Australia Vs South Africa, Group A

As we write this, Australia is cruising along at 78-0 after 10 overs. South Africa won the toss and put Australia in to bat. Australia is off to the races. Will they hit 500 today? and more importantly, can they defend whatever runs they make.

Nice calling and running between the wickets. Great shot from Gilchrist, but Langeveldt gets his boot on it and saves 4 runs. Gilchrist is pissed with Langy's temerity, so the next ball is deposited over the ground for a huge 6. What a shot. Score now 84-0, 11 overs.

Andrew Hall into the attack now. What a shot!!! Great shot! came down the pitch and blasted the ball through extra covers. Great timing. What a way to get to his fifty. The village idiot playing really well. Nice comeback from Hall.

The Australian running between the wickets is top notch. We have an idea, they should hire Ganguly, who is the BEST runner between the wickets, to help their running get to the next level. Meanwhile, Haydos is going berserk. He just hit a flat six over mid-off. The trick to getting Hayden out is simple: The wicket-keeper needs to ask him math questions. Due to his double digit IQ, math questions are hard for Hayden. He gets confused easily. If the wicket-keeper can irritate Hayden enough, Hayden will get out.

Gilly is gone! Nice catch by Gibbs - easy catch at backward point. Gilly was surprised by the bounce of the slower ball and was not able to keep it down. Australia now 106 for 1 after 15 overs. Monkey boy will walk in. Oh Joy. Monkey boy and the Idiot batting together.

Update 1:
What a shot! 4. Nice shot between cover and mid-off. Hayden is middling everything and when he is not hitting boundaries, he is running sharp singles. Australia don't know what they are missing - they need Ganguly as their running coach. As an act of kindness, maybe we can send Ganguly over - free of cost. We just heard a very important tidbit: Gibbs doesn't like throwing up the ball after he takes a catch. He gets rid of it quickly.

Will South Africa save itself a little bit by getting rid of Ponting quickly? We will see, meanwhile, Hayden hits a boundary over cover. Hayden is batting beautifully. Another nice shot over mid-on. He is in great form. He is on 81 and Australia crusing along at 123-1 after 17 overs.

Update 2:
Holy cow! Hayden could be making the fasest 100 of the world cup. This is terrible news. Where is Ganguly when you need him? We are, of course, rooting against Hayden getting to that hundred. It's bad enough that another aussie form Canada has the record. One dot ball.

Meanwhile, Ponting is rotating the strike. Coward. If you are brave, show us by batting instead of rotating the strike to your in-form partner. Indian batsmen are brave. Spanking shot by Hayden for 4 and then he takes a single. He is on 90 of 59 balls. Australia now 140-1 after 19 overs.

Update 3:
Hayden 91 off 60 balls. 9 runs from 6 deliveries to get to the fastest hundred. WOW!!! Ponting just hit a massive six. What a batsman! what a shot! Now a straight drive over the bowlers head for a 4. Oh boy. He is looking dangerous. Thank God the power plays are over. It's time to stanch the flow of runs.

Hayden 92 of 62 balls. 93 of 63 balls. 94 of 64 balls. This should be interesting: the greatest spinner in the entire galaxy (GSEG) Graeme Smith is on. Can Hayden get to his 100 against the GSEG? Yes, he can! Hayden now 100 of 66 balls. What a shot! great six. Well done Haydos. Nice 100. Fastest 100 in the world cup. So, we lose this small battle too. Never mind. We will prevail in the end. Australia now 166-1 after 23 overs.

Update 4:
Kallis is on now. OUT!!! Hayden gone for 101, great batting. Easy catch to Gibbs. Clarke is in to bat. Fastest 100 in the world cup history. Good batting Hayden, Now keep your mouth shut and we will be fine.

There, we couldn't have said it better. Alec Stewart just gave a 5 minute discourse on why singles are important and why Australians are so good at taking singles. Wish Ganguly could have heard Alec Stewart. Great running between the wickets. Australia now 177-2 after 26 overs.

