The recent Australia vs South Africa test at the WACA was a real throw-back. It had a batsman who grafted for 8 hours as Australia ground out a big second innings score. It had another batsman who batted for over 7 hours as South Africa struggled to safety. And despite commentators hyperbole about "heroic match saving innings" the game ended in a rather tame draw.
Brad Hodge's 203 was a particularly un-Australian affair. If that is what we can expect from him, then I am not convinced he will remain in the side for long while attacking players like Michael Clarke lurk in the wings. Admirable as the innings was, the fact is that the time it took did not leave Australia enough time to win the match. However, perhaps Hodge was just being a little overcautious given his relative inexperience at the highest level. His profile tells us that "[o]n his day, he is unquestionably among the most attractive players to watch in Australian cricket". And he seemed a genuinely nice and modest bloke. Which makes a great change from the likes of Warne, Hayden and Symonds.
Wednesday, 21 December 2005
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Ponting, not Hodge, should take the blame for the lack of time to bowl the South Africans out. Setting a score of 490 to win is a bit ridiculous - declaring 40 runs earlier would still have set a formidable target that would have encouraged the South Africans to play for a win. I doubt they ever entertained going for 490 to win.
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