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

[Jono]

He is right though, that England would be winning this if they'd held their catches. It's not as though chances haven't been created.

Chances are created on concrete too. But ultimately when you just look at how this pitch has played (even ignoring the scoreline) you know its the flattest of flat tracks to a point where it isn't acceptable for international cricket. A good pitch will give you LBWs and Bowleds as well, so even if catches are being dropped surely someone goes out in another fashion.

Watch Eng collapse this morning now...

 

[Spikey]

kookaburra thrilled with the focus on the pitch and not the ball

 

[Furball]

I just hate pitch blaming in general. Its literally the last excuse any player/fan/analyst should resort to. Especially in this game where you've had as many catches dropped as wickets taken, some bad captaincy/bowling, and some really good batting.

Come off it, in Anderson, Broad and Morkel you have 3 of the best seamers in the world playing this game. 4 wickets between them in 101 overs of bowling has everything to do with the pitch.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Chances are created on concrete too. But ultimately when you just look at how this pitch has played (even ignoring the scoreline) you know its the flattest of flat tracks to a point where it isn't acceptable for international cricket. A good pitch will give you LBWs and Bowleds as well, so even if catches are being dropped surely someone goes out in another fashion.

Watch Eng collapse this morning now...

Oh I agree it's a bad pitch, no doubt. Wouldn't have gotten the hate it deserves if England could catch is my point.

 

[cnerd123]

Yea its still a flat ptich; but calling it the sole reason we have no result is so misguided given the number of catches dropped and the quality of batting on display. Not to mention some appalling bowling and captaincy. The pitch should literally be the last reason on the list.

Reserve the pitch hate for when it is genuinely the only reason a match drifs off into a draw; not every time the scoreline reads 600 vs 600.

 

[Prince EWS]

I'd hate this pitch even if produced a result tbh.

 

[Jono]

Its not that the pitch reads 600 vs 600. Its that we basically had the third innings starting on day 5, and that is with a batsman scoring the second fastest double ton ever (so you'd assume the third innings would start earlier)

 

[cnerd123]

#FlatPitchesArePitchesToo #AllPitchesMatter #SayNoToHomogenisedCricket

 

[Jono]

Important to also note that this isn't a 600 vs 600 pitch. Both teams declared with batsmen still well and truly in. Its potentially 800 vs 800

 

[MrPrez]

Yea its still a flat ptich; but calling it the sole reason we have no result is so misguided given the number of catches dropped and the quality of batting on display. Not to mention some appalling bowling and captaincy. The pitch should literally be the last reason on the list.

Reserve the pitch hate for when it is genuinely the only reason a match drifs off into a draw; not every time the scoreline reads 600 vs 600.

I'd definitely argue against the scores being a result of the 'quality batting on display.'

Not that the batting was bad, but the South African innings has seen a hell of a lot of batsmen get runs under their belt. It's clearly a fill-your-boots sort of pitch.

 

[Stefan9]

This pitch is the type of pitch were you need a real fast bowler (the 150kph + types) or a mystery spinner. Neither side has any of those thought hence the easy times all the batsman are having.

Having said that if SA had bowled a better lenght and amla done better with his bowling changes and field placements then england wouldn't have gotten 600 and if england hadn't dropped 10 catches then SA wouldn't have gotten 600. So just blaming the pitch isn't right either.

 

[artvandalay]

Maybe the Duke balls need to be used the world over. Kookaburras don't do much after the first 10 and don't reverse much either as the comms were discussing yesterday.

 

[wowitspink]

You know this makes stokes double ton and bairstow's 150 look not all that impressive now...its the type of pitch where even out of form batsman can make runs if he applies..

 

[GotSpin]

Yea its still a flat ptich; but calling it the sole reason we have no result is so misguided given the number of catches dropped and the quality of batting on display. Not to mention some appalling bowling and captaincy. The pitch should literally be the last reason on the list.

Reserve the pitch hate for when it is genuinely the only reason a match drifs off into a draw; not every time the scoreline reads 600 vs 600.

Its not the last reason...wtf

 

[Groundking]

When arguable the best swing bowler in the world can't get the ball to do anything, even taking into account the crappy Kookaburra ball, you know it's a god awful pitch, coupled with the fact that we're not even getting any help for the spin bowling (97 overs of spin, for no wickets) and you really aren't going to get a result. The pitch is utter crap, and the venue should be fined for such an awful pitch, producing such awful cricket.

 

[MrPrez]

When arguable the best swing bowler in the world can't get the ball to do anything, even taking into account the crappy Kookaburra ball, you know it's a god awful pitch, coupled with the fact that we're not even getting any help for the spin bowling (97 overs of spin, for no wickets) and you really aren't going to get a result. The pitch is utter crap, and the venue should be fined for such an awful pitch, producing such awful cricket.

It's worth noting as well that blaming the Kookaburra would be stupid given the previous match.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Maybe the Duke balls need to be used the world over. Kookaburras don't do much after the first 10 and don't reverse much either as the comms were discussing yesterday.

Botham will go on about this all day today.

 

[Compton]

Botham will go on about this all day today.

He's already had his first moan about it

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Boom

 

[Stefan9]

Fantastic start for SA.