Cricket Part II

9-150 at the end.

Taylor nearly 40 not out.

They’ve been talking about Lynn hurting himself, but I’d forgotten it was on till 11+ overs were bowled so didn’t see it.

Short getting into his stride now.

0/53 off 5.4, Short 41 Warner 11

Lynn listed to come in at 8, in front of the bowlers.

Rain delay after 6. Oz 20 runs ahead on d/l.

3/84 with Finch just in and Maxwell a couple.

Agar came in at 3 but it didn’t work. Missed stumping, then stumped for just a couple.

Short made just over 50.

Maxwell could have been caught, but no-one laid a hand on it.

Assume that Lynn won’t bat. Dislocated shoulder.

■■■■ selection by agar throughout his short innings was dreadful. Then Maxwell decided to play a couple of stupid unnecessary shots and just survived. Cruising now until the rain came, probably won’t get back on

Aust win by 19 runs - DLS method

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Something that keeps on happening in recent years. Why the f**k do bowlers not get back behind the stumps to take throws?

They just stand there throwing their hands over their heads when the throws miss.

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And then look at the fielders like they’re the ones who done goofed up

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South Africa A have won the toss and elected to bat in our tour match.

SA A 4/123. Hazlewood 3/25

http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/10908/game/1075981/south-africa-a-vs-australia-tour-match-aus-tour-of-sa-2017-18/

Four fours and a six from an innings of 23 from Smith?
What was he up to?

Heading for a draw as expected. We got to 7-178 which is a worrying sign, before the tail bailed us out.

I thought that was Day 2 of a 3-day game.

It is. We led by 109 in first innings and they are 0-55. Be a surprise if there is a result… but I guess it’s irrelevant. Most of the bats have had a bit of practice and the bowlers have had a decent hit out

Siddle pushing himself up to go to England next year. I agree that we need someone who moves it around and pitches it up, but surely Sayers, preferably, or Bird would get first call.

Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins in tandem would surely not work. Never has, not likely to ever happen.

Another ton to Renshaw in the Sheffield Shield. I wonder if we could play him, Bancroft and Warner in the same test side.

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Bancroft is making most of his runs through edges right now.

Tremain 7-for in the Vics’ 80 run lead at the WACA.

Dean out in the second dig with the Vics 1-70 and Siddle night-watching.

The cricket.com.au site refers to him as right-arm fast-medium. I’m not sure he was even that when he didn’t just eat bananas, but I’d rate someone who almost never hits 130kmh as medium to medium-fast.

For myself, I’d rate fast as someone who frequently exceeds 140, fast-medium as 132-140, medium-fast as 125-132,below that as medium.

Didn’t Siddle regularly push 135-140km a good 5-6 years ago. He got injured, came back couldn’t refind that speed and became a lot less effective. This was all before he became vegan too from memory, because he copped the whole “you should just eat a steak” advice.

(better score card here: http://www.cricbuzz.com/live-cricket-scorecard/19185/rsaa-vs-aus-3-day-warm-up-match-australia-tour-of-south-africa-2018)

Australia begin SA tour with victory

Australia will enter next week’s first Test with winning momentum after they defeated South Africa A in their three-day tour match in Benoni.

Set 140 to win in the final session on Saturday, Steve Smith’s men lost five wickets in pursuit before Shaun Marsh (39no) and Tim Paine (17no) delivered the win with 27 balls to spare.

As far as tour games go, the visitors will be content with what was achieved across the three days at Willowmoore Park.

The fast bowlers looked better with each new spell as the three specialist quicks bowled somewhere between 21 and 29 overs apiece, while the catching behind the wicket from wicketkeeper to point was flawless.

Highlights: South Africa A v Australia, day three

The only unticked box would have been the top six capitalising on their starts.

Opener Cameron Bancroft was the only batter to face more than 60 balls and occupy the crease for at least 90 minutes in an innings, and he did the latter twice.

Burgeoning allrounder Pat Cummins was the unofficial player of the match for his four wickets in the first innings and unbeaten 59 not out on Friday, his second first-class half-century.

Australia travel to Durban on Sunday morning to finalise their preparations for the opening Test of the four-match series at Kingsmead that starts on Thursday.

“There’s a few of us who haven’t played any red ball cricket here before, including a couple of the quicks,” Starc told reporters after play.

"It was definitely a good hit out with the ball and the bat.

"Nice to have a little chase in the end and have to put the foot down to step up the rate and get close in the end.

“It was a good three days and a lot of the guys will take heaps out of it.”

Starc fit and firing for Proteas series

For Australia to secure victory on the final day they needed early wickets and the new-ball pair of Mitchell Starc (4-46) and Josh Hazlewood (1-28) delivered just that, dismissing three batsmen between them in the space of three overs.

Of the trio of wickets to fall in the first session, the pick of the bunch was Paine’s one-handed diving effort to remove Zubryan Hamza for Hazlewood’s sole victim of the innings.

No further wickets were taken by the Australians in the morning session but after lunch Starc uprooted the leg-stump of South Africa A captain Khaya Zondo.

Having got wind of Wiaan Mulder’s selection in South Africa’s Test squad for the first two matches, Starc repeatedly bounced and sledged the young allrounder until he was dismissed for five from 11 balls, out lbw to Mitchell Marsh.

When wicketkeeper Rudi Second dragged Marsh on to his stumps in the 61st over, a quick end to the South Africa A innings and the match looked in sight.

But in Shaun von Berg and Malusi Siboto, the hosts launched a stunning counter-attack.

The pair put on 81 from 64 balls as von Berg hammered a 39-ball half-century that included five fours off one Nathan Lyon over.

Smith threw the ball to Starc to land the killer blow but both batsmen were ready for the bouncer barrage the paceman delivered.

