**Official** South Africa in England 2012

[uvelocity]

expect saffers to take it

 

[smash84]

WindieWeathers' argument is along the same logical lines as a stopped clock still being right twice a day.

Well....WW argument is that time was only asked twice during the day and that too at the time when the clock was stopped.....

England will need to do more to beat SA

 

[uvelocity]

battle for the #1 ranking too itbt

 

[Furball]

Well....WW argument is that time was only asked twice during the day and that too at the time when the clock was stopped.....

England will need to do more to beat SA

One could also argue South Africa need to raise their game to beat England. Their form over the last 8-9 months hasn't exactly been convincing.

 

[smash84]

so hasn't England's

 

[uvelocity]

thats bad urdu smiley

 

[SeamUp]

So could we be seeing more schooled South Africans this series in Nick Compton and possibly Stuart Meaker in the limited overs stuff ?

Jonathan Trott - Rondebosch Boys High School
Kevin Pietersen - Maritzburg College

Nick Compton - Hilton College

Limited overs specialists

Craig Kieswetter - Bishops
Jade Dernbach - Glenwood

Stuart Meaker - Glenwood

 

[SeamUp]

The off-season preparations for the tour to England started yesterday with a Past and Present Proteas Gold day at the wonderful Arabella golf course. Bet the stories and a few orange juices afterwards was the major attraction though.

 

[WindieWeathers]

And it's a rubbish argument, based on England struggling in one series where their achilles heel was a) spin and b) Asian conditions. That's utterly meaningless when England will be faced with a seam dominant South African attack, and playing in their own conditions where they've won the last 7 series against everyone bar New Zealand and South Africa, and when their recent home record is played 24, won 17, drawn 5 (4 of which were ruined by weather), lost 2.

WindieWeathers' argument is along the same logical lines as a stopped clock still being right twice a day.

England also failed to win in Sri-lanka though, a place Australia had won in peviously!! , and lets be real about this, beating two fading forces is hardly major achievement.

 

[Furball]

Relevance?

 

[WindieWeathers]

Relevance?

England have failed when properly tested of late and may fail again against SA?

 

[Scaly piscine]

Are you on drugs mate?

SA doesn't "fight back"?

Against Australia last year in Cape Town, we were bowled out for less than 100.

What did we do?

Bowled them out for less than 50 and chased down the target with room to spare.

Against SL at Centurion at the end of last year we were 170 for 5, we scored more than 400 and won by an innings.

In the third Test of that series SL were 180 for 4, we bolwed them out for less than 250 and won by 10 wickets, just missing out on an innings victory.

And that is just our last home season.

And I would argue that we have serious depth.

JP Duminy is probably our reserve batsman, and in his last Test innings he scored a century.

England's number 6, or probably first batting reserve is Johnny Bairstow. Steyn, Philander, and Morkel are going to have him for breakfast.

I was referring to the batting more than anything. That's why South Africa have lost odd Tests to some pretty ropey sides, not just lost but got hammered in them. Get England 4 down for next to nothing they'll still probably make 200, sometimes a lot more than that. South Africa have next to nothing left at 4 down.

 

[Cabinet96]

I have to say as an England fan I'll feel fairly confident if we can get 3 early wickets after a decent first innings total, the Saffa's batting line up just seems so potent to collapses.

England have failed when properly tested of late and may fail again against SA?

But those tests have been completely different to anything we'll face against the Saffa's this summer. The last time we were tested in anything remotely similar conditions was against India and in Australia. We won both series crushingly.

 

[WindieWeathers]

But those tests have been completely different to anything we'll face against the Saffa's this summer. The last time we were tested in anything remotely similar conditions was against India and in Australia. We won both series crushingly.

The difference is though SA ain't a fading force like the two teams you mentioned above though!!...which is why it's gonna be very interesting to see how England perform in this series, the last really confident team you played (Pakistan) done a number on England.

 

[Furball]

Deary me.

 

[uvelocity]

.... and the moderators replace windieweathers' avatar with a pinch of salt....

 

[Viscount Tom]

And the biggest picture award goes to Uvey.

 

[smash84]

uvelocity almost the new benchmark00

 

[GIMH]

Nobody said India were a fading force before we smashed them.

 

[Furball]

Nobody said India were a fading force before we smashed them.

Ditto Australia.