Top 10 reasons for Australia loss to South Africa at Port Elizabeth

South Africa has been able to come back and level the 3 test match series which now stands at 1-1 after 2 matches. South Africa won the 2nd test match played at Port Elizabeth on 4th day by 231 runs margin.

It was a good performance performance from the home team who rode on performances by Hashim Amla in batting and impressive Dale Steyn while bowling.

Dale Steyn, fastest  bowling spell demolished Australia
as he picked up 4 wickets for 55 runs

When I sit to find out the reasons for defeat of Australia, I found some of them:

1. Slow Wicket - Australia have always been vulnerable when cricket match takes place on low and slow wicket. Their record in Indian subcontinent is a proof of it. Lack of quality spinner after the retirement of great leg spinner Shane Warne, and inability of batsmen to play a bit late i.e. to wait a bit longer for ball to arrive on a slow wicket, are the main contributors towards bad performances on wickets that lack pace.

2. Inability of bowlers - To deliver on a wicket where no ready-made assistance is available from the pitch, fast bowlers need to show more skills and they need to show that they have more in them then extracting pace and bounce off the pitch. The reverse swing comes handy. In the past Aussie bowlers showed that they have capability to reverse swing the ball, especially on their tours to India. But in South Africa they did not manage to achieve it as much as South African bowlers did. Result - Australian bowlers found picking up 11 South African wickets a bit too difficult a task.

3. Batting Failure - Australian openers started off well in chase of 478 runs to win the test match and series after captain Graeme Smith declared bit too early for the liking of some of the cricket experts. Openers, David Warner and Chris Rogers put up opening stand of 126 runs. But they failed to carry on, which is crucial in big chases, and after that it was collapse. Shaun Marsh has developed habit of scoring ducks, something ducks won't be happy about.

4. Complacency - This is where this team is incomparable to the great Australian team of previous years. Australian cricket teams of past were known to keep down their opponents when they had them down. There was no let up. But under Michael Clarke, barring the recent Ashes series win, this has been the norm. Clarke has also failed to prove himself as a proactive captain and has often seen waiting for things to happen themselves.

5. Home run by a home team - Over the last couple of years home teams have been difficult to beat. Be it India's whitewashes in England or Australia or Australia's 4-0 loss in India, its always a home team who has had a an upper hand over the visiting team on a cricket field. Defensive captains who just don't know what to do with their wards once they got out of their comfort zone of home environment is the main reason for it.

6. Mosquito's and Sleepless nights - Once an Australia captain made an excuse when he lost a test series in India. "Throughout the series our players haven't been able to sleep properly due to mosquito bites late nights and hence they were unable to perform at their best due to lack of sleep," he said at the post match presentation. Maybe Aussies are encountering mosquito's in African Safari.

7. IPL 7 on mind - Cash rich t-20 cricket league, the Indian Premiere League (IPL) is about to take off in few month's time. More dollars will be deposited into the accounts of the players. It must be difficult for Aussie players to concentrate in a test match arena when they are about to get millions of dollars for spending just 20 and few more overs on a cricket field.

8. Johnson Mustache length - Mitchell Johnson just started to do well after he grew Mustache of certain length. An erratic bowlers suddenly found his line and length, sorry bounce, to trouble all batsmen, especially poms.  But the length is important. It has happened to Shikhar Dhawan, the opening batsmen of India, as well. Both need too make sure that Mustache is of perfect length, otherwise they might loose their form which they gained by growing it.

9. Cool Killer Amla is hungry again - Over the course of last 2 series Hashim Amla was seen loosing his wicket in a strange manner. He was getting bowled out by leaving the ball, ducking the ball, and swaying away from the ball, as if ball was coming to kill him and he became so nervous that he forgot to stop it with his bat. But in Port Elizabeth Hashim Amla was reminder by someone, possibly by AB De Villiers, what a cool customer he has been over the years. He is out on the road again with his secret weapon. Watch out Australia!

10. Michael Clarke praised by Ian Chappell - Not the first time it has happened and it won't be the last time that the former Australian Captain writes a column to show that his countrymen is a better captain than the other captain and the praised captain is fallen into the well. Just a day ago Ian Chappell wrote in 'espn cricinfo'  that MS Dhoni's time is over and he needs to go. He compared how Michael Clarke is better than Indan captain.