Seemingly reluctant to bowl his fast bowlers with the first Test in Durban just five days away, Smith brought himself and Lyon back into the attack, and in the space of nine balls the innings was over.

Lyon had von Berg caught at bat-pad by Bancroft to end his entertaining innings on 52 from 43 balls before Smith’s leg-spinner accounted for the final two wickets to set Australia 140 to win in 36 overs.

The run chase started slow on a pitch that looked to be misbehaving when it came in contact with the new ball as Bancroft and Khawaja struggled to get the opening attack of Duanne Olivier and Beuran Hendricks away.

Day wrap: Aussie tail wags on day two

As the required run rate started to steadily climb, Khawaja charged and missed Siboto before he was out to Olivier, caught at second slip from a ball that reared up, took the shoulder of the bat and ballooned to von Berg.

First-drop Peter Handscomb narrowly avoided a pair when his edge off Siboto was put down by gloveman Second and raced to the boundary.

Four runs later the Victorian was out, his middle stump uprooted by Olivier to bring Smith to crease who put the same bowler over the deep backward square leg fence for six to get off the mark.

While Smith was batting, his Indian Premier League club Rajasthan Royals announced him as captain for the 2018 season, and it looked a smart choice when he launched a towering six off Olivier straight down the ground.

Day wrap: Quicks shine on opening day

But his ultra-aggressive approach would be his downfall as he attempted a pull shot over fine leg’s head but instead picked out the fielder on the rope to go for 25.

Like Smith, Bancroft couldn’t control a pull shot and was caught at deep square leg for 22 as the Marsh brothers set about reeling off the required runs.

The siblings added 26, Shaun with effortless timing, Mitchell with brute strength, but a questionable lbw decision ended the younger brother’s stay on 14.

As the sun shone brilliantly over the outfield, the older Marsh and Paine ticked off the remaining 42 runs required to hand Australia a winning start to their seven-week tour.

South Africa A First Innings

Hamza c Smith b Hazlewood 44 (89)
Malan c Handscomb b Cummins 8 (34)
de Bruyn c Khawaja b Hazlewood 46 (43)
Zondo c Smith b Hazlewood 3 (11)
Muthusamy c Paine b MMarsh 36 (86)
Second c Bancroft b Starc 21 (31)
Mulder c Paine b Cummins 29 (37)
von Berg b Cummins 4 (10)
Siboto lbw MMarsh 10 (9)
Olivier c Smith b Cummins 0 (4)
Hendricks not out 0 (0)
Total 220 all out (58.5 overs)

Australia Bowling
Starc 1-37 (14 overs)
Hazlewood 3-40 (12)
Cummins 4-32 (11)
M. Marsh 2-50 (7.5)
Lyon 0-45 (14)

Australia First Innings

Bancroft c Second b Hendricks 45 (123)
Khawaja c Zondo b Olivier 22 (42)
Handscomb c Hamza b Olivier 0 (3)
Smith c Second b Siboto 23 (24)
S. Marsh c de Bruyn b Hendricks 25 (59)
M. Marsh lbw Hendricks 28 (53)
T.Paine lbw Siboto 22 (50)
P. Cummins not out 59 (95)
M. Starc c de Bruyn b von Berg 46 (76)
N. Lyon c Hamza b Hendricks 38 (34)
J. Hazlewood b Hendricks 26 (32)
Total 329 all out (90.4 overs)

South Africa Bowling
Olivier 2-37 (13 overs)
Hendricks 5-83 (24.4)
Siboto 2-56 (22)
Mulder 0-52 (11)
von Berg 1-55 (13)
Muthusamy 0-30 (7)

South Africa A Second Innings

Hamza c Paine b Hazlewood 28 (68)
Malan c Bancroft b Starc 34 (68)
de Bruyn c & b Starc 5 (11)
Zondo b Starc 27 (72)
Muthusamy c Bancroft b Starc 34 (76)
Second b MMarsh 20 (47)
Mulder lbw MMarsh 5 (11)
von Berg c Bancroft b Lyon 52 (43)
Siboto lbw Smith 32 (33)
Olivier not out 0 (4)
Hendricks c Handscomb b Smith 0 (4)
Total 248 all out (72.5 overs)

Australia Bowling
Starc 4-46 (15 overs)
Hazlewood 1-28 (12)
M. Marsh 2-35 (10)
Cummins 0-42 (12)
Lyon 1-67 (18)
Smith 2-22 (5.5)

Australia Second Innings

Bancroft c Muthusamy b Mulder 22 (56)
Khawaja c von Berg b Olivier 8 (19)
Handscomb b Olivier 5 (9)
Smith c Siboto b Olivier 25 (13)
S. Marsh not out 39 (46)
M. Marsh lbw Olivier 15 (11)
T. Paine not out 17 (25)
Total 5-140 (29.3 overs)

South Africa Bowling
Olivier 4-74 (12.3 overs)
Hendricks 0-7 (5)
Siboto 0-21 (5)
Mulder 1-23 (5)
von Berg 0-9 (2)

Australia XI: Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Steve Smith ©, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

South Africa A XI: Khayalihle Zondo ©, Rudi Second (wk), Pieter Malan, Theunis De Bruyn, Senuran Muthusamy, Wiaan Mulder, Zubryan Hamza, Shaun Van Berg, Malusi Siboto, Duanne Olivier, Beuran Hendricks.

Qantas Tour of South Africa

Australia squad: Steve Smith ©, David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis ©, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de ■■■■, Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada.

Warm-up match v South Africa A | Australia won by five wickets

First Test Kingsmead, Durban, March 1-5

Second Test St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, March 9-13

Third Test Newlands, Cape Town, March 22-26

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3