***Official*** South Africa in England

[Neil Pickup]

Haha, I don't care who wins though. In the tests I had a hefty bet on SA for the series so was supporting them. Right now I just wanted something to do

For reference, if England win the series 5-0, we go third in the World Rankings.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Haha, I don't care who wins though. In the tests I had a hefty bet on SA for the series so was supporting them. Right now I just wanted something to do

League cup 2nd round tonight If thats your thing!

 

[GIMH]

You'll get home for the last rites, I imagine. Unless Bell starts taking some more strike.

Prior seems keen to finish things before you get home.

By the time I got the telly on KP was giving his post-match interview, LOL

 

[stumpski]

By the time I got the telly on KP was giving his post-match interview, LOL

Settle down, Sky are about to show the whole thing again. Think I'll record it it for watching on bleak winter days.

 

[Goughy]

Harmison takes his ODI average under 30.

Econ at 5.03

One more good game and he could go into sub-30 and sub-5 territory

 

[Scaly piscine]

The one thing that bothers is me is we'll be stuck with Prior for a while now because of his two jamfest innings. Ugh.

 

[GIMH]

Reckon he's in for the Tests this winter. They'll probably take two keepers, him and Ambrose, but will go with Prior as he's a decent Test bat

 

[Rebecca]

I've got tickets for the Cardiff match and they cost £70 each so I hope we get get to see more than three hours play

 

[steds]

Who'd pay £70 to go to Wales?

 

[Goughy]

Reckon he's in for the Tests this winter. They'll probably take two keepers, him and Ambrose, but will go with Prior as he's a decent Test bat

Lets hope his keeping has improved. If he has, then Ive no issue with him getting selected as he knows how to hold a stick.

The obvious worry is that Prior in Tests could just be another selection based on not knowing who the best for the job is and switching and changing at every opportunity.

 

[Goughy]

Who'd pay £70 to go to Wales?

2004 St Helens 32 - 16 Wigan Warriors Millennium Stadium

Must have cost a few bob to get there, back, tickets and refreshments.

 

[steds]

My Grandad paid. He's not got long left and can't take it with him.

 

[Richard]

Given the form Kallis has shown with the bat this summer i wouldnt be so sure about that

He's had trouble with straight balls, not wide ones.

5th Best ODI bowling figures by an Englishmen by the way. So credit where its due methinks!

I'm not neccessarily terribly bothered about whether they were the <N>th-best figures, because if he hadn't bowled well and earned them it'd be completely irrelevant. As I said, certainly he did bowl well and deserves credit for that, but it's just that - ODIs. Not for a while has anyone questioned his skills as a ODI bowler. It's Tests where the doubts remain - and this game makes precisely zero impact on Broad's Test credentials.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah. I don't always separate the two game forms as much as others on CW but it's been obvious throughout the summer that Broad is becoming a very, very good ODI bowler but still has a long way to go on Tests. Still, for a long time we have been saying things about countless players the other way round, so it's a refreshing change in a way.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Crikey. Didn't expect to get up in the morning to see England win by ten wickets. Good work from the Poms. Always good to see egg on the proverbial face of Graeme Smith.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Just watched the yarps' innings in its entirity on Sky. We bowled bloody well, it must be said. The pitch had good bounce and carry, but there's not way on earth it was an 83 deck.

Not too many donations of wickets until the rabbits got in either. Gibbs was maybe a bit rash to come charging down the wicket, but that's the kind of batter he is & Botha got a smeller, but aside from those it was good bowling that did the trick. Hadn't realised that Nel had taken more runs off Broad's last four balls than his teammates had managed off the previous fifty-six either! 5/23 is never bad, but from 5/11 I imagine Broad fils was mildly irked.

I'm not emotionally geared up for us winning tho, especially in the abbreviated form. It seems alien & unsettling. Doubtless I'll have plenty to bitch about over the next three games.

 

[Goughy]

I'm not emotionally geared up for us winning tho, especially in the abbreviated form. It seems alien & unsettling. Doubtless I'll have plenty to bitch about over the next three games.

Yeah, its strange. Maybe its the format, maybe its the shock but we just rolled SA for 80 odd and won by 10 wickets and meh.

The first ODI was exciting as it was KPs introduction as official captain but this one never realy seemed to get going.

 

[wpdavid]

Yeah, its strange. Maybe its the format, maybe its the shock but we just rolled SA for 80 odd and won by 10 wickets and meh.

I know what you mean. I think part of it is that we pretty much won the game inside the first 15 overs, so we're not 100% convinced it counts for much. Simply the result of a hitherto relatively unimpressive bowler doing something he's never done before and therefore we don't really think he'll do it again. Or SA's top 6 having a seriously off day that they aren't likely to repeat. Either way, it's hard to draw many conclusions from it.

Still better than losing though.

 

[Richard]

The game could easily still be being played now.

And it seems ages and ages ago that it finished. It barely feels like there was a game today at all.

The fact I was drinking last night may possibly have something to do with that.

 

[zaremba]

Anyone else think there was a dodgy speed gun at Trent Bridge today? According to the speed gun Freddie was over 90mph almost every ball, Harmison hit 93.3mph and Steyn was also regularly above 90mph. I know they're all capable of bowling that fast but I'd be surprised if those figures weren't a bit optimistic.