*Official* England in South Africa 2019/20

[Pup Clarke]

What's he just said?

Mumble jumble is the best explanation really. Cliches abound

 

[Heboric]

Well done boys

Surely that is the first Zak to play meaningful level cricket:

Zak Crawley - Check Crawley's News, Career, Age, Rankings, Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com



Nah, I often read in the English media complaining about not enough warm up games, if it was up to them they would play 5 warm up games

Im not Nostradamus folks:

England's build-up to Test series away from home is poor. Their preparation is not good enough. They have two warm-up games, which are glorified nets. Especially playing somewhere like South Africa, you need to have more time to acclimatise. It's ridiculous to expect England to perform well in overseas conditions when you have two meaningless warm-up games
. - Simon Hughes The Analyst on The Cricket Social

https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/cricket/49810517

 

[Bijed]

He's shown absolutely nothing with the bat at Test level. Kind of wonder what kind of innings he's played at FC level...

I pretty much never get on board with the following line of thinking, but until facing more international bowling leads to him (hopefully) being a bit more comfortable against it, he may as well go full slog when he's batting. Don't get me wrong, usually a tailender who scores fewer runs but hangs around builds a partnership is worth more than one who smashes a few quick boundaries and gets out, but he can't even survive long enough to even start a partnership right now so may as well try to find the ropes before he just gets out to the first vaguely-ok delivery he faces anyway.

 

[Spark]

I pretty much never get on board with the following line of thinking, but until facing more international bowling leads to him (hopefully) being a bit more comfortable against it, he may as well go full slog when he's batting. Don't get me wrong, usually a tailender who scores fewer runs but hangs around builds a partnership is worth more than one who smashes a few quick boundaries and gets out, but he can't even survive long enough to even start a partnership right now so may as well try to find the ropes before he just gets out to the first vaguely-ok delivery he faces anyway.

Yeah right now he looks like a bona fide #11, not a guy who has 6 FC fifties in 29 (non-Test) games. Just looks like the step up from Div 2 to Test level bowling (against very decent pace attacks exclusively) has really caught him out for now.

EDIT: I guess he did play a decent knock at Mt Manganui. NZ's attack lack the outright pace that the Aus/SA attacks have, so wonder if that could be what he hasn't adjusted to yet.

 

[Stefan9]

You wonder if Bavuma is fit what will happen?

I rather have hamza or pietersen open then malan..They will be opening if he plays anyway...

 

[Manee]

Yeah right now he looks like a bona fide #11, not a guy who has 6 FC fifties in 29 (non-Test) games. Just looks like the step up from Div 2 to Test level bowling (against very decent pace attacks exclusively) has really caught him out for now.

EDIT: I guess he did play a decent knock at Mt Manganui. NZ's attack lack the outright pace that the Aus/SA attacks have, so wonder if that could be what he hasn't adjusted to yet.

South Africa's attack is certainly a big step up from county cricket. There really doesn't feel a respite. The opening bowlers are exceptional and then the first change is rapid. Pretorious and Maharaj also both excellent!

 

[BSM]

Bad test for England but I think they will bounce back in the second test and put in better performances for the rest of the series. With all illness hopefully being gone from the camp, Pope will come in for Bairstow and depending on the pitch I think Leach comes in for Anderson/Curran

Also am I the only one who thinks that bowling first wasn't a catastrophic decision at all? Definitely weren't the catalyst for defeat that people are bigging it up to have been. That was our collapse in the first innings from being 142 - 3 to 181 all out. I'm hard pressed to look beyond that phase for reasons leading to our defeat, especially considering that the pitch was not playing up much at all. Could also look at when SA were 110-5 and we didn't capitalise but I'd also say we were pretty unlucky not to get de Kock early so I can't begrudge the bowling either.

 

[Bijed]

Also am I the only one who thinks that bowling first wasn't a catastrophic decision at all?

Fair call - if the test was replayed I'd still want to bat frist but at 111-5 the decision had sort of worked for us (though mostly thanks to poor batting that good bowling) and yeah, as you say it was pretty much the collapse that killed our chances

 

[Manee]

Fair call - if the test was replayed I'd still want to bat frist but at 111-5 the decision had sort of worked for us (though mostly thanks to poor batting that good bowling) and yeah, as you say it was pretty much the collapse that killed our chances

Agreed! Toss is never a science! Jofra's first innings performance, Bairstow and EnglandCollapse(TM) are a lot greater concerns.

