Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2016 9:51:42 GMT
Well we've scraped a lead but I don't really think we're ahead; a huge effort with the ball is needed if we're to win this batting last.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2016 11:52:15 GMT
Broad is providing that huge effort... 30/3 with De Villiers gone for 0!
|
|
|
|
Post by lostinspace on Jan 16, 2016 12:27:25 GMT
now 35 - 5 broad 5wkts -1run !!!
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2016 12:33:43 GMT
45/6, its just like the Ashes all over again.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2016 12:37:15 GMT
46/7 I think we're ahead now.
|
|
brizzle
Lindsay Parsons
No Buy . . . No Sell!
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,293 
|
Post by brizzle on Jan 16, 2016 14:25:40 GMT
I've only just tuned in, and I'm amazed at the scoreboard. England are currently 16-0, and need just 58 more runs to win the match and series.
Bags of time too, so we should be OK.
|
|
brizzle
Lindsay Parsons
No Buy . . . No Sell!
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,293
|
Post by brizzle on Jan 16, 2016 15:39:43 GMT
|
|
Bridgeman
Alfie Biggs
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,549
|
Post by Bridgeman on Jan 16, 2016 15:41:09 GMT
Yeay, it's all over, brilliant performance by Root and Stokes, then Broad blows South Africa away.
|
|
irishrover
Global Moderator
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 3,372
|
Post by irishrover on Jan 17, 2016 3:02:25 GMT
Yeay, it's all over, brilliant performance by Root and Stokes, then Broad blows South Africa away. 2 very special performance - one by Root, one by Broad. Broad's spell basically ruined the game. Up to that point it had been an excellent nip and tuck match - he has made it seem like a cakewalk. This series victory is 10 times more significant than the Ashes! |
|
bluetornados
Predictions League
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 15,755
|
Post by bluetornados on Jan 18, 2016 16:39:36 GMT
A great win for England v South Africa who are top in the icc test rankings with us at 6.
We have slaughtered them in 2 out of the 3 tests so far, with the other being a draw.
South Africa are in real turmoil and have now not won in 9 test matches.
All looks good for the visits of Sri Lanka & Pakistan in the summer.
|
|
Bridgeman
Alfie Biggs
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,549
|
Post by Bridgeman on Jan 19, 2016 6:20:21 GMT
A great win for England v South Africa who are top in the icc test rankings with us at 6. We have slaughtered them in 2 out of the 3 tests so far, with the other being a draw. South Africa are in real turmoil and have now not won in 9 test matches. All looks good for the visits of Sri Lanka & Pakistan in the summer. How come we're ranked 6, having won the Ashes back that should automatically propel us to the number 1 slot, I mean it's the only real test series isn't it ? I see by winning this series we've won the Basil D'Olivera trophy, whoopee doo ! |
|
|
|
Post by lostinspace on Jan 24, 2016 13:10:04 GMT
making a feast of this 4th test, dropped catches again and some nearly's but not quites give SA a decent total, Hales has shown he is not quite the standard required as the No 2, But with their tails up the SA's are putting England through the mill and making them play a bit, avoiding the follow on will [imv] push this test more into the draw category, with some dark skies and possibly a few stoppages taking time out of the game, But hand it to De-cock he played the England attack pretty well, and giving the journo's more to bite on that Anderson's time is running out as a top class bowler,This summer in England should confirm wether he is just past his prime,
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2016 14:27:08 GMT
Jimmy's coming back from an injury and hasn't reached 100% yet but he ought to have years left yet, he's only 33.
SA have a useful lead, they ought to win the match from here. Rabida's figures flatter him a bit I think, ordinarily the wickets would've been shared about more.
|
|
Bridgeman
Alfie Biggs
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,549
|
Post by Bridgeman on Jan 24, 2016 16:56:59 GMT
Losing Finn means we've lost a key member of our attack and Woakes is too similar to Anderson.
Pity that Plunkett and Woods are injured and Willey is playing in the Big Bash.
|
|
irishrover
Global Moderator
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 3,372
|
Post by irishrover on Jan 24, 2016 18:00:08 GMT
The issue in this Test has been the bowling side of things more than the batting. There's no way that wicket was a 450+ track. Missed chances came back to bite us and none of our bowlers stepped up the way Rabada did - I've been really impressed with him throughout the series. Going to be a battle to save it from here - they'll probably give us 4 sessions to survive, someone will have to play a big innings.
