Story Kev's Ashes Cricket Thread Thingy

[Kev]

2nd ODi Cape Town

Teams:

South Africa (Unchanged)
H Gibbs, G Smith (C), J Kallis, A de Villiers, JP Duminy, M Boucher (W), A Morkel, J Botha, R van der Merwe, W Parnell, D Steyn

England (2 Changes - Flintoff & Bopara in, Trott & Wright out)
A Strauss (C), J Denly, R Bopara, P Collingwood, E Morgan, M Prior (W), A Flintoff, T Bresnan, A Rashid, G Onions, S Mahmood.

Much better start to the match this time as Smith is caught in the 7th over. Good start I thought, but then I was consigned to pretty much the same treatment as the first match. Prior dropped Kallis on 62 off Bresnan's bowling but apart from that, until Gibbs was suicidally runout by about half the length of the wicket, it was chance-less. Kallis was finally bowled just shy of his ton in Mahmood's final over. Did slightly better after that, 4 wickets for Onions, Bresnan was on the whole very tight, restricted them to slightly less than last time. But Freddie was a disappointment, never looked like troubling the batsmen and was very expensive and I still haven't mastered leg-spin. Here's hoping for an improved batting performance from me.

 

[Kev]

England innings

Pushed my luck at the start of the match A LOT! Second ball Strauss Edges for 4, but Steyn goes to pieces, 2 no balls and the first over ends with 22 on the scorecard.
This time around I decide to delay the powerplays until the 17th over, taking both one after another. AI still opts to bring on Van der merwe at this point and reduces his effectiveness as a result.
Run rate never got near to being a problem for me, it was always going to be if i could keep my wickets intact. Which despite a late wobble I managed. So the ODi series is levelled a 1-1.

Sorry, no Stats graphs, stupid bloody game!

 

[Kev]

3rd ODi Cape Town Day/Night

Teams:

South Africa (1 change - Tsotsobe in for Steyn)
H Gibbs, G Smith (C), J Kallis, A de Villiers, JP Duminy, M Boucher (W), A Morkel, J Botha, R van der Merwe, W Parnell, L Tsotsobe

England (1 change - Sidebottom in for Mahmood)
A Strauss (C), J Denly, R Bopara, P Collingwood, E Morgan, M Prior (W), A Flintoff, T Bresnan, A Rashid, G Onions, R Sidebottom.

Toss won by South Africa who elected to bat.

So for some inexplicable reason the tour returns to Cape Town for the 3rd ODi and for the third time England are chasing (If I win the toss next time, I'll bat first, promise).

Gibbs takes guard with a new Stealth Bat. His suppliers were said to be at the match, but nobody seems to be able to remember them!

South Africa make a decent, but sluggish start to the innings before Smith is runout (what another runout? I hear you cry). Never a second run on the cards.

Gibbs and Kallis look to inflict the same pain on England as in the previous matches. This time though, England miss a chance to dismiss Gibbs with the score on 45. Eventually Gibbs is caught off a slower delivery from Collingwood in the deep.

Once again Rashid is ineffective (Should I play him next match or another seamer? You decide!). He does nearly dismiss Kallis but I drop the catch and he does have 1 half hearted LBW appeal turned down (correctly) but that's about it for the spinner, who is outclassed by Collingwood.

Bresnan continues his impressive form and takes my first ever Hat-Trick in the game. All 3 wickets going to the man at Long On, 2 being slower balls. He then takes a 4th with an edge to slip. Onions and Fred bowl the final overs and take a wicket each.

 

[hedger_14]

Well done Bresnan with the hattrick.

hedger_14 added 0 Minutes and 30 Seconds later...

Morgan took 5 catches

 

[CG123]

You should be able to chase that down, considering you chased down 280 odd last time round off just 30 over's.
If you take away Bresnan's Hattrick, Flintoff was by far your best bowler.

 

[iridescentt]

Who really needs Gashid anyway.

