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South Africa [284 & 272] defeat England [181 & 268] by 107 runs to win the 1st Test

Anderson playing 150 tests is equivalent to Tendulkar playing 200 tests. What a longevity, Appreciate!
 
RSA 248/7 (73.5) CRR: 3.36
Day 1: 3rd Session - England opt to bowl
 
Curran is still able to bring the ball back in. Boult sometimes goes missing with old ball. May be the conditions.
 
RSA 252/8 (74.5) CRR: 3.37
Day 1: 3rd Session - England opt to bowl
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Burns, sibly, denly will be up against Rabada & Co. Going to be fun.
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Don't underestimate them. I actually think engs openers are the teams strong points. Burns is top quality and can bat in tricky conditions.

I also have a feeling Sibley and Burns will be the best opening pair in the world
 
Same Curran is turning out to be a pretty decent cricketer. He gets any movement available with ball in hand, bats pretty well down the order and seems to be a hard working guy with right attitude. He has increased his speed by 5-6 kph as well, now he can go upto mid 130s.
 
I am more curious to see Nortje here. Was impressed with him in India although didn't get many wickets. Raw pace. He has the potential to be world's top fast bowler.
 
Vernon is such a wonderful contributor in conditions where his bowling suits - almost put SAF in a spot of strength with bat here and he’ll bowl well at Centurion. A fantastic example of bowling all-rounder, but in bowling favourable conditions.
[MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION], this has been always my argument. I come from a country whose best batsman, bowler, captain even fielder comes in one package, so I know a bit about the value of all-rounders in a cricket team - be Test or T20; but that all-rounder has to make it on bowling merit; or he has to be good enough to make the top 7 only on batting. Otherwise, under pressure, it’ll backfire most times. Cricket is a specialist’s game - and all-rounders are also a specialised skill (opposite is bits & pieces cricketer).
 
There is no point in blocking the ball in SA. Eventually you will have a ball with your name on it. Jsut go for it make as much as you can.QDK suddenly went into a shell in the 90s which cost him his wicket.
 
Current England batting line up is unpredictable. I won't be shocked if they get all out under 100. Although pitch is not that bad, their batting sometimes doesnt' show up when there is a bit in the pitch.
 
The team which will loose will go down to no 5 in the test rankings.
 
RSA 277/9 (82.4) CRR: 3.35
Day 1: Stumps
 
This is becoming the biggest issue in cricket and no one is bothered about that - England bowled 83 overs in 393 minutes, that’s 12.67 overs/hour!!! Same English team bowled 110 overs in 6 hours just about 4- 5 decades back and that team also had 4 pacers.

Unless ICC takes an effective stand on it, things will get ugly - only solution is to hurt instantly. For today’s case calculate how many overs were lost (net net, SAF could be in fault as well) and multiply that with 6 ... add that amount as extra to SAF’s total. Since the “free hit” was introduced, number of no ball has reduced drastically; similarly just about few series, I am sure we’ll see 90 overs bowled inside 360, max 370 minutes.
 
South Africa are still struggling.

This is the most toothless South African side I have seen in my life.
 
DE KOCK PERSONIFIES PROTEAS FIGHTING SPIRIT

Thursday, 26 December 2019

MARK BOUCHER wasted no time in putting his stamp on the Standard Bank Proteas playing style on the opening day of his first Test match series in charge against England at SuperSport Park, Centurion, on Thursday.

In a matter of a couple of weeks he has put the fighting spirit back into his team and has reignited a desire to land the first punch.

The Proteas, on the back of a superb counter-attacking innings of 95 by Quinton de Kock (128 balls, 14 fours), well supported by the two all-rounders, debutant Dwaine Pretorius (33 off 45 balls, 4 fours and a six) and Vernon Philander (28 not out, 76 balls, 5 fours), finished the day on 277/9 after being sent into bat.

How competitive that total is remains to be seen but one would imagine it is pretty close to par with England going into the game with a specialist all-seam attack although Joe Root and Joe Denly contributed seven overs of spare between them.

Sam Curran, who impressed with his intensity, was easily the pick of the attack, taking a career best 4/57 in 19 overs, while Stuart Broad (3/52) was the best of the rest.

