Yay SA 10 wicket thrashing. Well done! The bowlers finally started to bowl a bit better, but still not up to their potential. Was good seeing Anderson getting hit (i'm glad he wasn't injured, was just glad to see it after his bouncers earlier in the season)
If I was an England fan and i'm really glad i'm not, i'd be really angry that a dud like Pattinson got selected from nowhere like that. You guys seem to love Broad for some reason, but he's nil to be honest. He does nothing with the ball. He averages very almost 50 with the ball. A lot of his games have been against New Zealand who are ranked 7thish and have weak batting at the moment. How's he going to take Australian wickets in the Ashes if he can't perform against weak teams?
I am not trying to make excuses but fact is England lost the game on the first day. South Africa bowled well under the best conditions for bowling in the entire match and from then onwards England were always playing a chasing game.
England came back strongly in the 2003 series after losing to South Africa twice, and I wouldnt rule that out again this time.
Vaughan's batting is a concern, but his captaincy is still brilliant and crucial for England. In any case, I would not recommend changing leadership during a test series, and especially in an important one as this.
With respect to Broad, well, the stats are against him and he hasnt bowled well in this match but I know he has the talent which will show eventually. Although England do need Sidebottom in the test team, and eventually Simon Jones, the perfect matchwinner, will also be required.
Freddie will also peak soon I would expect, so overall things do look good for England. Besides South Africa are a quality side and 2nd best in the world right now, so I dont think England would have expected to dominate the Saffers like they did to the Kiwiz and some of other teams that have toured England.
m_vaughan added 4 Minutes and 32 Seconds later...
Pattinson won't play in the next game I don't think. The selectors would be brave if they did play him. I suppose they picked him in the first place as a way of picking people who are in form, instead of sticking with people who have experience. He is having a very good season with Nottinghamshire, he is a bowler that should have suited the swinging Headingley and with a bit of consistency he can do it. The ball to remove Prince was brilliant.
Good to see Flintoff back in. He said himself this is the first time he has felt completely fit bowling since he can remember, even the Ashes in 2005. He is slowly getting back into it with the bat and has bowled his usual silly amount of overs.
Hopefully we can get Sidebottom back in for Pattinson, that will add an extra threat to the attack. If not, Hoggard or Tremlett. Replace Ambrose with Read, I know it won't happen but it should.
I think people are being harsh on Pattinson. Fact is he had bowled brilliantly for Notts to get the attention of the selectors, who for their part did select him since he was in such good form. Nothing wrong with that.
He dint bowl as well as expected but thats ok. Not everyone can hit top gear straight away and sometimes it might take a player a bit to adjust. But I'm afraid with Sidebottom back now, Pattinson might have to go back and continue bowling well with Notts to stay in contention.