Australia v South Africa | 1st Test - Day 1 | Perth | 17/12/08

[Random Aussie]

My Thoughts:

Steyn: Whats with this guy's hype ? He is nowhere as quick or threatening as claimed, I remember a young Shane Bond who last played at the Waca was making the aussie batsmen hop & jump all over the place.. There is a lot of hype about him, he is just seems like a nippy bowler who bowls at 145 kph max speed me feels. From the looks of today it could be a long season for this dude, Mitchell Johnson seems more nippier & quicker than him .... It is all fun breaking heads of Kiwi & Bangladeshi batmen but this is where he has to come to the party...

Morkel: Quite dissappointing, I was predicting him to trouble the batsmen and get a 3 for atleast but he was a big let down. I dont know if he has what it takes mentally to be a great fast bowler like Mcgrath, Donald, Wasim etc. He is not aggressive at all, has an ostrich type run up with a humble face, I think SA have a super quick version of our very own Venky Prasad here...

Ntini: Well he bowled ok but wasnt really all that threatening like expected from him...


Lets see what the Saffie batsmen can do tommozzz.....

Shane Bond he is not. A bit disappointing but the pitch was not anything like the pacer's paradise it was made out to be.

Morkel was good early and late, his middle spells were a bit underwhelming. But you can see why he is in the team, he will be a very dangerous bowler if he gets it together.

 

[saffer]

The pitch was flat an a batter paradise. The focus should be on aussie under performance and not S.A bowling. Steyn was quick enough today but there was no swing which eliviated much of his lethality.

Unless it quckens up a lot tomorrow S.A should enjoy their batting.

 

[McBoom]

How did Steyn bowl ?

 

[Rajan]

Morkel gets MJ with the final ball of the day.

9/341, excellent day's cricket. Up to South Africans to bat well tomorrow but unlike a lot of touring team they have been competitive from the beginning of the series.

RA,

if u r pointing at the indian team's general weakness of losing/playing poorly in the first test of the series, i would remind you that India did start the first day of the first test last year at MCG, slightly better than SA did today ! in fact first day: 337-9! and it surprised australian media and team. they did not expect an "inept" indian bowling unit to take 9 aussie wickets for less than 350 on the first day at MCG. i will be surprised if SA does it this time if they play at MCG. let me also refresh your memory when we played in WACA, we rolled out australia in the first dig for 212. SA had its chances but could not capitalise. we capitulated in MCG, due to our batsmen who took time to adjust to bouce having come from a series in india from 'dust bowls". let us see how SA does.
==============
Australia :
Total (all out; 92.4 overs; 395 mins) 343 [/B] (3.70 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-135 (Jaques, 33.4 ov), 2-162 (Ponting, 38.5 ov), 3-165 (Hussey, 39.3 ov), 4-225 (Clarke, 59.1 ov), 5-241 (Hayden, 62.3 ov), 6-281 (Symonds, 71.4 ov), 7-288 (Gilchrist, 75.3 ov), 8-294 (Lee, 79.2 ov), 9-312 (Hogg, 86.1 ov), 10-343 (Clark, 92.4 ov) ====================================

 

[maamrut]

I don't think this pitch was hugely different from the one which was used against India last year.

 

[Indiafan]

Easily Aus's games this. SA wont make more than 250. Aus will win this match with around 100 runs

 

[McBoom]

I think most of the Indians are rooting for an Aussie win because if the saffers beat the Aussies then they would steal India's thunder.

:aiqbal

 

[TruSachFan]

I am sorry but the Aussies bowling attack will not trouble the South Africans. The only real competitive edge the Aussies had over the South Africans were Mcgrath and Warne. Lee, Johnson, Siddle are not much in comparison. Kretza please is no warne.

Plus the aussie batting is just too brittle for my liking. The South Africans have a real chance of being competitive and even getting revenge for the past series defeats.

Lol! This is not a subcontinent team. Lee and Johson with Siddle will do wonders here. Methinks 341 is enough on this pitch.

 

[Tupac]

this test is very similar to the MCG Test against India. Will SA collapse like India did? I think so

 

[OZGOD]

Didn't even realise this had started, I've been so busy at work. I think both captains would take 341, Smiffy if he'd been offered it at the start of the match and Dubya after the first session.

 

[OZGOD]

I think most of the Indians are rooting for an Aussie win because if the saffers beat the Aussies then they would steal India's thunder.

:aiqbal

We're happy for people to cheer for us for whatever reason

 

[IronMan2009]

From 15 for 3 to 341 for 9 is a phenomenal job. Still to early to pick a winner. Since Australian bowling is yet to be seen.