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Big partnership in the context of the game. If they can add another 20-odd, the lead becomes noteworthy in a low scoring slug fest. As is Jansen showing he may well become a #7, while Keshav is playing with the poise of a man who has 3 Test 50s. Very organised. He probably has done himself a disservice, especially in a South African side both devoid of batsmen and obsessed with pace, in not working a little harder on his batting to be a #7.

Thought I'd watch some of the Big Bash. Sydney Thunder need 140 to beat Adelaide Strikers. Might be a close one, I thought.

3.1 overs gone...Thunder are 9/6. Yeah.

Bangladesh are 42/0 at stumps in pursuit of 513. That could be closer than this!

Duty281 wrote:Thought I'd watch some of the Big Bash. Sydney Thunder need 140 to beat Adelaide Strikers. Might be a close one, I thought.

3.1 overs gone...Thunder are 9/6. Yeah.

Bangladesh are 42/0 at stumps in pursuit of 513. That could be closer than this!

Christ on a bike!

They recovered from 10/8 to 14/8 but just lost their ninth.

Thunder bowled out for 15 inside the PowerPlay.

The lowest score ever seen in professional T20 cricket, and Rashid Khan didn't even get a bowl!

All out for 15.
A proper mobile phone number scorecard.

Lucky I follow the 6ers!

I remember we were once bowled out for 29 in an Under 17s game (which came the week after we got 160 in a 20 over game, long before professional T20 cricket was thought of). 15 ao is a top quality effort.

Blimey, who's captaining them, Hansie Cronje?

Williamson quits as Test Match Captain....Southee replaces him
But Williamson will continue to play all 3 formats and continue to captain in white ball formats
Strange

Big game starting here...Australia winning the toss and inserting SA so they must reckon there is a bit of extra life in the pitch...

Certainly looks rather green ! But unusual for Aussies not to bat first. Could Cummins be a little concerned about the SA pace attack ? Perhaps he just fancies getting at the dodgy SA batting line-up ?

TBH , I don't rate SA batting much myself. They have an excellent attack , but I fear their lack of solid batting will prevent them from getting very close to Australia this time around. Of course SA usually win here so that may be wide of the mark

This morning should be interesting anyway...

Starc gets Elgar in his third over...bit of a leg side strangle but that'll do...

Bowling has been a bit wayward so far but they have the early one they will have wanted. vd Dussen will need to drop anchor here. Plenty of bounce for the pace men !

12/1 after five.

SA struggling at 27/2 now. Vd Dussen edged Cummins behind and batting not looking easy at all...

And now it's three gone ! Excellent low gully catch by Green and Boland has Erwee for just ten.

At this rate the home side will be batting before tea. Taking a drink break for now. Starc looks pretty happy with the situation

Really not the first hour SA were hoping for. At least they have out scored the Sydney Thunder

But it just got worse as Zondo is lbw for a duck...review can't save him , still umpires call. Two in the over for Boland. 27/4 !

Aussies might be batting by lunch...

SA going the same way as England last year - thus far. 4 wickets down in the first session.

This team is a lot weaker in the batting department compared to recent SA sides but as you suggest, alfie, let's see how Australia handles the Saffa pace attack when they get a chance to reply.

Didn't realise SA have never won here? Only 4 matches at the Gabba v SA before this one with 2 wins for the hosts and 2 draws.

Almost nobody but the hosts ever win here ! Not expecting it to change this week after this start...

Yeah SA bowlers might have enjoyed bowling on this ; but I fancy the pitch will settle down a bit as the day(s) go on.

Boland keeps on doing the business , doesn't he ? FC figures not nearly as spectacular as his Test record. Small sample still ; but a remarkable start to a career.

By the way , PJ : do you know why they have come up with this new caper of starting play ten minutes before the half hour ? I thought it was a one off for the day night game but it seems to be the regular thing now - almost caught me out at the start today.

Suppose it gives them more time overall in the day - not that they ever bowl 90 overs anyway : but the first session still only runs two hours. Just strikes me as a bit odd...

Yes, it's an amazing start for Boland with his Test career. And he usually bowls better in the second innings.

The pitch is looking more settled now and as the ball wears down and these two are batting sensibly. Couple of nice elegant shots from Bavuma... tiny shades of Lara (mirrored for RH bat) on occasion.

Good fightback from this pair to get to lunch at 84/4. Pitch is settling : but unfortunately for SA they don't have much real batting to follow these two.

Particularly like the way Verreynne has played...pounced on anything at all loose. Can't just sit back , so a good approach.

