Maximus

Max thought he had to replace a scratching in Comp R5 (thort I'd picked #8 Terra Mitica) but looked again and was r-r-rong, as original selection (#7, not #8) stands! Nothing to see here, folks, move on, stop wasting the Comp Policeman's time LOL

As a man who really knows Kats, Max says that look is not one of 'game face going on', tis a look of smug satisfaction (think 'cat's got the cream, 'Cheshire cat' etc etc). Max smells danger for Jammo ...beware the Ides of Feb, my boy! MM

Max still hard at work at the Factory. Triple Joker pse PJ Maxi's picks R1 3,5 R2 1.3 R3 5.12 R4 3.12 bb R5 4.7 R6 3.8 R7 3,4 R8 1.2 R9 4.8 R10 6,12 bb

..that's how ya do it...patience, discipline and good shot selection. Well done Blackcaps, hard luck Proteas, you played far better in this series than many expected. MM

One of the true greats from any country of all time. Max is quietly confident we WILL WILL WILL win .WILL O'Rourke, WILL Young and WILLiamson But its not over yet. 219-3 MM

Early success for SAF..Latham, having played a glorious on-drive along the carpet for 4, goes out by getting his timing wrong next ball, caught at short mid-off (to the left-hander) A dolly to Hamzi ,off Piedt. MM

Least likely scenario ...Tim Southee to face 20+ balls for 0 not out to assist the cause MM

Day 4 ..the series to be decided today. All set up for an intriguing finish. Will the Blackcaps suffer another meek capitulation as they did in their first innings? Will SA's twin spin attack run through us in spin-friendly conditions? There's turn and bounce for them, but it's a Day 4 wicket, not Day 5... Will non-captain Kane anchor a tantalising target of 227 more runs? Will anyone anchor the chase, or almost everyone chip in 20-30. Remember no Blackcaps scored even 50 in the first dig, while Bedingham has shown how to do it..positive intent matched with sound technique and patience. (Congrats to him on a fabulous contribution that has given his team a decent chance of leaving us red-faced.) Maxi's prediction (FWIW): it will be tighter than I want it to be...reckon we'll get there 267-7. Latham / Williamson top-scorers. MM

comfortably or not, Blackcaps should win it...but we have seen seemingly comfortable positions turned upside down by clusters of wickets, and runs sometimes difficult to come by. Thet difference will be application to the task. If I see Blackcaps players starting to play reverse sweeps and scoops and silly shit, we're doomed. If we play mostly straight and with some patience, we will win. It's only Day 2 =3 and the 4th innings is underway! Patience, lads, patience. MM

So, with Bedingham now gone for precisely half of SAF's runs, does Southee bring back Wagner? MM

just what we want, Foxy One...a complacent bunch of Ozzie bleeders, cheats and underarm-lovers cruisin' in the Shaky Isles with the two Series already won in their heads...reminds me a touch of the Blackcaps v South Africa at Hamilton (where we are going to have to apply ourselves to win the Series 2-0. MM

With the WTC in mind, NZ should now apply themselves properly, get ruthless, and stay ruthless for the rest of this match to ensure they get the points! MM

Observations from Max on the Test so far. 1 NZ has batted very poorly, after getting complacent around 140-3. The wicket is playing fair and offering sone assistance to the bowlers. We lacked the patience and discipline to grind out a lead. To their credit, the Proteas bowled and fielded well, but NZ's middle and lower order gave their wickets away quite meekly and cheaply. 2 In my view this is a classic case of a superior team dropping their standard to the level of the opposition. 3 I'm not convinced that Southee is the best Test captain available in that squad. Why on earth is he batting at #9 ? You just know he's going to have a slog across the line inside half a dozen deliveries, and probably get himself out. He's been doing this for years, wherever he bats in the lower order. Compare his approach with, say, Pat Cummins. I'd be inclined to replace Southee with Latham vs Australia. Not that I'm expecting the powers-that-be to agree with me. Southee's approach was shown up not just by Wagner, but by the debutant O'Rourke - calm, sensible, mature, patient and alert to the value of every first-innings run - even if he scored none of them (from 20 balls faced. Never looked like having a slog across the line, cos he was batting for his partner and his country. 4 I still think we'll win the Test -not necessarily comfortably, but the sheer level of experience at that level within the Blackcaps should help them negate the 30+ lead and I expect the Proteas to be bowled out cheaply in their second dig. MM

from the same root word as loquacious comes eloquent, soliloquy and ventriloquisr. Tis part of Maxi's mission in life to educate the masses in the gloriously difficult English language. Eh, youze fullaz and fullah-esses MM

Great words, both of 'em You'll miss me when I'm gone. Flockin' Shakespeare wasn't well known for writing One-Act plays or two-line poems, ya know. MM

low position? LOW POSITION? The Max Factors are a mere hop skip and (large=ish) jump from the qualifying position of 4th. Hrmmmph!!. This is the flockin' Jericho, not the Lightning! MM

Yep...perhaps with the exception of rugby union. The bloke Molloy from Super Rugby Pacific executive was on the wireless a day or two ago discussing the challenges facing 'Super Rugby Pacific'. The challenges are there in the name: It ain't Super in the eyes of its dwindling support base It's called Rugby but is far less 'super/exciting/or compelling to players/fans than rugby league It's geographic base now limited to the (South) Pacific condemns it to a poor future or no future at all. They would be better off putting the money into revitalising and fully professionalising the (NZ) NPC, playing it as a 6-month League (like EPL or NRL) and selling the broadcasting rights to the rest of the world. MM

A memo has been received, apparently from Max his-self. It reads: "I have nothing to say about that. My lips are sealed. Torture me if you wish but under no circumstances will I ever ever, ever have anything to say about the iconic Cone of Silence." MM

even more interesting in view of the fact that our regular Joker was played in Round 4 (Feb 2) v Showtime. MM

Factory will be playing the TJ this weekend, PJ. Don't tell anyone, could cause Kaos. MM

yes mate, as long as we claim our 15pts next week production at the Factory will have a bright future... MM

you can keep The Killers, Craigo. Max prefers Mr Blue Sky ...in fact, it's a great song to start the Moet party in The Crying Room. Ya cant be sad listenin' to ELO

Congrats Reapers, too good today, Bonny Lass was the killer blow. Gee did a fab job for us (after arriving late for work) but the rest of us were ornery, incl poor Max (agin). Still, the Crying Room awaits and it's loaded with Moet. MM

I do love to see a champion with an unfashionable pedigree... Bullbars-Lilahjay by Tavistock LOL

what on earth are you worryin' aboute, pedro? MM