***Official*** South Africa in England

[andruid]

Also, what is Broad doing here? At what point would KP want Broad to be bowling ahead of Harmison, Flintoff or Anderson?

He is surplus to requirements.

At least he is one cheap wicket less to worry about.

 

[NUFAN]

That's the record for AB, isn't it?

It sure is!

 

[Steulen]

93mph inswinging Yorker what's more.

Best ball Harmison's bowled since 2004, probably. Smith wicket was a piece of rubbish, second time Smith's got out to short balls from him today. Very poor from someone normally brilliant against short stuff.

Loved Michael Holding's commentary that it wasn't a perfect ball because it should have been a bit fuller for perfection. Would have been a totally ridiculous comment coming from anyone else than Whispering Death.

Also in the discussion just now it was said (Nasser, I think) that Amla played for the outswing...I think he was jsut beaten for pace.

 

[Manee]

I think he was jsut beaten for pace.

Agreed. Not to say that Amla cannot handle 92.9mph but rather that it was approximately 4mph quicker than anything Harmison had bowled up till then (unless I missed something).

BTW, is the yorker underused or what?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Also, what is Broad doing here? At what point would KP want Broad to be bowling ahead of Harmison, Flintoff or Anderson?

He is surplus to requirements.

Specialist No. 8, clearly.

 

[tooextracool]

Its hard to imagine anyone playing Harmison expecting the ball to swing away. Harmison's bowling action doesnt really seem conducive for outswing, he might get the odd ball to shape away marginally at best but it might be better for him to point the seam the other way and try to get the ball to go towards the right hander.

 

[duffer]

Ashie

 

[Richard]

Haha Prince caught at cover, would you believe it?

 

[silentstriker]

Another one! Nice!

 

[tooextracool]

Pity Steyn isnt playing in this test. Would have been a mouth watering prospect to watch him in these conditions.

 

[Richard]

Loved Michael Holding's commentary that it wasn't a perfect ball because it should have been a bit fuller for perfection. Would have been a totally ridiculous comment coming from anyone else than Whispering Death.

Also in the discussion just now it was said (Nasser, I think) that Amla played for the outswing...I think he was jsut beaten for pace.

Agreed. Not to say that Amla cannot handle 92.9mph but rather that it was approximately 4mph quicker than anything Harmison had bowled up till then (unless I missed something).

BTW, is the yorker underused or what?

Its hard to imagine anyone playing Harmison expecting the ball to swing away. Harmison's bowling action doesnt really seem conducive for outswing, he might get the odd ball to shape away marginally at best but it might be better for him to point the seam the other way and try to get the ball to go towards the right hander.

Harmison did get the odd little bit of outswing this game, and that Yorker to Amla certainly swung in. Look at it carefully, Amla wasn't especially late on it, quicker delivery though it was, but he did play the original line and find the ball on a different one. It was an excellent ball. Fast, inswinging Yorkers are not something very many people will keep out very often.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Jimmy, dead set. Beats the bat for the first 5 balls then gets edged to the third man boundary. Has been happening the whole winter.

 

[Richard]

Still the 4th-youngest to take 100 Test wickets for England. And Smith would doubtless say the ***iest.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Wow, what a passage of play from England. Stunning stuff, great to see Harmy back and doing so well. Carn, boys.

 

[Richard]

Dead-set again, you couldn't wish for a better "one man in a class below" set of figures than this:

SJ Harmison 14 5 40 2 2.85  
JM Anderson 11 0 32 2 2.62 (2nb) 
A Flintoff   9 2 24 1 2.66  
SCJ Broad    7 2 33 0 4.71

 

[tooextracool]

Bit surprised that someone who is 26 years of age is the youngest to take 100 wickets in England. Actually scratch that, given our history of picking players past their 28th birthday, Im not surprised.

 

[Manee]

Indeed.

David Lloyd has mentioned that Flintoff's toe nail would be on the verge of coming off but how can it suffer so much damage if the opening in the shoe has been cut out. When I did that, all bruising on my toenail went away.

 

[Richard]

WoW, that was quite some ball.

 

[Richard]

Bit surprised that someone who is 26 years of age is the youngest to take 100 wickets in England. Actually scratch that, given our history of picking players past their 28th birthday, Im not surprised.

That's 4th-youngest. Botham was the youngest at 23.

 

[duffer]

England have turned this around so well.