The most important changes Boucher has made is to restore confidence to the batting line-up and to balance the side with two lower order all-rounders which meant that De Kock had two proper batsmen as his partners rather than having to shepherd the tail as he has often had to do in the past.

It has been a great year for De Kock in Test cricket. He is one of only seven batsmen to have scored more than 700 runs in the calendar year (at an average in excess of 50 with two centuries and five half-centuries from his 14 innings) and he is one only three to have hit 100 fours.

Boucher himself started his career in an era when the Proteas batting was carried largely by Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten before the golden generation of Smith, Amla, De Villiers and Prince arrived on the scene and the 90/5 conundrum became a regular feature of South Africa’s top order batting before Boucher, Pollock and Klusener would often more than double the total.

Much the same scenario played itself out today at 111/5 before De Kock and Pretorius (87 for the sixth wicket) and then De Kock and Philander (47 for the seventh wicket) stabilised the position. It goes without saying that Boucher will want the same batting balance going forward.

The regained confidence of the Proteas batting could be seen in their scoring rate of three to the over in the first session and more than four in the second with boundaries making up the high percentage of 65 percent of the total for the day.

There will be disappointment that four of the seven top batsmen got out for scores between 20 and 40 but that was also a reflection on the fact that there was seam, swing and bounce available throughout the day.

This may well a good surface for Philander over the next few days.
 
sweep_shot said:
South Africa are still struggling.

This is the most toothless South African side I have seen in my life.
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Considering how they got rolled over recently this is not such a bad total if you ask me. It all starts with openers. They set the tone for your team. Getting out to a nothing wide ball first up is unforgivable.
 
I will not be surprised if Westindies wins the series against South Africa next year.
 
andy0204 said:
I will not be surprised if Westindies wins the series against South Africa next year.
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South Africa are hanging tough with England here, who are a top test nation right now, whatever their faults.

People have been talking a WI revival up for 5 years or more but they still lose constantly. They are a bit crap, even if people have a soft spot for them & they have a decent player or two... Overall, WI are a poor team right now & unable to compete for 5 days, let alone win away Tests.

I don't see them winning a Test here or England.
 
wrongun said:
South Africa are hanging tough with England here, who are a top test nation right now, whatever their faults.

People have been talking a WI revival up for 5 years or more but they still lose constantly. They are a bit crap, even if people have a soft spot for them & they have a decent player or two... Overall, WI are a poor team right now & unable to compete for 5 days, let alone win away Tests.

I don't see them winning a Test here or England.
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Series is in Westindies not in SouthAfrica,At home Windies is a decent team.
 
Interesting match in the making here.

I was extremely impressed with Curran. Anderson and Broad were solid as you’d expect. Unfortunately though Archer was very poor, and let his visible frustration at a tough day bleed into his bowling standards.

De Kock played a dominant innings. I would rather be in South Africa’s position right now - albeit marginally.

England need to bat all day tomorrow, and at least another session on top of that as well.
 
SA batting is very technically poor and england should loom to expose it all series. Dekock has kept SA afloat, but england should look to capitilize on game from here. Curran was excellent with control and seam today.
 
James said:
Interesting match in the making here.

I was extremely impressed with Curran. Anderson and Broad were solid as you’d expect. Unfortunately though Archer was very poor, and let his visible frustration at a tough day bleed into his bowling standards.

De Kock played a dominant innings. I would rather be in South Africa’s position right now - albeit marginally.

England need to bat all day tomorrow, and at least another session on top of that as well.
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Archer looks a bit of a spoiled brat in the field at times. He's proud & stubborn- seems determined to prove he doesn't have to bowl fast to get wickets, when in fact he is middling as a swing bowler due to poor accuracy. But he has one thing very others can do- sheer pace, nice bounce & a deceptive action to boot.

Why is he unwilling to play the nasty, quick, impact bowler role? I get the impression Root is reluctant to guide him toward what exactly his role is. He needs to make hay while the sun shines with that pace- he can take on other roles as he matures and his body perhaps slows down.