Update 5:
Nice shot from Ponting. Easy 4. Just chipped it over mid-wicket.
What an effort by the third man. The ball was racing away and Pollock dived to make a great stop.

Not much happening except for a run-out chance, a hard catch, and a inside edge to the boundary. Australia now 203-2 after 31 overs.

Update 6:
Clarke is cutting loose. A boundary followed by a six. The six was very well hit. Hit over between the bowler and mid-off. Nice shot. Australia at 214-2 after 32 overs.

Ntini into the attack. Ponting is scared of him. Coward. Just takes off for a quick single. Clarke is terrified of Ntini. He doesn't want to face him either. He wants a quick single which wasn't on.

AB de Villiers (AB from now on) is a great fielder. Trust us. Clarke going for everything now. Australians have obviously decided to go after Kallis. 2 balls-2 fours. Kallis is very angry and this ofcourse terrifies Clarke who gets off strike by taking a single. Coward. Face him if you have the courage.

Ponting got lucky. Andrew Hall just couldn't reach that ball. Four.
Great shot by Ponting. jumped down the pitch and smacked it for a 4. This brings up his 50. Nice innings. It would have been perfect if he hadn't taken all those singles and still made the 50. Australia 239-2 after 35 overs. Australia on their way to 400 here.

Update 7:
Clarke plunders 10 runs from Langy including 2 fours. Pollock back in to the attack. Clarke is looking to take on Pollock. This will be fun. This is a batsman's paradise. SIX. Clarke gets to his 50 in style. Another six. This time Ponting. Beautiful shot. This man can time the cricket ball. These batsman are making Pollock look like a Nets bowler. Maybe it's time for GSEG to come back into the attack. Change of pace and all that.

Everything going Australia's way so far. 284-2 after 39 overs. What else can go wrong for the Saffies? Gibbs can drop a catch. Get out of here! Gibbs never drops a catch.
Well, he does just that. It's an easy catch too. Clarke lucky to be still batting. 288-2 after 40 overs. 400 is on. If the Saffies can put up a fight, this will be a good match.

Nothing in the pitch for the bowlers. Bowlers like Ntini and Pollock are being treated with contempt and disdain. Sucks.

Update 8:
300 up for Australia in 40.2 overs. Beautiful shot. Square driven for a lovely 4 by Clarke. Monkey boy just lost his bat. He came down the pitch to hit Kallis out of the ground and the bat slipped from his hands. Looked like an idiot running to the non-strikers end. Nearly killed Clarke too.

Clarke is swishing at everything now and so is Ponting. The difference is Ponting's slogs are placed into the gap giving him a boundary while Clarke is smashing balls directly to the fielders. 318-2 after 44 overs.

Clarke hit a great sixer and then Ponting tries to do the same and he is gone. Out! Out for a very well made 91. Great effort. That's what captains are supposed to do. Lead from the front and play great innings. Great batting by Ponting. Australia 341-3 for 46 overs.

Update 9:
Clarke is gone for 92. Runout. All that running finally caught up with him. If he had followed Ganguly's tenet of not running singles he would not be gone without his century. Serves him right! Hussey now in.

While we were talking to a friend, a lot happened (couple of boundaries and some manic running) and then Hussey holed out to deep cover. Australia 357-5 after 48 overs. Saffies have done a decent job in the last few overs.

We shouldn' have said that since Symonds smashed a four. Now, it's Shane Watson's turn. He moves to the off stump and places the ball to deep fine leg for a four. Nice shot. Watson does it again! moves to the off stump and hits the ball this time over mid-wicket. Another 4. Australia 373-5 after 49 overs.

Last over coming up. Nice ball from Andrew Hall. Dot ball. Barry Richards says: Dot ball is like gold. Another dot ball. 3 balls left. Can Shane Watson finish things off in style? no. 2 runs off 4 balls. Last two balls coming up. Symo gets 2. Great running between the wickets. Symo is great. Got him the last ball of the game. Nice ball. Just 4 runs of the last over. Australia 377-6 in 50 overs.

Can the Saffies do it? They have the batting line-up. The question is if anyone can do a Hayden for the Saffies.

