England tour of South Africa 09/10

[mdoggie]

Screw T20, this is what real cricket is about. Great finish to a great game. De Wet has earned a chance in the 2nd test probably at the expense of Ntini, he got his 100th cap and I think it is time to let the youngesters have a chance (not that De Wet is that young). Great fielding at the end, De Villiers catch was brilliant.

Troll, Who?
How on earth could a side manage to lose this one after cruising along with 10 overs left! That`s England for you.

I ahve to admit that I felt Broad was`nt out. With the review system, if there is`nt conclusive evidence that a batsman is out, he should be given not out. Thats how cricket has always been played. I don`t see why the TV umpire should stick to the on-field umpire even when the replays conclusively don`t show that there is an edge. What happened to the benifit of doubt going to the batmsan?

I feel for Collingwood here. I`m egging him on here to play these out.

Were you watching a different game to me, it was clearly an edge, plenty of deviation after the ball passed the bat.

 

[Valaskjalf]

Yeah de Wet suprised me in that late bowling frenzy....Im just not sure if its him bowling his socks off in the final stretch or the pitch making him look a bit better. Nonetheless he got us really close...

I also think its time Ntini hangs up his boots. Hes been great but we need a change. And de Wet looks like he can become a pretty decent batter too! I think Smith will probably be a little disappointed coming so close and not getting the win but overall I dont think he felt we would win the game at the start of the test, and I think his declaration was spot on. As someone else have said, the game would have been over earlier if de Wet didnt overstep....as they say hindsight is always 20/20 (or something like that) but I think we have a lot of momentum now for the 2nd game. Especially with Steyn coming back, I think we can take the next test.

 

[pcfan123]

Any news on Steyns availability for the 2nd Test?

 

[MUFC1987]

How is smith to blame that de wet overstepped when he had kp plumb and jp missed the run out chance just before and after lunch?? We take those chances and we win the game.

He was always going to be slight cautious not having his main strike bowler in steyn and kallis not being able to bowl. In the end he was just unlucky.

I hope the selectors make the right call and pick de wet for the next test and drop ntini if steyn is fit which is 99% certain.

The New Balls were always going to make the difference. Even if Pietersen was out earlier, you wouldn't have shifted Collingwood all day. Even another 10 overs or so with that second new ball would have won you the match. Smith obviously lacks faith in his bowling attack.

 

[stefan]

Any news on Steyns availability for the 2nd Test?

He is fit. He was nearly fit for this test but they weren't prepared to risk him with kallis not being able to bowl. If kallis was fit to bowl this test then steyn would have played.

Dale bowled at full pace in the nets today. Both himself and jk should be fully fit for Durban.

The New Balls were always going to make the difference. Even if Pietersen was out earlier, you wouldn't have shifted Collingwood all day. Even another 10 overs or so with that second new ball would have won you the match. Smith obviously lacks faith in his bowling attack.

There is no way to know if he had gotten kp at that stage whether he wouldn't have gotten another one quick there after. Besides he was only 1 wicket short at the end so if he had gotten that 1 wicket that session that may been enough at the end of the match.

Given the circumstance he couldn't have declared earlier.

He lacks faith in this bowling attack. As any captain would.

De Wet first test, no way to know how he will perform. Morkel had a shocker of a series vs aus at home just coming back. Ntini not the bowler he was. Harris the only one he can rely on.

If you had steyn and kallis you can declare earlier because that means you have 3 guys you know will perform. Blaming smith here is unfair. It's not like he decided to bowl on a flat track .

 

[Valaskjalf]

...There is no way to know if he had gotten kp at that stage whether he wouldn't have gotten another one quick there after. Besides he was only 1 wicket short at the end so if he had gotten that 1 wicket that session that may been enough at the end of the match.

Given the circumstance he couldn't have declared earlier.

He lacks faith in this bowling attack. As any captain would.

De Wet first test, no way to know how he will perform. Morkel had a shocker of a series vs aus at home just coming back. Ntini not the bowler he was. Harris the only one he can rely on.

If you had steyn and kallis you can declare earlier because that means you have 3 guys you know will perform. Blaming smith here is unfair. It's not like he decided to bowl on a flat track .

