Australia - 2017 and Beyond

[q felt]

Benson and Hedges Tri Series Game 7 - Australia vs England

New Zealand managed to get a win against England so we need to win the last 2 games to make it through to the final. Pattinson comes back in for Gulbis, with a seaming wicket expected for possibly our last game against England. We're low on form and the mood in the sheds is not great. We won the toss and elected to bowl.




England Innings
English was run out early and England were 1/17. All bowlers managed to keep bowling relatively tight and Watson dismissed Root after building up pressure in the 22nd over. Around the 30 over mark England begun to step up the attack, so I brought Pattinson on in search of wickets and he soon had Speed caught. Faulkner snared Hackford for a brilliant 101 (109) and while we managed to take constant wickets thereafter, Starc was expensive and England finished at 8/270.

Australian Innings
Faulkner was promoted to open and pinch hit but didn't last long. Either did Doolan, Smith or Clarke and we were soon 4/56. Maddinson then departed for 26 (40) and Watson for a quickfire 36 (27). Maxwell and Hughes managed to build a partnership and with 15 overs to go we needed 94 runs with 4 wickets in hand. With 58 runs needed in 9.2 overs Hughes was bowled by Stokes for 59 (94). Starc and O'Keefe scored 9 each and were out, 37 needed from 30. Maxwell however, couldn't last and we were all out for 242 despite his valiant 57 (60).



AB Medal
3 Hughes - gave us hope.
2 Maxwell - Think I need to trust this guy more in the long forms, can bat.
1 Faulkner - 3 wickets, but all rather late in the piece.

Verdict
Always difficult to miss out on the tri series final but hopefully we can get one back against NZ in the next match.

[q felt]

Benson and Hedges Tri Series Game 8 - Australia vs New Zealand

Game 8
A ton of changes that I'll let you read for yourself for this dead rubber. Another pitch for the quicks, we lost the toss and would bowl first.



NZ Innings
New Zealand were in early trouble with some typically tight bowling. Colin Munro, however had not gotten word that we were due a consolation victory and showed why he is NZ's new no. 3, belting an unbeaten 141 and scoring a comfortable majority of his team's runs.

Australian Innings
We were off to a typically bad start before a partnership between Watson and Maddinson got us on track. When Maddinson fell it started a collapse and Watson tried to slog us to an unlikely victory but we fell 29 runs short.




AB Medal
3 Watson - Pretty good innings
2 Pattinson - tight as usual, even bowling at the death.
1 Maddinson - has been showing some promise

Verdict

I probably need to put more time into the ODI's, this is the area where we reall need to improve. Disappointing result - we need batsmen much like in real life 2013!

[Hallabol]

good

Good going man

[q felt]

Good going man

Thanks man! Hopefully it gets a bit better tho - waiting for a Zimbabwe tour or something.

[q felt]

South Africa vs Australia - Test Squad

A few new faces for the tour of South Africa, the world's fourth rated test nation. Sabburg, Orton and Triffitt will hopefully strengthen the batting, if needed. Maxwell and Smith are back in and around the squad and Gary Putland is the new face among the bowlers after a stellar year in the shield. Here's the squad and their test careers. (Khawaja should be back before the first test)

[q felt]

South Africa vs Australia - 1st Test

Two debutants for the first test, Gary Putland and Tom Triffitt to play their first tests. The green top pitch sees Agar omitted and after winning the toss we decided to bat first.



Day 1
Doolan and Khawaja fell for 21 and 2 respectively, but Watson and Clarke combined nicely and we were 2/100 at lunch. Clarke was soon out for 53 and we crawled to 3/175 at tea, Watson unbeaten on 73. He departed for 78 soon after the break and was followed almost immediately by Hughes for 30. Triffitt and Pattinson eventually guided us to stumps at 7/278.

Day 2
The bowlers surrender quickly in the morning, leaving Triffitt just 1 run short of a debut half century, the score on 301. South Africa went to lunch at 0/30 but lost de Kock soon after to Pattinson. Amla and Willoughby batted well until Pattinson broke through and Faulkner grabbed another quick wicket, South Africa 3/140 at tea. From there, the dangerous pair of Amla and De Villiers saw them through to the close and took command of the game, SA 3/267 at stumps.

Day 3
After working their way to a lead, Amla was run out and Rossouw LBW to Faulkner next ball. By lunch, South Africa were 6/344. After tea we took constant lower order wickets and then Faulkner removed ABdV for a superb 153. South Africa were eventually all out for 405, 5/93 for Faulkner and 4/103 for Pattinson. By stumps, we were 2/84, Clarke and Khawaja batting well, but we'd need a lot more tomorrow.

