South Africa v Australia | 1st Test | Centurion | Day 4 | 15 February 2014

[SOSami]

South Africa well up against it now. Two days left in the game.

Australia have a 479-run lead in the second innings with 7 wickets in hand.

 

[Convict]

Probably bat for another 75-90 minutes.
Hopefully Clarke can score a 50 and Marsh can push for a century.

Johnson is on a hattrick and does seem to trouble Smith and Peterson

 

[Mamoon]

Every bowler who can roll his arm troubles Petersen. Such an inept batsman.

It would be great if Johnson can get a hattrick.

Australia should win the game 70% today.

 

[OZGOD]

Stayed up to watch today - since it starts at 3.30am and finishes 10.30am here in Boston it's going to be an allnighter for me. These b@stards better make it worthwhile

 

[Convict]

Stayed up to watch today - since it starts at 3.30am and finishes 10.30am here in Boston it's going to be an allnighter for me. These b@stards better make it worthwhile

Perth really has the best time for cricket.

4.30 to just after midnight hear.
Even the Ashes only finished at around 1.00

 

[OZGOD]

I think the OZ second innings will help in determining whether or not Twatto is really needed in this side. They rolled SA for a cheap score in the 1st innings because Jonno took 7fer. The batting looks heaps more solid with six specialist batsmen but I still feel the bowling is a bit imbalanced.

 

[OZGOD]

Perth really has the best time for cricket.

4.30 to just after midnight hear.
Even the Ashes only finished at around 1.00

Yea for me here the NZ Tests are awesome, 5.30am to 1:30am which works fine. At least Willow have a cable channel on Verizon now so I don't have to watch it on a shyte computer monitor.

 

[OZGOD]

Good to see the Yarps out in force today. Healthy crowd already and it hasn't even started yet.

 

[Convict]

Good to see the Yarps out in force today. Healthy crowd already and it hasn't even started yet.

Starting a test on a Wednesday is idiocy.

 

[cars112]

Yea for me here the NZ Tests are awesome, 5.30am to 1:30am which works fine. At least Willow have a cable channel on Verizon now so I don't have to watch it on a shyte computer monitor.

Even otherwise, can't you Chromecast it on to your television?

 

[cars112]

Pretty tough first over from Morkel to Marsh. Doesn't bode well for the SA batsmen though.

 

[Saffer_XIII]

This game could be over today. Pitch is seriously up and down.

 

[OZGOD]

Marsh

 

[OZGOD]

Even otherwise, can't you Chromecast it on to your television?

I've been recording it on my DVR but it's not the same as watching it live

 

[NZcricketfan]

Most pointless 3-4 overs in test cricket history.

 

[OZGOD]

Declaration comes

 

[Gilly]

Aus declare.

 

[Saffer_XIII]

Dale gets Marsh and Clarke declares. Odd since they just got 2 runs this morning

 

[OZGOD]

481 to get. I think Clarke thinks he wants to make use of the wicket after batting on it for a few overs.

 

[OZGOD]

Dale gets Marsh and Clarke declares. Odd since they just got 2 runs this morning

He probably decided after batting on it for a couple of overs.

 

[Sam18696]

Declared. SA need 482 to win

 

[amlafan79]

Clarke declared so that not any more wickets fall and steyn gets confident for next game

 

[OZGOD]

Most pointless 3-4 overs in test cricket history.

Makes me wonder if some of you guys ever played cricket. It's not really pointless if you think about it as trying to get the measure of the wicket. It's not so much the runs scored but to see how the wicket is behaving. Nobody ever said Clarke was stupid. He probably wanted to bat on it for a few overs to see what the ball was doing. He was probably going to declare overnight but decided to see what the wicket was doing.

 

[Gilly]

Most pointless 3-4 overs in test cricket history.

Well to you yes but for Clarke it gave him the chance to look at the pitch before deciding if 479 runs were enough, it also made the SA openers go out and field for a couple overs and then have to rush back and pad up. It also frustrate Morkel and steyn knowing they could have done some damage the way the pitch was behaving but they have to watch the Aussie bowlers have some fun. Good all round call by Clarke.

 

[Saffer_XIII]

Makes me wonder if some of you guys ever played cricket. It's not really pointless if you think about it as trying to get the measure of the wicket. It's not so much the runs scored but to see how the wicket is behaving. Nobody ever said Clarke was stupid. He probably wanted to bat on it for a few overs to see what the ball was doing. He was probably going to declare overnight but decided to see what the wicket was doing.

Ball seemed to be doing a lot while Morkel was bowling. This could get ugly for Smith and his hands.

 

[OZGOD]

Ball seemed to be doing a lot while Morkel was bowling. This could get ugly for Smith and his hands.

As a fan you never think your team has enough runs. Especially when you get out a calculator and divide the runs required (482) by the number of overs left (180 approx) and come up with 2.7 runs per over. But it's a world record chase by some margin on a deteriorating wicket against a good OZ attack so if SA get it then they deserve to win.

 

[OZGOD]

SA score their first run, 481 to get

 

[OZGOD]

The SA cameramen are so voyeuristic lol. They pick all the hotties in the crowd

 

[OZGOD]

Smiffy flashes at a wide one that he could have nicked

 

[OZGOD]

Bouncer goes way over Haddos head and goes for 5 wides

 

[cars112]

OUT

MJ strikes with his fifth ball, Alviro gone

 

[Saffer_XIII]

Peterson is really skating on thin ice. This might be his last series.

 

[OZGOD]

Jonno strikes

Alviro like a dunce for 1

Jonno goes to 250 Test wickets

 

[Sam18696]

Johnson strikes

 

[Sam18696]

250 wickets for Johnson

 

[OZGOD]

Jonno is definitely in Peterson's mind. That was a panicky shot

 

[Mr Consistent]

first wicket for johnson

 

[Statistics375]

What a ripper to Amla.

