Declaring at 350 a would've given England less time to bowl South Africa out rather than more. I thought the declaration came a little late too, but not that late.
You don't get extra points for finishing early.
Oh my god, you're actually Shane Warne aren't you?
Assuming no more rain, they gave themselves 136 overs to bowl South Africa out. If they'd set them 350, in all likelihood they'd have less time to get them out because South Africa would score quickly enough to pass the target if they didn't get out before then. As a first principle your declarations should always give you more time rather than less to bowl out the opposition.
The runs/over threshold should be such that you give yourself maximum time to try and get the 10 wickets without having to worry about runs being conceded.
Has there been any update on whether Vern is over his arse-spraying mayhem and will be fit for the next test?
I don`t think he has been truly fit for any of the tests..... but assuming it was just a virus that he has gotten over then he should be alright for the final test.
Maybe. Maybe.I do not have the fake blond hair either.
I thought he declared far too late, even continuing beyond Bairstow's fifty which was the height of silliness (although it was good fun seeing Roland-Jones biff the ball about). Alright, I'll meet you chaps halfway: at a minimum he should have declared 400 up. I actually felt sorry for Malan because he felt the need to go at a prodigious strike rate aware of a potential declaration; he went and the declaration didn't arrive until far later than I'm sure he expected. He could have played more circumspectly.
Look mate, cricket is a team game and sometimes a batsmen has to play a different game for the betterment of the team. This argument re Malan and protecting the batsmen's averages is just a nonsense and should never be in consideration when making declaration/follow on decisions.
