****South Africa will MULLER the Aussies****

when I criticise anybody white you always looking for motives other than the source of the critique..the issue at hand.

when I waterline black people you are always in full agreement....Gibson, Buttsy, Skameron..all  of them you agree fully when I lambaste.  and I do that often. 

now if I am looking for unusual motives why should I not look at you in this way as likely racist yuhself..in  defence of some people but not of others...when the only differing fact in the issue is skin colour ::confused::

Grame Smith consistently makes very questionable decisions as captain.  they are ignored and explained away.  there is no spotlight and focus on Smith as there is on Sammy for example. and even he is treated much better in the media than Viv Richards was for example.

as far as I know the ground  at centurion is fine/was fine yesterday, the weather good.  that being the case then the balance of the sides comes into play..which side is better?

neither as far as I see. 

the Oz can be down and failing but they never stay down for long. 

and even when their team is not so great they fight like hell.  few are the times when the Oz faded away in absolute ignominy like the west indies have..just once I ever knew, when the west indies tormented them to distraction with our super team.

so it is reasonable to expect that anyone playing the Oz at any time have a fight on their hands.  why would Smith expect any thing other than that and be keen not to provide any advantage to the Oz, for any reason at all..especially by miscalculation.

so on everything that readily meets the eye there was no good reason at all for sending the Oz in on winning the toss here.

it was a mistake... adding to a list of questionable decisions that Smith has been making all along.

and why do you take it upon your self to defend Smith?

you are not South African...  you are a west indian of Indo descent now living in england from the info I have seen on this board.  you have no vested SA interest : 

why are you so keen to defend Smith ::confused::

No no, au contraire, I mean 2-1, SA will WIN the series. I'm guessing Oz has an excellent opportunity of winning this first test here. I'd gladly take a 1-1. It'd be incredible if they manage to register a win here, absolutely amazing

Yeah agree, although pitch looks pretty flat tbh. Lets see how SA goes.

fourth innings facts



www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/534375.html

No more tomes to read MAPPIPPEE. Give me some numbers.


I do not wholly disagree and that is where you have to take local conditions.


Your contention is win the toss and bat which I do not think is always the case.

man!  I know that that is not always the case...but it almost is the case in fact.

only the most unusual of factors would change that intent as I have pointed out. 

when west indian bowling was dominant in the world over-all conditions did not matter. losing the toss was transcended. batting second and fourth was of no significance.

west indies flew here and there bowled out sides for little, no matter when they batted putting little demand on west indian batting most times.

there is only one other side like that in my time..the Oz who followed the west indies in dominance

that's one circumstance that transcends the dictate..win toss - bat!

another would be weather conditions and the make-up of the sides involved. on the spot circumstances like injury to key players also may influence and change an expected equation.

but my argument is that batting first is an advantage and batting fourth is the opposite... almost all the time.

therefore it is critical when one is sending a side in on winning a toss that there be advantages, possibilities that may compensate double for taking that risk..and you have the means, players who can exploit possibilities.

you cyant be guessing that they might.  it is either they can do  it or they cant.  if they cant you will  be fielding for a very  long time at the start of a game by sending your opposition in

Thanks for that enlightened explanation MAPPIPPEE.

I went looking for the stats last night Mail..on fourth innings and cud not pull  them up.

I did not know how to use the formats for pulling them up and was too sleepy to learn.  so go ahead and pull  them up man. its easy for you who have already spend time at dat activity

I know what you are saying Mapster.

Mailsta, you were sayin'?

It's far from the mauling you'd expected, is it?

Early days Kylester.....


Tests are marathons not sprints.


That said, one has to appreciate the Aussies hard work and have the upper hand right now.


Still on for 2-0.