***Official*** South Africa in England

[Manee]

Surely you can't keep the batsman on the field if they can't see the ball?

 

[Richard]

If Prince manages to get through this and ends-up with a sizeable knock, it'll be one hell of an innings.

 

[Furball]

Bouchers reaction to the first ball he faced gets funnier everytime I see it.

Absolutely clueless.

 

[Richard]

Surely you can't keep the batsman on the field if they can't see the ball?

Seen this at this ground - a batsman of the calibre of Brian Charles Lara no less - in bright sunshine.

The sightscreens simply are not good enough. For a ground that's been hosting Tests for over a century, that's utterly unacceptable.

 

[Richard]

Well you'd imagine that'll be it for today. New-ball due very soon tomorrow morning (or whenever play can start tomorrow), and you'd think England's chances in the series depend on how well they use it.

 

[Uppercut]

They may have set a dangerous precedent for Morne Morkel to exploit.

Fancy SA to end up with a lead of around 100. But if the pitch deteriorates as expected, their advantage is really a bit less than that.

 

[grecian]

They may have set a dangerous precedent for Morne Morkel to exploit.

Fancy SA to end up with a lead of around 100. But if the pitch deteriorates as expected, their advantage is really a bit less than that.

Sorry if I've missed it, but who says it's going to deteriorate. It's not the way of modern pitches, more often then not.

 

[Uppercut]

Sorry if I've missed it, but who says it's going to deteriorate. It's not the way of modern pitches, more often then not.

The guy who prepared it, both captains, etc.

I honestly don't know if it will or not. Chasing in the 4th innings does seem to have gotten easier lately.

 

[grecian]

The guy who prepared it, both captains, etc.

I honestly don't know if it will or not. Chasing in the 4th innings does seem to have gotten easier lately.

Oh sorry, didn't hear the groundsman had said that. Well, I've seen a couple of bits of steepling bounce, but didn't really see it doing much off the pitch yet, and I just think it will deaden as pitches often do nowadays.

Freddies put in a super-human effort to get anything out of it, really should of been a swing-bowlers day, but unfortunately they were largely gash.

Still, nice to see Freddie at his best, thought I might never see it again. Will hopefully stop people saying "over-rated" about him for five minutes, too.

 

[Uppercut]

I think Freddie's awesome. I just think people sometimes unfairly expect him to do it all on his own.


Another thing to consider in this match is the precedent he's set, for Morne Morkel in particular. The remainder of the test match could well consist of people bowling yorkers at blind men.

 

[The Masterplan]

Ferddie shows the passion that others don't..

 

[Uppercut]

And much more importantly, the ability that others don't.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Monty to bowl England to victory on a day 5.

 

[Bob Bamber]

England need 7 changes I think if they are going to give the Ashes a decent go next year. next year. Strauss isn't good enough - too many weaknesses , Vaughan and Collingwood are over the hill - people keep saying how well Vaughan did in the Ashes down under - that was 5 years ago wasn't it.

Wicketkeeper - give Steven Davies the gloves , and give him the time. Him or Foster. Panesar is one dimensional - can easily get hit out of the attack - give Rashid the ball - a true English talent - and one that we don't need to carry with the field. Also - Rashid's batting will take the pressure off the need for the keeper to score.

Flintoff was out there on his own today with the ball. Neither Sidebottom or Anderson are good enough to compete with the likes of South Africa. Sidebottom did well against New Zealand , but they aren't much better than most of the county sides in England. Harmison in , Jones in , Broad in (Definatly one for the future).

How does this look? -

1) Cook
2) Key (C)
3) Bell
4) Pietersen
5) Shah
6) Flintoff
7) Davies
8) Broad
9) Rashid
10) Harmison
11) Jones

 

[Dissector]

Brilliant stuff from Freddie and this last session showed how much England missed him at Lords. They had SA by the throat but lacked someone with the passion and brilliance to bowl a match-winning spell on a flat deck.

