England v South Africa Cricket

[Just Browny]

Some belting comments about Anderson in this thread.

[gingerjon]

Blimey, a proper first innings lead.

I haven't seen any of this game and I really don't trust the Talksport commentary - unless KP is going off on one - to give an accurate reflection of what's going on so not sure if we've fought well or South Africa have collapsed. But it's an odd feeling to think we're really in the dominant position in this game.

[DavidM]

We’ve got some big holes in the team , particularly batting , but you can’t doubt Jimmy . A few years ago he really struggled on really flat & subcontinent tracks but he’s worked out a way with skill and experience . And back here he’s lethal . Stokes catching though ... geez the one yesterday was unbelievable when he was really close 

[Futtocks]

Not looking too bad (so far). SA all out for 223 and England are 82 for 1 in their second innings (leading by 128 runs).

[DavidM]

If SA go any slower they’d grind to a halt . I mean it’s so obvious , I never get what the umpires role is . Pace of play and over rates are a huge issue in tests but umpires just seem to stand there watching time wasting and players moseying around , generally . And not watching no balls 

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, DavidM said:

I never get what the umpires role is

Hold jumpers and count to 6.

[DavidM]

5 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Hold jumpers and count to 6.

Seems so . I even spotted Maharaj bowl three no balls at least today . He bowled 27 overs by the way and they were still 11 short at scheduled time !

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, DavidM said:

Seems so . I even spotted Maharaj bowl three no balls at least today . He bowled 27 overs by the way and they were still 11 short at scheduled time !

It’s bizarre. The no ball thing is a response to spot fixing but it could all be sorted out with proper game management - slow over rates and the rest is perfectly fixable.

[DavidM]

6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

It’s bizarre. The no ball thing is a response to spot fixing but it could all be sorted out with proper game management - slow over rates and the rest is perfectly fixable.

The third umpire calling no balls is feasible with the on field comms , but Pollock also suggested the square leg umpire moving to parallel with the bowlers line to watch for no balls as they don’t really adjudicate run outs anymore . He said there were 12 at least not called in a session yesterday from video review . As you say it’s perfectly fixable and it should be , it affects the game in a number of ways . The other thing is bowlers responsibility , starting with bad habits in the nets . It sometimes seem that ICC is busy with various things , but not always the most important things to the spectacle . Theres minutes spent covering stickers on bats which aren’t official sponsors !

[Moose]

A wonderful team performance today from England, some great catching and at the death brilliant bowling from Ben Stokes, nothing beats proper cricket

[DavidM]

11 minutes ago, Moose said:

A wonderful team performance today from England, some great catching and at the death brilliant bowling from Ben Stokes, nothing beats proper cricket

Absolutely . That’s why it’s the best . And that’s why you don’t mess with it . Stokes is just superhuman . Unbelievable . We needed that , we were looking like so often before that a bit toothless on flat decks  , but that’s what he does - leave it to me , I’ll grab this . We’ve wood n archer to add pace , but oh for a quality spinner . Would have had a good time on that track . Wonderful entertainment , gripping viewing today all in all

[Futtocks]

A good win for England and also good for the series as a whole.

[Futtocks]

 

[THE RED ROOSTER]

Another turgid day at the Cricket. This is actaully a poor pitch for a first class game so you need to put the English batting into perspective, you see despite the fourth estate claiming this was a flat wicket it would appear to be a wicket where is very difficult to get the ball off the square because the pitch is low, slow and lacking in bounce mnaking timing difficult. Pitches like this, as in New Zealand, will hasten the inevitable move to 4 day Tests.

England are a work in progress and you have the nucleus of a team that can have a reasonable chance of regaining the Ashes in 21-22. With batters such as Crawley and Pope. Dom Sibley has proved me wrong in the last test with not only his crease occupation but demonstrating an off side game. That said, I will reserve judgement as Sam Robson, Adam Lyth and Nick Compton all scored centuries early on in their England career and did not kick on. Still Sibbers hundred does buy him until the end of the West Indies series in the English summer to stake a claim.

Someone for whom the sands of time is running out is Joe Denly. It grieves me to say this about a true Man of Kent, but is not able to convert crease occupation into a substantive score and seems unable to play spin at International level. Not good when you are 34 and the next tours Sri Lanka...

James Anderson needs to call it a career, Sorry Jimmy but as a team man, your mind is saying one thing but your body is saying something else. If his broken rib has occureed at the start of the Cape Town test rather than on the last day then England would be 2-0 down and Root's captaincy entering a terminal phase.