Australia will be happy with that after sending them in

alfie wrote:By the way , PJ : do you know why they have come up with this new caper of starting play ten minutes before the half hour ? I thought it was a one off for the day night game but it seems to be the regular thing now - almost caught me out at the start today.

Suppose it gives them more time overall in the day - not that they ever bowl 90 overs anyway : but the first session still only runs two hours. Just strikes me as a bit odd...

Not sure why, alfie. You mean it's always 10:20 (or 11:20 in our case) ? Prefer on the hour and on the half hour for first session starts.

Maybe it gives them a little time up their sleeves for any disruptions but the onus should be on the teams to get through their overs (min. 15/hour) and not 12.5/hour like today... so far. Should there be even more stiffer penalties (on the captain or the team) but that's probably not how things should be. If they continue at the same rate with no interruptions that'll leave them with 75-80 overs after 6 hours... and with an extra half hour after that, they would still be a few overs short of 90; unless Lyon and maybe Labuschagne speed up the over rate.

All went downhill again for SA once the Verreynne /Bavuma stand was broken...Starc and Lyon cleaned up the last five very neatly and cheaply. Ah...not quite yet as drs saves Rabada - for now.

Suppose after being 27/4 , making 150 is an achievement . Can't see these two adding many more...

They didn't. 152 and done in time for tea.

Off to Karachi for now...

I see Warner's dry spell is continuing...gone first ball of the innings. A remarkable reflex grab by Zondo at bat pad. Might feel he's a bit unlucky to get out that way.

SA pace men pressuring the Aussie top order - as you'd expect. But they will need one or two more as these fellows are in good form ...with Smith and Head likewise to follow...

Aha...just nipped back in time to see Jansen remove Labuschagne with his first delivery !

18/2 as Smith arrives ...interesting.

Nortje gets Khawaja now ! Great catch by sub fielder Harmer...

Dramatic stuff in Brisbane. 27/3 ...could be a short game , this.

Head has really got Australia back on top after that rocky period earlier...62 off 59 balls while Smith has kept him company just a little more restrained with 34 from a similar number...closing hard on the SA total and the visitors are in desperate need of a wicket before the close...

126/3

Well they got the late wicket...Smith a big one - though maybe Head was the one they needed most ?

And then Boland the night watchman as well as a bonus ! Cummins will be hearing from Guildford

Nicely balanced. Hosts the happier : but thanks to those late wickets , SA still in the game.

Brisk start for Australia on day two...

Nortje looking quite dangerous , but Rabada rather loose so far , and Green and Head taking advantage . Green has straight driven three half volleys from Rabada for four already. SA in danger of seeing this run away from them in a hurry.

178/5 just twenty minutes into the day.

Sorry , Cam Green...my jinx...

Jansen replaces the off colour Rabada and immediately has him nicking to slip. Took two fielders to juggle it between them , but Erwee held on in the end...and I guess Maharaj can claim an "assist"

And now Head has gone too ! Leg side tickle proved by Snicko and it's suddenly all change at 182/7.

Terrific innings by Head , that. Bit of a surprise he got out really ... he'd looked well set for a century. But 92 , in the context of this match , is pretty darn significant ...

Still plenty of juice in this pitch. SA will go hard at Carey , with just the bowlers left and the lead only at 35. Starc can hit the ball : wonder if he will have a licence to attack ?

I think most South African sides in the last 20 years of SA vs Aus series would take being, say 75 runs behind halfway through day two when you've been bowled for 150. Best of the batting conditions and you'd think if a team can bat another 120 overs, the divots in the pitch could make batting last an arduous task.

This unfortunately is our worst ever batting team, which is saying something because our team in England was our worst ever batting line-up, but we've lost our #3, Rickelton, and Markram probably deserved a chance in a team this empty. So this team is already drawing dead in the water.

Useful little stand ended as Starc falls to an extremely sharp low C&B by Ngidi

213/8 and Captain Pat arrives unusually low in the order at ten...

Lead is already over sixty and if they can extend this a bit more it's going to be a very useful one on a pitch still doing plenty for the pace men. Especially with SA's rather fragile batting line-up.

And Cummins in fact has gone for a duck ...skied a simple catch after being rather worked over by Rabada that over. So 214/9. Action packed morning .

kingraf wrote:I think most South African sides in the last 20 years of SA vs Aus series would take being, say 75 runs behind halfway through day two when you've been bowled for 150. Best of the batting conditions and you'd think if a team can bat another 120 overs, the divots in the pitch could make batting last an arduous task.

