8th Match: England v South Africa (Group B)

[Boundaries]

Brilliant! Absoulutely brilliant!

Really really shocking to see how much we have improved since like... last week.

A couple of reasons me thinks. Prior should not bat at 3. We had collapses when the openers went against the Aussies but Shah and Colly seem to be able to steady the ship and then bomb the opposite teams with sixes!

Also... why does Broad bat ahead of Swann? I have never rated Broad as a batter but I think Swanns definitely more of an all rounder than Broad.

 

[Leicester Fox]

Apparently we've won

 

[King Pietersen]

Probably helps, as Nasser's now saying, that we've got 2 experienced cricketers up the order with the responsibility to make the bulk of the runs. Shah's had the potential to be a very good One Day player for a while, and I thought he was going to kick on after a good tour of India, but he never really got going. I think at 3 he offers alot more than at 5, and is certainly a better option at 3 than Bopara.

 

[Ayub 95]

Did England get some African muthi when they arrived in Jo'burg. But the top order fired today. Shah and Morgan had a blinder of an innings while Collingwood consolidited the innings. But the group is wide open now.

 

[aditya123]

Will we see the Proteas getting knocked out of a major event yet again !

 

[King Pietersen]

I just feel sorry for Sri Lanka. They're relying on England to get them through :laugh

 

[Fatal Shot]

Calm down Gibbsy. Don't have to slog from the first ball. Take time and get set.

 

[King Pietersen]

We've lost.

 

[Fatal Shot]

Don't jinx us dude...

 

[King Pietersen]

That's Gibbs gone. Just need to get Smith, Kallis, De Villiers, Duminy, Boucher, Morkel, Botha, Van Der Merwe and Parnell now. No chance.

 

[Fatal Shot]

Chasing 300+ is just way too much pressure. We needed Gibbs to be there. He can take the match away, and lets the others play their own game.

 

[Will_NA]

I still say drop them all.

 

[Cricketman]

If anyone can chase big scores though, it's the Saffas. I think Smithy and Albie Morkel are the key guys here.

 

[Fatal Shot]

Smith is my favorite player, but even I can admit, that he isn't the greatest converter in ODI's. He can make a pretty 50, but then he usually gives it away. The key player will be Kallis. He needs to anchor the innings, and let the others play their shots. Kallis should go back to his old way of playing at a strike rate in the 70's. He just needs to be there till the 35th over and then attack. We can chase 120 in the last 15... we just need wickets in hand. Especially Morkels, Bouchers and Van Der Merwe's.

 

[Highlander999]

Right, I put ?6 on England last match as a bit of a joke and they won. I put ?6 again today and they are doing well. Looks like whenever I put money on England they do well

Not a bad balance considering I only started with ?10

My only concern is there are still a big group of batsmen here who can easily win this for South Africa. Hopefully, they will have an off day and we can continue to shock. Superb batting though by Shah, Collingwood and Morgan earlier. Pleased to see Shah finally stand up and be counted as well. Hopefully our middle order woes are finally ending