South Africa
The career of Australia’s best batsman since Bradman ended in Perth this afternoon.
Ricky Ponting’s final innings was disappointingly (though not unsurprisingly) modest, as he was dismissed for just eight runs. On the bright side, Ponting did at least manage to double his score from the first innings.
More impressive than Ricky’s performance with the bat was the spirit of the Perth crowd and the attitude of his South African opposition.
The Cup’s done with for another year, we repelled the overseas horses with one of our own, or at least a horse bred overseas which has lived here for a while, and now it’s time to see if we can do something similar in the cricket.
Unfortunately we’re playing a world class South African team in the first Test starting at the Gabba this Friday. That’s the South African team from South Africa by the way, not the one that plays for England.
South Africa is the bookies’ favourite to win the first Test. That might seem incongruous given Australia is unbeaten at the Gabba in 24 years, and that no member of the South African touring party has ever played a Test at the ground. But the odds make sense when you look at the Test line-ups.
Continue reading "Yah, those Seff Efricans look awfully hawd to beat" »
Latest 2 of 47 comments
View all comments-
Esteban says:
lovely writing Sir Viv but it lacking in facts. After a long period of domination WI fell close to last and is still there. After a similar long period of domination Australia bottomed out at 4 or 5 and have since risen to 3. I would hardly describe that as… Read more »
-
James says:
Whatever the result I’m looking forward to an excellent series. Just a shame it’s not going to be 5 matches. The last two series between these two teams have been great, especially the 5th day at the SCG as the other poster mentioned. Read more »
I’d like to be able to say that sharing the world’s largest radio telescope with South Africa is a reasonable outcome for Australia.
I’d like to be able to say we deserve to be a part of it. I’d like to be able to say that. But I can’t.
We don’t deserve it. We don’t deserve it because barely anyone knows that it exists.
Continue reading "We don’t deserve this huge, exciting scientific project" »
Latest 2 of 87 comments
View all comments-
Nick says:
Are you implying tradespeople are stupid? Read more »
-
Huw Morgan says:
Claire, While you have been off on your, and I quote from your Twitter account here, “Insatiable quest for fame”, you may have missed the more than 714 media items either on TV, radio, on-line or newspapers about CSIRO and the SKA. That count is for between January 1 this… Read more »
It was almost rained out, but England beat South Africa in the cricket World Cup semi-final on this day in 1992.
It’s Tuesday at The Punch. What’s on your mind? Share it here.
Latest 2 of 70 comments
View all comments-
Sewana says:
You have more useful info than the Brtisih had colonies pre-WWII. Read more »
-
fairsfair says:
I remember reading about that Badger - it is horrific. In a literal sense that was his cause of death, but I see where you are coming from. It is actually quite hard to comprehend how powerless you are when you have your hands cuffed behind your back and you… Read more »
“Please tell everyone South Africa’s not as dangerous as they think.” That’s how most of my conversations have started over the past 10 days as I travelled around the country that will host next month’s World Cup.
It’s just 16 years since Nelson Mandela’s election as president signalled the end of the apartheid era, and like a teenager going to her deb ball, South Africa is nervous about being the centre of attention.
Worried that the roads won’t be ready. Worried that the national team, known to all as Bfana Bfana, won’t perform well. But most of all, worried that the country’s reputation for violence will be the ever-lasting memory of this World Cup.
Continue reading "Nervous wait for World Cup in rainbow republic" »
Latest 2 of 27 comments
View all comments-
MMSA says:
I think you need to take alot of what white south africans in australia or the UK have to say with a pinch of salt. Most are bitter, twisted individuals and south afircans in general have the tendancy to overclaim or overstate things. There are not guards at the restaurants,… Read more »
-
rohan says:
So a white guy visits south africa and thinks its terrible out there. Not suprising…after all it is run by a black government. But the fact is that violence is south africa has been prevalent even before the present government. But then, you really cannot say anything positive about any… Read more »
It was February 10, 1990 Church Square Pretoria, and my mate thought it was a great idea.
We had spent two months travelling around southern Africa in an old panel van equipped with camping gear, spare petrol tanks and an expired canister of tear gas. South Africa was on the threshold of civil war.
This was most evident to us when we drove through the condemned homeland of Transkei. Even though a state of emergency had been lifted in the so-called separate state, it was a war zone. Smouldering cars, milling youth and a clear absence of law and order said to us we were in the wrong place at the wrong time…..but that is another story.
Continue reading "Terre’Blanche: face to face with hatred personified" »
Latest 2 of 104 comments
View all comments-
Paddo says:
Although the apartheid system was wrong and should never have occured what is happening now to 3000 white farmers isn’t right either. Thousands of white South Africans rely on charity and soup kitchens to survive, and cannot afford to emigrate to Australia legitimately. Perhaps, instead of worrying about hordes of… Read more »
-
Seano says:
@Ryan. Mate you can keep making your nasty comments. Fact is Hockey didn’t advocate murder and neither has Nicole or I. You’re making it up and you really should apologise. Read more »
It’s Thursday @ The Punch
Today in 1967 the first succesful human heart transplant was performed on 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky in Cape Town, South Africa.
Latest 2 of 4 comments
View all comments-
Joel B1 says:
*********Mods: The subject of this comment is “tricky”. I’m making it ‘cause I think it’s better to be aware of such things rather than pretend it doesn’t happen and ignore it. However, I’m aware also that there is a fine line between “making aware” and “telling how to do”. Obviously… Read more »
-
Liz says:
How cool Read more »
It’s Monday @ The Punch
What’s on your mind?
Fact: On this day in 1985, Desmond Tutu became the first black person to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa.
Latest 2 of 2 comments
View all comments-
jim says:
Watched “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” again last night, and I am now convinced that those kids are given stuff to read before the show containing the answers. Some of them get obscure stuff right yet their answers sometimes contain rudimentary spelling mistakes. What’s up with that? Read more »
-
stephen says:
Lot.s of talk about pretensions in today’s posts Luce’. Maybe we don’t need a Republic after all ? Read more »
Facebook Recommendations
Read all about it
Punch live
Up to the minute Twitter chatter
Recent posts
The latest and greatest
The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
Latest 2 of 19 comments
View all commentsAdd your comment