A favourite song in the South African dressing room, apart from the national anthem and their team victory song, is surely “Anything you can do we can do better/We can do anything better than you!”
And they have shown that they can, not just in this third Test, but throughout the series.
In the first Test the rain and the bat dominated, with innings hundreds from Kallis and Amla to go with the centuries from Clarke and Hussey.
In the second Test again bat dominated. Australia’s batsmen attacked and South Africa’s defended, with the defence getting the better. South Africa’s bowlers out-played their Australian counterparts. In the second innings, the Proteas bowlers did the job the Aussie attack could not.
Third Test and Australia were buoyant after their new attack did a good job. Then up comes South Africa and does the job twice as well to take a significant lead. When the batsmen got their turn again, the display of power from the Proteas was brutal.
The game, the series and the number one ranking were signed and sealed by the batsmen and delivered by the bowlers.
What does all this show? Predominantly, Australia has a hell of a long way to go before it should even begin to think about being number one.
All the talk about Australia’s bowling depth has been shown to be an illusion. Injuries happen but the depth has not covered these holes.
Perhaps only Lyon and Starc could claim to have improved or bowled well, while Siddle has shown courage and heart.
Among the batsmen there have been glimpses of potential from a few and proven class from the established players. Hopefully with Ponting’s retirement a gaping deficiency in the top order can be narrowed.
Can it be narrowed in time for the Ashes? Probably not.
Tumisho
Guest
Please combine the best players from the ashes team and let them play against south africa..we will whip them again and again..we should have beaten australia 3-0..we beat u on rugby...netball recently there's just great rivalry and we on top now hahahahahaha
Col
Guest
Reality check indeed. The major differences in the two teams over the series for mine were: - SA's best two bats bat at no 3 and 4. Australia's bat at 5 and 6. Clarke and Hussey need to bat 3 and 4 vs Sri Lanka with Pontings replacement batting at 6. We cant have our top four all young, inexperienced or playing for their position - Watson with an ave of 35 should be playing for his spot at 5 or 6, not at 3. - SA's bats adapt their games based on the match situation and clearly take responsibility. Australia use the tired cliche "play our natural game" in every situation. Im sorry but that line is just a cop out. AB de Villiers proved what it takes to be a top test batsman with his contrasting innings in the 2nd and 3rd Tests - one going a long way to saving a match and the other effectively winning a match. - There wasn't much between each attack for mine over the first two Tests, however SA's best attack was given the opportunity to rise to the occasion in the grand finale - and did so. Australia's best attack wasn't even given the opportunity - a major mistake. - Experience too played a part. Noticeably when the Saffas smelled blood in that last Test, their batting and bowling became relentless from both ends. The Aussie's couldn't achieve this when given a sniff in Adelaide.
Arthur Fonzarelli
Guest
Mitchell Johnson bowled far better than Starc. Starc's bowling was treated like an amusement park, yes he got 6-for but alot of it was poor shot selecion by over confident batsmen. Johnson actually bowled good line and length and looked hostile. His over to Elgar before getting him out was top shelf. Mitchell at his best is still the best bowler in Australia. I hope he can put it together for the long haul. The wit and singing of the English crowds seems to rattle him big time though, I dont know if mentally he copes very well with that.
Agree, he is a great guy, very humble too. In england they asked him how does he feel to be the number one batsman in the world, his answer was "I am not even the best batsman n my team."
red
Guest
Best moment of the series. Amla to Ponting during the Perth test handshake: "Can I have a Hug?" Classic...starting to get a serious man crush for the mighty Hash
sittingbison
Guest
niver in a mullion yares cuzzy bro
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
nice one sheek
I thought Perth's second language is Afrikaans? ;)
sheek
Roar Guru
Oh how you wish..... dream on..... You Dutchies had your chance in the 1600s, but failed to grasp it.
sheek
Roar Guru
Love it! ;-)
I work for myself mate, the benefits of putting the hard yards in when you're young. ;)
sittingbison
Guest
maybe Johnson was selected because the complete lack of experience with Starc and Hastings would have been exacerbated by selecting another n00b in Bird/Butterworth/Cutter/Coulter-Nile etc. BTW Johnson did not let us down. I was at the WACA day 2, and he was the only one with any venom or penetration at all. 4/100 are not bad when the saffas got 570
sittingbison
Guest
not quite. We lost all three first choice fast bowlers for this test. So thats the equivalent of Steyn (Pattinson) Morkel (Siddle) and Philander (Hilf). Losing Kallis is the same as losing Watson for the first two tests, and he was essentially useless in this test. Cummins cannot be considered first choice, although he probably would be chosen if fit. SA struggled in Adelaide without Philander and then losing Kallis.
IvanN
Roar Guru
One day the second language of Australia will be afrikaans.
IvanN
Roar Guru
kry jy ooit tyd vir werk, :) sien jy skryf net soveel op die krieket as wat jy op die ruggaz doen....
Shahid
Guest
Hi, Tom dimanis, I know that Warner, Cowan and Hussey made centuries but they made these centuries having support of Michael Clarke. Clarke played himself and Warner, Cowan and Hussey. Warner and Cowan made a century against south africa and now you will remind them for whole year.
jonnybok
Guest
As a South African supporter I can tell u that u should select the bowlers that put fear into the opponents. Perhaps all countries should employ one 'neutral' selector as one of the four or five selectors. Sometimes the answers are clouded when u see all the bowlers around. The bowlers from Oz that would have put fear into the proteas would be: Hazelwood: to me he looks the obvious successor to McGrath with perhaps more pace. I saw him in the champions league in sa and he would be able to trouble the batsmen all day long. seam, control and bounce off a good length. He is not ur fastest white lightning bowler but I think that australia must not get carried away with just having the fastest bowlers they can. He is still quick though. Hazelwood would be the perfect foil to Cummins, Starc and Pattinson. He is what u missed in England, hobart and perth. He could tour RSA and New Zealand with ease. Khawaja proved in sa that he has the character to play test cricket, he looks very promising and I personally don't understand why oz did not persevere with him. Kallis and amla had shocking stats for sa in their first tests, but they always had talent. Just got to stick with him. Hughes I am less certain about, but then again smith also has an unorthodox technique so...
Red Kev
Guest
Johnson bowled okay, but of the two I'd take Starc over Johnson every time (and I'd be very unlikely to play 2 left-arm seamers unless as per that last test match it was an injury situation).
Rhys
Guest
Starc could also prove to be a more than handy lower order bat. Am I right in thinking in his junior days Starc was a keeper/batsman? A lower order of Siddle, Pattinson & Starc could produce some good runs, and let's face it, if the top order continues to crumble, the tail may need to wag and then some.
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
Quiney is a victorian. Shane warne is starting to make Bill Lawry look objective.