*Official* England in South Africa Thread

[Scaly piscine]

Difference being, Fred is quality: Ando I'm not sure of.

Well they're both a bit off it of late mentally speaking...

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Vaughan's gone. Regulation thin edge. Maybe left him a bit.

Think our 5, 6 & 7 are due a few runs.

Does England bat below 3 at the moment?

 

[Tom Halsey]

Flintoff 6, Flintoff out.

 

[Mr Casson]

Does England bat below 3 at the moment?

Vaughan seems to be back in it...

 

[Jono]

Does England bat below 3 at the moment?

Harmison?

 

[twctopcat]

Flintoff 6, Flintoff out.

Sums it up perfectly!

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think this is the first time this series I've actually been glad to see the teams go off for the light!

I'd take a draw now. I don't think with our bowlers in pieces we can seriously expect to take ten wickets in two sessions. Of course that's assuming we can actually bat to lunch anyway!

I wonder waht sort of team we're gonna be sending out for the 5th?

 

[marc71178]

Is there actually any geniune good spinners in England to take over from Giles?

Otherwise Vaughan should start to roll his arm over a lot more.

Vaughan's bowling is over-rated IMO - and he himself can't work out why people are calling for him to bowl more.

 

[marc71178]

both flintoff and hoggard have confirmed throughout this series that they are largely support bowlers.

As shown by them being England's 2 leading wicket takers...

 

[marc71178]

Yes, Vaughan was completely justified, and I'll never know why the umpire's took them off...

Same reason as the Second Test - the series conditions.

 

[marc71178]

this series actually sums it up perfectly, harmison was really our only strike bowler, jones on the rare occasions that he bowled well was too. hoggard and flintoff are simply the sort of bowlers who'll get 3/60 odd. not bad but not devastating.

If they gewt 3-60 odd time after time, that's 6 wickets a game, which is a very healthy strike rate.

 

[marc71178]

This is probably in wrong thread, but surely Jones's two drops in this match could be finally regarded as 'significant'??

Added in the fact that his batting of late has been far from brilliant!

Already cost one match, could this be a second one?

 

[marc71178]

If Vaughan suddenly doesn't fancy Giles's bowling (he was criminally underbowled in the first innings)

Injury isn't it?

 

[marc71178]

Does England bat below 3 at the moment?

Yes, at 8, 9 and 10!

 

[BoyBrumby]

Injury isn't it?

He's got a duff thumb (as has Geraint, which frankly may be a blessing), but didn't seem to stop him bowling.

I just hope we don't see the words "Gareth" and/or "Batty" on the team sheet for the 5th.

 

[tooextracool]

As shown by them being England's 2 leading wicket takers...

which is precisely my point, when your support bowlers are taking the most wickets you know you've got a problem with the bowling, and the fact is that bar the first test(which was largely due to simon jones anyways), the bowling hasnt really looked like taking 20 wickets. at durban we allowed SA to get 330 odd and couldnt dismiss them in the 2nd inning. even at newlands they got 441 and in this test they've got 419.

 

[tooextracool]

If they gewt 3-60 odd time after time, that's 6 wickets a game, which is a very healthy strike rate.

except that its highly unlikely that both of them bowl at their best in the same game, even if they did, since we dont have a strike bowler and the other 2 arent doing much, they would still get a big score.

 

[tooextracool]

let me just put it this way, if we go into the ashes with hoggard as our strike bowler, we're simply not going to win.

 

[tooextracool]

3/60 gives an average of 20

yes well done with that sherlock.

 

[twctopcat]

I wish this 5th game was a dead rubber to give jon lewis and bell a game. Having said that with our injury troubles maybe such changes will be unavoidable.