 

[Furball]

England need 7 changes I think if they are going to give the Ashes a decent go next year. next year. Strauss isn't good enough - too many weaknesses , Vaughan and Collingwood are over the hill - people keep saying how well Vaughan did in the Ashes down under - that was 5 years ago wasn't it.

Wicketkeeper - give Steven Davies the gloves , and give him the time. Him or Foster. Panesar is one dimensional - can easily get hit out of the attack - give Rashid the ball - a true English talent - and one that we don't need to carry with the field. Also - Rashid's batting will take the pressure off the need for the keeper to score.

Flintoff was out there on his own today with the ball. Neither Sidebottom or Anderson are good enough to compete with the likes of South Africa. Sidebottom did well against New Zealand , but they aren't much better than most of the county sides in England. Harmison in , Jones in , Broad in (Definatly one for the future).

How does this look? -

1) Cook
2) Key (C)
3) Bell
4) Pietersen
5) Shah
6) Flintoff
7) Davies
8) Broad
9) Rashid
10) Harmison
11) Jones

You're slating Sidebottom for not competing against South Africa - remind me what Harmison did in the last series between the countries?

The bowling attack you've picked is dreadful.

 

[The Masterplan]

How does this look? -

1) Cook
2) Key (C)
3) Bell
4) Pietersen
5) Shah
6) Flintoff
7) Davies
8) Broad
9) Rashid
10) Harmison
11) Jones

It looks like you haven't got a clue

 

[zaremba]

Channel 5's team are all saying that they think Strauss caught McKenzie cleanly. And they showed Strauss's reaction in slow motion and you can read his lips: "I think I caught it".

The more I see it, the more out it looks.

However I still think that (under the laws as they now stand) the 3rd umpire had no choice, because you couldn't say it was beyond doubt.

 

[Richard]

England need 7 changes I think if they are going to give the Ashes a decent go next year. next year. Strauss isn't good enough - too many weaknesses , Vaughan and Collingwood are over the hill - people keep saying how well Vaughan did in the Ashes down under - that was 5 years ago wasn't it.

Wicketkeeper - give Steven Davies the gloves , and give him the time. Him or Foster. Panesar is one dimensional - can easily get hit out of the attack - give Rashid the ball - a true English talent - and one that we don't need to carry with the field. Also - Rashid's batting will take the pressure off the need for the keeper to score.

Flintoff was out there on his own today with the ball. Neither Sidebottom or Anderson are good enough to compete with the likes of South Africa. Sidebottom did well against New Zealand , but they aren't much better than most of the county sides in England. Harmison in , Jones in , Broad in (Definatly one for the future).

How does this look? -

1) Cook
2) Key (C)
3) Bell
4) Pietersen
5) Shah
6) Flintoff
7) Davies
8) Broad
9) Rashid
10) Harmison
11) Jones

OK, where to start...?

Strauss is looking less weak currently than he perhaps ever has. He's not looked likely to get himself out this series and hopefully once he stops getting bad lbw decisions and treading on his stumps he'll get a good score. The idea of Robert Key captaining England fills me with dread.

Steven Davies is still far from proven as the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the country, and until he is I don't want him in the England team. Hopefully his time is soon, but it's certainly not now.

Adil Rashid is not a bowler of any great calibre currently. The idea of him playing for England with bowling in mind at the current time or any time in the immediate future is perhaps more preposterous than Darren Pattinson being picked in the last Test.

Sidebottom is far from the complete bowler, but to suggest Harmison and Broad are now or likely to be at any point in the immediate future better than him is equally silly.

Finally, if my top six is to be Bell, Pietersen and Shah, I'd have them in the reverse of that order. Shah, Pietersen, Bell. And I'd never, ever bat Flintoff at six in a Test again - I'd never have done it ITFP.

 

[The Masterplan]

2) Key (C)

...Actually the more I think about it, the more I realise that Key is probably the most talented batsmen we have in the country, he's an exellent captain for Kent.. so, although your idea is quite radical.. I see where your coming from