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***Official*** New Zealand in South Africa

TT Boy

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Is the pitch that dire, I mean Ntini and Dale Steyn looked pretty comfortable this morning and last night when the new ball was taken runs were flowing sure the New Zealanders bowled badly but AB looked pretty much safe as houses all afternoon. I just think as a batsman you just have to apply yourself and grit it out and the New Zealand top order have failed to do that, Fleming gifted his wicket away whilst the rest especially Nathan Astle and Scott Styris really looked like they did not fancy this one bit.
 
I

Isolator

State 12th Man
Macka said:
Yellow is what it is. Simply pathetic. You reckon Pointing would have done the same? This just continues to show that Fleming is incapable of standing up as captain. I don't know how we will ever win consistantly with a mentally inadequate captain.
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"Pointing" isn't the smartest captain around, firstly. Secondly, it was a good move. Maybe they should have reversed the whole batting order. Bradman did that once on a tricky pitch, it paid off, and no one called him "yellow" for it.

marshall will get a crappy 30 not out and be kept in the tea for the next game
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I guess everyone will be switching to coffee, then...
 
Loony BoB

Loony BoB

International Captain
I would say it's a mixture - slightly to do with the bad pitch but mostly to do with Ntini bowling fantastically as he has done for some time now.
 
_Ed_

_Ed_

Request Your Custom Title Now!
TT Boy said:
Is the pitch that dire, I mean Ntini and Dale Steyn looked pretty comfortable this morning and last night when the new ball was taken runs were flowing sure the New Zealanders bowled badly but AB looked pretty much safe as houses all afternoon. I just think as a batsman you just have to apply yourself and grit it out and the New Zealand top order have failed to do that, Fleming gifted his wicket away whilst the rest especially Nathan Astle and Scott Styris really looked like they did not fancy this one bit.
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The sun was still shining then while there was a heavy cloud cover in the New Zealand innings. I don't want to take anything away from Ntini, he bowled fantastically, but that cloud cover made the ball move around even more and the lack of light made the ball difficult to see at times.
 
Kippax

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year
Macka said:
Yellow is what it is. Simply pathetic. You reckon Pointing would have done the same? This just continues to show that Fleming is incapable of standing up as captain. I don't know how we will ever win consistantly with a mentally inadequate captain.
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The thing I don't get is what happened to Fleming's "technical transformation" often quoted around the time his book was released?

From various quotes lately we now seem to have the "just wanna have fun" Fleming back for the remainder of his career, familiar bad habits, a bit of dasher capable of the odd 60 or 70 in the middle-order with no genuine purple patches. Is this World Cup build-up, or Fleming simply looking to avoid 'doing a Rigor' and burning out his enjoyment of the game prematurely?

Regardless, I'm not sure the Fleming that you and I were pushing for to remain as an opening option exists any more.
 
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Loony BoB

Loony BoB

International Captain
Personally, I don't see that Fleming returning until Bracewell is gone. I always felt he was at his best during the times when he was the dominant figure of NZ cricket and the coaches played second fiddle. Bracewell has definitely done well with our ODI side, but I think he goes too far, and I think that Fleming would be more in control of his game if he was more in control of his team.

EDIT: Play resumes... is this a change in conditions enough for NZ to stage some kind of fight on? Or is it just a "back to it" scenario? :(
 
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Jono

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Ntini = Champion!

The odd thing about this match is, whoever goes on to win this match, the losing team will feel like they have 'snatched defeat from the jaws of victory' as has been said earlier in this thread.

Firstly SA were well on top with the bat, then NZ fought back, then SA were running right through NZ in the 1st innings, and then NZ fought back and took a 1st innings lead. NZ were also on top with the ball in the 2nd innings but then SA fought back, and now SA are well on top with the ball.

Both sides have thrown away the advantage they have had (or had the advantage taken from them by the opposition to give credit where itsd ue), it remains to be seen whether SA keep the advantage or another twist is yet to occur.
 
Jono

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Blaze said:
Kallis said last night that he has been dissapointed with the pitches all summer. I agree this pitch is a shocker. Unpredictable bounce from Day 1? Still, South Africa have used the new ball a lot better than we did.
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I haven't been able to watch 1 ball of this test match so I have absolutely no idea how bad the pitch has played, but I have no idea why Kallis would be 'disappointed' with the pitches that were served up during the SA v Aus series.

It was very very refreshing to see bowler friendly conditions where batsman had to fight for runs at various points in the series. I must admit I prefer to watch tests when batsman are tested (but not to the extent where the ball is well dominant of the bat (unless on the rare occasion) just like bat completely dominating ball shouldn't occur often either) so I've found the recent test pitches nice. It hasn't stopped Oram, Vettori, Kallis and DeVilliers getting runs. Its not like its impossible to bat out there is it?
 
Loony BoB

Loony BoB

International Captain
I love bowler-friendly games, but I don't like it when it's an uneven pitch that controls what happens rather than the bowler... if the bowler tries to bowl a bouncer and gets them out as it stays low purely because the hit an awkward part of the pitch and gets someone out lbw, then that's what I call bad luck. The best example of this was one of the NZ vs England games where balls were bouncing and dipping every ball, and it became nigh on impossible for the batsmen to predict it - and it got worse and worse as the game went on.

This pitch isn't nearly as bad as that one... it's not a good pitch by any means but it isn't horrible and yes, it is possible to score runs on it if you get yourself in.

EDIT: I've always thought that the toss is too vital during some tests, though - I think it would be interesting if away sides always got to choose if they bat/bowl first, and for those taking care of the pitch to do whatever they like to the pitch (to a limit, obviously) so that the pitch will always be as fair as possible to both sides. That would probably create fairer games, as far as I'm concerned.

EDIT AGAIN: McCullum really going for it. Two sixes, and 33 off 32 so far.
 
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luckyeddie

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
Jono said:
The odd thing about this match is, whoever goes on to win this match, the losing team will feel like they have 'snatched defeat from the jaws of victory' as has been said earlier in this thread.
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South Africa have been on top on so many separate occasions at one time or another during the game that even if they lost, Richard would in all probability claim the series, not just the match.
 
Loony BoB

Loony BoB

International Captain
Okay, I can imagine it, but I think it would be one of the greatest comebacks in test history if it happened.
 
aussie

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Blaze said:
I could react like Aussie would but I won't... it's just a game after all...

****ing usless *****s!!! ;)
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you cant, really your team isn't being embarassed by the minnows of the world. But lets leave it as that..
 
luckyeddie

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
The impressive record within Marshall's reach is the lowest score in the history of test cricket by an opener carrying his bat through a completed test innings. This currently stands to Bernard Tancred (South Africa) with a sterling effort of 26 against England in 1889.
 
Loony BoB

Loony BoB

International Captain
Ha. I don't know if that's a good or bad record to have. Where did you find that out, eddie?

Off for bad light for the second time today.
 
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