See: Will MS Dhoni resign from Indian Cricket Captaincy

One can find many reasons for Australia's humiliating loss to South Africa. Australia now needs to show that it was one off and that they are capable of making a come back just like the number 1 ranked team in ICC rankings has shown us. In the end one has to say: "Well Played South Africa!"

Poor technique galore against fast bowling, Australia v South Africa test series

Just when Indian X cricketers were busy criticising young Indian batsmen  for their poor technique to play fast bowling, I was watching South Africa vs Australia test series on television.

One thing I was carefully looking for was how Australians, South African batsmen play fast bowling so that I can compose an article comparing the techniques of Indian batsmen and them, and can pinpoint what exactly Australia and South Africa batsmen do well that they handle the short pitch fast bowling much better than the Indian batsmen. I was very disappointed and even confused with what I saw. 

Chris Rogers, Australia Opener, needs to show
more than a fancy footwork to survive against
fast bowling of South Africa to prove he is better than
Shikhar Dhwan of India.

I have no doubt, with what I saw on TV, that Indian young batsmen, in particular Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane displayed much better technique and temperament than South African and Australian batsmen while facing a fast bowler. Even Shikhar Dhawan looked better than what openers Graeme Smith and Chris Rogers are looking at the moment. Even the pitches are comparatively flatter in this series, no doubt about it, then what we saw in South Africa vs India series recently.

In the first match of the series, Mitchell Johnson proved too much to handle for South African batsmen. Hashim Amla, Grame Smith, all are in sixes and sevens when facing him. Other bowlers also took advantage of fear created by Mitch in South African batsmen and they picked some easy scalps too.

On second day of 2nd test between Australia and South Africa, being played at Port Elizabeth, South African fast men were all over the Aussie batsmen. Only adventurous David Warner was able to score some runs, with outside and inside edges mostly, while other 4 top order batsmen went back to pavilion by loosing their wickets due to poor technique rather than great bowling.

Seeing these batsmen, who are supposed to have the best technique against fast bowling, struggle so miserably and who are looking completely out of control, one wonder why all hell breaks out when some of Indian young batsmen, likes of Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, gets out to faster bowlers. They also don't face quick bowlers too often as they play more of their cricket on turning (not flat) Indian pitches. Clearly, double standards are adopted while judging players of India to others.

Also there has to be some balance when techniques are judged. Over the years Indian batsmen have mustered more runs in Australia and South Africa than the batsmen of those countries have managed to score on turning tracks in India. Indian batsmen,Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, leading test runs getters, have plundered runs all over the world. Same can't be said about non-indians when it comes to their performance in India. For example, a modern day great batsmen 'Ricky Ponting' of Australia, hardly managed an average with bat in India that can be called respectable. Ponting's average in India is 26.48 while his overall average is 51.85 runs.

Boring Slow Pitch Robs fans 2nd Test, South Africa v Australia, Port Elizabeth

South Africa limped to 214-5 at the end of first day's play of test match between South Africa and Australia. at Port Elizabeth. It was a day which every cricket fan wished never came in their life. The pitch was a real villain.

For a series that was seen as a platform to find out who is the best fast bowling attack in the world, between Australia and South Africa, the cricket pitch dished out by the curator was a big disappointment. It was painfully slow. Even Mitchell Johnson looked as slow as Vernon Philander. The ball barely bounced higher than the waist and shots were difficult to time for the batsmen.

May be it was a well thought tactic from South African team management. The inability the host batsmen showed in first test against short pitch bowling of Australia seems to have sent message to pitch curator "We want low and slow wicket. Mitch is too hot to handle!" But looking at how match stands at the end of first day's play, the pitch hasn't quite helped South Africa's cause. Instead it is Australia who seems to have a upper hand in match, even though fast and furious Mitchell Johnson has managed on 1 wicket (Hashim Amla) thus far.

AB De Villiers and Deal Elgar played well for South Africa and gave the scoreboard some good look. The scorecard at stumps on day 1 looked like this :

Cricket Score Card, Australia vs South Africa, 2nd test Day 1 Stumps

Dean Elgar played well, mostly defensively against seam bowlers and occasionally attacking to spinner Nathan Lyon, for 83. AB de Villers, batting on 51 not out, continued his good form with fine half century creating a new world record of scoring half centuries in 12 consecutive test matches. He shared the record with Viv Richards, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir before this fifty.

