2nd Test: Australia v South Africa at Hobart on Nov 12-16, 2016

[Tommy Smith]

f**king lol

Are Voges and Ferguson taking the piss?

What kind of batting is this?

 

[hineyrulz]

Oh dear!! We wont make lunch.

 

[JJ]

Voges must average about 4 against anyone bar the Windies or Kiwis.

Probably does, but I think it's more that all the Australians have good averages on very flat decks, and mediocre ones off it - even Smith is in that boat, but he's showing he can adapt in this test

To be honest, he should be farming the strike from the moment he gets to the wicket on anything other than a road - the rest of them are either crap or so ill-disciplined it's embarrassing - in this context run scoring or wafting at balls outside off should not be a priority (nor should it in the first few overs of a test)

 

[Iafeta]

Is chubs Derpuson (the brother) throwing another tanty in the crowd?

 

[chigurh]

Well that was slightly less embarrassing than Voges dismissal. Gotta find some positives..

 

[hineyrulz]

Is chubs Derpuson (the brother) throwing another tanty in the crowd?

He got his money's worth, flew all the way around the world for 4 runs lol. I'd be chucking a tanty as well.

 

[JJ]

Where's Healy now? yeah, he's a better player than his decade long career and first class average of 40 suggests... FFS

He's ok, but he's had the debut of an 18 year old school boy, not a hardened professional cricketer

Smith should just dig in and be 55 not out when the test ends

 

[_snafu_]

The last time I felt this way about Australian cricket was the early 80s.

 

[T-Boon]

There are several young batsmen Lehman, Patterson...score a big hundred at shield level this week get a baggy green.

 

[hineyrulz]

Where's Healy now? yeah, he's a better player than his decade long career and first class average of 40 suggests... FFS

He's ok, but he's had the debut of an 18 year old school boy, not a hardened professional cricketer

Smith should just dig in and be 55 not out when the test ends

I went to a dinner and had the misfortune being stuck next to Ian Healy all night, the dribble he came up with was truly maddening. I thought to myself how in the hell did you play over 100 test matches???? He talked up Bob Niney and said he should be there ahead of someone like Warner. This was just before his amazing 9, who remembers he talked up that 9 like it was a 50??? lol.

 

[Tommy Smith]

Nevill is the master of the inside edge noodle for a run.

I admire him.

He seems barely capable of hitting the ball through the infield, but he at least tries to hang in there.

 

[T-Boon]

If Clarke makes a comeback it improves the middle order and gets him out of the commentary box!!!

 

[El Diablo]

Aleem Derp is hopeless

how many of his decisions have been overturned?

and Tubby said that 6 of the 7 overturned decisions in this series so far have been Derp's

 

[BunniesMan]

Caught down legside, bowled off the elbow, two in a row offering no shot but caught in the slips anyway.

But seriously, we keep picking these mediocre 30 year olds. Sheffield Shield the way it is run now is not good enough to produce quality batsmen. For batsmen at least I believe in on the job training for kids when the veterans are not good enough.

This isn't 1998-2008 where the incumbents were so good that players like Lehmann and Hussey needed 10,000 runs at 55 at shield level to get a chance. This era is more like the 80s where a diamond in the rough like Steve Waugh gets blooded at the top level even before he is ready because the veterans are crap.

 

[hineyrulz]

and Tubby said that 6 of the 7 overturned decisions in this series so far have been Derp's

So six wrong calls in not even two tests, especially when there were a couple of dodgy ones which drunkeye backed up.

 

[hineyrulz]

Yay we made drinks!!!

 

[JJ]

The last time I felt this way about Australian cricket was the early 80s.

You were much better then (at least the problem was young kids - now you have a batting line-up of journey men), the problem was there was a great West Indian side, and England, New Zealand, Pakistan all had exceptionally good teams too

 

[T-Boon]

But seriously, we keep picking these mediocre 30 year olds. Sheffield Shield the way it is run now is not good enough to produce quality batsmen. For batsmen at least I believe in on the job training for kids when the veterans are not good enough.

This isn't 1998-2008 where the incumbents were so good that players like Lehmann and Hussey needed 10,000 runs at 55 at shield level to get a chance. This era is more like the 80s where a diamond in the rough like Steve Waugh gets blooded at the top level even before he is ready because the veterans are crap.

Cannot argue with any of that.
It is at the point were the selectors should ask Smith who he wants in the batting line up (in place of Voges etc) and then just give it to him.

 

[T-Boon]

You were much better then (at least the problem was young kids - now you have a batting line-up of journey men), the problem was there was a great West Indian side, and England, New Zealand, Pakistan all had exceptionally good teams too

The concern here is that it is possible that this isn't just an ordinary generation thing but is it more like a West Indies type decline where all the youngsters give a toss about is the short form of the game. That is the dismal tide.

 

[Tommy Smith]

There goes the Noodler. Well played, son.

Great bowling, pitiful batting.