First Test- Australia v South Africa

[1910]

Team picked today.

 

[Unbreakable]

Sounding like it's going to be

1. Warner
2. S.Marsh
3. Khawaja
4. Smith (c)
5. Voges
6. M.Marsh
7. Nevill
8. Starc
9. Siddle
10. Hazlewood
11. Lyon

Although if it's a usual WACA pitch they may go with Bird over Lyon.

 

[Broncoman]

Burns's century would've surely helped his chances.

 

[Browny]

Except that Smarsh is always given a million chances to prove he's overrated

 

[1910]

Burns's century would've surely helped his chances.

It would if the guy he is trying to beat for the side didn't also get 100 and 100 his last two Tests while replacing Burns.

 

[Sproj]

Except that Smarsh is always given a million chances to prove he's overrated

To be fair (I am not a Marsh fan at all), he made a last start test century in bad conditions and has another recent test century plus a fifty and another century in his current match. He is hardly not earning the opportunity to be retained.

 

[Battler]

I'm his biggest critic, but he's actually been in decent form, it's his brother that shouldn't be anywhere near a baggy green.

 

[1910]

Australia squad for the first two Commonwealth Bank Test matches: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joe Mennie, Peter Nevill, Peter Siddle, Mitch Starc, Adam Voges

 

[1910]

Happy with that; glad to see Mennie there- he was very good last year and was the best bowler in the Shield- tough SA tour but he will be better prepared now. Did well for Aus A this winter.

Marsh and co are at least rewarding guys doing what they're asked to do.

 

[1910]

The pitch will decide a lot of the value of this Test match as a contest- last year was a batting utopia with 1441 runs scored. The Shield match last week had South Australia destroy Western Australia with Mennie, Sayers and Worrell all bowling well and getting good seam movement. A bit of grass on Thursday would be nice.

South Africa loves Perth- killed us in 2008 and 2012.

South Africa weakened by the missing of AB a lot will fall on Faf and Amla- they have a weak/inexperienced middle order. Rossouw will be interesting loves driving and is stylish, has one day 100’s but this will be his Test debut.

Cook again is going to have to fire on his first tour here. Reminds me of the English Cook- elegant.

Faf and Amla are just all class. They will just do what they do and do well. Amla's 196 in 2012 was one of the best touring knocks ever.

Bowling- wow.

I hope South Africa go with Morkle, Steyn, Phillander and Rabada it will be awesome.

Steyn charging in bowling with outswing but hasn’t played a Test since Boxing Day- he’s a warrior and Australia get him going.

Rabada- will get bounce- England had nightmares about him and they couldn’t get near him 13/144- coming into the right hander at 150 kmph isn’t hours of fun. Inexperienced but gee 29 Test wickets from eight Tests is fun to watch.

Phillander seam up, movement no runs. He bowls full and at Perth that can be gold.

Morne will get bounce.

They all offer something.

Strength is obviously that bowling attack and weakness is rookies in their batting line up- most of their top 6 has played 11 or fewer Tests.

Australia is under done- no substitute for games and we are going in with Starc bowling 20 overs since Sri Lanka, Siddle being out for six months and Hazelwood. It’s our most inexperienced bowling attack possibly since the West Indies when McDermott went home and McGrath, Julian and Riffel stepped up.

Starc will have the Doctor over his left shoulder and will bowl fast- Siddle will do all the work up hill. Marsh will have to carry a burden here- it’s his home track and first home Test with his brother. Time to produce.

I watched Hazelwood in Brisbane, he bowled well and fast. This is a big Test for him he was terrible last year at Perth 1/134.

Our batting will rely on Smith and Warner nothing new there. Like South Africa we are brittle after our best two.

Our bats need to give our bowlers something to bowl at if we are only chipping in with 220 every innings or if we are bowling for long periods of time- inexperience and lack of game will hurt us.

I fear out batting won’t be strong enough unless Smith and Warner dominate.

 

[Sproj]

That is a nice summary.

I think this series will be quite close. SA definitely have the bowling strength but are similar to Australia in that Steyn and Philander may well both be underdone. They also don't have a half decent spinner which may well be our Donald Trump card.

I really worry about going in with two underdone bowlers. Starc is a must as at his best, he is right up there with Steyn in my opinion, just obviously hasn't done it for long enough yet to deserve that comparison fairly. I like Siddle and he will work his butt off but just worry about him breaking down. Given the alternative is Mennie and not Bird though, Siddle must play.

I think our batting is considerably better to be honest. Smith is arguably the best in the world but he is offset by Amla. Warner is better than Faf in my opinion and he is the dominant opener SA are missing.

As much as I never thought I would say it, SMarsh has been amazing in the last 12 months and is coming into the series very much in form and seemingly having changed from rocks or diamonds to diamonds or quartz. We know how good Voges is in pace friendly conditions and UTK has been out of form for a little while so is due to turn it around. That said, our six and seven are horrid at this level. de Kock is an out and out gun, look for him to take the game away from us at some point this series. All in all, it should be fast, aggressive and close.

 

[Battler]

Is there a market for over/under Siddle hitting 135kms?

 

[mitch222]

This so called gun spinner is about to learn a valuable lesson over here. It doesn't spin (other than Adelaide) a great deal the whole game. How many premier spinners have come to our shore to target our weakness against spin and have left with their tails between their legs. We don't produce rank turners like the Asian countries. Its the pace attack who get all the wickets and the spinners job is to entice the batsmen to target them into making big shots. That's the way they get most of their wickets.

 

[1910]

This so called gun spinner is about to learn a valuable lesson over here. It doesn't spin (other than Adelaide) a great deal the whole game. How many premier spinners have come to our shore to target our weakness against spin and have left with their tails between their legs. We don't produce rank turners like the Asian countries. Its the pace attack who get all the wickets and the spinners job is to entice the batsmen to target them into making big shots. That's the way they get most of their wickets.

Shamsi and Maharaj might go the whole tour without playing. They're both uncapped but Shamsi bowled well against us in the One Dayers just done.

They have Duminy's off-spin too.

I would think Hobart would be the only chance to play one. Perth I think they will go with four seamers- although they came unstuck in 2012 doing that when they picked the four and Duminy got hurt. They might have won with some variety.

Adelaide is D/N and pace will be the key there because they will leave grass on there to protect the ball.

 

[Broncoman]

[MENTION=8272]1910[/MENTION]

Do you think Nevill could be under pressure to keep his spot? His keeping is top notch but he never has scored to much with the bat at test level, only averages 20 and these days keepers are expected to be batsmen as well.

Is Nevill under pressure?

 

[mitch222]

Neville should be under huge pressure to get some runs. He has been skating through this test team pretty much unchallenged lately. His friendship with Smith can only get him so far in the test team.

 

[Unbreakable]

Siddle in the 11 for the first test, Mennie 12th man.

"He's bowling well in the nets, really troubling the bowlers" - David Warner

Look out guys, Siddle is bowling well in the nets!

 

[1910]

Good call; he will do the job no one else wants- into the wind uphill at Perth and he is super fit. He was excellent his last Test against New Zealand and set up the innings win with Williamson in the first innings. He’s got a good record at the WACA- 12 wickets at 29.

Siddle isn't going to rip through them and take 12 wickets but he will hold an end.