***Official*** South Africa in England

[wpdavid]

Just got back from a thoroughly pleasant day out to hear about this lot doing their usual impression of a pub team. The post-2005 complacency has really come home to roost now, and our batting cupboard looks horribly bare.

Another 4 day innings defeat seems the likeliest option, with 2 or 3 of the saffers providing a test match batting display that our bunch of amateurs will yet again ignore.

 

[fredfertang]

Just got back from a thoroughly pleasant day out to hear about this lot doing their usual impression of a pub team. The post-2005 complacency has really come home to roost now, and our batting cupboard looks horribly bare.

Another 4 day innings defeat seems the likeliest option, with 2 or 3 of the saffers providing a test match batting display that our bunch of amateurs will yet again ignore.

Practice makes perfect - it is now a very good impression of a pub team

 

[Scaly piscine]

Figures. Go for a walk out while we're 6 down with two in-batsmen against the old ball. Get back and England managed to last another 4-5 overs.

Absolute morons.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Just got back from a thoroughly pleasant day out to hear about this lot doing their usual impression of a pub team. The post-2005 complacency has really come home to roost now, and our batting cupboard looks horribly bare.

Its not bare though. The selectors just wont drop their mates for many of the batsmen in form in county cricket at the moment. Collingwood springs to mind, he's so ingrained into the England setup that they just wont drop him for someone else properly. They couldnt wait to get him back into this team and it was pretty obvious he was going to fail today which he did.

 

[jammay123]

Get in there fred. we need some more magic from you now.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Flintoff finally makes the batsmen play and gets the wicket. Anderson and Sidebottom take note!

 

[Scaly piscine]

Its not bare though. The selectors just wont drop their mates for many of the batsmen in form in county cricket at the moment. Collingwood springs to mind, he's so ingrained into the England setup that they just wont drop him for someone else properly. They couldnt wait to get him back into this team and it was pretty obvious he was going to fail today which he did.

Get naming some names then.

Collingwood is badly out of form. The rest aren't, they're just gutless brain-dead numpties with infinitely more talent than Collingwood has but they're still failing miserably to outperform him over the longer term.

 

[grecian]

Well done Fred.

Harris to "do a Gillespie" though. Would just be the humiliating pink frothy icing on the cake

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Get naming some names then.

Collingwood is badly out of form. The rest aren't, they're just gutless brain-dead numpties with infinitely more talent than Collingwood has but they're still failing miserably to outperform him over the longer term.

Vaughan is clearly out of form. His feet just arent moving properly when he first gets in and he's much too tentative.

Shah / Bopara could easily replace Collingwood at 6. Hell even Hick would do better than what Collingwood is at the moment (joking!). Vaughan is a bit trickier. But Key has played well lately, not to mention the likes of Horton at Lancashire whos having a great season (and had a good one last year too).

I'd also like to see Ambrose replaced. Prior at least looks in form, or go with someone completely new like Davies (although he isnt ready yet) or Foster.

 

[tooextracool]

Get naming some names then.

Collingwood is badly out of form. The rest aren't, they're just gutless brain-dead numpties with infinitely more talent than Collingwood has but they're still failing miserably to outperform him over the longer term.

Shah, Key, Samit Patel, David Sales and Prior. I can hardly care less whether Prior plays as a keeper or a batsman only but things are so dire with this England batting at the moment that I could care less.

 

[Uppercut]

Good to see Anderson back to bowling his usual crap. When he bowls well for three matches in a row you'll know the apocalypse is just around the corner.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Jesus. 2004 & 2005 feel more & more like a wonderful abberation with every passing series.

Not sure about Mick's dismissal, there seemed to be a noise, but also very little interest from behind the stumps, so I dunno. KP's was a smeller tho, there was no bat in it however close the LBW shout may've been.

Collingwood's dismissal was that of a bloke (still) in arse touch; he was trying to playing a ball well outside off through midwicket. Unless he scores large in the 2nd I can't see justification for retaining him, particularly if the series has aleady gone by The Oval.

As for the run-outs, just sheer unprofessionalism. Fred looked irked, but I think both were his call so must carry the can as the senior batsman. Nice nut to get Fat Gray tho.

 

[Uppercut]

Fred looking irked was clearly an act. He just wanted to give his average a wee boost.

 

[Uppercut]

Not sure about Mick's dismissal, there seemed to be a noise, but also very little interest from behind the stumps, so I dunno. KP's was a smeller tho, there was no bat in it however close the LBW shout may've been.

Ah come on. Even Botham said it was a definite lbw.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Ah come on. Even Botham said it was a definite lbw.

Went down as caught, which makes it wrong in my book.

 

[tooextracool]

Fred looking irked was clearly an act. He just wanted to give his average a wee boost.

It could have nothing to do with the fact that for the first time in god knows how long he actually looked good at the crease? Both run outs happened due to pure desperation of him trying to get back on strike. As it is, he probably batted better than the entire england side today.

 

[Uppercut]

It could have nothing to do with the fact that for the first time in god knows how long he actually looked good at the crease? Both run outs happened due to pure desperation of him trying to get back on strike. As it is, he probably batted better than the entire england side today.

I was joking dear.

 

[tooextracool]

Ah come on. Even Botham said it was a definite lbw.

how definite was it? Even with the benefit of the replays, it was hard to judge whether that ball hit in line with the off stump or not. For an lbw decision that would have been a marginal call at best and thats only with the benefit of technology. Personally, I think that hit just outside off stump.

 

[Uppercut]

You're not seriously implying that Ian Botham would say an English batsman should have been given out when he shouldnt have?

Actually i consider that to be quite possible, i quite like Botham's honesty and ability to avoid letting his bias blind him. But everyone here disagrees.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Vaughan is clearly out of form. His feet just arent moving properly when he first gets in and he's much too tentative.

Shah / Bopara could easily replace Collingwood at 6. Hell even Hick would do better than what Collingwood is at the moment (joking!). Vaughan is a bit trickier. But Key has played well lately, not to mention the likes of Horton at Lancashire whos having a great season (and had a good one last year too).

I'd also like to see Ambrose replaced. Prior at least looks in form, or go with someone completely new like Davies (although he isnt ready yet) or Foster.

Bopara was awful when he had a go. Shah can't field and is mentally not good enough unfortunately and will consistently underperform.