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England [353 & 313/8d] beat South Africa [175 & 252] by 239 runs to take a 2-1 series lead

A.A.Z

A.A.Z

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England opt to bat

South Africa (Playing XI): Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock(w), Faf du Plessis(c), Temba Bavuma, Vernon Philander, Chris Morris, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel

England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Tom Westley, Joe Root(c), Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow(w), Moeen Ali, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

England hand out three new Test caps this morning: Westley, Malan & Roland-Jones all play
 
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Westley, Malan and Roland Jones in.

Presumably :

Cook
Jennings
Westley
Root
Malan
Stokes
Bairstow
Ali
Roland-Jones
Broad
Anderson
 
3 debutants for England who have a big point to prove after the debacle in Nottingham.

Should be a cracking game, have enjoyed this series.
 
Mo is the no.1 spinner then, westley and malan could be used for support as they bowl a bit of part time spin as well.
 
Ozymandiasza said:
Really looking forward to this match. How's the pitch looking? Still green?
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SA will need to exploit the overcast conditions because beyond that the oval is not friendly to seamers, there will be a bit in it for spinners as test progresses but wicket is excellent for batting on the whole, I would have batted first as well but SA bowling can be dangerous
 
Hasan123 said:
Looking forward to the game, England line up has a better balance now.
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I still would have been tempted to play two spinners although oval is flatter then ever, but if malan / westley provide adequate support to Mo it should be fine
 
shaz619 said:
I still would have been tempted to play two spinners although oval is flatter then ever, but if malan / westley provide adequate support to Mo it should be fine
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Dawson isn't really threatening enough. Could have played 2 spinners but it had to be one who offered more than Dawson.
 
Morkel immediately going round the wicket to the left handers.
 
shaz619 said:
SA will need to exploit the overcast conditions because beyond that the oval is not friendly to seamers, there will be a bit in it for spinners as test progresses but wicket is excellent for batting on the whole, I would have batted first as well but SA bowling can be dangerous
Click to expand...

The Oval usually produces balanced pitches - you know its a good pitch when a captain isn't 100% sure whether to bat or bowl first at the toss.

Ball carries through nicely but batsmen can trust the bounce and play their shots. Does offer turn as the match progresses too.
 
Jennings will probably get the rest of this series to cement his place in the team. Needs to score at least 1 century in the next 4 innings.
 
Markhor said:
The Oval usually produces balanced pitches - you know its a good pitch when a captain isn't 100% sure whether to bat or bowl first at the toss.

Ball carries through nicely but batsmen can trust the bounce and play their shots. Does offer turn as the match progresses too.
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These are the type of pitches that should be produced in our first class cricket yet PCB insist on those low and dull pitches .
 
shaz619 said:
Mo is the no.1 spinner then, westley and malan could be used for support as they bowl a bit of part time spin as well.
Click to expand...

But what happened to Moeen only being the second spinner? Maybe Root will become the number one spinner for this test. :root

More seriously, glad to see Dawson dropped.
 
England with a watchful start but Cook is putting away anything that is loose.
 
The more Jennings play test cricket the more his innings vs India looks like a 1 off good performance.
 
Hasan123 said:
These are the type of pitches that should be produced in our first class cricket yet PCB insist on those low and dull pitches .
Click to expand...

Its a great wicket for Asian teams especially - there's a reason why Pakistan haven't lost a Test since 1967 at The Oval. Even our awful 2010 team won at this ground.

Its generally a flat wicket and our batsmen enjoy the pace and bounce of the surface. But our seamers can get some swing with the Dukes ball early on.

Due to the dry surface our fast bowlers can later get reverse. Wasim and Waqar were brilliant here in 1992. Our spinners like Mushtaq and Yasir have also got the ball to grip and turn. Murali famously wreaked havoc here in 1998.

Another reason why I love the ground is because its easy to get to and the crowds are so multicultural - Asian and Caribbean fans over the years have turned up in good numbers. Here's to another 100 Tests at The Oval.
 
Markhor said:
Its a great wicket for Asian teams especially - there's a reason why Pakistan haven't lost a Test since 1967 at The Oval. Even our awful 2010 team won at this ground.

Its generally a flat wicket and our batsmen enjoy the pace and bounce of the surface. But our seamers can get some swing with the Dukes ball early on.

