AGB Cricket

SECOND TEST: NEW WANDERERS

FIRST TEST: NEWLANDS

Five short form matches and a practice match in 27 days followed by two Test matches in 13 days. Bizarre fixturing.

Anyway.

Brendan McArdle is in good form at the Almanac: the victory in Sri Lanka should not be over-rated; Trent Copeland is history; South Africa are similar to Australia; Paul Harris is a pie chucker; Graeme Smith is struggling; Boucher is past his use-by date; W.G. The Terrorist "couldn't captain a tug boat"; Crash Test Duminy is insecure; and, harking back to my original sentence, South Africa could not organise a chook raffle and "have done more than any other country to unbalance and ultimately weaken the position of Test cricket."

Whether that is all true, we will find out over the next 13 days.

PAT FOR PATTO

Cummins caps rapid rise with Test call up

Teenager Pat Cummins's meteoric rise to stardom has continued after winning a shock call-up to the Test squad for the tour of South Africa.

Cummins replaces fellow youngster, Victorian James Pattinson, from the squad which toured Sri Lanka in August and September.

Test squad: Michael Clarke (c), Shane Watson (vc), Michael Beer, Trent Copeland, Patrick Cummins, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Phil Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle

T20 & F50

Apparently we won a cricket match last night.