Nathan Lyon talked about the pitch and what he makes of the day's play. He said that they knew this would be a very difficult pitch to bowl on, and he is happy with the control they have maintained, and stoked that they got those two bonus wickets when they were waiting for the new ball.

It was a hard fought day of cricket on a disappointing spirit sapping pitch. Australia will be feeling better about today, but you mustn't forget that AB de Villiers is still out there.

Pitch  gave South African cricket fans to make a shout "Mitch who? So much for the over-hyped Australian bowling attack. On a green, seaming pitch with overcast conditions they have hardly made a dent. SA march on and get stronger by the hour. What was really disappointing was watching Lyon bowling around the wicket, targeting leg stump and on the pads - so negative, very un-Australian. Couldn't help noticing Harris leaving the field with a tweak and Smith was right Centurion totally suited Johnson, but maybe he can get some more tail-ender wickets here yet. Mind you both are in the their mid thirties now anyway and injuries are part of that age category," said McKenjie.

But Am I hearing complains about the pitch from Australians. So all the Aussies, complaining about the pitch. Are you saying that your Mitch is just a one-type-of-pitch-wonder, and cannot perform consistently across all sorts of pitches? Unlike Dale Steyn, who has great figures over a protracted period of time, even on the subcontinental road pitches? He did not even look remotely threatening for frightening today, even the raw and inexperienced Elgar played him out without giving any chances.

In reality test match still in the balance here, but it seems to be a peculiarly flat and lifeless wicket. I wonder why? :-) How things have changed! I'm sure the SA quicks will not be looking forward to bowling here, and if Philander is carrying any injury it could be a real issue, because SA only have four bowlers (unless I'm missing someone). Still, if they get 300+ it is still runs on the board that AUS have to get. Lehman says the pitch is pretty good with plenty of grass but very dry underneath. That means it should spin later on, but probably won't break up too much. But do SA have a spinner who can take advantage of bowling last?

Cricket Australia must be shameful of their performances in India

Australian cricket is riding on one man's shoulder at the moment - Mitchell Johnson. It is making australian cricket look as if their golden days are back. But in real, things are entirely different. Aussies can't be accepted as champions until they improve their pathetic cricket record in India.

In last 50 years, Australia has won only 1 test series in India. That too was marred with controversy and crucial players missing out from India's cricket team. Due to fight between cricket association at Nagpur and BCCI, the curator was ordered to prepare a track completely suited to visitors. Not a single ball turned and it was all green. Australia fielders claimed one bounce catches, appealed profusely and shamelessly, and took advantage of not having to face Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. Also there was honest (only in context of aussies) and mad (in context of indians) australian media publishing stories and events which never happened. Also they were assisted by some former Indian Captains who think they will get a free pass to clubs in Australia if they join India's opponents in criticising the indian captain. The captain of India, then, was Saurav Ganguly, a man who got Steve Waugh mentally deteriorated.

Steve Waugh got mentally disturbed by a young captain, Sourav Ganguly

It's not only the number of test wins, which are very few in India for aussies, but the pathetic show that their batsmen and bowlers have put on display. Ricky Ponting, the great aussie, managed to average a mediocre 20 odd despite touring more than thrice to the shores of country on whose name indian ocean is named. There is no Australia ocean, of course. Shane Warne, the so called great leg spinner, managed average of about 45 with the bowl. Less said about other's records, the better it is for Aussies.

The shambolic performances put up by Australia, and also by likes of England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, over the years, and the way they shout about India's overseas performance's, shows that they are mentally disturbed, at least the cricket analysts and cricket fans of these countries.

Just last year, after ridiculing India's performance in Australia, Cricket Australia's boys put up such a pathetic display of cricket, loosing 4-0 and no match lasting more than 3 days, that made one wonder if the wins of Australia vs India in Australia was real or fluke.

It is high time Australia improve their performance in India. It will happen only when Australia improves its domestic cricket and prepare pitches that spin. This will help producing spinners of worthwhile class and batsmen who can survive more than 6 balls while facing them. It's laughable how Australia's batsmen play a spinning ball. South Africa, New Zealand, England batsmen are equally pathetic. They say that even a sun can rise from west, but the dog's tail cannot become straight. Same is the case of overseas batsmen playing in India.

