my problems with macintosh are that we needed to build a lead and do so leaving enough time to bowl them out, he didnt contribute to either of these happening. true, it was gritty but since when should we be applauding a 0 and 31 in a test match?
for mine, he needs to show in the next test match that he is capable of getting us off to a good start
ANd the ducks that half the team got in the 2nd innings did help? it turned out to be a hellish 4th and 5th day pitch and his 31 while on its own maybe wasnt the best but if you look at it this way, our two highest partnerships of that second innings he was a part off, thats his job, to stick around and build innings with guys around him. He is never goin to go and smash a hundred of 120 balls but he will enable guptill, taylor, bmac etc to play around him. And clearly we did have enough time to bowl them out...cause we did. 3 sessions on that pitch always looked to be close to enough, sure we didnt bat them out of the game like we should have but i can hardly blame him for that.
As for the next match, for mine its guptill who is there to get us off to a "good start" as you put it and him to stick there with him.
And hey 0 and 31 was only 2 runs less then the paki openers got all together!