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Post by Staffsoatcake on Jan 3, 2020 15:25:37 GMT
Whoever Englands new coach is, he is Crickets N. Jones.
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Post by AlliG on Jan 3, 2020 16:03:39 GMT
Looks like a lovely day for batting. Shame we are so fucking useless with the bat. 185-5 The top 5 all out - 4 had starts. None, sadly, were able to convert a start into anything of substance. We’re just not a very good test team are we? 231-8 after winning the toss on a flat wicket. Poor Pope has played beautifully and is about to run out of partners. Pathetic effort from the rest..... Pope has done well and deserved his 50. I guess at least he has taken us over 250 which moves the total from dreadful to very disappointing (or for this England team, bang average) and at least means England have managed to avoid being bowled out in less than a day. (Not many straws to clutch!)
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Post by partickpotter on Jan 3, 2020 16:04:34 GMT
Looks like a lovely day for batting. Shame we are so fucking useless with the bat. 185-5 The top 5 all out - 4 had starts. None, sadly, were able to convert a start into anything of substance. We’re just not a very good test team are we? 231-8 after winning the toss on a flat wicket. Poor Pope has played beautifully and is about to run out of partners. Pathetic effort from the rest..... That’s the bottom line - we are a poor test team. Time to stop hoping big names deliver. So, with regret, cheerio Jos. Likewise, Bairstow, Roy, Ali etc don’t get to play test cricket again. We also need to make a decision on Broad and Anderson. These two don’t deliver as a pair overseas; only one (max) should play. Plus, if we are planning for the next Ashes down under, we need to bite that bullet sooner rather than later. Anyway, well done to Pope. The one bright spot of a desperately disappointing day.
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Post by Staffsoatcake on Jan 3, 2020 16:50:58 GMT
In football terms, England Test wise, are a lower Premiership side or top half Championship.
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Post by partickpotter on Jan 4, 2020 11:08:11 GMT
Pretty good morning for England picking up three quick wickets - SA batting seems as fragile as ours!
All the hard work done so far is by Broad and Anderson. What remains to be seen is whether Curran is good enough to be a first change seamer and is Stokes fit enough to be a 4th seamer.
Should be an interesting afternoon session.
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Post by AlliG on Jan 4, 2020 12:34:22 GMT
If the England coaching staff can't see all the no balls being bowled this morning and get a message out to the them what is the point of them sitting with their I-pads etc (or are they watching the cartoon channel?)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2020 12:39:50 GMT
SA rebuilding fairly comfortably now - 127-3
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Post by partickpotter on Jan 4, 2020 12:52:02 GMT
SA rebuilding fairly comfortably now - 127-3 Looks pretty easy just now! Root’s captaincy once more coming under the spotlight. The fields he sets are just bad. I saw an interview he did show during the lunch interview where he gave no decent explanation for the short ball tactics he used in the last test. He did look very uncomfortable though. We may have to find a new skipper soon.
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Post by chuckrocky on Jan 4, 2020 13:04:55 GMT
SA rebuilding fairly comfortably now - 127-3 Looks pretty easy just now! Root’s captaincy once more coming under the spotlight. The fields he sets are just bad. I saw an interview he did show during the lunch interview where he gave no decent explanation for the short ball tactics he used in the last test. He did look very uncomfortable though. We may have to find a new skipper soon. Easy singles everywhere, no chance for the bowlers to pin the batsmen down to an end and build up pressure.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2020 13:06:23 GMT
SA rebuilding fairly comfortably now - 127-3 Looks pretty easy just now! Root’s captaincy once more coming under the spotlight. The fields he sets are just bad. I saw an interview he did show during the lunch interview where he gave no decent explanation for the short ball tactics he used in the last test. He did look very uncomfortable though. We may have to find a new skipper soon. Yes I saw the interview - he's given me the impression for some time now that he doesn't really know what he's doing but was given the job and is trying to somehow muddle through it. As you say his field settings are often mystifying and frequently extremely questionable. Today was yet another example where he had two fielders almost in each others pockets at a sort of close cover position - why ? I think if we are to progress as a team numerous changes are needed but a change of captain is now almost essential as soon as possible after this series has finished.
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Post by estrangedsonoffaye on Jan 4, 2020 14:55:00 GMT
Great change of pace from Curran!
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Post by estrangedsonoffaye on Jan 4, 2020 15:10:58 GMT
Well bowled again from Curran.
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Post by partickpotter on Jan 4, 2020 15:15:51 GMT
Well bowled again from Curran. Bloody awful shot mind!
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Post by estrangedsonoffaye on Jan 4, 2020 15:35:26 GMT
I think the fields could have been a bit more intense, but on the whole I think this has been a really good effort from the bowling unit as a whole.
Bess hasn’t had much to work with but kept it tight and precipitated the Elgar wicket.
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Post by AlliG on Jan 4, 2020 15:37:35 GMT
Ben Stokes giving a masterclass of slip fielding today. Obviously the first chance off Anderson was a bit too easy, so he shelled it to let himself take a "proper" slip catch. Provided England don't allow the tail to wag this is looking like it could be a very interesting Test match. p.s. Why can't England "find" someone who takes to Test cricket the way Marcus Labushagne has? Last summer he came into the Australian team as an injury sub and looked like he was born to play Test cricket and so far has scored 837 runs in the current Australian Test summer (against Pakistan & New Zealand).
