Cricket: Australia v South Africa: time to test the mettle

Dale Steyn has to be a threat come November (picture: Google)

Raise your hand if you’re excited for the summer of cricket to hit the shores of Australia.

If you did, then the first visitors won’t disappoint; the ever talented South Africa.

Three Twenty20s and five One-Day matches means no long form test matches, but Dale Steyn will come prepared.  So will Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers.

Cricket: 1st test, Australia v South Africa: Johnson’s 12 wicket haul stuns already shocked Proteas

Mitchell Johnson celebrates his second five wicket haul (Getty Images)

Confidence was never in doubt in the Australian camp as they began the first test at Centurion February 12^th.  On the other side of the coin, South Africa held the mantle of the top-ranked test team.

Inside of four days of test cricket, one team stumbled but recovered in spectacular and dominating fashion.  The other, so enamoured by what they saw from the visitors, fell and did so with little grace.

LBW cricket furore; the controversy will never end

This is the item of equipment in question for LBW (Google Images)

Umpires have, quite possibly, a more demanding job than the players on the field.  They wear black pants, white long sleeve shirts, and more often than not are standing still, not moving around like the batsmen and fielders.

Cricket: The Ashes: Adelaide Day 3: Johnson firepower destroys England

Mitchell Johnson celebrates dismissing Stuart Broad on Day 3 @ Adelaide (ESPN Cricinfo/Getty Images)

Test cricket is the pinnacle of the three international formats, and today at the Adelaide Oval showed just why.

It was the Mitchell Johnson show, as the left-armer made England shudder in their boots. 

Cricket: Mitchell Johnson: the man with the venom

Mitchell Johnson celebrates 9 wickets at the Gabba (source: ESPN Cricinfo/Getty Images)

(A focus on his test career)

The touring English fan base, the Barmy Army, have a saying for Australia’s left arm quick, Mitchell Johnson.  Here it is:

“He bowls to the left…
He bowls to the rightttttttt
That Mitchell Johnson
His bowling is shite!”

Cricket: The Ashes: England mesmerised by shining Australian outfit

The Australians celebrate their first test victory (Source: ESPN Cricinfo/Getty Images)

What was hyped as a dogged test match between two old enemies turned out to be the polar opposite; domination from Australia, and capitulation from England, on a terrific Gabba pitch.

Having come into the opening test with a batting line-up that had the critics wondering, Australia took the match by storm with an impressive 381 run win.

Cricket: India the proving ground for Ashes

Glenn Maxwell v Sydney Thunder, Jan 8, 2013 (photo mine)

India.  The dustbowls.  Home of the raging turner or the swinging sensation.

Also the proving ground for a host of Australian players before the Ashes series in England in July.

Questions will include; do both spinners get played, which pacemen get the gig, and who is going to open the batting?

Nathan Lyon will relish the challenge of really getting the chance to prove why he is Australia’s number one spinner.  Michael Clarke returns to the country where he burst onto the test scene in 2004.

Will it be the left arm combination, the Mitchell’s, Starc and Johnson, who can undo India with pace and swing?  Or perhaps Peter Siddle will enjoy steaming in and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Chennai is the first venue between these two rivals.  And if there is going to be any indication of form, it is going to be the sub continent.

Here’s a player by player preview (the entire 17 man squad):

Cricket: Victoria v Western Australia: Bushrangers cruise home

Victorian Aaron Finch at the MCG (photo mine)

Overcast skies threatened throughout the whole day, but the rain never eventuated.  Jayde Herrick grabbed five wickets for the Victorian Bushrangers while Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell saw Victoria home by nine wickets against Western Australia Warriors at the MCG.  The game, however, did see Clint McKay go off the ground injured.

The  Warriors looked shaky from the start, opening bowler Clint McKay collecting Warrior opener Liam Davis twice on the hand in the first over.  Darren Pattinson followed suit with a fiery spell, and Western Australia fell to be 3-64, with Davis, Tom Triffit and Sam Whiteman back in the shed.