***Official*** Pakistan in South Africa

[Pratters]

Lower bounce for Asif than some South African bowlers but that may be much more because the South African bowlers hit the deck much more more often than not. We haven't seen dust come off the pitch when the balls have bounced on it or any thing. Still even bounce and an amazingly good pitch for a 5th day of a game.

 

[Pratters]

Two balls pitched around the same area had different bounces. What the broadcasters forgot was that the first ball Amla played and missed hit the crack and on this pitch you wont hit the cracks that often. So no cause for alarm where the pitch is concerned.

 

[Fusion]

Arrghhhh yet ANOTHER no ball from Asif! Eight in all so far.

 

[Pratters]

Nah, I am not convinced going around the wicket is the right strategy for Kaneria here. There is not huge uneven bounce and the batsmen will pad out 90% of the deliveries. He was much more potent around the wicket where he was forcing the batsmen to play more. Even around the wicket though, he was slipping too far towards the leg side because of the rough. Sticking to a middle and leg line from over the wicket would have been better for me because there is still sharp turn with that approach while making the players play more.

Update - Good to see him go over the wicket again now after one and half overs or so from around.

 

[Rajeev]

http://cricketvideosunplugged.blogspot.com/2007/01/sounds-like-boucher.html

Sounds like Boucher

 

[Pratters]

Lunch then. The Pakistanis (Asif and Kaneria) bowled very well apart from the few no balls of Asif and a couple of balls or so outside the leg stump. Amla and particularly Kallis batted well. The superb thing about Kallis was that he didn't play out of control shots and hit the balls for runs on his safe shots. The pitch is too good which means that if South Africa does not do any thing stupid, they will win the game comfortably. Even against Hafeez, the South Africans were careful which is not a good sign for Pakistan as it showed again in the session that the South Africans are very focussed on the job at hand. One weakness from Pakistan apart from the pitch is the lack of bowlers after Asif and Kaneria which is why they should bring back Asif and hope his craftiness can result in a few wickets and cause at least a flutter.

Over all, it was a short but good pre lunch session to watch.

 

[Rob T]

http://cricketvideosunplugged.blogspot.com/2007/01/sounds-like-boucher.html

Sounds like Boucher

Sounds like a few different voices.But from what i picked up it was something like:
First : F****** behaving like animals
Second: Bunch of Hyenas
First: F***** go back to the Zoo
F***** Pakistanis

 

[Pratters]

So many different lines and lengths of balls from Kaneria in that over hoping against hope that some thing will work. The time seems too short to enact a lengthier plan to work on batsmen and it is a case of getting impatient and desperate because of the given situation at hand.

 

[Pratters]

Footage shown of Akhtar bowling in the nets in the morning. Fraz will be delighted.

 

[Pratters]

Gibbs has said that the verbal abuse was directed at fans who hurled abuse at Paul Harris and it was meant only for his team mates. Doesn't make the words less offensive regardless of the circumstance in which it was said.

 

[Pratters]

Sad that no one else is commenting.

 

[Prince EWS]

Sad that no one else is commenting.

The game is beyond doubt - people have lost interest in discussing it, although I am sure many (including myself) are still watching it. Hameed liking very ineffective - doesn't have the same penetration that Malik does, and I don't even know why that's the case really. Less variation perhaps.

Selection issues for the next test? Yousuf in for Iqbal would be on the cards... but what to do with the batting order? Hameed at 6?

Steyn should come in for South Africa.. not sure who for though. Nel perhaps. Or Harris if the pitch doesn't look like it will take spin.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Amla needs to stop leaving the ball with his bat next to his pad. One day he's going to knick those.

I don't really have an opinion on what Gibbs said. What happens, happens. I'm sure infinitely worse things have been said on the field by every team. Fine him and forget it.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Amla needs to stop leaving the ball with his bat next to his pad. One day he's going to knick those.

I don't really have an opinion on what Gibbs said. What happens, happens. I'm sure infinitely worse things have been said on the field by every team. Fine him and forget it.

Ditto. I'm 100% sure that he would have said pretty much the same things regardless of what team they were playing against if the fans had behaved in the same way. I don't think race really came into it at all.

 

[Buddhmaster]

I was pretty sure it was Boucher's voice, but whatever, love Gibbs either way.

 

[Pratters]

The game is beyond doubt - people have lost interest in discussing it, although I am sure many (including myself) are still watching it. Hameed liking very ineffective - doesn't have the same penetration that Malik does, and I don't even know why that's the case really. Less variation perhaps.

Selection issues for the next test? Yousuf in for Iqbal would be on the cards... but what to do with the batting order? Hameed at 6?

Steyn should come in for South Africa.. not sure who for though. Nel perhaps. Or Harris if the pitch doesn't look like it will take spin.

Hameed is an average bowler and on this pitch, you need a special bowler because even though it has spin and bounce, the batsmen have time before they play the balls. Pakistan would also bring in Gul and/or Akhtar probably which would make it a very good attack

And once Yousuf comes in, Hamid is the one who would have to drop down, yep.

 

[Dasa]

The Gibbs comment is more like Dean Jones' gaffe than something more sinister like Lehmann's outburst. I'd like to see some sort of punishment, because as soon as you bring nationality into it you cross the line, but it didn't sound like it was meant in a racially abusive way.

Amusing though that Mickey Arthur said "What is said on the field should stay on the field." It wouldn't really matter either way if that was the case because Gibbs was shouting at a section of the crowd (as far as I know), and it seems a bit hypocritical considering the South Africans' (legitimate) complaints about abuse from the crowd in Australia. Either way, I don't buy into the argument that everything should stay on the field. There's no reason IMO that you shouldn't be able to remain civilised while still competing to the best of your ability.

 

[gunner]

The Gibbs comment is more like Dean Jones' gaffe than something more sinister like Lehmann's outburst. I'd like to see some sort of punishment, because as soon as you bring nationality into it you cross the line, but it didn't sound like it was meant in a racially abusive way.

Amusing though that Mickey Arthur said "What is said on the field should stay on the field." It wouldn't really matter either way if that was the case because Gibbs was shouting at a section of the crowd (as far as I know), and it seems a bit hypocritical considering the South Africans' (legitimate) complaints about abuse from the crowd in Australia. Either way, I don't buy into the argument that everything should stay on the field. There's no reason IMO that you shouldn't be able to remain civilised while still competing to the best of your ability.

why didnt he say the same thing when akhtar swore at hall in 2003 and got banned?

what lehmann outburst are you talking about?

 

[social]

Inzy = world's worst test captain

Not only does he forfeit when the going gets tough but, as we've just seen, he gives up and runs out of ideas when his team looks like losing!

Oooooh! We've only got 50 runs to play with!

Too bad, I'll bowl the same bowlers with the same field and get into the tea room as quickly as possible

Pathetic and couldnt happen to a bigger drop-kick!

 

[gunner]

next match will be much more competitive

as a pakistan fan im hoping we bat first rack up a big score and then inzi decides to rest in the team room allowing someone else to captain while on the field