 

[Heboric]

Bad test for England but I think they will bounce back in the second test and put in better performances for the rest of the series. With all illness hopefully being gone from the camp, Pope will come in for Bairstow and depending on the pitch I think Leach comes in for Anderson/Curran

Also am I the only one who thinks that bowling first wasn't a catastrophic decision at all? Definitely weren't the catalyst for defeat that people are bigging it up to have been. That was our collapse in the first innings from being 142 - 3 to 181 all out. I'm hard pressed to look beyond that phase for reasons leading to our defeat, especially considering that the pitch was not playing up much at all. Could also look at when SA were 110-5 and we didn't capitalise but I'd also say we were pretty unlucky not to get de Kock early so I can't begrudge the bowling either.

On the flipside, Proteas are difficult to beat at Newlands, im sure they will say its their favourite ground to play at

 

[honestbharani]

Well done RSA!!! Not just on the win but another exciting test match. Best pitches and place for test match cricket, hands down.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

The batting collapse just compounded the issue. The tone was set by a poor decision at the toss and allowing a score at least 50 above par.

 

[Stefan9]

Bad test for England but I think they will bounce back in the second test and put in better performances for the rest of the series. With all illness hopefully being gone from the camp, Pope will come in for Bairstow and depending on the pitch I think Leach comes in for Anderson/Curran

Also am I the only one who thinks that bowling first wasn't a catastrophic decision at all? Definitely weren't the catalyst for defeat that people are bigging it up to have been. That was our collapse in the first innings from being 142 - 3 to 181 all out. I'm hard pressed to look beyond that phase for reasons leading to our defeat, especially considering that the pitch was not playing up much at all. Could also look at when SA were 110-5 and we didn't capitalise but I'd also say we were pretty unlucky not to get de Kock early so I can't begrudge the bowling either.

Only cause SA is also a bad test batting lineup not cause of any tactical genius from root. He also got lucky with the weather, day 3 and 4 were cloudy, if they were the normal hot pretoria summer days the pitch breaks up even more and he really has egg on his face.

His decision to bowl first along with the decision to play no spinner were atrocious(maharaj showed the value of a spinner)...

The fact that he nearly got lucky doesn't change it.

 

[Burgey]

Um, Roy and Hales? They're talented stroke makers obviously, but very one-paced at how they structure an innings (i.e if they doesn't get off to a flyer they'll just deadbat)

With Sehwag and more recently Rohit, it of course can be done, but it needs a certain pitch/conditions completely tailored to their game for them to be influential (specifically for Roy/Hales I mean)

Nah, if you’re an established international player and you’re still batting like that then it’s a coaching/ mental issue. There’s no reason blokes who are capable of what they do in th shorter formats can’t at least adapt to a point where they make a meaningful contribution, even if they don’t turn into test cricket legends.

It’s pathetic really, but still good to see as an england hater. They’re heading for a 90s level run of mediocrity, and I for one cannot wait.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Setting up nicely for another 8/50 special.

7/64 as it turned out.

A fair collapse, but not a classic to end the decade.

 

[artvandalay]

Saw that. Finn has to be one of the weirdest stories how far he has fallen off the radar. Wasn't getting games for Middlesex. It was always a debate with him and Woakes coming through together at England u19s that they were the future.

whats he upto nowadays anyway? I saw him at one of Watfords games on tv and wondered why he isn't being considered anymore.

 

[D/L]

Good bowling by South Africa and our reliance on one day shots was repeated in our second innings. It was a thoroughly deserved victory for the side playing test cricket the way it should be played.

 

[Heboric]

Squirts update:

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/EnglandinSA/sibley-latest-england-illness-victim-20191230
Sibley down

 

[wpdavid]

Good bowling by South Africa and our reliance on one day shots was repeated in our second innings. It was a thoroughly deserved victory for the side playing test cricket the way it should be played.

Is that really what happened in our second innings? Buttler maybe, but he only had Broad for company by then. I know Burns was caught of a mis-timed hook, but he was hardly in one-day mode. I thought they were just too good for us yesterday. The match was lost on Days 1 & 2 really.

 

[StephenZA]

QDK first innings changed the nature of the match. Also when the SA change bowlers in the Eng first innings after lunch starting bowling decent line and length stuff. And a special mention for Maharaj in the 2nd innings who took the wickets of Sibley and Stokes at critical points and stopped Eng from gaining momentum.