***Official*** England in South Africa 2015/16

[OverratedSanity]

Come on that's absolutely not true.
2010-11 Away Ashes - Once again he looked the guy with the best form but coming in at number 6 or 7 after Paul Collingwood, he was running out of partners. Had he batted at 4 or 5 in that series, once again he would have scored a truckload of runs

2011 India - Enough said

2009 South Africa - he won them the test match, not to mention helping them draw another.
2nd Test: South Africa v England at Durban, Dec 26-30, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo
3rd Test: South Africa v England at Cape Town, Jan 3-7, 2010 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

People don't remember that's a different matter. But the guy has performed on numerous occasions other than the 2013 home Ashes.

I see you're unable to name any series after 2011. He averages low 30s in the last 4 years ffs. How lame do you have to be to get the axe? If that's not dropable form I don't know what is.

 

[OverratedSanity]

33 is not old for a batsman. And I agree that there were no alternatives for Cook, just like I feel the same with Bell now. Putting forward Ballance as a better alternative is like putting forward Lyth as a better alternative to Cook.
.

Come on, I'm pretty sure you don't actually believe this.

 

[Gnske]

33 is not old for a batsman. And I agree that there were no alternatives for Cook, just like I feel the same with Bell now. Putting forward Ballance as a better alternative is like putting forward Lyth as a better alternative to Cook.

Hardly, Ballance had a tough run last year but he actually has credentials in Test cricket, hardly comparable.

 

[Black_Warrior]

I see you're unable to name any series after 2011. He averages low 30s in the last 4 years ffs. How lame do you have to be to get the axe? If that's not dropable form I don't know what is.

Now you're changing the goal post sir. First you said he has done NOTHING other than the 2013 Ashes. You didn't specify post 2011

In one of my earlier posts i mentioned his 2014 India series as well.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

All this mixing and matching of a load of mediocre cricketers is largely immaterial. Nothing has changed since the beginning of the summer. If Cook and Root make runs and Broad and Anderson bowl well we'll be competitive. If these four don't perform consistently we're up the creek in the proverbial barbed wire sailing vessel.

 

[Black_Warrior]

All this mixing and matching of a load of mediocre cricketers is largely immaterial. Nothing has changed since the beginning of the summer. If Cook and Root make runs and Broad and Anderson bowl well we'll be competitive. If these four don't perform consistently we're up the creek in the proverbial barbed wire sailing vessel.

Just about sums up England

 

[OverratedSanity]

Now you're changing the goal post sir. First you said he has done NOTHING other than the 2013 Ashes. You didn't specify post 2011

In one of my earlier posts i mentioned his 2014 India series as well.

This is lame. I never said Bell's never done anything apart from the 2013 ashes. Seen in the context of my post which was about Bell's form in the last few years it should've been obvious that I'm not talking about his entire career.

 

[91Jmay]

Yeah that team is pretty ****. I understand them not wanting to blood youngsters on a tour like this but have to say I'd have taken a gamble or two. I don't rate Compton like most on here (massive back up Quarterback syndrome with him), Ballance in South Africa seems like worst possible conditions for him (why wouldn't you pick him for Pakistan but pick him for S.A?). Not a great deal of talent at the right age in England at the moment. Lots of young players I like the look of but not many in the 24-28 age group.

 

[Marius]

In the last series, where England was much stronger, they were lucky to get a 1-1 draw.

Don't see the Poms doing the same this time around (probably famous last words...)

 

[Furball]

Now you're changing the goal post sir. First you said he has done NOTHING other than the 2013 Ashes. You didn't specify post 2011

In one of my earlier posts i mentioned his 2014 India series as well.

Bell had a horrendous 2012, a great home Ashes amidst not a lot else, and has done nothing since.

Cook went a while without a ton but he made plenty of 50s. Bell's batting in binary at the moment.

 

[Furball]

In the last series, where England was much stronger, they were lucky to get a 1-1 draw.

Don't see the Poms doing the same this time around (probably famous last words...)

Luckily South Africa are utterly garbage outwith their 3 gun players.

 

[LegionOfBrad]

In the last series, where England was much stronger, they were lucky to get a 1-1 draw.

Don't see the Poms doing the same this time around (probably famous last words...)

Bowling wise the Saffas are still strong but they don't have anywhere near the quality of batting lineup that had last time around.

 

[Spark]

In the last series, where England was much stronger, they were lucky to get a 1-1 draw.

Don't see the Poms doing the same this time around (probably famous last words...)

In fairness, that was still very much a developing side - none of Swann, Anderson, Broad, KP or Bell had really hit their peaks yet (or in KP's case he was between peaks), and Cook was about to spend months in struggletown.

 

[Marius]

Luckily South Africa are utterly garbage outwith their 3 gun players.

I see your point, but I'm not sure I agree.

After Steyn, Morkel and Philander have done well at Test level. Philander seems to be getting back into form and bowled well in the first Test against India. After those three the back up seamers are Rabada, Abbott, and De Lange (probably in that order) who are all better than the Poms' back ups.

Our top six isn't looking too bad either - AB is AB, Hash will find form sometime, and Faf has been unlucky so far in the Tests India - he was batting well in the ODI series. Our openers are maybe slightly more iffy but Van Zyl and Elgar haven't done anything to make me doubt them yet. Our number six is probably the most vulnerable spot - Duminy hasn't really kicked on in his career, and I still have my doubts about Bavuma.

With the keeper, I'm not sure Vilas will play against England - De Kock has been keeping well in SA, and is in good form with the bat again, so he'll probably come back for the Tests (unless Vilas does something amazing in the next two India Tests).

And probably for the first time ever after isolation we're close to equal in the spin department. Ali is probably better than Piedt, Harmer, and Tahir, but not by much, and all three the SA spinners are better spinners than Patel (although Patel does offer you something with the bat).

That said, you have made me reassess what I said - England probably won't get hammered, but SA still looks like they'll take the series.

Anyway, SA and England always produce awesome Test series and this one won't be any different I don't think.

 

[Marius]

In fairness, that was still very much a developing side - none of Swann, Anderson, Broad, KP or Bell had really hit their peaks yet (or in KP's case he was between peaks), and Cook was about to spend months in struggletown.

Yeah, good point, but Swann played like a champ in that series though - he's the reason it was a 1-1 draw, really.

 

[91Jmay]

Aside from 2 players nothing about S.A batting scares me. Shame the 2 players are all time greats and can basically win test matches on their own (Faf is good but not a great player, don't fear him).

Their bowling stocks much deeper than ours with injuries to Wood/Finn.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, good point, but Swann played like a champ in that series though - he's the reason it was a 1-1 draw, really.

Yeah Swann shared MOTS if I remember rightly

 

[Watson33]

Think this series will be a lot tighter than people on here seem to think. One of the major battles which will go a long way to deciding who wins the series (imho) is Broad & Jimmy vs Steyn/Morkel. Both sides have pretty ordinary batting line-ups with exceptions to a couple of players and both have average spin departments.

 

[Cabinet96]

Samit Patel chuckled at South Africa tour call | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

We all did Samit.

 

[grecian]

This Cook didn't score a ton for two years **** has got to stop, he had a bad trot, but averaged nearly 50 against India, even without a ton. I know KP probably thinks it's the only thing that matters as it triggers money from his sponsors, but it's pretty irrelevant.

As others have said he's just better than Bell (and I've been a fan of Ian), so just stop with this false equivalancy BS.

Btw don't think B allance will play, almost certain it will be

Cook
Hales
Compton

in some order.