Update 10:
Great start from SA. A four and a six in the first over. 10 of the first over. Great shot by AB. Rocked back on the back foot and hit the short ball over mid wicket for a 6.

Tait (of the"I am not at full pace" fame) on now. Fast-around 91 mph. AB on fire. Great on drive. 4 runs. SA now 18-0 after 2 overs.

Things have slowed down a little. But SA taking a lot of singles. Looks like they need Ganguly's help too. When will these teams learn that taking singles is not the answer. Tait is all over the place. He still isn't at full pace though, that might be the problem. SA 30-0 after 4 overs.

What a shot! Smith charges down the wicket and strikes a mighty blow. 4 runs. Tait will be out of the attack soon. He is proving ineffective. My spider sense is tingling that can mean only one thing - we will see McGrath soon. Nice shot again. Smith straight drives Bracken down the ground for another 4. SA 40-0 after 5 overs.

Update 11:
My spider sense was right. McGrath into the attack and is being given a warm welcome by AB. 2 fours from 2 balls. Nice shots. Make that 3 fours in 3 balls. WOW! This is very soothing after India's loss yesterday. 12 runs from the over. SA 52-0 after 6 overs. What a great sight - McGrath is already shaking his head.

Amid the mayhem, Bracken bowls a good, tight over. Just 2 runs of the over. Great come back from McGrath. Just one run from his over. SA 55-0 after 8 overs.

Shane Watson into the attack now. Ponting is moving his bowlers around. Great fielding. Hayden stopped a sure 4. That really pisses off Smith. He swings his bat and gets a 4. 63-0 after 9 overs. Sweet shot. Smith punches McGraths ball straight down. Nothing wrong with the ball just good batting. Another four, this time it is AB who pulls McGrath over square-leg. SA 73-0 after 10 overs.

Ponting takes the second power play. Maybe Ponting shouldn't have. Huge shout for catch behind. Bucknor says no. AB still there. AB hits a 4 to celebrate Bucknor's decision. 79-0 after 11 overs. Ponting misses a run out chance. Did he just drop the world cup? Smith mis hits a pull shot but it still goes to the boundary. Super shot!!! Smith dances down the pitch and smacks it over Watson's head. Watson is getting hammered. AB gets to his 50. Good innings. SA 96-0 after 13 overs.

Update 12:
AB hits another 4. This is a battng paradise. Great commitment from the Australians. They are throwing themselves at everything and great running from the Saffies. Ponting is trying to think. We can spot Ponting trying to think from a mile away - the hand starts pulling on his chin. McGrath is shaking his head. This is lovely. SA 106-0 after 14 overs.

Tait is back into the attack. Even McGrath is thowing himself at the ball. Why can't the Indian team do the same? Hogg is into the attack now. What can he do? Smith sweeps Hogg for a four. Smith's 50 is up with that. Good innings. SA 118-0 after 16 overs.

SA is doing a good job of getting a boundary every over. Great running between the wickets from AB and Smith. They get 2 runs where India would not have attempted a single. SA doesn't get a boundary this over because AB hit a big six. 134-0 after 18 overs.

Symonds into the attack and bowls three good balls. This angers AB who then smacks three fours from the next three balls. AB is on fire. Hogg continuing at the other end. Another pull shot for 4 and then great running between the wickets get SA a brace. Ponting looks worried.
SA 154-0 after 20 overs.

Update 13:
Direct throw from the boundary and AB is run out for a brilliant 92. What a throw!! Shane Watson threw down the stumps from the boundary. Great fielding. Will this change the match? Kallis in. This is a very entertaining match. Ponting takes his third power play in over 23.
Good over from Tait. Just 5 runs from that over. SA 171-1 after 23 overs. Watson bowled a bizzare over: 5 wides and then Gilchrist moved up to the stumps, the next ball hit the cap behing Gilchrist (5 runs). It was good over but it still cost Australia 11 runs. Smith has a case of cramps and AB comes back into the field as Smith's runner. SA 184-1 after 25 overs. Smith walks off the field. SA is in a spot of bother now. Gibbs is in. If he fires, this match is over.