 

[Kev]

3rd ODI England Reply

Things don't go well for me. I lose Denly in the second over. Then a couple more wickets early on. Strauss more than makes up for it and becomes the first player in the series to pass 100. Just hope I can keep someone there to support him. Well above the modest required rate but running out of batsmen.

 

[Kev]

I think this is what is known as snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!

Lost Prior almost as soon as I reloaded the game, then Bresnan, then the worst of the bunch, while running for a quick single I hit the queue run button instead of the dive button (which I actually didn't need to press!) they set off for another run and I lost Strauss!

So I was left with Rashid and the tail. Didn't think I stood a chance so thrashed out with the bat with Rashid, and surprisingly I got away with a few shots. As I got closer I decided I better play more sensibly. Then I lost Rashid with 17 to get (Bloody Spinners!!!). Then heartache, with just 2 required I edged one to the lone Slip fielder with Sidebottom, tempted by a big gap.

So South Africa now lead the series 2-1.

Worm and Over Block Diagrams correct at start of final over. (Had to screenie these for last few overs to get them!)

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

Mate who wins? 2 runs still needed... Tell fast...

 

[OffCutters]

If only you actually read the damn thing..

 

[Kev]

Just goes to show that long complicated stories are a waste of effort, all anyone does is look at the pictures

4th ODI Jo'berg

Teams:
South Africa (2 changes: A Morkel & J Botha out, M Morkel & V Philander in)
H Gibbs, G Smith (C), J Kallis, A de Villiers, J Duminy, M Boucher (W), V Philander, R van der Merwe, W Parnell, M Morkel, L Tsotsobe

England (1 change: R Sidebottom out, S Broad in)
A Strauss (C), J Denly, R Bopara, P Collingwood, E Morgan, M Prior (W), A Flintoff, S, Broad, A Rashid, T Bresnan, G Onions.

Toss won by England, who elected to bat

Once again Denly fails to make runs and struggles from the start. Strauss and Bopara combine to inflict major damage on South Africa. Strauss eventually drags on back onto his stumps and is out for 86. Bopara is dropped on 48 before going on to score 71.
Wickets fall at fairly regular intervals in the 20-30 over block and at one point 1 edge the ball to where the slips should be 4 times in an over, but of course they don't actually put a slip in.
Freddie scores 107 in just 56 balls, including 11 fours and 5 sixes. After he is out I don't score another boundary.
I manage a run 6 though at one point off Van der Merwe. Ran 2, then 3 overthrows as the ball almost reaches the boundary, the throw back is missed and I bag another run.
No heroics for Rashid this time as he drags on onto his stumps and Bresnan is out, caught last ball.
I'm guessing we'll see plenty of runouts in the South African innings.

Stuart Broads LBW, for no other reason than I felt like photoshopping the 2 images together

 

[CG123]

Nice going, 404 should be easily defendable.

 

[MaD]

404! Amazing work by England there

 

[Kev]

South Africa never really had a chance of getting anywhere near 400. But their running was better than the last time they faced a big target, so perhaps the AI won't always go suicidal.

Smith goes cheaply to a slower ball yorker. Then Bresnan takes 2 in 2 (First Kallis then Gibbs) at the end of the 10th over. Rashid's bowling was an absolute waste but his first over did get me the wicket of Duminy.
Only Boucher showed any sort of real resistance. I dropped him in the 30's and Broad should have had him out LBW in the 50's before his eventual runout (Disappointed by this, I wanted to get him properly). Broad's luck with LBW's continued to be bad as Parnell is given not out when he also should have been out LBW.

So the series sits at 2-2 with 1 final match to play, for some reason in the MCG. Hope for South Africa lies in the fact that twice I have lost while chasing under lights.

 

[OffCutters]

Great stuff by England, South Africa had a shocker of a match, but 404 was always going to be tough to chase. Shame Bresnan didnt get another hat-trick eh?