*** Official *** West Indies in South Africa 2014/15

[dogwalker]

What are you two on about? Of course they must declare.

 

[Cabinet96]

Awesome from both of them. No point declaring soon IMO. Runs won't be this easy in a potential second innings, can make a Windies win redundant in half an hour.

 

[OverratedSanity]

**** that lofted cover drive from QDK was glorious.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Stiaan you beauty.....why was this guy not playing earlier?

I am happy for the guy for scoring his test hundred. But he still has a bit to go... And we declare.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Amla declares before tea... And the conditions will favour dale and philander.

We havent done the 50 all out thing in a while.

 

[Swingpanzee]

**** me they declared? I don't know but imo every team should at least try to go for 600, especially seeing it hasn't even been tea of the second day yet! In a general sense, big first innings score given you a ton of benefits - scoreboard pressure, ability to enforce follow on if you want, and most importantly you can play waaay quicker in the second innings.

 

[Swingpanzee]

Not too miffed though, our bowling attack will probably shred them tbh.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah I thought they'd go on a bit longer.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Would have liked to give van zyl and de kock more time in the middle.

But yeah, get Steyn out there in the overcast conditions!

 

[dogwalker]

You guys would make terrible captains.

van Zyl's pull-paddle shot is really inelegant.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Tbf. We wont have play maybe an hour or hour and a half becore close of play.

 

[MrPrez]

Declaration was at the right time. The weather has to be taken into account. It's completely possible that we lose full sessions of play in the coming days.

 

[Beamer]

Van zyls ideal chance to get a hundred. Likely the weakest bowling attacks he will ever have to face.

Funny how life works isn't? If that ball from Roach that hit Amla's stumps yesterday had dislodged the bails, Van Zyl would have been coming to the crease with South Africa at 67/4 facing one of the World's better fast bowlers on a roll and the ball swinging. Instead he came in with over 400 runs on the board, said fast bowler off injured and therefore had the easiest debut innings imaginable.

Pretty awesome stuff from the Proteas though, Amla and AB are formidable players for any attack to face. I though JT was very disappointing for us, that is literally the worst I have ever seen him bowl by some margin and they really made him pay. Cotterell was also disappointing IMHO. It would have been very hard to leave him out after taking 5 wickets so quickly in the warm up match, but I can't help but think Jason Holder would have been more effective in these conditions. No pace, yes, but excellent seam position and nagging line and length would have been more challenging for AB and Amla then wayward fast medium stuff.

Oh well, I have a bad feeling about this match, it could be a whooping of epic proportions if we have to bat in these overcast conditions. Given all that our supporters have put up with over the last few months, I just hope that someone stands up and provides us with something to shout about. Another Kraigg Braithwaite marathon innings or a Jermaine Blackwood blockbuster would do the trick nicely. Just fight, don't surrender meekly.

Also hearing that Assad Fudadin broke his finger in practice and will have to be replaced. Really not bothered about that one tbh.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Funny how life works isn't? If that ball from Roach that hit Amla's stumps yesterday had dislodged the bails, Van Zyl would have been coming to the crease with South Africa at 67/4 facing one of the World's better fast bowlers on a roll and the ball swinging. Instead he came in with over 400 runs on the board, said fast bowler off injured and therefore had the easiest debut innings imaginable.

Pretty awesome stuff from the Proteas though, Amla and AB are formidable players for any attack to face. I though JT was very disappointing for us, that is literally the worst I have ever seen him bowl by some margin and they really made him pay. Cotterell was also disappointing IMHO. It would have been very hard to leave him out after taking 5 wickets so quickly in the warm up match, but I can't help but think Jason Holder would have been more effective in these conditions. No pace, yes, but excellent seam position and nagging line and length would have been more challenging for AB and Amla then wayward fast medium stuff.

Oh well, I have a bad feeling about this match, it could be a whooping of epic proportions if we have to bat in these overcast conditions. Given all that our supporters have put up with over the last few months, I just hope that someone stands up and provides us with something to shout about. Another Kraigg Braithwaite marathon innings or a Jermaine Blackwood blockbuster would do the trick nicely. Just fight, don't surrender meekly.

Also hearing that Assad Fudadin broke his finger in practice and will have to be replaced. Really not bothered about that one tbh.

I did not mean it in a manner of complete disrespect. Just the situation van zyl found himself in. Roach was off, we had runs on the board, benn was broken from bowling all those overs and the attacked was pretty deflated.

Glad he got the hundred and no one can ever take that away from him... But i find it difficult to believe that it will come any easier than that ever again.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

@beamer

Interesting comment about holder and his lack of pace. I dont believe steyn or philander will get it many over 140 or even 135. They wont need to in these conditions.

 

[Beamer]

I did not mean it in a manner of complete disrespect. Just the situation van zyl found himself in. Roach was off, we had runs on the board, benn was broken from bowling all those overs and the attacked was pretty deflated.

Glad he got the hundred and no one can ever take that away from him... But i find it difficult to believe that it will come any easier than that ever again.

Don't worry I didn't take it as a lack of respect, just the truth. This was the easiest debut innings a prospective test batsman could hope for given the circumstances.

R.E Jason Holder and lack of pace, our selectors are obsessed with extra pace. We have some decent swing bowlers in the Caribbean like Kenroy Peters and Mevin Mathew who don't get a look in because they don't get much over 80mph. It's a shame but it's just the way West Indians like to play cricket.

I would have picked him.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

I think there should be cricket in 40 mins.

 

[dogwalker]

Ha, Allan Donald is 12th man.

 

[ajdude]

so many steynfaces so far

 

[Swingpanzee]

Declaration was at the right time. The weather has to be taken into account. It's completely possible that we lose full sessions of play in the coming days.

What? If we are talking about rain in the coming days then you can always declare overnight? If anything SA could have squeezed another 15-20 possible runs with De Kock hitting sixes by the time the rain came....