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Post by estrangedsonoffaye on Jan 4, 2020 15:40:34 GMT
Ben Stokes giving a masterclass of slip fielding today. Obviously the first chance off Anderson was a bit too easy, so he shelled it to let himself take a "proper" slip catch. Provided England don't allow the tail to wag this is looking like it could be a very interesting Test match. p.s. Why can't England "find" someone who takes to Test cricket the way Marcus Labushagne has? Last summer he came into the Australian team as an injury sub and looked like he was born to play Test cricket and so far has scored 837 runs in the current Australian Test summer (against Pakistan & New Zealand). Gary Ballance looked like an awesome test cricketer when he first came in. Last one I remember making such an impact for us in the batting department and sadly we all know how that ended.
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Post by partickpotter on Jan 4, 2020 16:05:25 GMT
I think the fields could have been a bit more intense, but on the whole I think this has been a really good effort from the bowling unit as a whole. Bess hasn’t had much to work with but kept it tight and precipitated the Elgar wicket. The bowlers did a good job all day. My only beef was Root’s captaincy in the afternoon when he let the SAfers score too many easy singles, particularly off Bess. Seems we tightened up the field after tea by removing those easy runs and slowed down the scoring rate considerably which prompted some batting errors particularly Elgar’s dismissal. Well done for Curran for picking up a couple of wickets just before the new ball but... he got lucky with two very bad shots. I’m not sure he did himself many favours today in establishing himself as the third seamer. Root treated him like a 4th seamer after two lamentable earlier bowling spells. If Archer is fit for the third test, I’m pretty sure Curran will be the one to make way.
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Post by partickpotter on Jan 5, 2020 9:11:18 GMT
And a good start to day 3 - the last two wickets picked up by Jimmy for not very much - means we have a lead of nearly 50.
Now the attention goes to the batsmen.
If we bat all day we will be close to establishing a match winning position.
Go on boys.
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Post by Staffsoatcake on Jan 5, 2020 9:57:36 GMT
1st.wicket down, the collapse begins.
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Post by lordb on Jan 5, 2020 10:35:43 GMT
52.1 at lunch, lead is 98.
Next session is huge
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Post by partickpotter on Jan 5, 2020 13:11:55 GMT
2nd wicket down - but we’ve got a hundred on the board.
Attritional batting from Sibley and Denly. Slow, but we seem to have addressed that perennial problem of recent years of losing three (or more wickets) before scoring 50.
Shame for Denly that he threw it away. A poorly judged hook shot - the ball was too high meaning he top edged it and paid the price.
Anyway Root is now in, and if batting theory is correct he and the middle order should prosper against a tired attack with an old ball.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2020 13:30:29 GMT
The lead is up to 155 now with 8 wickets remaining. Even England can't throw this away....can they ?
Golden opportunity to level the series here.
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Post by partickpotter on Jan 5, 2020 13:52:14 GMT
The lead is up to 155 now with 8 wickets remaining. Even England can't throw this away....can they ? Golden opportunity to level the series here. I think the good thing here is we are actually playing test cricket. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but we are going about things in the right way.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2020 15:39:39 GMT
The lead is up to 155 now with 8 wickets remaining. Even England can't throw this away....can they ? Golden opportunity to level the series here. I think the good thing here is we are actually playing test cricket. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but we are going about things in the right way. We’ve timed this innings to perfection to be fair. 280 lead tonight, 400 by just after lunch and then have a real go at them....
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Post by lordb on Jan 5, 2020 17:33:19 GMT
Very good day Really should post 400+ lead. However been here before haven't we?
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Post by redstriper on Jan 5, 2020 17:42:35 GMT
hopefully 1-1 soon... when i went to newlands we lost and the locals really let us know about it so lets hope they are put in their place this time around
anybody on here planning a trip to sri lanka in March?
anybody go previously and have the heads up on galle hotels ?
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Post by lancashirelad on Jan 6, 2020 9:34:21 GMT
What a great hour of test cricket from an England perspective. Stokes playing his one day style and 50 up already and Sibley sensibly building his innings and deserved century.
Lets build a 400 lead then let the bowlers win it. Though the wicket looks good bar the odd crack.
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Post by Kilo on Jan 6, 2020 10:06:27 GMT
Had a call from my South African client this morning to run through the final details for me to finish my drawings ready for his planning meeting tomorrow. It was really nice to have to tell him it would be later in the day as the cricket had got a bit exciting.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2020 10:34:45 GMT
That's lunch - 375-7 so a lead of 421.
Do we declare now, bat till we've got 450 ish, or the last wicket falls ?
Just hope the bowlers can do the business.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2020 10:48:42 GMT
That's lunch - 375-7 so a lead of 421. Do we declare now, bat till we've got 450 ish, or the last wicket falls ? Just hope the bowlers can do the business. They’ll have a quick slog with Curran after lunch and aim for another 30+ runs, although we have enough now to be fair.....
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