Due to the dry surface our fast bowlers can later get reverse. Wasim and Waqar were brilliant here in 1992. Our spinners like Mushtaq and Yasir have also got the ball to grip and turn. Murali famously wreaked havoc here in 1998.

Another reason why I love the ground is because its easy to get to and the crowds are so multicultural - Asian and Caribbean fans over the years have turned up in good numbers. Here's to another 100 Tests at The Oval.
Click to expand...


Same reasons why I love The Oval. Is one of Pakistans 2 tests vs England next year at The Oval?
 
Markhor said:
Its a great wicket for Asian teams especially - there's a reason why Pakistan haven't lost a Test since 1967 at The Oval. Even our awful 2010 team won at this ground.

Its generally a flat wicket and our batsmen enjoy the pace and bounce of the surface. But our seamers can get some swing with the Dukes ball early on.

Due to the dry surface our fast bowlers can later get reverse. Wasim and Waqar were brilliant here in 1992. Our spinners like Mushtaq and Yasir have also got the ball to grip and turn. Murali famously wreaked havoc here in 1998.

Another reason why I love the ground is because its easy to get to and the crowds are so multicultural - Asian and Caribbean fans over the years have turned up in good numbers. Here's to another 100 Tests at The Oval.
Click to expand...


Hasan123 said:
Same reasons why I love The Oval. Is one of Pakistans 2 tests vs England next year at The Oval?
Click to expand...

Agreed- the atmosphere at the ground last year was brilliant.

I don't think they have confirmed the grounds yet.
 
Warne on commentary just mistook Amla for Moeen. :amla
 
jW0od8Y.gif
 
Great innings from Cook but England scraping through apart from that. However they are still in with a chance of a competitive first innings total thanks to Cook. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes to the performance of the England side when Cook scores runs. Don't they always say that he can't play against quality pace eh, yeah nice one!
 
I think, it's a timely break for SAF - just when Pom pair was comfortable & scoring quickly. Not, tomorrow they'll need to start it from scratch against fresh bowler & probably 30 minutes early start.

ENG will need 350+ here in 1st innings. Weather forecast is sunny in weekend, it should be best for batting from Day 2 tea to Day 4 Tea.
 
England need a middle order. No batting strength at all there. #3 and #5 positions are exposed, and so is #2 to be honest. So England playing with 3 less batsmen in essence.

However, I like their current #3 Westley. Should give him a chance.
 
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The newbies got out to magic balls today. Can't judge on that. And Root can't score runs in every innings.

Jennings is abysmal though.
 
James said:
The newbies got out to magic balls today. Can't judge on that. And Root can't score runs in every innings.

Jennings is abysmal though.
Click to expand...

I guess that's the problem I'm trying to get across: too much reliance on Cook and Root. Ali has saved England a couple times too. Just need some solid batsmen in there, hopefully they sort these positions out and they'll be a really solid test team.
 
ENGLAND’S Alastair Cook fought an all-day battle with the Standard Bank Proteas five-man attack as the two sides fought for supremacy on the opening day of the third Test match at The Oval in London on Thursday.

On balance, the Proteas could probably claim to hold a slight advantage, particularly after losing the toss, as they restricted England to 171/4 on a rain-shortened opening day on which only 59 overs were possible to be bowled.

It was a day on which any batsman needed a bit of good fortune to survive and Cook had a few edges that found gaps or fell short of the slips cordon but he left better than most and he showed the necessary concentration and experience to get through some difficult patches.

It was the first time he had made runs in the first innings in the series and that was not without significance. He finished unbeaten on 82 (178 balls, 10 fours).

The Proteas would not have been that unhappy to lose the toss under overcast conditions and a pitch that unusually had slight tinges of green to it. It was certainly not the flat track that has been traditional for Test matches at this particular venue.

Vernon Philander led the Proteas attack superbly, starting the day with three maiden overs that included the wicket of Keaton Jennings but he had to leave the field with a stomach complaint after an opening spell of only 4 overs and was not able to resume bowling until an hour after lunch.

The rest of the attack took some time to find their radar and England were able to proceed quite comfortably to an early lunch after 22.1 overs at 62/1.

It was a different attack that came out to bowl after lunch with Morne Morkel, Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada all putting in top-class spells. Morkel again went wicketless as he did in the second innings at Trent Bridge when he also bowled superbly and sooner or later his luck must change for the better. He caused a packet of trouble for England’s two senior batsmen, Cook and Joe Root.