The reason we're not close to number 1 is that we've been generally quite inconsistent recently. The win in the Ashes followed a very poor series in the West Indies where we could only draw with an abject Windies and after the Ashes we then went and got stuffed by Pakistan. The year before we beat India but we also lost to Sri Lanka at home and that did us a lot of damage. The rankings are weighted so you get extra points for beating sides higher up the table and for winning away etc. So this is a big win in that respect. But the Ashes didn't really boost us by as much as you would think because of Australia were not doing particularly well either and we only won the series by a single Test. If we could hold on to a 2-0 win that could make quite a difference - in any case we have 2 winnable home series coming up so I imagine we'll be pretty close come September. A lot of it is psychical depending on when sides are more likely to play. So we're normally at our highest points in September after the English summer. |
|
irishrover
Global Moderator
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 3,372
|
Post by irishrover on Jan 25, 2016 14:51:56 GMT
Looks like a combination of weather and a decent 2nd innings bowling effort have put us in a strong position to save this game tomorrow. Look at the economy rates 1st innings v 2nd innings. I think that shows we've done much better 2nd time around. In theory South Africa should have had a base from which to launch an assault on the England bowlers but we took wickets at the right time that forced them to play more cautiously in order to bat us out of the game. Also, further highlight the relatively poor job with the ball from the 1st innings. Still have to bat well but a draw should be very achievable.
Oh dear - spoke to soon there. When I wrote that I assumed that they weren't going to get back on after the thunderstorm (can't quite get my head round the playing times for some reason) but that last session could be the killer blow. Massive innings here for James Taylor - I think Hales's brief test career probably over. Taylor needs a score to keep in the frame.
|
|
irishrover
Global Moderator
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 3,372
|
Post by irishrover on Jan 26, 2016 13:51:05 GMT
Meanwhile a youngster in India has obliterated one of Bristol Sports only claims to international fame by wanging up 1009 not out in a school game thereby achieving the highest ever officially recorded innings. This obliterates the previous record of 628 by AEJ Collins of Clifton College in 1899. One of the most famous, longest standing (yet at the same time most utterly pointless) records in cricket. Rickshaw driver 1 - Posh Public Schoolboy 0 or alternatively Mumbai 1 - Bristol 0 depending on prejudice of choice. Collins (who, in mitigation did tragically lose his life in World War 1) has always sounded like of those bloody annoying kids who was good at everything but also wanted to make sure everyone knew it. That record was set in a 'house' match (so in other words not really a proper game) where he was Captain, won the toss and opened the batting. You could possibly question the sportsmanship of batting to 628 in that context.......But then to be fair this guy apparently scored it against a side that was a year younger than the age group he was meant to be playing against because the headmaster of the opposition school had refused to allow the proper team to play in the game as they were sitting exams. Still probably put up more of a fight than the England attack did though when Lara ran up his original 375. Ha-Ha!! This is priceless - there are now reports coming out of India that this guy has basically taken the piss. He was captain, won the toss and knew he was playing against a team that included 3 10 year olds on a pitch that had less than 30 yard boundaries. Apparently he promised to retire at 500 and didn't. There is now a load of put upon outrage going on that this has damaged the 'integreity' of the record books and that the original AEJ Collins score should be reinstated because it represented the 'real' record. Because Collins was apparently a 'good chap' who clearly didn't do anything equivalent to that at all...........Nothing quite like the double standards of Engllish Public Schools and their many elitist Indian defenders! Meanwhile England slip to abject defeat - think that's probably the end of Taylor as well as Hales. Gary Ballance and Ian Bell have had a fantastic tour! |
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2016 18:11:05 GMT
I'm not sure anyone didn't suspect there was something very iffy about that 'record', but its all good fun anyway. As you said before, it's not like the Clifton College 'record' really stands up to any scrutiny!
As for England, while I'm very pleased with the series win it is curious how even our recent series wins have ended on a very downbeat note with a severe thrashings at the hands of supposedly vanquished opponents. I think it says something about the squads mentality, but I'm not sure what. Its like they truly can't be bothered with 'dead rubbers', with scant regard for their own averages. I'm not sure its selfish, but it isn't very clever either.
The way wickets fell in the England innings would arouse intense suspicion if it happened to other countries, I reckon!
|
|
jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
|
Post by jackthegas on Jan 26, 2016 19:47:31 GMT
Mixed feelings on this series. Beating South Africa is a good achievement but looking to the long term I can't work out of the pieces are falling into place or not. It almost feels like we won by being the least inept which kind of leaves a hollow feeling.
Stokes and Finn certainly seem to have nailed down the 3rd and 4th seamer spots and Wood is probably our back up. I don't think they'll pick Woakes as the 3rd seamer again but he may deputise for Stokes if he gets injured. Was rubbish this test but unlucky the last couple of times he played for England I think.
