sa take on aus

gregbucks Wrote:

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> was this the same johnson, mickey mouse arthur
> slapped on the knuckles for not doing his
> homework...(


and it did him the world of good.

Two changes to batting...Petersen and Duminy out...

Two changes to bowling...McClaren and Peterson...all-rounder and spinner are luxuries we cannot afford...don't keep them for the runs they could possibly make...we need bowlers to take wickets and that is what will put pressure on the opposition...as bad as the decision to bowl first was, we didn't have the support bowlers to put pressure after we had them 4 wickets down...and when we conceded a first innings deficit of +-200, the game was going to be very hard to draw (the win was out of the equation by then) as the pitch wasn't going to allow any team to make more than 300 in the second innings...

Got to fight fire with fire and have 5 pace bowlers in the team...

Cannot have AB as batsmen only as to bring in specialist wicket-keeper will mean one less bowler...I don't see any other top batsmen-wicket-keeper out there so he will need to do the job...and with an opener that can last longer than 3 overs and with Amla coming in later, he will get the rest he needs if he keeps wicket first...

Somehow I cannot see the team mgmt making brave decisions though...we will get the same old stories that this group of players have performed in the past and have come back and will step up...there are none so blind as those we wish not to see...we play cricket by a formula and there seems to be little instinct involved and when the formula doesn't provide the solution, we don't have another...
This Australian team is not in the class of the mid-90's team and yet we get cowed and bullied into submission...we raised the white flag late on day one and never tried to get back in...at the highest levels of any sport, everyone has the talent and ability to be there...the ONLY difference is mental and we don't have it currently...