South Africa in England July-Sept 2012

the problems of twenty20 are being completely exasperated though by this whole BCCI v ECB situation.

The ECB act like a jealous kid, and lets not kid ourselves as to standing up to the IPL to preserve the sanctity of the game, they showed they'd sell out the instant allen stanford unlocked a briefcase.

The BCCI in turn act like stroppy upstarts without real regard for any damage they are causing and I think at times seem to enjoy making the world revolve round them.

I actually think twenty20 could be a good thing, but right now it comes with a lot of baggage. people looking to taint it or people welding it like weapon all for personal interests. it's here to stay and it's about time the boards and the ICC looked at how it could be most effectively managed, how it's advantages can be maximised and it's disadvantages minimised in the interests of everyone.
 
I'll probably actually watch this Test match! I hardly saw a ball bowled in the previous one because I was watching the Olympics!
 
That's the team I'd least like to see.

For me:

Strauss
Cook
Trott
Bell
Taylor
Prior
Bairstow / Bresnan
Broad
Swann
Anderson
Finn

Haha you changed ONE guy from Collingwood's team: Finn for Onions (ignoring your half vote for Bairstow). Onions must be pretty bad in your eyes if the same 10 + Onions is the team you least want to see :D

Please will one of the administrators of this forum come to their senses and throw all this crap about one man out to another thread!

This thread is about South Africa versus England. I am sure that most of you will agree (Poms and Crims included) that this twoddle talk about Pietersen is very boring now. He is crap anyway.

Hmm, well he's not crap - as last Test showed...but yeah we badly need some cricket to start here don't we so the journos can write about something else. Who decided to put 2 weeks in between the 2nd and 3rd Tests? Surely it's better between 1st and 2nd ones so that a team getting a slow start can regroup.
 
The gaps purely logistical. They couldn't stage a match in London as its the Olympics but they're contractually obliged to give Lords two matches a year I think.
 
Interesting that apparently he was told not to post the youtube video of him apologising but did anyway :rolleyes

Aggers made comment on BBC, says it is breach of contract. I don't know if the link has already been posted or not, but it should be easy enough to find on BBC.

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It wouldn't actually be that hard to move the series back. Playing test cricket in May is frankly silly anyway and the gap between the final test against WI and the first against SA this year was 6 weeks. I realise there are some ODIs to stick in as well but you can play 3 of them in a week.

You would think they could condense the series slightly, I mean we're twiddling our thumbs while someone is tw**ting as KP and none of the waiting doing anyone any favours.

3rd Test 16-20 August
2nd Test 2-6 August
1st Test 19-23 July

What happened to back to back Tests? Gap between ODI and current Test series being 10th and 19th July. The windies Test series was spread over just 26 days and if you have just four days rest inbetween then it can be done in 23.
 
The gaps purely logistical. They couldn't stage a match in London as its the Olympics but they're contractually obliged to give Lords two matches a year I think.
I just hate it when an Olympics sneaks up on me.
 
This whole KP saga is sad and has over shadowed what has been a decent series with visitors to England finally having the upper hand and England having been put under pressure, at home, for the first time in a long time.
 
has over shadowed what has been a decent series with visitors to England finally having the upper hand

I think it's been one sided and boring, but I guess people not wanting England to win will take that over England winning. 1st Test was boring, 600 odd for 2 against twice out for less. 2nd Test had a bit more to it, but only trying to make some kind of game of it, although I'm not too convinced Smith was really trying to buy a win. I think he knew it was too difficult, if he wanted to give England a big carrot he would have set a target of much nearer five or five and a half an over.

The only way the saffers would have won is if England had gone hammer and tongs and collapsed in a heap, they were always going to shut up shop as soon as a few wickets fell.

Frankly the whole KP circus has been riveting by comparison
 
You're a hard man Owzat :yes Yeah the first Test was pretty tame, but I enjoyed the 2nd. If Smith had set them a smaller target he would have been a bit irresponsible given he's 1-0 up already. Not the best target for the game, but at least it was safe and taking 4 wickets helped keep a psychological hold.
 
You're a hard man Owzat :yes Yeah the first Test was pretty tame, but I enjoyed the 2nd. If Smith had set them a smaller target he would have been a bit irresponsible given he's 1-0 up already. Not the best target for the game, but at least it was safe and taking 4 wickets helped keep a psychological hold.

Not "hard" per se, just honest and bang on the money. It was a fairly routine draw once it became apparent no side would be knocked over easily.

The reason I am making so much comment on the declaration was people tried giving Smith credit, he made sure it was a 1 in a 100 shot to win for either side, the only way the saffers would have won is if England had gone suicidally at it which was the only way either side would have won.

So it was a token gesture, no intent on trying to win the game so it gets under my skin that anyone would suggest Smith was or that it was in any way interesting. There was some interesting cricket, but there usually is in any match.

I think England are outgunned, a stronger batting line-up in the saffers who have more batsmen who either want to make runs or don't give their wicket away cheaply. Their bowlers are a match if not better, their batsmen vs our bowlers and our batsmen vs their bowlers gives them as probable winners. We got a 1-1 draw in South Africa, could and maybe should have lost 1-3.......................
 
Yeah it's not a great series, hence the reason I used the term "decent" but the second test was ok, considering the pitches have been shite as of late.
 

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