England in South Africa

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Re: England in South Africa

This England team impresses me to be honest, they are a different beast with the likes of Broad and Swann in that batting order. That innings from Swann was amazing for a lower order batsmen - the continued resistance shown by the lower order England team makes them a formidable opponent.

Anderson also struck early in SA's reply and really, England are now in a position where they shouldn't lose the game. SA are conservative, they will want to save this game before going for the win - as such they will be looking for 300. To get there will take up most of day 4 and probably a bit into day 5. Most likely not leaving enough time to take a further 10 English wickets.

England IMO are the only team that can win this now. A far cry from 5 hours ago.
 
Re: England in South Africa

LIONS then DAYLIGHT;381169 said:
Get real eddie, don't know what Broad was whinging about, it was dead plumb.

Is it really an issue if a side takes a few extra seconds to signal for the review?

Lets be real here.
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32 seconds to decide if to review, it was very obvious they didnt make the decision on the field

But the rules state the umpire ****ed up big time, the rules clearly state the decision must be made quickly and they cannot get help from the dressing room, both of which are cases for the umpire to refuse the review

Whats the point of it if teams just wait for a review to occur in the dressing room before asking for one on the field?
 
Re: England in South Africa

England slipped to 3/27 but Trott and Pietersen have combined well to take England to 3/159. Trott is on 52 and Pietersen is on 73 with England still needing 205 runs off 40.2 overs.

Morkel, Harris and de Wet have the wickets for South Africa.

Still a gettable target here for England but they'll need to get their skates on soon.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Game on at the moment. Pietersen ran himself out for 81, playing the ball straight to de Wet in the covers who threw the stumps down with ease, Trott fell for 69 courtsey of a great catch by AB de Villiers and Ian Bell was out about five minutes ago fishing outside the off stump.

England are 6/208, Collingwood has laboured for his 14 but he more importantly he is still there. Matt Prior has joined and is yet to get off the mark.

Nine overs left today, England should be able to earn a draw.
 
Re: England in South Africa

de Wet again! He has four!! Good delivery just outside off stump, it rose on Prior who played at it and he got a thin edge to Boucher behind the stumps. Prior's out for a duck and England are 7/208.

8.1 overs remaining, de Wet has four wickets in the second innings. New ball is working a treat.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Good bowling change from Smith, Harris pitches one in the rough, there's minimal turn and Broad edges it to Boucher who has his 5th dismissal of the innings. England go for the review but there's no evidence to suggest Broad didn't edge the ball.

8/209, Swann comes to the crease with 7.2 overs left.
 
Re: England in South Africa

No heroics from Swann today, ball from Morkel keeps low, striking Swann on the pads and he is given out. England go for the review but the ball is clearly hitting leg stump.

9/218. 3 overs left and Onions is the last man in.
 
Re: England in South Africa

And England save the game. It got close, Onions almost got out a couple of times in the final over but he just managed to survive and that was enough to earn a draw.

England finish on 9/228, Onions not out on one, Collingwood on 26.

What a great game though, a super test match.
 
Re: England in South Africa

lol great match in the end, never underestimate the english ability to collapse when a game looks safe. Good spell by de wet at the end made the pitch looks a different surface.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Surely that is Ian Bell's last test for a while?

South Africa could do no worse then to play Luke Wright at 7?

Ian Bell is a one-paced pedestrian batsmen, at least Luke Wright would have the ability to take it up to the bowlers while offering something with the ball?

Can't believe England nearly lost the game, KP once again doing something that boggles the mind.

England's away record is poor, since 2006 they have won 3 games, 2 against NZ and once against India back in mid 2006.

On that basis combined with this lacklustre performance it's hard to see England really making much of a dent on this tour, reading the English press there was a lot of talk that England were going to put one over South Africa in this match, you know, the saffas are 'there for the taking'.

Saying it is one thing, doing it is another.
 
Re: England in South Africa

It would be easier to drop Bell and put Cook on at 6 rather than bring someone like Wright in. Draft in Carberry to open (not Denly) and you have a player who can set the tone of the innings. Plus Cook has more about him as a bat than Bell so would strengthen the lower order.
 
Re: England in South Africa

England were in the game for 3 and a half days, the fact that they collapsed in the final decision doesn't mean they were completely out of their depth for 5 days, as much as you would love to see that happen. England has the Saffas 4-46 in their second innings with a lead of about 90, a few more quick wickets and it would have been England's game. A close series awaits...
 
Re: England in South Africa

a for effort;381451 said:
England were in the game for 3 and a half days, the fact that they collapsed in the final decision doesn't mean they were completely out of their depth for 5 days, as much as you would love to see that happen. England has the Saffas 4-46 in their second innings with a lead of about 90, a few more quick wickets and it would have been England's game. A close series awaits...
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They may well have been, but my judgement in an earlier post was based on the fact that I can't see that England attack getting much better, and I can't see it taking 20 wickets outside of England.