The world would love to see this guy become the next great quick. What is getting in the way at the moment?
 
wrongun said:
Archer looks a bit of a spoiled brat in the field at times. He's proud & stubborn- seems determined to prove he doesn't have to bowl fast to get wickets, when in fact he is middling as a swing bowler due to poor accuracy. But he has one thing very others can do- sheer pace, nice bounce & a deceptive action to boot.

Why is he unwilling to play the nasty, quick, impact bowler role? I get the impression Root is reluctant to guide him toward what exactly his role is. He needs to make hay while the sun shines with that pace- he can take on other roles as he matures and his body perhaps slows down.

The world would love to see this guy become the next great quick. What is getting in the way at the moment?
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Archer is so good. He just needs strong arm leadership to keep him in check, someone who is not afraid to tell him to pull his socks up when he is on the verge of throwing his teddies out of the pram. Root is too laissez-faire, meek and passive to manage the emotions of a guy like Archer. Evident in New Zealand, and again here.

Archer needs to understand that pitches away from home are different and that he needs to put in the hard yards - sometimes 1 or 2 first innings wickets for 80 runs at a low economy rate with maidens is, actually, quite okay, and he can work on his strike rates in the second innings - he can’t always nonchalantly bulldoze his way to a fivefer like he does in home conditions.

Morgan did a much better job of directing the kid in the World Cup - particularly in the famous Super Over. Watch the footage back and between deliveries he sticks to him like a limpet. It has emerged since that Archer wanted to run a DRS review on his first ball when it was called a wide - sliding nicely into that spoilt brat persona - but Morgan told him pointedly “No” and to concentrate on sorting his lines out instead. Would we have won the World Cup if Root had been captaining this mercurial West Indian lad during the same Super Over? Probably not.
 
RSA 278/9 (83.5) CRR: 3.32
Day 2: 1st Session - England opt to bowl
 
RSA 284-all out (84.3) CRR: 3.36
Day 2: Innings Break
 
James said:
Archer is so good. He just needs strong arm leadership to keep him in check, someone who is not afraid to tell him to pull his socks up when he is on the verge of throwing his teddies out of the pram. Root is too laissez-faire, meek and passive to manage the emotions of a guy like Archer. Evident in New Zealand, and again here.

Archer needs to understand that pitches away from home are different and that he needs to put in the hard yards - sometimes 1 or 2 first innings wickets for 80 runs at a low economy rate with maidens is, actually, quite okay, and he can work on his strike rates in the second innings - he can’t always nonchalantly bulldoze his way to a fivefer like he does in home conditions.

Morgan did a much better job of directing the kid in the World Cup - particularly in the famous Super Over. Watch the footage back and between deliveries he sticks to him like a limpet. It has emerged since that Archer wanted to run a DRS review on his first ball when it was called a wide - sliding nicely into that spoilt brat persona - but Morgan told him pointedly “No” and to concentrate on sorting his lines out instead. Would we have won the World Cup if Root had been captaining this mercurial West Indian lad during the same Super Over? Probably not.
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I don’t think England would have got into the final under Root.

Morgan should have been test captain for years.

I agree on all other points.
 
Anyway Root’s decision to insert SA is not vindicated.

Anderson should not have played. At this stage they should be planning ahead. Broad has a couple of years left. Curran has come to the fore. Archer is being mishandled. I suppose Wood is there as a pace option in case Archer gets sick. I would have given a young tyro a go in Anderson’s place, with Archer and Curran opening and Broad as first change.
 
Robert said:
Anyway Root’s decision to insert SA is not vindicated.

Anderson should not have played. At this stage they should be planning ahead. Broad has a couple of years left. Curran has come to the fore. Archer is being mishandled. I suppose Wood is there as a pace option in case Archer gets sick. I would have given a young tyro a go in Anderson’s place, with Archer and Curran opening and Broad as first change.
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Nothing wrong with the decision to put SA in considering the conditions and the fragility of Saffers' batting but yeah I'm not sure why they persist with Anderson. Should have gone for wood.
 
Robert said:
Anyway Root’s decision to insert SA is not vindicated.

Anderson should not have played. At this stage they should be planning ahead. Broad has a couple of years left. Curran has come to the fore. Archer is being mishandled. I suppose Wood is there as a pace option in case Archer gets sick. I would have given a young tyro a go in Anderson’s place, with Archer and Curran opening and Broad as first change.
Click to expand...

