***Official*** South Africa in India

[ret]

Flat and slow = not too problematic.

Flat and turning = plenty of problems, for my money. Especially if Kumble (as likely) and Harbhajan (as certainly possible) bowl well.

flat and turning? how can a pitch be flat as well as turning .... unless u r refering to the pitch thats good for batting till day 3 and then taking a turn on 4th day onwards

 

[TT Boy]

South Africa test squad announced...
Graeme Smith (captain), Ashwell Prince ( vice-captain), Hashim Amla , Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, Neil McKenzie, Morne Mørkel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn.

Likely XI
Smith
McKenzie
Amla
Kallis
Prince
AB
Boucher
Mørkel
Harris
Steyn
Ntini

 

[TT Boy]

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, South Africa reluctant to irk the Indians…

Mickey Arthur- "We have - and I must admit it - walked all over them whenever they came to South Africa and have never seen them retaliate to the abuse we have 'spat out'.

"But now there's a big change. When they came to South Africa in 2006 they were a little different and one, Harbhajan Singh, was the man who gave it back to us. His spats with Mark Boucher are well known. And he knows how to give it back."

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=17&art_id=vn20080311113625784C987086

 

[silentstriker]

Perhaps not the best thing to admit that your team spits out abuse.

 

[Richard]

flat and turning? how can a pitch be flat as well as turning .... unless u r refering to the pitch thats good for batting till day 3 and then taking a turn on 4th day onwards

By "flat" I mean "even in bounce".

 

[Richard]

South Africa test squad announced...
Graeme Smith (captain), Ashwell Prince ( vice-captain), Hashim Amla , Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, Neil McKenzie, Morne Mørkel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn.

Likely XI
Smith
McKenzie
Amla
Kallis
Prince
AB
Boucher
Mørkel
Harris
Steyn
Ntini

No real surprises, then. Bit of a shame about no Nel, but I guess I can see the reasoning. Good to see Duminy in the Test squad, but not exactly the ideal place to start should he play.

Have long since grown used to Peterson being picked obv.

 

[TT Boy]

It’s the first time Robbie P has been originally selected for a test side in some years (and four years till this month that he last played a test) and Duminy is no stranger to test selection, was selected for South Africa’s last two test series away from home.

 

[Richard]

He was? Shows how much long-term attention I pay to 15\16-man squads.

I know it's been a while since Peterson was actually picked as a first-choice, but he's never gone away, he's always been lurking, just so as you knew he wasn't gone for good nor was likely to be.

 

[Richard]

Just looked at the schedule... not a single warm-up game. FFS.

And isn't it about time this was topped?

 

[TT Boy]

Just looked at the schedule... not a single warm-up game. FFS.

That's because Graeme Smith and the senior players didn’t want one.

 

[Richard]

My question would be: why the blazes don't they want one?

It's not terribly unusual for senior players to dislike warm-up games at the current time. I just don't understand why. Makes no sense at all.

 

[TT Boy]

My question would be: why the blazes don't they want one?

It's not terribly unusual for senior players to dislike warm-up games at the current time. I just don't understand why. Makes no sense at all.

They (Smith) argued that they didn’t need it for they have been playing the last month or so in sub-continental conditions and the extra four or five days at home would be 'better'.

However, considering South Africa are extremely slow starters one suspects they need constant cricket to perform. Coach Mickey Arthur isn’t happy and neither is the likes of Paul Harris, who has never bowled in India before and wanted the practice.

 

[Richard]

One can hope, then, that Harris might at least manage to find some club or other to get a game or two for or something.

I guess I see the point that the games in Bangladesh are sort of "warm-ups". Still, India is such a vast place there's no way you can say you've warmed-up for all of it in Bangladesh. Sure, there are some parts of India that are like Bangladesh, but there are other parts that are nothing like at all.

 

[TT Boy]

One can hope, then, that Harris might at least manage to find some club or other to get a game or two for or something.
I guess I see the point that the games in Bangladesh are sort of "warm-ups". Still, India is such a vast place there's no way you can say you've warmed-up for all of it in Bangladesh. Sure, there are some parts of India that are like Bangladesh, but there are other parts that are nothing like at all.

I believe his current selection in the one day team is his warm-up. He said he was trying not to bowl his usual one day lines and look to be more attacking when deemed acceptable.

 

[ret]

It's not a bad idea to skip a practise game, if you are coming to Ind just after visiting B'desh or Pak

 

[silentstriker]

It's not a bad idea to skip a practise game, if you are coming to Ind just after visiting B'desh or Pak

Dunno if I necessarily agree with that. Though the wickets share similarities, there are still important differences.

 

[Pratters]

Richard, Bangladesh was the warm up games for this tour.

 

[Cevno]

I fancy india to win the first match at chennai.
South africa's best chance will probably be at ahmedabad,Do not know how the kanpur wicket is these days.

 

[Richard]

Richard, Bangladesh was the warm up games for this tour.

Well, as I said - sort of, yeah. I can see how that's how CSA and some of the players have treated it.

As I say, though - that's hardly a wise attitude. You'd know well enough, I daresay, having travelled the amount you have, to know that while there are parts of India that bear similarity to Bangladesh, there are also parts that are vastly different.

I'm not sure how similar the cities they're playing the Tests in would be TBH. If they're all Bangladesh-like, then fair noof on CSA I guess.

 

[Richard]

Do not know how the kanpur wicket is these days.

Has it ever been anything other than a complete featherbed?

Every game I've seen there it has been such.