South Africa had a rookie bowling attack led by two young bowlers in Morkel and de Wet with an aging seamer in Ntini. Hardly terrifying stuff.

With Steyn coming back and with Kallis approaching full fitness with the ball it is hard to see how England can win a test, especially when you combine all that with there recent away record going back to the start of 2006.

And your right, I would love to see England out of their depth, because South African conditions are very similar to Australian conditions, England's performance in this series will allow some extrapolations to be drawn for next years Ashes series.

England have a problem with Cook and Bell, both are underperforming and are being carried. If England want to win this series and they may have to make a call on at least one, if not both.
 
Re: England in South Africa

LIONS then DAYLIGHT;381176 said:
This England team impresses me to be honest, they are a different beast with the likes of Broad and Swann in that batting order. That innings from Swann was amazing for a lower order batsmen - the continued resistance shown by the lower order England team makes them a formidable opponent.

Anderson also struck early in SA's reply and really, England are now in a position where they shouldn't lose the game. SA are conservative, they will want to save this game before going for the win - as such they will be looking for 300. To get there will take up most of day 4 and probably a bit into day 5. Most likely not leaving enough time to take a further 10 English wickets.

England IMO are the only team that can win this now. A far cry from 5 hours ago.
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??? ... Were these comments posted by the same person as the one who put forward the last message?
 
Re: England in South Africa

Yes they were, the England team concerns me (as an Australian looking ahead to the Ashes) with their batting depth. Broad and Swann are good lower-order players, the talk around England is maybe bringing in Phunklett (sp) for Ian Bell as he can bowl and bat a bit.

With that batting depth England should, more often then not, be able to muster a fairly decent first innings total. Lower order batsmen generally average less away from home, (Eg, Broad averarges 30 odd with the bat in England, but 16 away from home)

They are also likely to tolerate moderate bowling performances by the likes of Swann and Broad due to their batting ability.

With the bat England are more potent then they were in previous years, although they are still prone to the odd collapse.

My doubts lie with the ability to take 20 wickets, as many have alluded to.

I was impressed by England the other night when they took it up to SA and all but matched their first innings total with some lower order hitting. At one stage they were the only team that should have been able to win, and bar an Alma ton, they probably would have. That could be a chance they live to regret.

I don't think England will win a test match on this tour, that is based primarily on their poor away record (won 3 test matchs away since 2006) but there are still some interesting sub-plots regarding selection especially around the likes of Bell and Cook and to a lesser extent, the futures of Anderson and Broad, especially now that Flintoff has retired and the configuration of their attack.

I feel these are valid discussion points, not just for this series but for future series including the Ashes as well as the tour to Bangladesh which has been previously mooted as a chance of Cook to take the reigns from Strauss, the allowing Strass the chance to take a break.

Lets not kid ourselves either, most of us are watching this series with one eye on next year's Ashes, especially due to the similar conditions in South Africa and Australia. We all derive some sort of pleasure seeing Ian Bell get bowled leaving straight balls and we all get some perverse pleasure seeing KP have another brain snap.

Also, Trott grates on me with his elaborate ball by ball routine, which includes taking the liberty of single handedly digging a trench at the crease with his boot to mark his guard. I know when I played cricket, (opening batsmen) i used to hate batting second and coming out on a wicket that had been dug up at the crease by batsmen trying to dig to the next world when taking guard.

My spikes used to get caught in the trenchs, and I know the local groundsmen used to pull his hair out as well.
 
Re: England in South Africa

Ian Bell is unironically my favourite player (even more than Fergy), and it pains me greatly to see him get knocked over by straight breaks from a poo spinner. If he continues to fail I will consider it as a personal affront to me, as his sole supporter in the southern hemisphere.

Get yo head sorted Belly
 
Re: England in South Africa

I suspect that this test match will go into the draw bucket as the weather and the light have become an issue at Durban. My one question is why if you know that the venue has the issue, should logic not dictate that the game start earlier ie 9 am at the venue.. this is not the first time that this has happened at Kingsmead..
 
Re: The referral system

England have replied impressively 175/3, this looks like a good match, especially if the light holds each afternoon.

This Durban wicket is a funny one, it has a reputation for clumps of wickets falling from no-where and then going back to a placcid deck.

Ntini is looking pedestrian as well.
 
Re: England in South Africa

a for effort;381993 said:
Ian Bell is unironically my favourite player (even more than Fergy), and it pains me greatly to see him get knocked over by straight breaks from a poo spinner. If he continues to fail I will consider it as a personal affront to me, as his sole supporter in the southern hemisphere.

Get yo head sorted Belly
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I too am one of few Ian Bell supporters, even moreso than the Ferg. Will be world XI.

Tongue in cheek.
 
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