Olly stone, Ben coad, Josh tongue. Jamie Porter,
England has plenty of upcoming fast bowlers that anderson is delaying the careers of.
 
Oops. Sibley appears to be struggling to step up to test level but Burns going early is a hit. Root exposed to the new ball once again.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Nothing wrong with the decision to put SA in considering the conditions and the fragility of Saffers' batting but yeah I'm not sure why they persist with Anderson. Should have gone for wood.
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If you insert a team you need to get them out quickly, not have them bat all day and get a competitive score.
 
Root has been underperforming hte most out of the fab 4.

if root scores in these difficult conditions against rabada's bumpers, then he can somehow redeem himself
 
Rabada been outstanding, Anderson and broad with the new ball were ordinary at best, nortje has genuine pace but unlike rabada is up and down straight
 
Well after that somewhat messy start - and for once the England openers who got out did not make a point of throwing away their wickets, they were actually removed by good quality bowling - it looks like Old Joe and Young Joe might be settling in.

England will want 350 minimum first up here, otherwise I think they will find a way to lose in the final innings.
 
This is how good teams battle it out when it’s tough out there.
After early wickets Pak would have been some 56/5 by now.
 
RSA 284
ENG 60/2 (21.0) CRR: 2.86
Day 2: 2nd Session - England trail by 224 runs
 
sindhiboy said:
Root has been underperforming hte most out of the fab 4.

if root scores in these difficult conditions against rabada's bumpers, then he can somehow redeem himself
Click to expand...

Root scored 200 in his previous test.
 
James said:
Well after that somewhat messy start - and for once the England openers who got out did not make a point of throwing away their wickets, they were actually removed by good quality bowling - it looks like Old Joe and Young Joe might be settling in.

England will want 350 minimum first up here, otherwise I think they will find a way to lose in the final innings.
Click to expand...

We may need a hundred from the skipper then. Stokes averages 47 in the first dig but that is boosted by his 250 and seems to be more of a chaser than a set-upper. Bairstow has a great opportunity, unencumbered with the gloves. But I don’t much rate 7-11
 
Philander is so good in these conditions 7 overs 6 maidens only 1 run and 2 wickets
 
Manunited18 said:
Lol, he's hugely overrated, it's embarrassing to put him in the calibre of Smith kohli, I'd say stokes is England's best bat
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Root has twice been ICC #1. In 2015 he couldn’t stop scoring. He has been in a slump since he got the captaincy. We really should stop encumbering our best batter. Morgan should have been test skipper after Cook. Actually, Morgan should have been test skipper instead of Cook.

Stokes averages 35 in tests, Root 49.
 
South Africa have a problem with their change-up bowling. Rabada is good and Vernon is a beast, but they can’t do all of the work and the other bowlers are easily being milked.
 
Robert said:
Root has twice been ICC #1. In 2015 he couldn’t stop scoring. He has been in a slump since he got the captaincy. We really should stop encumbering our best batter. Morgan should have been test skipper after Cook. Actually, Morgan should have been test skipper instead of Cook.

Stokes averages 35 in tests, Root 49.
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1, I think roots tecnique been worked out by the top notch bowlers going around,
2, I'm going off on current form stokes is a better bat than root, he's played fantastic innings under pressure and you got to remember he's a allrounder
3, root is a very poor captain, the only player in my opinion gets it is Rory burns
 
Stokes seems to be playing a different game out there to everyone else. Some batsman that he’s becoming.
 
Hope SA takes of this Nortje well. He has a potential to be a great fast bowler like Mone Morkel
 
Ballsy knock from Denly. Pretorius deserved that wicket I thought - lovely away-swinger followed by the in-dipper.
 
This is one thing about SA pitches. You see batsmen reeling out boundaries after boundaries. OUt of nowhere you can produce a great ball
 
Kept low that time.

Jonny Bowledstow strikes again.
 
Chuckled at this comment lol Moose: "This new Johnny Bairstow looks an awful lot like the old one."
 
ben foakes is eng's best keeper batsman in tests, eng selectors should realize that.

after ollie pope replaces bairstow nd foakes comes for butler this will be a solid batting line up
 
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