*Official* England in South Africa

[GIMH]

I'll settle for a deficit of 100 or less on the proviso that Strauss pulls his finger out second time round

 

[Jayzamann]

At least this test it wasn't de Wet Steyn.

Snap.

It'll be interesting to see how Sidebottom does on this deck, he has a lot to do to justify his selection.

 

[GIMH]

I hope Sidey invokes the spirit of New Zealand 08, if he does we might win by an innings

 

[aussie]

The problem is, Harmison would have spent the last month moping about and getting homesick and whether this is his kind of surface or not, he wouldn't have played for weeks and would be ****.

Dull stereotype. Harmo never complained about homesickness for years since the 04/05 SA tour. The frustration with his bowling on away tours has basically been because he is poor bowler on flat decks.

So what if he wouldn't have played for weeks?. Sidebottom hasn't & he is in today. As i said before the tour Harmo was our Flintoff replacement, just in case a bouncy deck like this arrived.

Broad can hit the deck, he's 6' 5" ffs.

He will get bounce, but wont test the batsman with at the body bowling like Morkel, since he is not as fast/lethal as Morkel or Harmo on such a surface.

Plus Broad doesn't suffer from some mysterious ailment where he bowls like a spacker as soon as he travels more than 150 miles from his mummy

. More dull stereotypes. Lets just deal with the actual cricketening facts please, which prove that such surfaces like this one @ Jo'Burg is where Harmison is at his best.

 

[Woodster]

Come on Siddy boy, let's have an early strike. Don't think it's necessarily been a fair move to drop Onions, but think Siddy can have an impact here.

 

[Pratters]

Excellent four. Full pitched tbf.

 

[wpdavid]

Any chance of Sidearse actually making a batsman play at a ball?

 

[Furball]

. More dull stereotypes. Lets just deal with the actual cricketening facts please, which prove that such surfaces like this one @ Jo'Burg is where Harmison is at his best.

Ok, we'll deal in facts. Harmison is ****ing useless outside of England, and has been for years.

SJ Harmison away since October 2004:

Mat  	Inns  	Overs  	Mdns  	Runs  	Wkts  	BBI  	BBM  	Ave  	Econ  	SR  	5  	10
21  	37  	738.4  	121  	2428  	48  	4/48  	6/89  	50.58  	3.28  	92.3  	0  	0

 

[Scaly piscine]

Sidebottom not looking innocuous yet?

 

[Andrew Pollock]

Plus Broad doesn't suffer from some mysterious ailment where he bowls like a spacker as soon as he travels more than 150 miles from his mummy.

 

[King Pietersen]

Co-Incidence that both Scaly's posts slagging off Sidebottom and hyping Onions have come when Botham's been off commentary, or in a break of play?

 

[Jack88]

Goddamnit rain. KP 2nd innings double century saviour innings FTW!

 

[wpdavid]

So what's the forecast for the rest of today?


Here's what the Beeb reckon over rthe next 5 days, fwiw.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/82?count=10

 

[aussie]

Ok, we'll deal in facts. Harmison is ****ing useless outside of England, and has been for years.

SJ Harmison away since October 2004:

Mat  	Inns  	Overs  	Mdns  	Runs  	Wkts  	BBI  	BBM  	Ave  	Econ  	SR  	5  	10
21  	37  	738.4  	121  	2428  	48  	4/48  	6/89  	50.58  	3.28  	92.3  	0  	0

. I knew you would bring up this stat, which is nothing more than stats picking. Now my expert please tell me how many pitches you remember since SA 2004/05 where on tour ENG have had such a bouncy foreign deck like the current one today?

 

[GIMH]

sooooo...this is a three-day shower, right?

 

[Pizzorno]

I've only just woken up and i'm not too fussed about the being skittled for 180 because I completely expected it, but WTF IS SIDEBOTTOM DOING IN THE TEAM?!

No way should Onions have been dropped, and if you are gonna drop him replace him with Plunkett and not a complete wasteman like Sidebottom.

 

[Kyle]

sooooo...this is a three-day shower, right?

Looks like covers coming off now.

Jo'burg does often have big storms at 4pm-ish.

 

[Woodster]

Covers gone back on now!

 

[Furball]

. I knew you would bring up this stat, which is nothing more than stats picking. Now my expert please tell me how many pitches you remember since SA 2004/05 where on tour ENG have had such a bouncy foreign deck like the current one today?

For starters, most decks in Australia.

Secondly, Harmison has been utter ****e often enough not to merit a chance on the 1 in a million chance that he might do something half way useful with the ball. 48 wickets in 37 innings is ****ing hopeless, whatever way you look at it.

And stats picking nothing. Those are Harmison's away stats for England in the last 5 years, I've not left out any series where he's done ok in order to make him look worse. 48 wickets @ 50 from 37 innings, no 5fors, SR of 92. Only in your deranged world would someone as proven a failure as that deserve to be picked.

 

[aussie]

For starters, most decks in Australia.

Yea which deck in the Ashes 2006/07 was a boucy as this one today? NONE.

Actually the Perth 1st innings when ENG bowled AUS out for 240 odd was the only bouncy deck of that series & SURPRISE SUPRISE. Harmison took 4 wickets in the first innings, which was the only time in that Ashes he looked really threatening. So my point is proven.

Secondly, Harmison has been utter ****e often enough not to merit a chance on the 1 in a million chance that he might do something half way useful with the ball. 48 wickets in 37 innings is ****ing hopeless, whatever way you look at it.

The way i look at is by understanding what are Harmison strenghts & weaknesses as a bowler. If you do it your way, you just ending quoting stats blinding & talking crap about Harmison.

- He is poor a flat wickets, ENG on tours since SA 04/05 have always encounted flat pitches.

- Harmison is very good on pitches that over extra bounce. Check out all of his performances in ENG at the Oval since the summer of 2004. Which is very similar to what we have seen today.

This is why as i said before the tour picking him, given we have no Flintoff just in case we get such a surface like today would be perefect.

And stats picking nothing. Those are Harmison's away stats for England in the last 5 years, I've not left out any series where he's done ok in order to make him look worse. 48 wickets @ 50 from 37 innings, no 5fors, SR of 92. Only in your deranged world would someone as proven a failure as that deserve to be picked.

Nah son only you are in deranged world, since you are arguing on the flawed conventioned opinion that Harmison is 'always" useless on tour. Without actually reading through the lines to understand why this is & what conditions he is effective in. So yes you are stats picking.