This unfortunately is our worst ever batting team, which is saying something because our team in England was our worst ever batting line-up, but we've lost our #3, Rickelton, and Markram probably deserved a chance in a team this empty. So this team is already drawing dead in the water.

Yeah if you had ABDV , Amla , etc you'd be a lot happier in this position. Bowlers have done a great job (though I think Rabada might have brought a bit more of the aggression he's just shown in that earlier spell ! ) but they're going to need a couple of bats to really play out of their skins in the second innings.

Still in the game though , which looked unlikely ten minutes before stumps last night.

Rabada has 4/76 having bowled serious filth. He also took a hat-trick in last year's World T20 and I think literally every single wicket was a dirty half-tracker.

It's funny how some guys just take wickets

All out 218. So a lead of 66. Handy , though not a rock crusher. Good work from the SA bowlers

Expect a lively half hour now up to lunch...

Seeing the four horsemen fight back this hard just annoys me again that we never played them as a unit again after the first Test in England.

Looks like Cummins has taken out his rival skipper...Elgar has reviewed but I think that's just desperate hope...

Yes, umpires call , on his way. Just what Australia wanted before lunch.

Pretty close in fact : only just clipping bails - on another day he might have got away with that. Big wicket.

Beautiful delivery to get Starc his 300th

vd Dussen totally undone...can't play that !

Disastrous mini session for SA ... For Australia , has them well on the way to victory in this game. Some excellent bowling from the Aussie pair

After a brief respite with Bavuma and Zondo battling hard , the slide continues...

Three in six balls and this will be over today. 48/6 : hard on the SA bowlers after their fightback ; but the Aussies are showing how hard they are to play at Fortress Gabba...

Hard to believe it's not even tea on Day 2.

What do you think of this pitch, alfie? Some radio pundits were getting stuck into it calling it a '110 par' which I believe is a touch extreme.
It's more like a 230 run pitch in my opinion... maybe even 250 if some luck goes your way and bat sensibly.

Not sure if it was intentionally curated to behave like this. Odd weather for this time of year and the green sheen is compared to some Sheffield Shield wickets... but apparently the grass is quite low and firm. Looks OK for some batters when they get going. Might have been better batting on Day 3?

There's probably some deserved credit for the Australian bowling (and fielding) and this SA side is simply a little too 'green' in the batting department and have basically been caught unawares and mauled by a more seasoned side on home turf. There could be some improvement for the next Test but it's a tough task for SA.

Another one goes. 64/7. Feel for you, Raf.

Seven down now as Starc removes Maharaj...

Still need two runs to make Australia bat again. Won't need to bat too long , I suspect. Might be enough time to get Warner out again

Thoughtful of these fellows to effectively finish this early so I can concentrate on events in Karachi

alfie wrote:Seven down now as Starc removes Maharaj...

Still need two runs to make Australia bat again. Won't need to bat too long , I suspect. Might be enough time to get Warner out again

Thoughtful of these fellows to effectively finish this early so I can concentrate on events in Karachi

Yes, I need to visit a few people tomorrow and then a Christmas lunch on Tuesday... so this suits me quite well.

Hi , PJ...

Pitch certainly looked very green right from the start. Hasn't been fun for batsmen at all...except for Head !

There are some pretty good pace bowlers on both sides , so they've perhaps emphasised the life available. Is it a bit too lively ? Maybe. I never mind the odd "bowler friendly" strip (offsets some of the featherbeds !) but perhaps the authorities - and fans - might have preferred something just a little less tricky...lot of refunded tickets for the last three days !

This SA side has some good bowlers ; but their batting is very ordinary , I'm afraid. Hard to see them making much of a contest of this series - especially after a demoralising start like this. But credit to Australia for some very good cricket

This is a below average pitch tbh. But I think, and I've thought for a while the real problem is the Kookaburra ball. Since they added that layer of plastic a year and a bit ago, it stays harder for longer, and so it just doesn't stop swinging and seaming. So even if you survive the new ball, you've probably got to get to 60ish overs before you're now in control as a batting side. I mean, if Travis Head was ruled out last night, this Test is probably 150 plays 120 plays 100 which is not cricket, and while our batting line up sucks, Australia's has five batsman averaging North of 45, and Head aside they also got rolled. Mitchell Starc is seaming it 2-3 stumps with a 30 over old ball. Smith was out to one which jagged a foot off Nortje and that was 35 over old ball on Day one. It makes for a good product, but what are doing?




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