*Official* South Africa in New Zealand

[Tim]

McMillan is not cut & dry with me....#5 & #6 are the areas that concern me.

McMillan only performs when he really has to & Cairns still looks rusty but i'd be prepared to keep him for the England test series.

I'd be fine with Cairns at #6 & Oram at #7 IF we had a batsman at 5 who would score runs reasonably consistently.

 

[Kent]

What about Oram at #6 and Cairns at #7? Am I reading too much into his 97 and 119*?

I think Cairns prefers an innings that has already taken shape. If you're 5 for nothing, he'll try for the big rearguard. If you're 5 for plenty, he'll add the cream. Oram looks the much more likely to run out of partners.

 

[marc71178]

Cut off the head, the body will follow.

That is Kallis and Gary Kirsten.

Yeah, because the men to follow such as Boucher and Pollock are real rabbits aren't they?

 

[marc71178]

South Africa have probably just done enough today to ensure that they will at least avoid losing.

"Just enough"?

With their batting line up I think it'd take a miracle for them to lose.

 

[Tim]

You obviously have not seen the pitch then Marc.....

 

[marc71178]

459 plays 509 on first innings hardly suggests a tricky one.

With 3 more very strong players to come, I don't see how SA will come close to losing it.

 

[Isolator]

The only way RSA can lose is if Smith gives NZ a total they can have a go at. Which may not be completely improbable if he's as aggressive a captain as he seems/is made out to be/etc.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

You obviously have not seen the pitch then Marc.....

Ala Vettori's double bowls that went the complete opposite direction.

If McCullum had of taken Kalis, methinks the odds would be on NZ ATM...

 

[Kent]

thought I'd share this, which seems to back up what Langeveldt and James were saying earlier...

Hamilton seems to be the Hillbilly capital of New Zealand. (That's not supposed to be an insult.) The spectators appear marginally more rough and ready than at other venues and they clearly pride themselves on their turn of phrase.

Some of the comments aimed in our direction have been very interesting.

One of our senior players was told that his mother was his brother ... which none of us understood but all recognised as an insult. When our man replied that the bearded man's mother was probably a sheep, he replied: "Yeh, and bloody proud of it!"

I've always said it's good to interact with the locals when we are on tour. It would be rude to ignore him.

From the same column I've just read...

It's been a bit quiet in the hotel room since Minki went home, and I can't even annoy the other guys because their partners and families are mostly still here. It's at times like these that every boy needs his mom and, although mine is 12 000 kilometres away, she has obviously been thinking ahead on my behalf; two days ago a squeezy, toy monkey arrived from Jo'burg. So now when it gets quiet in the room, I stand on the monkey and it makes a terrible, comforting noise.

Actually, it still makes me laugh every time!

If Smith continues this 'boy with a toy monkey' angle without wins on the board, the West Indies will have company as my sentimental favourites.

 

[Tim]

What bizarre writing from Smith...but then again he is South African :rolleyes:

Yep...I think the spinners have been hopeless so far. Adams, Vettori & Wiseman have not used that crater like hole in the pitch often enough.
I seriously think that if Vettori gets it right today, there's every chance South Africa could crumble.
What is happening, is that when the ball hits the crater just outside offstump to a left-hander..it's shooting so low that it's almost impossible to play.

 

[Mingster]

I hope NZ can get a bat today...whenever it will be.

I would back our chances chasing 300-odd in 50/45 overs.

Would make interesting viewing if Smith is upto it thats for sure...

 

[marc71178]

I hope NZ can get a bat today...whenever it will be.

I would back our chances chasing 300-odd in 50/45 overs.

You cannot be serious?

 

[Mingster]

Na I'm serious we will get a bat today.

Whether it be 20 or 50 overs I don't know.

But man is Vettori making good advantage of that crater now. Very accurate bowling. Landed 4 of out 6 against Kallis there.

 

[Tim]

Unlikely, I don't think Smith is the aggressive captain he's sometimes made out to be. There's no way NZ will go after 300 runs in 1 session.

 

[Mister Wright]

Plus the umpires are monitoring the pitch for safety reasons.

 

[BlackCap_Fan]

Smtihs done a good jopb of making sure this test is a draw.

 

[Mingster]

Good to see McCullum and Papps making a good fist of this short time.

These two must be the two shortest opening partnership we have had.

 

[aussiefan]

I thought SAF will try to declare earlier in the day and then push to win the match but they preferred to draw it. :O

Good innings by Kallis .

How must have got a century in the first innings too.

 

[aussiefan]

was the pitch detrioating?:wow:

 

[Craig]

Yeah, because the men to follow such as Boucher and Pollock are real rabbits aren't they?

Never said they were.

But Kallis and Kirsten looked the most solid of all South African batsmen. Trust me, I have probably seen more of this Test.