Completely agree....I think the declaration was valid and done at the appropriate time. And we came seriously close, hindsight always makes it easier to point fingers but Smith had to make sure his "undercooked" bowling choice was sufficiently backed.

On another note....Cant believe Parnell was dropped from the test squad, but McClaren was put in? Really not happy with that....I would rather them drop Ntini and put Parnell in, instead of that guy. Really dont know what he brings to the table: His bowling involves tying up an end (at best) and his batting is iffy - makes Justin Ontong look like the most versatile player in the world. Very unhappy about this choice...

 

[nikhil_99]

The last seesion was really good, the ODI's were good, lets hope the same for tests Wet and P Harris bowled well...

 

[angryangy]

I tend to think the touring side needs to win the first game more than the home side and especially if that first game is at an uncommon Test ground like Centurion. It can be a chance to catch the home side off guard. Given that and the uncertainty of the South African bowling attack, South Africa predominantly made the right moves. It was Swann who really blocked off the win, though. His batting took from them the ability to make an easy call.

Swann's brisk scoring also highlighted the tempo of the first innings. If you bat 5 sessions for less than 450, then the pressure is on your bowlers to prove that it's difficult to bat. You certainly can't afford any run-a-ball theatrics, because every over of that halves the value of one of your own overs.

As well as Kallis played, I'm not sure there was structure to the innings apart from him. The first innings just got slower and slower. With the benefit of hindsight, it would have been prudent to declare at 400 and replace the last 10 overs of stonewalling with what may eventually have proved to be vital bowling. They showed much better intent in the third innings, with the lower middle order providing drive in spite of an early collapse, but by then they were very much stretched for time.

 

[rahuldravidfan]

The last session was awesome. Spectacular batting from the English tailenders. For some reason, I'm a bit biased to the English in this series coz they are a bit of an underdog team this series.

And I seriously hope Graeme Smith is not having a relapse of 2004-06 - Smith questions England celebrations | Cricket News | South Africa v England 2009/10 | Cricinfo.com

 

[TumTum]

Ah the English, is anyone actually surprised? :sarcasm

I have a feeling England will bounce back in the 2nd Test.

But they'll lose the 3rd Test by an innings :laugh

 

[rahuldravidfan]

They will not. England has SAfer power. "Go get it" :laugh

 

[Owzat]

We have a pretty awful record of losing 1st Tests so it is good we've salvaged a draw like we did in Cardiff...........................

We saw the best and worst of Pietersen yesterday. He came in when England were three down early on and struggling, he and Trott were coasting to safety and he gets RUN OUT. It's bad enough in normal circumstances to be run out in a Test, but to give your wicket away when you had added over 100 for the 4th wicket and in no trouble was just ridiculous. Make them get you out, don't give them a helping hand.

From there it was collapse central, we were lucky the partnership had gone on so long or we'd have been doomed for sure. I still don't get why Swann is batting below Broad, especially with the obvious Harris tactic hanging about. Sure Broad has his moments with the bat, but Swann has been immense and too often left stranded.

Still escape we did, who says Test cricket is dead? Just need somewhat less flat and less predictable pitches and it is "game on". ODIs can be as much of a bore when it's 300+ vs 300+ all the time, sure some "fans" are easily pleased by lots of fours and sixes, but I always though cricket was supposed to be a contest between bat and ball, not batsman vs bowling machine. Might as well play a cricket game on a console on easy setting

 

[aditya123]

Luckily Smith saved that game for us by declaring so late/not accelerating early enough.

MUFC1987 added 5 Minutes and 21 Seconds later...

Oh, and Broad almost middled that, it was so clear that he edged it. What were you watching?

I saw it twice but still did not look conclusive to me.

 

[mdoggie]

We have a pretty awful record of losing 1st Tests so it is good we've salvaged a draw like we did in Cardiff...........................

South Africa have an even worse record, we have lost almost every first home test of the season for 5 years.

 

[TumTum]

We have a pretty awful record of losing 1st Tests so it is good we've salvaged a draw like we did in Cardiff...........................

South Africa have an even worse record, we have lost almost every first home test of the season for 5 years.

There there little girls, you can fight on who sucks the most later.