3rd Test: Australia v South Africa @ SCG Jan 4-8, 2023

[undertaker]

Dean Elgar is a sore loser with the same arrogant smugness as Graeme Smith.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Interesting stat. Sydney has had more totally washed out Test days than any other Australian venue.

Sydney 24
Brisbane 8
Melbourne 6
Adelaide & Hobart 2
Perth 0

Of course Sydney and Melbourne have had test cricket since 1877, the other venues much later.

 

[gUt]

Day 1 highlights including scintillating footage of light meters and Matt Renshaw both sitting AND standing

https://www.cricket.com.au/video/au...uschagne-khawaja-nortje-rain-light/2023-01-04

 

[Desert Qlder]

Tony Shephard is using rain at the cricket to ensure the Olympic Stadium always remains oval for his ozzie rules.

Shepherd, whose organisation is responsible for running several of NSW’s major venues including the SCG, adjacent Allianz Stadium and Accor Stadium at Homebush, said the city needs somewhere with a roof to host sport.

“I think there is room for a closed stadium in Sydney, [to] host cricket, host concerts, host AFL, host rugby, host football, rugby league. I think it would make sense,” Shepherd said.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/cricket/venues-nsw-boss-tony-shepherd-sodden-sydney-needs-roofed-stadium-to-host-sport/news-story/8d886711509b8b0ecfe28a60e614ebff

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Just looking at the test team, there certainly a far whack of older players:

Warner 36
Khawaja 36
Smith 33
Lauba 28
Head 29
Renshaw 27
Green 23
Carey 31
Starc 33
Cummins 29
Hazelwood 32
Lyon 35
Boland (nearly 34)

I know they’re fitter etc these days but whose coming through in that 20-25 age bracket that could just slot in?

Puck is 24
Morris is 25
Agar is 29

 

[Iamback]

Just looking at the test team, there certainly a far whack of older players:

Warner 36
Khawaja 36
Smith 33
Lauba 28
Head 29
Renshaw 27
Green 23
Carey 31
Starc 33
Cummins 29
Hazelwood 32
Lyon 35
Boland (nearly 34)

I know they’re fitter etc these days but whose coming through in that 20-25 age bracket that could just slot in?

Puck is 24
Morris is 25
Agar is 29

I am sure they will lock in some nuffy from BBL

 

[undertaker]

Just looking at the test team, there certainly a far whack of older players:

Warner 36
Khawaja 36
Smith 33
Lauba 28
Head 29
Renshaw 27
Green 23
Carey 31
Starc 33
Cummins 29
Hazelwood 32
Lyon 35
Boland (nearly 34)

I know they’re fitter etc these days but whose coming through in that 20-25 age bracket that could just slot in?

Puck is 24
Morris is 25
Agar is 29

Interesting to see in that list, there are 5 players who all made their test debut back in 2011 (Khawaja, Lyon, Cummins, Starc and Warner), yet there is a massive difference in the number of tests they've played:

Lyon 115, Warner 101, Starc 75, Khawaja 56, Cummins 47

Smith has been around the longest, making his debut back in July 2010 (the only remaining player in the test squad from the era when Ricky Ponting was captain), and this is his 92nd test.

 

[Bazal]

The Proteas are here in name only, their minds are in South Africa. I believe that we will never see them tour Australia again over the Christmas/New Year period.

Of this mob only Mr Mo can go home with his head held high, the rest have been terrible.

TBH I don't really think any of their top 6 are good enough. Even Elgar is basically known for toughing it out until he gets runs, he's got no actual talent.

Jansen looks decent. Rabada should be made to stow away on an illegal Chinese fishing vessel to get home, he's been the most disinterested human I've seen since my last Tinder date

 

[Eelectrica]

Alright, well done Usi

 

[Bazal]

Uuuuuuuuuuzzzzziiiiiii

Loves the SCG

 

[Hutty1986]

Great hungey!

 

[JJ]

Quality batting, but will Davey be consulting his lawyers over that wee jump?

Saffers dead

 

[hineyrulz]

Great ton Uzzy, lol@ that useless brain dead turnip Langer.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Congrats to Usman. Held his nerve, played the conditions, accumulated his runs.

 

[jargan83]

I think Warner will need to use his cricket ‘brain’ and critically evaluate that analysis

 

[Steel Saints]

Just looking at the test team, there certainly a far whack of older players:

Warner 36
Khawaja 36
Smith 33
Lauba 28
Head 29
Renshaw 27
Green 23
Carey 31
Starc 33
Cummins 29
Hazelwood 32
Lyon 35
Boland (nearly 34)

I know they’re fitter etc these days but whose coming through in that 20-25 age bracket that could just slot in?

Puck is 24
Morris is 25
Agar is 29

There are six regular test players from NSW and one ex with Khawaja. You mentioned Pucovski, Morris and Agar, who are players from other states.

So where is the next crop of NSW players coming through? They are certainly not coming through from the current NSW side who are dead last in the SS.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Khawaja with a test average of 46.85 with over 4000 runs and 13 hundreds is a very decent career. What he lacks is a big hundred, HS is currently 174, a 200 here would be nice

 

[Twizzle]

loved the Oozie two step, better than the goose step

 

[AlwaysGreen]

To compare Khawaja with his great mate Justin Franger:

UK: 56 tests, 4075 runs, 13 hundreds, ave 46.85

JL: 105 tests, 7696 runs, 23 hundreds, ave 45.27.

 

[Bazal]

There are six regular test players from NSW and one ex with Khawaja. You mentioned Pucovski, Morris and Agar, who are players from other states.

So where is the next crop of NSW players coming through? They are certainly not coming through from the current NSW side who are dead last in the SS.

The Shield is almost a pointless metric at the moment tbh. Cricket Australia have completely f**ked it.

The major issue I see is that ALL of our domestic comps are being mismanaged. The way the game is these days, I think we're going to see more and more players actually coming in to long form cricket from short form cricket, like we've seen in Pakistan and India and England. Rightly or wrongly that's where the kids are looking.

For starters, if we're serious about the BBL as a competition then we need to stop f**king around. At the moment it's a half baked joke, so the whole point of it is wrecked because no one gives a f**k. We're scheduling the entire summer around the Big Bash but then treated it as a glorified domestic competition without the best players being available. The IPL, PSL, BPL, T20 blast and even the CPL leave it for dead...