Day 4
We lost Clarke for 48 early in the next day and then another 4 wickets before lunch, only Khawaja showing resistance. We resumed after the interval at 7/177 and Patto decided he had to get the runs to bowl too, making a solid 32. When he got out Khawaja tried to accelerate but couldn't and when we were dismissed for 250 he was still standing on 72 off 280 balls! South Africa needed 146 for the win in just shy of 4 sessions. Faulkner and Pattinson grabbed a wicket each with the new ball and then Putland chipped in with 2 just before close, leaving SA 9/92, 55 runs to win on the last day.

Day 5
An uneventful morning saw Amla and Rossouw guide SA to the target and a 6 wicket win.



AB Medal
3 Khawaja - showing the kind of application the rest of the batsmen need to once he gets in.
2 Faulkner - Bowled well in both innings
1 Pattinson - Same as Faulkner!

Verdict
We need more of a team performance if we are going to win any test matches!

[Cam]

Hey mate! dont know if you have used him but Phil Hughes as a handy part time bowler isnt bad at all!!!
He reguarly picks up 2-4 wickets an innings/match... and quite economic!
Just a thought you could try!

Finch works well in ODI's as an opener! But in my game he retired in 2015 averaging 50 in ODIs

[q felt]

Hey mate! dont know if you have used him but Phil Hughes as a handy part time bowler isnt bad at all!!!
He reguarly picks up 2-4 wickets an innings/match... and quite economic!
Just a thought you could try!

Finch works well in ODI's as an opener! But in my game he retired in 2015 averaging 50 in ODIs

Cheers Cam - I'll try give Hughes a run but Steve Smith has been handy, as has Michael Clarke so it might be hard. Maybe during one of my infrequent NSW games.

As for Finch, no idea what's happened to him, think I saw him at Victoria but he's no where near the national side.

[q felt]

South Africa vs Australia - 2nd Test

We named an unchanged line up for the second test on a flat Durban pitch. Smith and Siddle are on notice though, we can't have many more poor performances from these guys. We lost the toss and had to bowl first.



Day One
We got off to the best start imaginable with Patto removing de Kock with the very first ball of the day and Amla 4 balls later for another duck. Putland broke the rebuilding efforts with SA on 67 and Siddle removed ABdV in the next over to leave theem 4/69. Pattinson came back for another over or two before lunch and snared Willoughby for 40, leaving SA 5/93 at the interval. A few quick wickets and a retired hurt when play resumed saw us well on top, but South Africa managed to counterattack and reach 7/206 by tea. They were all out for 222 soon after. Khawaja and Watson safely negotiated the 1.5 hours to stumps, and we were sitting pretty at 0/72.

Day 2
Watson lost his wicket t Philander on the first ball of day 2, but after that Khawaja and Doolan dominated. We were 1/185 at lunch and 1/269 at tea, Doolan having raced past his century, while Khawaja stonewalled to 96*. A more aggressive mindset saw the loss of Doolan after tea for 138 and Khawaja for 118. Clarke and Smith didn't hang around long but Hughes and Doolan got us through to stumps at 5/358.

Day 3
We came out intending to bat the whole day but the dismissals of Hughes (56) and Triffitt (33) soon dulled that ambition. Pattinson, Siddle and Faulkner added some handy runs with 40, 30 and 35* respectively and we were retired for 522, a lead of exactly 300 with a little over a session left in the day. Siddle and Putland took a wicket each before the close and South Africa finished the day at 2/107.

Day 4
Pienaar and Willoughby batted well through the morning session until Putland had the former caught behind in the very last over before lunch. The South Australian continued after the interval and removed ABdV. SA were 4/199 when I took the new ball, and when Pattinson removed Willoughby for a well made 111, the South African fight receded and we took victory by an innings and 65 runs.



AB Medal
3 Pattinson - took the key wickets, never stops.
2 Khawaja - edges out Doolan for a batsmans point more on the basis of consistency. Holds the batting together.
1 Putland - ably support the big man, hope he keeps it up!

Verdict
That's more like it! All setup by fantastic bowling on the first morning, a good toss to lose apparently. Some of the batsmen performed better, but Smith may have run out of chances.

[q felt]

South Africa vs Australia - 3rd Test

Just to put the pressure on, I checked the team performance and realized that a win here would erase our 2014 loss in SA and close England's lead as the best team in the world (not that the Ashes suggested I am even close to them). Glenn Maxwell comes in for Steve Smith, it was a line ball decision but Maxwell seems the better option for the future than Andrew MacDonald. It was a flat track so I wasn't surprised when SA batted on winning the toss - they wouldn't be hampered by the clouds that thwarted their decision in the last test.



Day One
SA made a cautious start and a wicket each to Pattinson and Putland saw them 2/83 at lunch. The afternoon session was similar and SA were 4/195 at tea. ABdV took control of the match in the final session, carving his way to 135* by the close and boosting SA 4/312.

Day 2
We needed quick wickets but they weren't forthcoming and SA had moved to 5/432 by lunch, ABdV with a double ton in the second last over before lunch. He was eventually bowled by Maxwell for 218 after the break and SA were all out for 513, Putland the standout bowler with 4/101. Watson, Doolan and Clarke all fell for single figures and by tea we were on the ropes at 3/21. We continued to struggle in the evening session falling to 6/123, Hughes holding the innings together with 56*.