Australia make South Africa choke on day 1 of centurion test

Australia completely humiliated South Africa on Day 1 of centurion test in series of 2014. South African bowlers looked pedestrian even on pitch made again ( rather doctored) to make look ordinary bowlers like Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, and Morne Morkel look great. The score at the end of day 1 was 297 runs for the loss of 4 wickets for Australia.

shaun marsh on his way to a authoritative 100

The 4 wickets taken by South Africa were due to some poor shots played by Australian batsmen and not due to some world class bowling. With DRS (Decision Review System) in place even umpires were unable to gift South Africa free wickets which they did in South Africa vs India series.

With retirement of kallis, every person who is non-choker knows that South Africa does not have quality batsmen. Hashim Amla and AB De Villiers are well known for throwing their wickets, in fact become sitting ducks under pressure. Less said about Graeme Smith the better is for readers here. He as a captain has. never won any ICC tournament of note.

The scorecard at the end of first day looks like the one shown below:

Aus vs SA scorecard at stumps day 1 centurion test match

The hero for Australia were Shaun Marsh (scoring 122 not out) and Steven Smith (not out on 91 runs) who made a mockery of South African bowling attack.

At the end of the day, confirming that they are chokers, South African bowers started to bowl negative lines and even tried to bowl bouncers in fading light so that umpires are forced to take the players out of the field.

It is clear that South Africa doesn't deserve the number 1 ranking and whole world would be happy when a deserving team like India or Australia retain the number 1 ranked team status in ICC test team rankings.

Marsh is a lot like Mitch Johnson, undoubtedly talented but lacking consistency. Hopefully getting this century with Smith, who has wonderful application and determination at the crease will rub off on Marsh. He has scored a century before and nose dived - lets hope it doesn't happen again.

I predicted 295/4 at stumps on the preview thread, I don't know how we did it, I guess that it was a combination of some mature strokeplay and some very impressing leaving. Happy for Marsh, he got a lot of stick but he delivered and I have to take my hat off to the selectors. Sending Australia in to bat has been a blunder and if Australia win this match as a result it will be a hard pill to swallow for Smith.

I have failed to understand why people are saying South Africa is having a world class bowling attack, they have just two quality bowlers 1) Morkel and Steyn. Philander is a pretty average bowlers who needs ample help from pitch to be of any effect. Maclaren is another ordinary bowler and either Robin Peterson is having some Godfather in SA cricket board or SA selectors are a bunch fools to select him consistently. The Aussies attack is way better then this so called overrated south African attack. They have really have struggled to take 20 wickets against an inexperienced Indian batting lineup. I do not think SA stands any chance with this attack unless some spectacular effort from Steyn or Mokel.

Reactions from cricket fans are quite interesting.

HatsforBats says: "Shaun Marsh cops a hell of a lot of flack from us Aus supporters on these forums, I know I give him some despite my joy at watching his best (part of the frustration really). But he is doing a very fine job here indeed (67 n.o. on one leg). If he goes on to make a big one Amla will not be happy with dropping that early chance.

A shame Clarke couldn't resist the challenge, but hopefully Marsh, Smith & Haddin can push on in the afternoon session and get this total up toward 300. By the look of the pitch (and with some uneven bounce) I would think batting last won't be easy, and Lyon could be a handful.

And I just have to say; Philander's first delivery of the day was an absolute peach! Best delivery I've seen since Harris bowled about 50 of them at Cook. It's not often I wish to see Aus bowling first but I was hopeful."

 Jb633 praises Shaun Marsh and says: "Got to give credit to Marsh here. Despite almost everyone saying he doesn't deserve to be playing, he has gutsed it out in difficult circumstances and has pulled Aus through. There is no way Watson would have done the same or Bailey for that matter. The Aus batting (bar Clarke/Haddin/Hussey) has been on the whole poor for 2/3 years but they are starting to look more solid if Marsh can find his feet and Watson to come back in for Doolan. Maybe drop Watson and bring in Hughes. I think Aus are well ahead in this game given the wicket looks pretty shabby and looks like it will go up and down later in the game. If they can finish the day 280 for no more than 7 I think they will be satisfied with that."

