England in South Africa

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Re: England in South Africa

The Cape Town wicket looks a tad 2 paced.. some really spat at the batsman and other hit the bottom of the bat..

The day was won by England after an awful performance(with the exception of Kallis).Could have been worse if Swann took Smith of the Onions..however Amla has technical issues, Prince and Duminy does not know where their next run is coming from.
De Villiers needs a verbal bollocking for losing concentration and starting the mini collapse again.

England bowled well and I think won the day. South Africa is going to have to get to 350 to have any chance of having a say in the result of the series.
 
Re: England in South Africa

I actually thought it was even, if not slightly in favour of SA. If you get sent in to bat and your 280/6 at stumps then most people will take that.

I was slightly surprised England didn't bat, because I thought leading 1-0 if they got the chance to bat and got anything over 300 then the pressure on SA would be immense.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Day definately belong to South Africa, England would be extremely disappointed in their performance which could have been a lot different if Kallis was in there in the first 20 minutes had Swann not dropped Smith
 
Re: England in South Africa

England ran through SA early on day 2, the match is very even with Eng 119/4 in reply.

England have been pinned down so the run-rate is relatively slow, at one stage Eng were 50 odd for 3 so this has been a slight recovery.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Good days cricket all in all. Both teams took the lead only to get pegged back. 50 runs in it at the moment with 3 wickets left. England will want to get a lead, no matter how small just for the pyschological advantage it brings, South Africa will obviously want to pick up those wickets as cheaply as possible.

I'd say the game is finely balanced at the moment, tomorrows play will probably decide which way it's going to go.
 
Re: England in South Africa

England did well to get to that score IMO, once Steyn got those two quick wickets I felt he was getting into a good rhythm but for some reason was taken out of the attack.

It was forecast to be quite hot on day 3. SA obviously need to knock these 3 wickets over quickly.

The time has come for SA to be bold, they have to attack Swann. It is forecast to be quite hot on day 3 so if SA can belt Swann out of the attack then Strauss will be forced to use his seamers in very hot conditions.

The way this game has gone you'd be very surprised if there is a draw, 17 wickets on day 2 with hot weather to come, you'd think this pitch will break up quickly with the hot weather.

This has all the makings of a classic test match.

Credit has to be given to England, I didn't think they'd have a hope in this series, but they are well and truly in the hunt.

If England get on par with SA then the pressure on SA will be immense.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Also, late in the day Graeme Swann was just plocking onto the front foot.

I have always felt that you should get stuck into Graeme Swann with the short stuff, he gives the impression that it's his god given right to get onto the front foot.

SA did not give him one bouncer at all.
 
Re: England in South Africa

SA are intimidated by Swann because he has a personality, a foreign concept to the current Saffer team.
 
Re: England in South Africa

SA end up taking an 18 run lead, South Africa really need to get a good start. I reckon Smith will score a ton, the game is there to be won, Smith has shown he can do that.
 
Re: England in South Africa

SA taking the points at tea with at 1/165.

It is quite hot in the middle so it will be hard work for the seamers up till stumps.

Broad was involved with a strange incident with the ball when he appeared to ram his spikes into the ball with his foot in his follow through. I didn't think there was much in it but Cullian went on with it a bit.

SA can really ram home their advantage after tea and get 280 - 300 in front by stumps which would almost leave them all but 1-1 level in the series.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Definitely South Africa's day, they finished on 2/312, Smith unbeaten on 162, Kallis with him on 20. Hashim Amla fell for 95, inside-edging Swann onto his pad which saw Alistair Cook take a catch low to the ground.

Other than that, it's been all South Africa thanks to a fine captain's innings from Smith and they lead by 330 runs with two days of play still remaining. They could quite easily bat for at least for another two sessions, build a lead of about 550 and still have four sessions to bowl England out.

I'm quite surprised England didn't get closer to South Africa's first innings total, I really thought they could have gotten a lead on first innings but I guess it was not to be.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Can see SA batting for a session and a half, maybe a bit more. Reckon they'll want 6/8 overs at England before tea.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Yeah, watching the coverage here in Australia Cullian and Pollock were discussing when to declare.

Cullian wanted to bat till tea on day 4, while Pollock wanted to declare at lunch with 450, which Cullian replied "you'd be that brave would you?"

Batting till tea doesn't make sense, if I was an England fan I'd be over the moon if SA batted until tea.

SA nee 5 sessions, get 400 in front and then win the game by lunch on day 5.

Batting until tea is to conservative when your 1-0 down, I'd want 5 sessions at Eng.

Overall, Smith was the key today, he was due for a massive score and he was the difference between the two sides.

Should set the series up at 1-1 going to Joburg.
 
Re: England in South Africa

South Africa have a very conservative mind set at the moment. They'll want 500 minimum which puts the declaration sometime after lunch. Four sessions needed at least, five would be better.
 
Re: England in South Africa

I can't understand that, maybe if your level, but your 1-0 down. Staggering to bat until tea, it is well documented that England have guys who can handle the bat in Broad and Swann who bat late, even Anderson can play a bit with the bat. Most tailenders these days can at least defend reasonably well, it isn't like it was 20 years ago or even 10 years ago, when you could routinely knock off the last 4 wickets for nothing.

That fact alone would want me to have 5 sessions at England, 450 is plenty, bat until lunch or at the most 45 minutes after lunch, then declare.

If England have 4 sessions to bat then they have a decent chance of drawing the game, although often in these situations teams batting last collapse under the weight of the task at hand and time spent in the field.

SA are a good cricket team, but they could be great if every now and then they took a chance.
 
Re: England in South Africa

South Africa declared at 7/447, a lead of 465 runs. Smith went on to make 183 with Amla scoring 95. Swann and Anderson toiled hard in the heat, taking three wickets each.

In reply, England started well with Cook and Strauss putting on a century stand but Cook fell soon after with Strauss and Pietersen also departing late on day four to put South Africa in the box seat. Another two wickets have fallen today, nightwatchman Anderson for nine and Jon Trott about three mins ago for 42.

5/162 now are England, still needing 304 more runs to win. Collingwood and Bell are at the crease.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Looks like England are going to save this game, can't believe SA batted till they did, by rights they deserve to be 2-1 up in this series, but two ordinary declarations look like they will curtail that.

SA should have set England 400, even 380 because with their attack they need batsmen to be playing shots rather then dropping anchor which is what Bell and Collingwood is doing.

On one hand you feel for SA because, to be perfectly frank, they at least deserve to be 1-1, if not 2-1, yet on the other you think if you won't take a chance then you really have no-one to blame but yourself.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Someone just please get the Sherminator out, his face is just soo punchable.
 
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