With Smith out of the field this game is slowly meandering. Two new batsmen at the crease. Kallis needs to start opening his shoulders. Good bowling from Tait and an unlucky over from Hogg. SA get to their 200 in the 29th over. Asking rate is climbing up and it's around 8.3. SA needs some boundaries. 203-1 after 29 overs.

Update 14:
Great shot by Kallis. Late cut Hogg to the boundary. Beautiful shot. The game is moving slowly right now. One of the batsmen needs to get going. SA 213-1 after 31 overs. Australia's game to lose at this point.

Gibbs is six and out. Brilliant bowling from Hogg. The wrong 'un does Gibbs in. Hogg on fire. Australia is on top here. Great entertaining match. McGrath, the coward, is bowling to the newly arrived batsman and gets Ashwell Prince. Bowls a slow bouncer and Prince hits straight into Hayden at backward square leg. SA 223-3. SA is missing Smith. They lost momentum after he left the field. Boucher is in.

Australians have really tightened up their bowling. It also doesn't hurt when the best fielders in the world are backing up the bowling. Hope the Indians are watching this game. Not that they would take away anything from this because fielding well is an alien concept for the Indian team. 231-3 after 35 overs. Kallis needs to start hitting. NOW.

Tait cleans up Boucher. Fast in-swinging yorker cleans up Boucher. SA in trouble. Justin Kemp is the new man in and SA is 256-4 after 39 overs.

Update 15:
Great shot from Kallis. In the slot and Kallis does no mistake in putting it away. SA needs 12 runs an over from now on. Tait strikes again. Kemp is gone LBW. Great bowling. Fast and straight. Smith comes back to bat. Australia will be really disappointed if they lose now. Smith is gone. Hogg gets him. Great bowling from Hogg and Tait. SA 267-6 in 41.3 overs.

The SA batting shows no urgency. Kallis is batting like he has all the time in the world. What is going on? Tait is bowling with venom and fire. Has he reached his top speed? Nice bowling. Great yorker. Kallis does well to keep his wicket intact. Another yorker. Great bowling from Tait. Finally, Pollock get Tait away for a boundary. SA 277-6 after 43 overs.

Out!! Kallis gone. Tried to hit Hogg out of the ground and Clarke holds on to an easy catch. This game is over but since it's not India playing we will hang around for the final rites.

Update 16:
Andrew Hall comes in for Kallis. Hogg and Tait have been a revelation. Brilliant bowling from them in the last 8 overs or so.
Watson comes on and cleans up Shaun Pollock. SA is collapsing under the weight of the required run rate. Maiden wicket for Watson. He doesn't deserve that. Hogg or Tait do. SA 279-8 after 45 overs. Another wicket falls. Langeveldt is cleaned up by Bracken. Nice bowling.

Australia wins by 83 runs. SA all out for 294. Great effort. Nathan Bracken cleans up Ntini with another yorker.

Final Thoughts:

The delight on Ponting's face as SA's last wicket fell made him seem almost human. Australia won emphatically over SA. Australia was the better team in this match and outclassed SA.

SA started well in response to the target set by Australia. Hayden set up the total with the fastest century ever made in a world cup. Hayden was fantastic but this was not the greatest ODI knock ever, like the commentators seemed to suggest. South Africa's reply stuttered with the loss of AB de Villiers (run out to some fantastic fielding and throwing). Smith was great too but had to leave the field at a critical phase (cramps) of the game.

Australia availed themselves of the opportunity given by SA and applied pressure with some tight bowling and fantastic fielding. Hogg and Tait bowled brilliantly. Australia is looking good for a third championship.

SA's lack of bowling options hurt them. They don't have a quality spin bowler to bother anyone and their bowling attack has no variation. SA can beat any team except Australia.

At this point in time, SL and New Zealand are the only teams that can beat Australia and we will be rooting for them actively.

A very entertaining match with some great batting. No help for the bowlers though even though the Australian bowlers did a lot better than the South African bowlers.