But I tend to agree with home and away win scenarios. The trend is that all sides are struggling away from home. And all batsmen struggle against quality quick short pitched bowling. No batsmen enjoys getting hit! I only wish cricket journos would get these simple facts and quit beating up on sub continent teams. Just like cricket is legitimately played on seaming snorters, it is also legitimately played on dust bowls, turners and flat tracks. Some teams do better on one and Others on the other. And the teams that do better on both are usually the Best in the World. Thats all there is to it.

South Africa V Australia who will win test series?

A mouth watering fast bowling tussle seems to be on cards as South Africa will take on Australia at Centurion today in first test match.

While many a cricket fans are lining up to see which is the better bowling attack and will south africa be able to finally remove their chokers tag, there could be disappointment. The news coming from South Africa is depressing as the cunning groundsmen of South Africa has removed the grass from the pitch on request of south african team management to save their batsmen from the bouncers and bone breaking deliveries of Mitchell Johnson.

The squads are as follows:

South Africa Team : GC Smith, HM Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, F du Plessis, D Elgar, RK Kleinveldt, R McLaren, M Morkel,WD Parnell, AN Petersen, RJ Peterson, VD Philander, DW Steyn, TL Tsolekile

Australia Team : MJ Clarke, BJ Haddin, JM Bird, AJ Doolan, RJ Harris, MC Henriques, MG Johnson, NM Lyon, SE Marsh,JL Pattinson, CJL Rogers, PM Siddle, SPD Smith, DA Warner, SR Watson

Dale Steyn would like improve on his recent bad showing in test matches, even as Mitchell Johnson again returns to South Africa in form of his life

Against India, all the groundsmen were specifically told to let the grass grow as there was no real fast bowler, but against Australia south african batsmen don't want to become sitting ducks. It is well known fact that most south aftrican batsmen lack technique to handle fast bowling at test level.

While pace battle is on the cards, here are some interesting views coming from cricket fans of both australia and south africa:

truththecovers says:"Everyone is licking their lips re the match-up of the 2 bowling attacks, which is wrong in my opinion. It should realy be looked at as the SA batting line-up vs the Aus bowling attack and vice versa. Looked at it this way, it becomes a fairly simple equation from there. No one in their right minds would give the Aus batting line-up lower odds to outlast the SA bowling attack than the other way around. The absence of Kallis is a big factor, but the SA top 5 will prove yet again a very hard nut to crack. Harder than their counter parts."

Madan Shivkumar is not ready to give Australia any points for their Ashes victory "I guess the Aussies are reading too much into a victory over a battered and bruised England. The saffers will be much harder to beat with the kind of line up they have,never mind kallis s absence - he was not the player he was anyway; steyn philander and morkel are more than enough to bowl out the Aussies considering that they are going to have 2 new faces in the XI. Most of the Aussies are confidence players and if the saffers can break the rhythm of Johnson then its gonna be pretty hard for the Aussies." 

 Greatestgame, the supporter of South Africa cricket is irked when someone mentioned about the inability of south africans to handle spin bowling, he says: "Stop making excuses for, or raising the topic of, SC teams here. We hear that "SA cannot play spin." Now you say "SA cannot play pace." How did SA get to be #1 they can't play pace or spin?SA national cricket is dominated by genuine pace bowling, on quick, hard tracks - the bowling they grow up, & thrive on, & play every match.

In 2012, before SA's series in Eng, debate raged about "the best" attack, much like today. The English attack, pronounced as "the best in the world" by Eng media & management, took 2 for 637 dec in test 1. Amla 311* Kallis 182* Smith 131 etc.

SA destroyed Johnson & Starc that year, at Aus' quickest venue, Perth. Amla scored 196 at SR 88.68. ABdV scored 169 at SR 91.84. Smith scored 84 at SR 84.These guys can decimate genuine pace, and this series has NOTHING AT ALL to do with SC teams."

Comments apart, what can really trouble South Africa is the egoistic nature. They think they are too talented, but they are far from it. We saw in a series against India how at times they did not wanted to be out on the park and were trying fast bowlers in fading light to run away from competition. This lack of fight will hurt them badly against Australia who are known to take advantage of such moments by playing aggressive cricket. South Africa don't have ability to handle pressure situations, in absence of Jaques Kallis in particular.

Fact tha Ab Devilliers never contributes under pressure and that Vernon Philander is more of a threat only in tailor made conditions, it won't be a surprise if Australia defeats South Africa. Also to be noted is that South Africa has recently won more matches against minnows than a top test team. The victory against India was gifted by umpires.