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Freezin wrote: Well batted Mitch......funny how the selectors think Mitch is the real deal and the rest of Australia know he is not......surely that young fella Arjun Nair is a better option than Mitch?.....Aust definitely need a 6th specialist batsmen....not some pin hearted ex SF colt who looks like Tarzan but bats and bowls like Jane......

Come on Freeze RWM knows best apparently they must be picking him for his gully fielding!

Freeze good point you make. It seems they don't bowl him a lot either so essentially he is a number six bat that bowls 5 overs per innings. Surely he is better batting at 8, being the third seamer (His bowling is of a decent pace) and see if that's his spot in test cricket, because he is not a top 6 batter.

Though looking at scores across the shield matches on day 1 today there are not a lot of guys making runs in Australia right now. 15 wickets at the MCG on day 1 I unheard of, Handscome and Harris getting runs again. Tassie getting bowled out for 98 is a joke, especially when SA is 2 for 222 (ferguson got a duck) and WA make 2156 with Cartright and Turner getting 140 of those runs.

Australian cricket will continue to struggle while we don't take the shield properly

good posts by all; just think, even if the great and glouries number six goes on to make a pair this test, we have got him for at least one more because RWM said so at the start of the series.

Good responce from SAfrica on day 2.Test Cricket is not as entertaining as other forms of Cricket as a spectator.
Momentum shifts are amazing in tests.Au O\150.Stein off injured.Not as dry as yesterday a bit of moisture in the Air,ball swinging.They have plenty of time to grind out a big 2nd innings.Dont think the WACA will get there 5 day test.

Really think Aust would learn from the 10 year tease of Watto......pretty sure Cartright has done more in his fledgling career than Marsh has in his career so far......the scores around the country dont look good reading run wise.....but hopefully the pitches are a bit more bowler friendly and not letting the batsmen look better than they are...., a hint of spin, swing or reverse swing and we all know what happens hey?.....10 / 130 odd......

Fantastic by the Proteas, showed heaps of bottle when challenged. They could have easily dropped their heads when they lost their number 1 bowler but it seemed to inspire them and even the debut bowler kept his end tight while the two fast men dismantled the Australian batting order.

Having said that there were some very soft dismissals today with only Steve Smith and Peter Nevill the victim of umpire and technology howlers. How an umpire can judge that a ball is going to hit the stumps from a ball that hits a batsman when he is 3 metres down the pitch is beyond me. Aleem Dar probably needs to call it a day.

No excuses though, Steyn was spot on with his "cut the head off the snake" comment.
Mitch Marsh is not a test standard number 6 at the moment. Repeat after me......

Two days and a session to go and South Africa have slammed the door shut on an Australian victory. Duminy and Elgar have demonstrated the ruthlessness that was totally lacking in the Australian batting effort yesterday against a depleted attack. No matter what happens for the rest of this match you would think there would have to be changes for the 2nd test. Nic Maddison and Callum Ferguson are knocking very loudly on the door. Voges, Khawaja and Mitch Marsh will all need scores in the 2nd innings. Still unconvinced about Nevill as a test cricketer as well.

mikeh: this squad was picked for the first two tests we are stuck with them for another test, I am afraid.

Just looking around at those Sheffield Shield scores makes me depressed......Qld 130 odd and 2nd innings looking just as bad.....Jon Holland in the wickets.....seriously FFS.....Tassie 98 and 4/30 odd.....Sayers in the wickets.......WA trailing by 60 odd......not too sure who Lehmann would go for....

..touch wood whatever score SA put up Aust could chase or defend with SA being one bowler down.....heads down......but no, we will try and chase down 400 in 40 overs as usual......

not too sure who else glove wise Lehmann could go to replace Nevill mikeh?.......

Freezin wrote: Just looking around at those Sheffield Shield scores makes me depressed......Qld 130 odd and 2nd innings looking just as bad.....Jon Holland in the wickets.....seriously FFS.....Tassie 98 and 4/30 odd.....Sayers in the wickets.......WA trailing by 60 odd......not too sure who Lehmann would go for....

..touch wood whatever score SA put up Aust could chase or defend with SA being one bowler down.....heads down......but no, we will try and chase down 400 in 40 overs as usual......

not too sure who else glove wise Lehmann could go to replace Nevill mikeh?.......

Knowing the "institute" it wont be a Tasmanian, Victorian or South Australian to KEEP or BAT.