Top order is still a mess. No idea what they will do this summer but I think Hales is the least convincing option they've tried and that is saying something. Not convinced by Compton at 3 but I think he will get another go unless Vince starts the season exceptionally well. Taylor is probably the easiest to replace as Ballance is waiting in the wings and is a like for like replacement in terms of tempo but I think Taylor will make it at this level so I would stick with him. Besides, his ability to play spin will be handy next winter.
I was wrong with Bairstow. I thought he did ok with the gloves when I saw him for Yorkshire but his footwork is woeful. Buttler is the better keeper when stood back to the quicks but I think Bairstow will score more runs. I don't think we can pick Bairstow, Stokes, Buttler and Moeen though as they're all too similar so I think I'd stick with Bairstow and hope hard work pays off.
Not convinced by Moeen either. Batting average in the low 20s isn't enough to get him up the order so he has to be judged as a spinner. Lucky for him we've got no one better but he'll have to get better or we'll need better to progress.
|
|
irishrover
Global Moderator
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 3,372
|
Post by irishrover on Jan 27, 2016 2:14:23 GMT
Mixed feelings on this series. Beating South Africa is a good achievement but looking to the long term I can't work out of the pieces are falling into place or not. It almost feels like we won by being the least inept which kind of leaves a hollow feeling. Stokes and Finn certainly seem to have nailed down the 3rd and 4th seamer spots and Wood is probably our back up. I don't think they'll pick Woakes as the 3rd seamer again but he may deputise for Stokes if he gets injured. Was rubbish this test but unlucky the last couple of times he played for England I think. Top order is still a mess. No idea what they will do this summer but I think Hales is the least convincing option they've tried and that is saying something. Not convinced by Compton at 3 but I think he will get another go unless Vince starts the season exceptionally well. Taylor is probably the easiest to replace as Ballance is waiting in the wings and is a like for like replacement in terms of tempo but I think Taylor will make it at this level so I would stick with him. Besides, his ability to play spin will be handy next winter. I was wrong with Bairstow. I thought he did ok with the gloves when I saw him for Yorkshire but his footwork is woeful. Buttler is the better keeper when stood back to the quicks but I think Bairstow will score more runs. I don't think we can pick Bairstow, Stokes, Buttler and Moeen though as they're all too similar so I think I'd stick with Bairstow and hope hard work pays off. Not convinced by Moeen either. Batting average in the low 20s isn't enough to get him up the order so he has to be judged as a spinner. Lucky for him we've got no one better but he'll have to get better or we'll need better to progress. Yes - I think the question at what point 'promising' has to turn into 'consistent performer' by. Stokes you can say has probably made that leap, Finn now has too but for the rest of the new guard the jury is still very much out.
I think we probably won this series thanks to a few stand out individual performances from our known match winners - I'm not sure we uncovered anymore although Finn seems to have completed his maturing process and, if Wood (don't leave him out of the bowling equation) gets back to fitness again, that gives us reasonable seam depth something that looked a bit dicey this time last year. That was the second reason we won - they had to overbowl Morkel and Rabada knowing they didn't have much else to fall back on which gave our batsmen breathing space to nudge ahead at crucial times. Steyn or Philander would have made this a different series let alone both of them. In that sense we got seriously lucky although it would be churlish to take away from this achievement. Interesting to note that South Africa's 'rebuild' seemed to last 1 test match whereas ours has lasted 2 years! My goodness Rabada looks the business; pretty promising stuff from Steven Cook and Bavuma too.
Moeen will keep going - again it's unfair to criticise him for what he isn't. In all honesty if he winds up being a spin bowler who plays 50-60 Test matches averaging 38-40 and making useful contributions with the bat and only occasionally being a genuine match winner that'll be about par for the course for English spinners. It's only Swann (and to some degree Monty) that have changed our expectations of what English spinners are capable of and we wait to see whether that was a brief golden age or the start of a trend. I see no obvious conveyor belt and a lot of obstacles to stop that emerging, not least that with T20 money available and fewer Championship games then ever in high summer most young spinners would be advised to work on their negative containment game if they want a long term professional career.
Don't much like Buttler of Bairstow as keepers really and neither of them have quite sealed the deal with bat either. My feeling is that Bairstow has done enough to keep the gloves for the start of the summer but if he starts shelling them with the ball going sideways in May then it starts to look more questionable. I love Taylor, most complete and versatile batsmen in England but it's beginning to look like he's struggling to make the transition to the Test game and there were some bloody awful shots in this series. Compton has not convinced, neither has Hales. I'd be tempted to drop Hales and give Compton 1 last chance as an opener in the Sri Lanka series - no great enthusiasm but it might buy some time for someone to emerge in April-May. If I was a borderline/promising English batsmen I'd be asking my county coach if I could open the batting please!
|
|
