Macca

Clarke is a fine, tactically aware captain and Boof is a fine coach. I believe we've got an ideal set-up right now and support both men wholeheartedly. What does seems obvious is that Clarke is not well liked by quite a few of the fans ... but who cares? He's not there to be liked. He's there to captain his country well and make runs. As far as I'm concerned he does both jobs very well. He's having a rough trot with the bat lately but he's got plenty of brownie points. Clarke has just come off winning 6 Tests in a row and we're in with a show of winning a series in South Africa. He should be getting more credit but isn't.

From all reports Watto is going to bat at no.6. Your way would mean the batting order would largely be kept intact and is possibly the more sensible solution (more particularly for this specific Test) Batsmen tend to like to make a batting spot their own and being shunted about often doesn't help them or the team. Got a feeling that Marsh will make way for Watson but I'm only speculating. ... Watson accepts all-round role From the man himself ...

With the benefit of hindsight and perhaps for those who have shown a bit of foresight, Watson should have, at some time in the last couple of years, been moved to the traditional all rounders spot of no.6 in the batting order. The issue is that when he hasn't played, (which is roughly half the time when counting his entire career) the major part of our batting line-up often has needed to be looked at, addressed or changed. It would have been a far easier exercise to just replace him with another all rounder (or a new batsman) in the same batting spot (no.6) if he'd batted there in last couple of years. The latest news is that Watson* will come into the side and bat at no.6 (replacing Doolan or Marsh) This will mean that at least one other batsmen will need to move from their batting spot. In actuality, it's more than likely that up to 3 batsmen will be moved from their batting spots if Doolan is dropped. Marsh would probably move to no.3 with both Clarke & Smith moving up a spot - or Smith might be moved to no.4 thus leaving 'Pup' at no.5. However, Doolan was originally next in line before Marsh and Hughes so it might be Marsh who is the unlucky one to be dropped (Doolan was on standby for the 5th Ashes Test in Sydney) A settled batting line-up would have been the preferred option going into this vital match and it's entirely possible that we'll have 4 batsmen batting in different spots (including Watto himself at no.6) despite only making one change to the top 6. Not ideal. *Obviously, Watson doesn't get to pick where he wants to bat. He gets told where he is batting in the order (unless there's been a dramatic change in protocol)

Harris looked done in this last Test but before that he's looked fine. The policy has been that if a bowler is ready to go, they play him. Match conditions is far different to training form though. The Cape Town wicket has suited seam bowling previously (Philander picked up 8 wickets the last time we played them there) so if Harris passes a fitness test, he'll probably still play. The pleasing thing is we should have 2 'ready to go' back-ups to come in if need be. Bird hits the seam nicely and Patto will be keen to impress. The toss could be important and it should be noted that they won the toss and sent us in the last time we played them at Cape Town. They won the game by 8 wickets although the match only lasted 3 days. It's going to be interesting to see what sort of track is prepared. The other thing that is interesting is our batting order. If, as is being speculated, Watson plays, do Clarke and Smith move up a notch so that Shane can bat at no.6? Or does Watson slot into the no.3 or no.4 spot depending on whoever out of Doolan or Marsh makes way? Or could Smith leapfrog Clarke and bat at no.4? What is most probably true is that we'll need to be at our best to win as the South African's will be buoyant after their emphatic 2nd Test win. Dale Steyn looks like he's found his form and he might be the difference. For us, we probably need a big game from Johnno.

Rotation policy hey? That old chestnut! I reckon they've got it right now in all seriousness ... play 'em until they don't come up but make sure there are ready made replacements. Bird and Pattinson should be rarin' to go if needed. Perhaps they could have taken 6 fast bowlers in all (to have one more option) but we should be able to put a good enough attack together for the decider. It's looking like Watson will come in (his reverse swing might be needed if the pitch is an abrasive one) Doolan or Marsh will count themselves unlucky if either of them make room but by the sounds of it, they definitely want that option of a 5th bowler who can be more than just a part timer. Watto took 5-17 in the 1st innings of the corresponding Test match from just over 2 years ago ... scorecard Let's hope we get a result ... 1-1 is an acceptable result for us but the Aussie way is to play to win. This upcoming Test should be a beauty.

Well, it didn't quite work out the way we wanted it to but ... if we play well tonight and the bad weather comes into play on day 5, we can get out of this with draw - a win is a real long shot at this stage. They're a bowler down (Parnell) and that helps. Regardless of what we're chasing, we need a very good start when we bat again. If we can get to 1-100 or better still, 0-100, then we'll be well on our way to saving the game. If we get a start like that, then a win isn't out of the question (however, day 5's weather forecast might put paid to a win) Occupation of the crease is of paramount importance and the track is still good enough for any of the recognised batsmen to make runs on. The best thing that could happen from South Africa's point of view is if they are bowled out with about 30-40 minutes left in the first session. Or they declare early. As it stands, unless we can bowl them out, I'd expect Smith to bat on until at least the lunch break. May be wrong on that though. Smith couldn't help but be keeping an eye on the weather that's being forecast for day 5 (they're predicting around about 50mm of rain to fall throughout the day) We need to hang in there and win the 4th day (all 3 sessions)

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.