Three down before bad light stopped play with 168 to get. That track looks pretty good so it will (or could ) be an interesting finish.
Khawaj played well but in the end it was a pretty soft dismissal. Ponting has looked alright but he has had a pretty good wicket to bat on. I would still be inclined to let him announce his retirement.
How was THAT!!
Philander beats Clake on the outside then nips one back to clip the off stump. Beauty!!!
Late start to the day - 70 overs to be bowled, and I’m sick in bed & in front of the TV 
Philander has started his Test career with a bang, to say the least. Looking at his profile on cricinfo it’s no fluke, either. After 70 First Class matches his average is under 20. A clear cut case of a guy who is inevitably going to finish his international career with 200+ Test wickets if I’ve ever seen one…
I had forgotten the game was on after the rain delay until Grim Pixie came bounding in with bad news for Austaralia. I am unsure of Grim’s sex so I will settle with “Darn you!”.
Philander looks pretty good but I will reserve my opinion until a few more series. He is pretty close to 27 which is a little late to be starting a fast bowling career that will net 200 plus wickets. (I wonder if he is ever called Matts Philander).
Whatever the result I hope Cummins initial test display is not washed aside.
PS For anyone who wants a more lively discussion, I’ve found this to be a good and civil little forum, full of knowledgeable fans:
http://cricket-match-special.com/index.php?sid=a33107bd61ced7263852f6ab17b6b1ae
I hope that doesn’t come across as spamming for another site, but it really is quite a decent place. There’s none of the nationalistic jingoism and chest-beating you see in most cricket forums.
I’m one of the newer members there, but I’d like to invite all the dopers here to join us.
I would think he could do many more than 200 judging by this series, assuming he stays healthy and plays a reasonable number of tests. Interesting that it’s taken him this long to break through though - Stuart Broad is a year younger than him and has already played 41 Tests (and has 132 wickets - which is why I suspect Philander could take quite a few more than 200 with a reasonable amount of playing time).
Morkel gets Ponting.
Haddin has been pretty much useless for a while now, so that’s almost certainly the match won for South Africa right there.
Cumbrian and Molesworth, the guy has looked good, but to be honest the opposition has not been the greatest. That being said, he has bowled at least as well as Steyn and Morkel who I do rate.
And Broad has also been playing for 4 years. This guy does look better than Broad though.
(As Ponting goes).
Yeah - I think that’s basically exactly my viewpoint Cicero. It’s not the wickets he’s taken necessarily but that he’s fitted into the attack well and has bowled comparably well to Steyn and Morkel. He looks better than Broad for my money - which is why I reckon he will do well over 200+ wickets injury permitting (Broad will manage that and much more but mostly through longevity I reckon).
I don’t think Broad helps himself with his antics- he comes across as petulant. He sure is a hnady player to have in your side though, although an average of 32 is probably a tad expensive.
Philander makes you wonder though how many other decent pace or seam bowlers are by passed and don’t get selected until they have been around a bit. Stuart Clark also springs to mind.
Oh, “sick”, is it?
Sorry I wasn’t in this thread earlier, I haven’t learned to check in the Game Room for these threads yet.
It’s starting to look good for the Proteas with Ponting gone.
It is true - Broad is a bit of a dick. It comes through in three different ways too, petulance, losing his head/bowling badly and ripsnorting aggression. The main problem I have with it is that when he gets angry it is only very occasionally the third of these - and mostly the first two. 32 is expensive - but he bats well and that will see him stick around for a bit I think.
I think there must be loads of bowlers who come good later on in their career (up here it’s taken Tremlett the best part of 6 years to get it right, for instance).
I just recall a series a few years ago- I think it was in RSA- where Broad was given out, called a review and the decision was confirmed. He then turned up in the third umpires box seemingly to again argue about the decision.
It came across as totally self absorbed. I forget who the captain was at the time, but team management surely should have made it clear he would not be going anywhere near there.
And it also gave some credence to Sonny Gavaskar being able to write that he got away with a lot because his father was a match referee. And I never agree with gavaskar
Well, under 100 now and five wickets in hand.
I think the odds are with RSA but it may get close as long as the weather stays away.
I just hope this game isn’t stopped by bad light or rain.
I’m really enjoying this.
BTW Molesworth- thanks for referral to that site. The ones I usually visit are so full of bigoted nonsense. I signed there under this nick.
Hussey gone lbw to Philander.
Just when I was starting to hope…
Hussey is another at the end of his use by date. I haven’t totally given up hope but- nah I’m kidding. If the weather holds RSA will win.
Yeah, I’d be impressed if the tail manages to get close to the target. Hussey was good on the recent tour of Sri Lanka, but like Ponting his days are extremely numbered.
What happened to the days when Darren Lehmann and Stuart Law couldn’t make the Test team?
/btw, my moniker at that site is “Goldbug”. Look forward to seeing you there, Cicero.
And getting towards a tense finish…