Australia tour of South Africa, 2008/09

[The_gas]

To say that was an odd shot to play early on is a understatement of epic proportions.

 

[King Pietersen]

Neil McKenzie take a bow, what a catch. One of the best you'll see. All South Africa atm, Steyn bowling beautifully.

 

[Crew of Black]

Katich gone!

McKenzie takes a brilliant catch.

 

[aussie1st]

Awesome catch by McKenzie, not the ball to be playing that shot to. This will be the true test of Mike Hussey form.

 

[King Pietersen]

Awesome catch by McKenzie, not the ball to be playing that shot to. This will be the true test of Mike Hussey form.

It will indeed, and it's not been a great start for Hussey, looks very nervous. Pushing at the ball, and then not picking up the line from Ntini. Hopefully he'll find some form, I'd much rather see Hussey and Clarke make the big runs, hopefully they'll get Ponting soon, he's looking good though!

 

[aussie1st]

Punter not looking so good now though! Once again having problems against those tall bowlers.

 

[mattfb]

Dale Steyn has obviously done his homework. Not a good ball to an ordinary batsmen, but a quality ball early to Phil Hughes. Hughes has a tendacy to push on the offside for early runs, resulting in nicks. This habbit usually comes in One Dayers when the pressure is on to score early runs, but today he was cleary tense and wanted to get off the mark. Bowling wide to Hughes is extremely smart early, but one of the dumbest moves you can make when he's played in.

Why Ntini was bowling over the wicket to Katich i will never know. Your not going to get him out bowling into his body anywhere near as often you are going to get him out early going across his body. Like Hughes, Katich has tends to nick the ball early, but unlike Hughes Katich seems to have indecision about whether to go for the ball. Steyn bowled a cracker, and no matter how great the catch was South Africa should have been doing it from the word go and he wouldn't have lasted so long. Katich got out like that a fair bit in India, and the ball is moving around a lot here like it did in India.

Punter has played some quality strokes for 4's, but Morkel is giving him some issues with that line outside off stump. Just short of a length and in and around off stump is the place to bowl in conditions like these, anything full or wide and Ponting will hammer it for 4, he's in that kind of mood.

 

[aussie1st]

Hughes is basically like Langer he likes to get bat on ball early and loves to play the cut and cover drive and often he will get edges going to 3rd man, if you have a slip in place you could get lucky. His shot today was crazy and something I wouldn't expect him to do in the next inns or ever again.

 

[ajdude]

That's a nothing shot Hussey, where's your ODI form?

 

[King Pietersen]

BIG wicket for the big fella. Seriously showing his talents here Morkel, hitting Ponting and the getting Hussey. Great bowling.

 

[The_gas]

Oh dear, Aussies could be bowled out for under 100 here, you heard it here first.

 

[aussie1st]

Morkel is starting to get it right now bowling good lines and looks like he has found a better length. Our batting hasn't changed one bit from our last match so far, openers failing, Hussey failing. Now it is over to our best batter and our current best batter.

 

[Tugga36]

Good start for the Saffers, Ponting is looking pretty good though. Looking forward to watching Marcus North bat.

I would have gone with Bollinger instead of McDonald, don't think our bowling lineup looks very dangerous at the moment to be honest, unless McDonald can bowl really well.

 

[King Pietersen]

Graeme Smith, you twat. Ponting dropped on 40, then follows that with a big six. Easy catch as well for Smith, poor drop.

 

[aussie1st]

That was like Warney dropping KP in the Ashes. Good thing for SA is Ponting hasn't really punished teams, he needs to go on to make a big 100 to make SA pay as even a 100 might not be enough as the MCG match showed.