 

[Saffer_XIII]

Lol. Johnson tries to knock of Amla's beard on the first ball.

 

[Saffer_XIII]

Lol. Johnson tries to knock of Amla's beard on the first ball.

 

[OZGOD]

Wow that was some kind of short ball that hit Amla right on the helmet grille

 

[Sandeep]

Stuff of legends from Aussies, getting the South Africans back to the earth..

 

[OZGOD]

Yarps just need to see off Jonno. He's only going to bowl another 3 overs probably before he gets spelled.

 

[Sandeep]

Smith would be thinking 'Safe for one over uff...'

 

[OZGOD]

Just amazing how pace, especially controlled pace, can really screw with batsmens minds. Movement in the air and off the pitch takes wickets, but pace creates fear of physical injury.

 

[Mr Consistent]

now its smith time

 

[OZGOD]

Big captain's knock needed from Biff

 

[Mr Consistent]

first ball :4 by smith

 

[Sandeep]

Good stuff this. Pace demon bowling at full speed and batsmen fighting for survival with the crowd behind them.. Nice!

 

[cars112]

Smith gone

MJ the man again. SA tottering at 12/2 in fourth over of innings

 

[Sandeep]

Oh my god! "Biff" )

 

[OZGOD]

Smith

Jonno has two!

Caught at short leg

 

[Mr Consistent]

lol smith again

 

[Saffer_XIII]

Damn it. Smith goes. Awesome catch.

 

[OZGOD]

Fantastic catch from Doolan

 

[Mr Consistent]

2nd wicket for johnson

 

[SL_Fan]

wow whataa catch

 

[OZGOD]

SA 2/12. 8 wickets left 470 to get in 177 overs

 

[Sandeep]

Great catch

 

[SL_Fan]

MJ on fyah!

 

[Statistics375]

Excellent catch.
Doolan does it like a boss did not even flinch.

 

[Saffer_XIII]

Did anyone else hear Smith go "Oh my god"

 

[Sandeep]

Australia are entering that zone again.. Death bells for other teams

 

[OZGOD]

Faf needs to do an Adelaide

Fends off to short leg

 

[MarkCooper]

Johnson is making us not notice the other bowlers. Let's be honest: Siddle, Harris, not bowling anything special. It's all Johnson. Irresistible Johnson.

 

[Sandeep]

Johnson is making us not notice the other bowlers. Let's be honest: Siddle, Harris, not bowling anything special. It's all Johnson. Irresistible Johnson.

Siddle, Harris and Lyon are great support to Johnson.. Overall a very good bowling unit

 

[OZGOD]

Some nice outswing there for Harris

 

[SL_Fan]

Harris is the glue holding it all together tho I would say. Take Harris away and Johnson wouldn't have the same impact imo.

 

[Mr Consistent]

:4 by faf good shot

 

[Sandeep]

Is DuPlessis really a no.4 batsman? I'm not convinced..

 

[SL_Fan]

shott

 

[Mr Consistent]

another 4 for faf

 

[OZGOD]

Johnson is making us not notice the other bowlers. Let's be honest: Siddle, Harris, not bowling anything special. It's all Johnson. Irresistible Johnson.

Clearly you've never bowled. You take wickets as a bowling unit. One person can be the strike bowler but the others contribute to building the pressure and inducing the mistakes. And Jonno can't be as effective as he is bowling 4 over spells if you don't have Siddle bowling tight for 7+ over spells. Siddle is the workhorse of the team. In football parlance he would be the holding midfielder, the unnoticed one that allows the forwards and attacking midfielders to look their best.

 

[saj786]

Harris Is a fantastic bowler

 

[cricket sport]

match starts when AB comes to the crease. AB vs Johnno. Johnno looks unconvincing while bowling to AB

 

[Statistics375]

Is DuPlessis really a no.4 batsman? I'm not convinced..

Should be, he scored that amazing century against your team at Johannesburg while batting at 4.

 

[MarkCooper]

Clearly you've never bowled. You take wickets as a bowling unit. One person can be the strike bowler but the others contribute to building the pressure and inducing the mistakes. And Jonno can't be as effective as he is bowling 4 over spells if you don't have Siddle bowling tight for 7+ over spells. Siddle is the workhorse of the team. In football parlance he would be the holding midfielder, the unnoticed one that allows the forwards and attacking midfielders to look their best.

All that bowling as a unit thing sounds good on tv in the press interviews. But bowlers have egos. They don't want to be holding an end down while Johnson gets all the wickets. No way.

 

[SL_Fan]

Every one has their role to play. It's a team game. Especially when it comes to the bowling side of things.

 

[style_guru]

All that bowling as a unit thing sounds good on tv in the press interviews. But bowlers have egos. They don't want to be holding an end down while Johnson gets all the wickets. No way.

You are talking as if it's a deliberate ploy by OZ to let Mitch take all the wickets. No one has stopped other bowlers from taking a few. Infact Harris & Lyon were among a lot of wickets during the Ashes as well.

 

[Robert]

Clearly you've never bowled. You take wickets as a bowling unit. One person can be the strike bowler but the others contribute to building the pressure and inducing the mistakes. And Jonno can't be as effective as he is bowling 4 over spells if you don't have Siddle bowling tight for 7+ over spells. Siddle is the workhorse of the team. In football parlance he would be the holding midfielder, the unnoticed one that allows the forwards and attacking midfielders to look their best.

Yeas, defo a group effort. They work for each other. Sid keeps it really tight - look at the way he kept boring KP out. And Rhino is world-class too. This three-man pace unit is better that anything I can remember since the Windies in their heyday.