Day 3
We stared day 3 more positively, losing only Hughes for 81 before the luncheon interval. 74 from Faulkner got us close to the follow on mark but when he fell to the second new ball the struggle was basically over and we'd be sent in again with a deficit of 233 to overcome. Watson fell cheaply again and we went to tea at 1/3. Doolan and Khawaja put together a decent partnership but both were dismissed just before stumps and we were struggling at 3/116.

Day 4
We were optimistic that a good result could still be achieved at the start of the day, but early wickets fell and SA were soon into the tail. Pattinson smashed his way to a run a ball 44, but at lunch we had just 2 wickets in hand and a 9 run lead. The top scorer Triffitt fell for 56 soon after the break and Putland followed next ball, leaving us just 15 runs ahead. A fiery spell from Pattinson made sure we got at least one wicket, SA with a 9 wicket win.



AB Medal
3 Putland - A really consistent first tour and I've finally got my 3rd seamer.
2 Hughes - Batted well in the first innings
1 Triffitt - was good all series, averaging 42.5, and his second innings performance capped off his tour.

Verdict
SA batted really well in the first innings, AB really carrying his side to a good victory. I think we are improving so I'm happy with that for now.

SERIES RESULT: South Africa wins 2-1

[q felt]

South Africa vs Australia - 5 Match ODI series squad

The NSP felt justified in ringing the changes for the ODI squad, especially following the schmozzle that was the Tri-series at home. I'll leave it to you to sort through them, but solid performances in state cricket were the main factor. We'll be taking in the usual long list of all rounders for most games… It's a five game series, followed by a single T20, which is almost bearable (I should probably have chosen to captain tests only, ah well).
Here are the ODI careers of our squad:

[q felt]

South Africa vs Australia - 1st ODI

Chris Sabburg from Queensland will make his international debut in the first ODI. He's likely to float in the batting order, coming in when we need some stability. Ali McDermott is also in on the back of some really good performances for QLD of late. We won the toss on a road and decided to bat first.



Australian Innings
Watson was out in the 2nd over and Sabburg was promoted to no 3. He failed too and the rest of the order. We were bundled out for 141, Hughes top scoring with 34.

South Africa
De Cock and # reached the target pretty easily, a ten wicket win for SA with nearly 24 overs to spare. Not much more to say really



AB Medal
3 Pattinson - 2nd top scorer and his usual economic self with the ball
2 Hughes - batted ok
1 Doolan - kept tidily? Was 3rd top scorer as well.

Verdict
Can't get worse, that was the toughest AB medal points round yet!

[q felt]

South Africa vs Australia - 2nd ODI

A green top greeted us on arrival in Jo'burg, not a good sign after we scored only 141 on a belter last start. Doolan is promoted to open, Ferguson replaces Sabburg and Starc is in for Maxwell. Let's see how it goes… SA won the toss and bowled.



Australian Innings
Wickets fell quickly again, Hughes having to anchor the innings but striking below 50. Only he and Smith (30) passed 11 from the top six. With 35 overs gone we were 5/139. Hughes was out for 54 (105) towards the end of the powerplay, Starc scored a solid 36 (36) but Watson starred with an unbeaten 52 (64) relishing the move down the order. We were left with 217 to defend.

SA Innings
SA lost a few wickets but not enough to slow the run rate considerably. At the half way point they were 3/127 and needed 3.6/over. They had a long tail, so we thought a couple more wickets would give us a chance. We managed to chip away a few wickets, reducing them to 5/164 and then 7/195, but it wasn't quite enough and they passed out total 8 wickets down with 4 overs to spare.




AB Medal
3 Watson - Unbeaten 50 and 1/35 from 8 in a decent performance
2 Pattinson - as always, 3/42..
1 Hughes - attempting to hold a fragile batting line up together.

Verdict
A big improvement but not quite enough…

[Cam]

I cant get Starc to do anything...
I tend to use Pattinson, McDermott, Mennie and Sayers as my quicks
Agar always gets a game unless theres 0 chance of spin.

I open the batting in ODI's with Hughes and Warner!
I use watson 5 or 6, but ive just included Henriques and he bats at 6 or 7 and goes nuts and bowls really tight!

Just sharing some of my season knowledge!

[q felt]

Thanks Cam, I appreciate it! What year are you up to?

For me, I think I gave Starc some technique training for NSW, he isn't quite good enough to bowl in tests - I don't count him an allrounder. I've also found in ICC that I tend to go with 5 quicks because of the depth all rounders and lack of decent spin.

I've been thinking about tying Hughes as an ODI opener, but jave been letting the openers slog and leaving him at 3 instead. Gave him a bowl the other day like you suggested, but didn't go so well. He gets one more chance, haha.