*Official* England in South Africa Thread

[Scaly piscine]

You England fans are truly amazing.. I bet most others would be permanantly on cloud nine if they were offered such a dominant run in test matches...

You think Australia would have been the best team in the World with that attitude?

 

[superkingdave]

He was talking about the fans, not the team

 

[Scaly piscine]

So because England has a much better team than SA but they've played half-*rsed a lot of the time and I'm a fan I'm not supposed to expect better?

 

[Langeveldt]

Is Bob Key going to be another quaint, completely gay nickname like Freddie Flintoff seems to have adopted?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

It'd have to be "Tony" Key to be equally far-fetched... (Key -> Lock -> Tony Lock...)

 

[BoyBrumby]

Yep, "Tony" is an impressively convoluted nickname for Mr Key!

But isn't "Bob" just the traditional diminutive of "Robert"?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I've heard Rob Key, don't think anyone's ever used Bob before...though of course "Bob" is widely popular as a diminutive, especially across the pond.

 

[Marcus]

Leave the house at 300 odd for 7.....find that they got 441 and that we are 4 dowen allready....puts a bad day at work in perspective really....hopefully Thorpe can pull this innings around t-rrow and that flinoff etc can help with him, we still have good batcsmen to come in. Although whats with the poor first innings in the lasts few tests? That pitch is a batters paradise even though iot had a bit in it today i believe any standard of batsmen would believe they could score runs off that track.....we need to grind out this innings passing the follow on at the very least...which to be honest should be easy enough.....at least Butcher is happy anyway with Key failing to score...letys hope he'll have a better 2nd innings....the first hour t-rrow is the most important and if we can play through that it can only get better...if not and we lose a few early wickets we could be facing the follow on....although our second innings performances are better

 

[Steulen]

Most probably they'll get Hoggard early and England are looking at 100/5 or some such. It's then up to Thorpe, Flintoff and Jones to score the remaining 300 odd runs...or 100 odd to save the follow on (though I have my doubts whether that would be enforced by Smith). All in all, it's not looking good for England.

Thorpe didn't look too good at the crease today, he had big problems playing Boje. Ntini, Langeveldt and Pollock were all bowling shortish on a good line. If they can keep that up tomorrow, Flintoff and Jones in particular will find it difficult to play their natural game.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

i think Jones and Flintoff will love the shortish of a length line. They just have to mind they dont play too expansively too early and be wary of any traps set for them.

 

[superkingdave]

[optomists mode]Thorpe to get a double ton, Flintoff 120, Jones 80 ish. England make 550-600. SA all out for 220 leaving around 100 to win[/optomists mode]

we can all wish

 

[Tom Halsey]

Hmm, it all went a bit ****-over-tit there, and at 52-0 or whatever it was it all looked OK.

SA well on top, but I still think we've got hope.

 

[Marcus]

Hoggard just needs to stick around for the moring, putting together runs...hes a not bad batsmen reallly working on his game last season....hes scored 50s for yorkshire as well.....as for thr follow on....i agree smith props wouldnt enforce it due to the weather and the heat out there....flintoff and jones are key agaoin to the middle order...it will be seen if South Africa can bowl well t-rrow...they were high on wot was a amaing 1st innings made by kallis in the main......not even 441 was expected by smith i would expect......lets hope at the least england can bat through the follow on target, then thats one obstacle out of the way

 

[Richard Rash]

Is Bob Key going to be another quaint, completely gay nickname like Freddie Flintoff seems to have adopted?

Haha great call..why do they come up with all these pofta nicknames..

 

[Langeveldt]

Haha great call..why do they come up with all these pofta nicknames..

I've no idea.. People just don't get it..

 

[PY]

Freddie's nickname, I'm led to believe, comes from when he was over-weight and not too mobile and he got stuck with an amalgamation of Andrew Flintoff and Fred Flintstone.

Why are they such bad nicknames? I don't see the problem with them to be honest.....

 

[superkingdave]

The rest of the team hardly have imaginative nicknames

Tresco, Butch, Thorpey, Gilo, Hoggy, Harmy etc

I believe Key is known as Keysie

Strauss is known as Brocket

 

[Langeveldt]

Freddie Flintoff just sounds horribly ye olde quaint cringe inducing, thats all...

 

[marc71178]

Most probably they'll get Hoggard early and England are looking at 100/5 or some such.

I'm not so sure about that.

Hoggard will not throw his wicket away, and has on times batted 90 minutes or so as a NWM.

That would be ideal tomorrow (even if he only gets 10 runs) IMO.

 

[Pratters]

Where have I?

And of course we shouldn't listen to the groundsman who suggested it before the game should we, I mean what would he know?

Of course runs have to be made, but when the pitch is flat it's a lot easier to do so.

Its easier to make the runs when the pitch is flat but its not a LOT easier. Wasnt England batting on the same pitch as South Africa?

No, but then again the West Indies side they faced were a shambles. THis England side is not.

It was to rebutt your comment when you said South Africa havent performed well at home since the South Africa side has become less effective internationally. Beating a weak Windies so convincingly isnt a meek achievment. Wasnt the English fan raving about beating a similar Windies side home and away in 2004? You still have to be strong to beat the Windies so strongly as were South Africa at home.