Morris got the session off to a good start by getting rid of Tom Westley straight away and, when Philander returned, he accounted for Root with a superb delivery thanks in no small way to a superb one-handed catch by Quinton de Kock.

Rabada got rid of debutant Dawid Malan with a Yorker to clean his man up and the Proteas could claim the session, having taken 3/87 in 29.5 overs.

Keshav Maharaj also played his part when called on to do so and he may give South Africa a significant edge on a pitch where the bowlers’ footmarks are already becoming evident now that England have opted to leave out their left arm spinner to make room for an extra batsman.

Only half an hour of play was possible in the final session before the weather intervened for a final time.
 
The Standard Bank Proteas bowlers sense an opportunity to make an impact in favourable conditions when play resumes on Friday in the third Test match against England at The Oval. Rain curtailed an action-packed opening day, leaving the hosts at 171/4 when early stumps was called with only 59 overs bowled in the day.

Kagiso Rabada, who made a return after missing the last match, says the match is in the balance, but hopes the attack can use the sporting conditions to make further inroads into England’s line-up.

“ I thought we bowled well today,” he said after the day’s play. “ There was a lot on offer but I don’t think it was a bad wicket for the batsmen. There was a lot of bounce so a lot of balls went past the edge which might look good but is ineffective. The game is even, so tomorrow we will need to make an impact.”

Rabada was in awe of Vernon Philander’s masterful bowling spell, which went for an impressive 2/17 in 12 overs, including five testing maidens. The youngster says he is taking tips on the art of swing and seam bowling from his talented team mate.

“ I was watching from mid-wicket in that last session,” he said of Philander’s spell. “ I thought he bowled so well. Going off the field I asked him for a few pointers, he is a very skilful bowler, especially in these conditions. He makes it look simple. It’s about trying to find a way to master a few things that he does.”

Philander struggled with a stomach bug throughout the day, but showed signs of improving health towards the close of play. Alastair Cook (82) and Ben Stokes (21) will resume the innings, which is scheduled to start at 11h00 with extra time being made up throughout the day.
 
So that's two pitches out of three that England have made for Philander.
 
The English top order has been shaky for a while, therefore, Cook getting a big score here is vital for their batting lineup to gain a bit of confidence.
 
Not sure if Malan is cut out for Test cricket. He always looked like a bit of a hack to me. Fell to an amazing delivery, but he also played it quite poorly.
 
Joe Root is the most overrated cricketer in the world. By a country mile.

Unlike Smith, Kohli and Kane, there has never been a point where he has dominated.

And if an Indian had a split like Root, he would be called a HTB (9 and 3).

Then there's his conversion issues. No elite player should fail to convert as badly as Root does.

It's all hype and potential with him. Had he played for anyone other than England, Pakistan he wouldn't even be rated that highly.

Australian and SA fans would slaughter him, if he played for anyone else he simply wouldn't even register. He would be second or third tier with Bravo and Babar.
 
Chrish said:
Broad will be bowling on one of the side-wickets?
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Just making fun of this idea that England rig pitches.

Because there is a bit of bounce, Draco will be a handful if he gets his length right. There was even some evidence of turn so Beard may be effective on the last day.

I do like the Oval. Something in it for the bowlers, true bounce for the batters, and it breaks up later on. All wickets should be like this one.
 
Cook out LBW. 88 fantastic runs, just under 50% of the team total.
 
Damn shame Cook couldn't get his hundred but a brilliant knock nevertheless
 
Stokes looks in determined mode, Eng should be eyeing 350+

Back to back boundaries from stokes brings the 200 up.
 
Bairstow and Stokes looking in control. Pitch is easy paced and good for batting.

Second new ball coming shortly.
 
With Philander off the field, and the rest of the SA attack looking toothless, as long as the new ball can be negotiated, 400 could be on.
 
Bairstow and Stokes look comfortable. SA not bowling well since Cook got out
 
Match deciding session coming - with 2nd ball, if SAF can knock Pom tail for something around 300; they have the advantage as long as England doesn't cross 330. But, if Stokes gets his hundred to take Poms to ~400, I think SAF won't enjoy dinner to let them reach there from 120/4.
 
Stokesey has had the bit between his teeth in this inns. Very determined and quality knock.
 
Jimmy can stonewall with the best of them, these 2 could yet pile more misery on SA.
 
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