Playing the England 1982 Rebel Tour to South Africa, with the
skills/attributes reduction per this thread
The tour started with a two-day warm up game against the South Africa Colts. I have made this a marathon 120-overs per day affair. Otherwise First Class rules apply.
South Africa Colts won the toss and chose to bat first.
Chris Old and Mike Hendrick took the new ball, and each bagged an early wicket a piece. Old took a second and John Lever coming on at first change also bagged a couple to reduce the Colts to 61/5.
Richardson and Allan rebuilt slightly, before Lever returned to the attack and whipped out Richardson, followed quickly by Radford and Van Vuren to grab a quite brilliant five-fer. Anker stuck around for a while with Allan, then hit out with last man Carse after Hendrick had Allan caught behind. When Carse was out trying to hit spinner Underwood over the top, the South Africa Colts were dismissed for just 160 in 55.4 overs.
Gooch and Boycott opened for England, remaining watchful and scoring slowly. They were not untroubled, with a few edges going either wide of the fielder or not carrying. Gooch was given a life when the umpire somehow missed a thick outside edge which flew to slip. South Africa couldn't believe it was given not out, and didn't know whether to be madder at the umpire for giving it not out, or Gooch for not walking.
Gooch and Boycott continued on, each passing their half-century and taking their partnership over 100 and then 150.
England had passed the South Africa Colts score without losing a wicket, and continued to go on, and had reached 182 when Gooch, on 99, played all round one from Carse and was out for 99.
Larkins and Amiss both went cheaply, with the day ending with England Rebels on 216/3 - 56 ahead - and Boycott unbeaten on 97.
It didn't take long in the morning for Boycott to reach his century.
England tried to push the scoring rate along, but this led to wickets falling quickly. Boycott remained not out, but at the other end it was a procession. England eventually declared on 313/9, a lead of 153, and there were 100 overs left in the final day in which to force a result.
After his first innings heroics, Lever took the new ball and the move paid off, a brilliant inswinger catching Seef in front and sending him on his way for 5.
Whitfield then dominated a 44 run partnership with Du Preez, before Lever and Hendrick struck to remove them both and leave South Africa Colts reeling at 63/3, still 90 behind.
Venter and Kuiper shared a 73 run stand, before Willey bowled one that didn't turn as much as Venter expected and clipped the top of off. Richardson joined Kuiper, and they had took the South Africa colts into a narrow lead before Underwood span one through Kuiper's gate to clean up his stumps and send him on his way for 41.
Richardson was scoring slowly, but he found good support from Allan and Radford, to push South Africa Colts lead further on and importantly take up vital overs. Lever removed Allan thanks to a stunning diving catch from Geoff Humpage in the slips:
And Hendrick also took a sharp slips catch from Old to remove Radford before Hendrick himself found Van Vuren's outside edge to give Knott a catch behind the stumps.
South Africa Colts were 202/8 - a lead of 49, and there were 32 overs left in the match, with England 12 overs from the new ball. Richardson was still at the wicket, so it was all about the support he could get from Anker and Carse, and if they could take enough time out of the game to snatch the draw.
Wanting to keep the seamers fresh for a new ball assault, captain Gooch turned to spin at both ends from Underwood and Willey, and it initially seemed a mistake as their first few overs passed without threat and Anker was able to score precious runs. However, finally Underwood produced a big spinner past Anker's outside edge and taking his off stump, before Carse was caught by Willey off the very next ball - South Africa Colts were just 68 ahead, with 28 overs left.
England's reply nearly got off to a terrible start, Gooch edging his second ball but it went between slip and gully and flew for 4. In the next over, Boycott, an unbeaten centurion in the first innings, went from one extreme to the other, being clean bowled first ball.
England seemed in too much of a rush to finish the game quickly, and Larkins, Amiss and Humpage all fell in rapid order. The scoring was equally rapid, and England rebels were 33/4 off just 4 overs.
Willey joined Gooch, and though they continued to score quickly, there was no further scare and the victory came up off just 7.5 overs.
So England Rebels start the tour with a 6 wicket victory. Boycott got the man of the match for his unbeaten hundred, though Lever, whose 8 wickets in the match were instrumental in dismissing South Africa Colts cheaply twice, can feel unlucky to miss out.
Next up, the first unofficial ODI against the South Africa XI.
