling has seemed at an acceptable level. 22-21 in favour of the Rice team. Maybe there's hope for the concept yet - the game will no doubt have a big TV audience again.

Perfectly understandable Strafford! There's always next year A week out from the Super Bowl and I can't split the teams. I guess the colder and windier it gets suits Seattle but I can't help but feel that Peyton will still play a big game. It's a fascinating match-up. Pro Bowl tomorrow. Gets a huge audience but no one cares. Go figure! (I'll probably take a bit of a look at some stage) Apparently the teams have been picked by Sanders and Rice and ... a few players are a bit miffed at being picked so late. Doubt we'll see many hard hits though and the tackling is usually at a low intensity.

Led Zeppelin ...

Champions can often find that last gear towards the end of their career but Roger didn't have it tonight. He did defeat Andy Murray in the quarters although Murray may not have been at his best in that match. I did hear Jim Courier talk about Roger's new racquet and how it could have a big effect on his touch. It's a brave move to change things up so late in his career but I guess it's a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. Federer will probably gear himself for Wimbledon now - hopefully the Wimbledon officials won't put Nadal, Murray and Federer in one side of the draw like what has happened in the Aussie Open. Full credit to Rafa tonight, he was very aggressive throughout the match and to win in straight sets was quite impressive. Wawrinka awaits ... I've watched a few of Stan's matches and what does stand out in particular is that he showed great form against Djokovic. Nadal may not have it all his way in the final although you'd reckon Rafa's experience will be telling. Looking forward to the Ladies final tomorrow night - Li Na against the "pocket rocket", Dominika Cibulkova. Apparently, 116 million people in China watched Li Na win her first and only major back in 2011 (the French Open) so it's fair to say she's got a reasonable amount of support She's my tip to win tomorrow night (now!) but I don't know a great deal about Cibulkova.

Glad to see I didn't embarrass myself at least! (one year on) Looking forward to tonight's clash.

Interesting bit of news ... Roger Goodell: PATs may be in past As it stands now, the 'PAT' is rarely missed and it probably makes sense to get rid of a largely obsolete part of the game. Alternatively, they could make the extra point a lot harder - say from 40 or 50 yards. ... in other news ... Bill Belichick calls out Wes Welker No love lost between Welker and Belichick it seems. Here is the video of the incident - Wes Welker's hit tackle on Aqib Talib The following quote came from an 'SI' story about the same incident