Incidentally Ben Stokes value to the England team is more than just his allrounder contribution. The observant will have noticed how Stokes is leading that team talk in the huddle including giving Stuart Broad a serve at Cape Town. The problem for Root as capatain all along has been having two dominant personalities in Broad and Anderson already established. There are those who feel Root has often been bullied into wasting a referral by these two. This problem will be solved next summer by SKY and Anno Domini. But if you doubt what I post, one of the first acts of the Bayliss / Morgan axis post the 2015 World Cup was ending the white ball careers of Broad and Anderson. No-one can argue Eoin is in charge of the white ball side or that this move was not successful..

Dom Bess is also a man under pressure to at least match the performance of Maharaj. Bess selection represents a clutching of straws as English spin bowling stocks are sparse with Moeen having lost confidence In Red Ball cricket, Jack Leach not proving much of a threat outside Ciderabad (Taunton), Amir Verdi failibng to kick on owing to attitude issues and Matt Parkinson the legspinner I have only see bowl in a few televised T20 games, who must have the proverbial mare in the warm up match to be leapfrogged by a man not selected in the original Tour party.

All to play for in PE.

[Futtocks]

England on 467 for 8. Ollie Pope's on 121. 

[Futtocks]

Rain ended play a little early. England 499 for 9 (dec), then South Africa 60 for 2.

[DavidM]

Ollie Pope is the business .

[Futtocks]

Mark Wood went a bit feral with the willow in his innings, too.

[DavidM]

Jos Buttler is the one in the firing line ... I’ll throw it out there and say Foakes will definitely be the keeper in Sri Lanka . He’s the best glove man in the country which is absolutely crucial on the tweak merchant tracks , and he got a hundred on debut there . Buttler has had his gig , Bairstow isn’t a good enough keeper . 

[DavidM]

Looks like weather forecasts are just as useless in South Africa as here ... yes , little bit of rain maybe for Sunday 

[tim2]

I didn't realise how bad Jack Leach was - he had sepsis and genuinely could have died. This tour has had some pretty bad luck but oddly it's also shown that there are glimpses of a brighter future for the red ball game. Sibley, Crawley, Pope, Bess, Archer and Burns look like a good batch of young players to support Stokes and Root. We'll get hammered in India and in the Ashes but we need to stick with these players.

I would also get Foakes back in - not sure why he was ever discarded.

[DavidM]

12 hours ago, tim2 said:

I didn't realise how bad Jack Leach was - he had sepsis and genuinely could have died. This tour has had some pretty bad luck but oddly it's also shown that there are glimpses of a brighter future for the red ball game. Sibley, Crawley, Pope, Bess, Archer and Burns look like a good batch of young players to support Stokes and Root. We'll get hammered in India and in the Ashes but we need to stick with these players.

I would also get Foakes back in - not sure why he was ever discarded.

I get watched for sepsis with post surgical infections and wounds etc and I often ask ‘ how would i know if i had that ? ‘ and the nurse always just looks at me and says ‘ you’d know ... you’d know . You’re body would have shut down . You wouldn’t be asking , in fact you wouldn’t be saying anything ‘ . Apparently he was in a bad way , then got gastroenteritis as he was really weak . Unsurprisingly he was never getting right .  Bess looks steady enough although as a country we are really light in quality spin which would really add to the bowling stocks . Archer , Wood , Stone , Mahmood are really good pacemen to move forward with 

[DavidM]

The only thing worse than the rain is having to watch blob key lounging back in his chair , never sitting still and droning on like he’s the oracle of all cricket knowledge . And if you disagree you’re totally wrong . Whoever the other guest is deserves more money 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Live cricket (India vs Australia 3rd ODI) is on Sky channel 717 (StarGOLD) if anyone gets bored of the rain.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

Nice to see someother other than England losing 4 wickets for 1 run

Jos Buttler has run out of his nine lives as Wicket Keeper. I would suspect Bairstow and Foakes as the Keepers in SrI Lanka.

Youngsters in the side beginniong to gel. I read a lot about South Africa denuded by Kolpak defections but you beat waht is put in front of you and after the First Test it has been all England.

Educated Guess - Faf Du Plessis to anounce his International retirement at the end of the Series and take up a Kolpak contract with Lancashire joining Dane Vilas.