**Official** South Africa in England 2012

[Stumpcam]

Weather looks pap for thursday


Seems to be improving after that though so hopefully this whole jet stream thing is over and we can get some sun

That's a bit pessimistic imo.

At this point it looks as though at least two sessions on Thursday will get through without major interuptions, with only a 60% chance of a heavy shower for the final session.

It could change, of course.

 

[Furball]

I'm sure they'll be as funny and original as ever..........

 

[NasserFan207]

Steyn furiously pumping up the SA tyres in his interview with Rob Smyth in today's Observer:

"I don't worry about England. That's why we're No1 in my eyes. I think we've got all the players, we cover all our bases."

Them's fighting words, them be.

Legend

 

[Ruckus]

Pretty insane odds going for this first test match. Eng at 2.94, SA at 4.4 and the draw at 2.26 (bad weather on the horizon perhaps?). But geez 4.4, that is tempting to say the least.

 

[Marius]

I can't see South Africa achieving anything better than a 1-1 draw tbh.

I don't like the Poms but they are damn solid in their conditions and I think it would take pretty good side ala Australia in the early 2000's or 80's windies o beat them on their patch.

South Africa are not in the same league as those sides.
I don't think Morkel is quite as good as he's hyped up to be and Tahir in my view is only OK.
Philander is the one I'm really keen to see - his first class numbers are insanely good and this is his first serious test away from home. I only rate South African seamers if they deliver the goods away from the high veldt so this will be a big test for him

So, if they take wickets in Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, or Bloemfontein, that's all right then?

 

[Spark]

Pretty insane odds going for this first test match. Eng at 2.94, SA at 4.4 and the draw at 2.26 (bad weather on the horizon perhaps?). But geez 4.4, that is tempting to say the least.

wtf, get on that hard. 4.4? no way.

 

[grecian]

wtf, get on that hard. 4.4? no way.

yeah, go on, put your mortgage on it

 

[Ruckus]

wtf, get on that hard. 4.4? no way.

Think there must be some horrendous weather forecast or something, odds on a win by either team are very good. Guess it's a bit of a doubled-edged sword though...rain could make a draw more likely, but it could also make batting very difficult. Think I might wait until the game to get a better idea of what the weathers gonna be like.

 

[superkingdave]

When I looked the first day had showers but the rest was ok, has changed slightly now to say the first 3 days look a bit iffy. However the guy from 5 Live said

[Simon King ‏@SimonOKing Eng 1st test match at the #oval against SA looks mostly dry, bright & warm. Thurs/Fri - a few showers. Sat/Sun - dry. Mon - rain possible.

 

[Expressway76]

Looking at the forecast I think that cumulatively there will be enough rain interruptions to make a result difficult to force. ****ing rain

 

[Ruckus]

yeah would be a tremendous anticlimax if the first test is washed out. The series can't afford to be shortened even more...

 

[Jacknife]

It will be absolute ****e if the whole series is blighted by bad weather and even more so if one team manages to win the first test and then the other two are rain effected, talk about leaving more questions than answers. This is the trouble with such a short series, it's hard to get that ebb and flow that you get in a 5 tests or even 4. Like the last time we played them in SA, if there had been only 3 tests we'd have won 1-0 and SA would have been unable to turn things around in Joburg like they did.

 

[Expressway76]

It will be absolute ****e if the whole series is blighted by bad weather and even more so if one team manages to win the first test and then the other two are rain effected, talk about leaving more questions than answers. This is the trouble with such a short series, it's hard to get that ebb and flow that you get in a 5 tests or even 4. Like the last time we played them in SA, if there had been only 3 tests we'd have won 1-0 and SA would have been unable to turn things around in Joburg like they did.

Looks like things are changing weatherwise for the better (finally).


No way should this have been a 3 test series, I think most people are in agreement with that. We all want to see the 2 best test teams in the world play at least another test, **** the ODIs.

 

[marc71178]

5 Test series between the current best 2 sides is next summer though.

 

[MrPrez]

Pretty insane odds going for this first test match. Eng at 2.94, SA at 4.4 and the draw at 2.26 (bad weather on the horizon perhaps?). But geez 4.4, that is tempting to say the least.

I'd probably quickest on the 2.26 tbh. But the 4.4 is insane but at the same time understandable given how we often lack the x factor.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

5 Test series between the current best 2 sides is next summer though.

Be 1st v 4th by the time that comes round though.

 

[benchmark00]

Be 1st v 4th by the time that comes round though.

England got a few away series coming up?

 

[Cabinet96]

England got a few away series coming up?

Indeed. In fact we have pretty much the same series as you do before the Ashes. Go to India after we finish the SA series, much like Australia. I wouldn't be surprised if neither of England or Australia are number 1 by the Ashes tbh. And I would be equally unsurprised if Australia are number 1 and we're number 4.

 

[Furball]

India and New Zealand away this winter.

Australia have South Africa and Sri Lanka at home then India away.

 

[Uppercut]

Pretty insane odds going for this first test match. Eng at 2.94, SA at 4.4 and the draw at 2.26 (bad weather on the horizon perhaps?). But geez 4.4, that is tempting to say the least.

Yeah it's been pissing down non-stop all summer.

4.4 looks about right to me, don't fancy South Africa at all. They've had a very unimpressive year, and England are pretty strong at home.