Christie

My guess would be that AB goes to 4 and Tsolikele comes in as WK. Some rumours and speculation are doing the rounds that the whole issue about Lorgat & co forcing Tsolikile into the team had something to do with Kallis' retirement. I dont think QdK will get a chance in the test setup as long as Tsolikile plays. I would like to see QdK come in at 5 or 6.

Ive done a total of 16 rides in 2013, all mtb. I want to ride more.

Wtf is up with the pitch? The only logic behind that grassless brow strip is a big bribe by the BCCI to the groundsman,

Sad - the greatest legend of SA cricket. I have followed his career from the start. I was hoping he would get to 300 wickets before he retires. He can still get 8 sticks in Durban....

I think they would have gone for the win if it was a 5 test series. These stupid 2 test series means that if you lose the first one, the best you can hope for is to draw the series. If the second game does not go thedistance due to rain, you lose a series on home turf to the Indians - the critics wont like that, I guess.

And if they lost, you would have screamed "CHOKERS!" as hard as you could, am I right?

Jip, Canyon frame is about 40% lighter, I guess. German design and marketing vs. Chinese design and Italian marketing?

Rice is being an @sshole. He would not have had his name mentioned in the media if he said they did the right thing. The plan was simple - go for the win, till the tailenders come in. How about this for reasons we did not win: Blame Smith for getting run out? Blame the umpire for the Kallis howler, and blame BCCI for no DRS? Blame Alviro and JP for poor shots?

Perhaps they marked the books in store up for Christmas.

Imo they decided to stop going after the win after Faf got run out. I also dont blame him, he must have been very tired at that point and were not so quick on his feet.

Ps, interesting to note that Ashwin was not much more effective than Tahir. I also hope they stick with Tahir, but in hindsight, 4 fast bowlers would have won it. (althoug Tahir and JP took more wickets than Dale) The bigger question for me would be: Why did India dominate SA for such a large part ofthe match? Dale not getting more sticks and Morkel not bowling had a lot to do with that. Im happy Kallis started to bat well, and made a great contribution with the ball. I hope he gets to 300 wickets.

India won most days imo they were on topfor 60 to 70% of the match, perhaps more. They were under very little pressure most of the time, they only got Faffed up a bit on the last day. Dhoni became very defensive, and their bowlers bowled negative lines. It is difficult to score fast - AB could do it, but its not fair to bargain on our tailenders to get there, give conditions, I think. Only Tahir and an injured Morkel were left on the bench, plus if they lost and Durban got washed out, that would have been it for the series. I would have loved for us to win, but for that AB, Faf and JP (especially) needed to stick around.

A 5 test series would have been epic, no thanks BCCI (and up yours too, for the lack of DRS, while Im at it)

Its turning into a super test, gripping stuff (and without the off the ball stuff like the Asses)

We can still win this. If we dont lose another wicket, and the bat at the current run rate, we can get the score. Thenew ball is due just after lunch, though. Too bad about that poor descision Kallis got, because the match is so delicately poised.

I cant understand how the Indian pacers are looking so menacing, but our bowlers got smashed. Kallis looks in good touch, it will be great if he, Faf and AB can tire their bowlers out some, it is going to be a scorching afternoon. It will be interesting to see who they call up for the Durban test, if Morkel cant play. I hope it is not Kleinveld - perhaps Tsotsobe due to political pressure?

I see there are some rumours about Smith threatening to quit because somebody wanted to force the selection of Tsolikile. That may explain SA being a de-motivated and off their best.

Carbon is stronger than Alu. Strength is the wrong reason to buy Alu. Right reasons would be: Alu is an excellent frame material, for less money. It does not rust like steel, if you ride SabieX. On a mtb, there are shocks and fat tyres that give ride comfort, lots of vertical flex is not needed from the frame. You dont mind an extra 100 grams or so mass on the frame compared to carbon. I would prefer a boutiqe brand more than mainstream brands like Giant, Trek or Cannondale, if it was me. Their alu bikes are sold as entry level machines, there are lots of them around. I ride an Ellsworth, too bad they dont make an alu hardtail. Ti was the ligtest material before carbon technology took over. It offers very little advantage over moden hydroformed alu, though, on a mtb with a suspension fork and fat tyres. There are some very nice custom builders in Ti, and it has a "look here, titanium frame, cost a fortune" effect that carbon does not quite match imo.

SA top order did not bat like the #1 side yesterday. It is dissapointing that they could not handle full, streight bowling. I wonder if this is what happens when Gary is no longer coach? Pietersen's time may be up - how many chances will he get? He was looking good, till he got out. Kallis is a more difficult problem - will he lift his game again, and what to do if he doesn't? AB and JP - just poor batting, or are India the better side? It looks as if they are doing better in SA conditions than us. Great knock by Vern so far, there are still hopes that we can get level with India. But we will also bat last, we need to bowl extremely well when they bat again.

Agreed, well said. Something to mention is that steel and alu beats carbon in the joints, though. Carbon tubes are vastly superior to the equivalent metal ones for the same shape, but carbon joints are ineffecient, because material has to be overlapped to join them. That is the reason carbon frames do not weigh 1/4 of a steel frame. A metal weld is much more efficient when done right. The effect would be bigger on small sized structures, where the weight of the joints make up a bigger % of the total. This is why the best metal stems and cranks weigh the same as carbon ones. But people buy those components in carbon because marketers tell them to.

Pretty average day for SA. Spinners were poor, they released pressure built by the pacers. But if we knock them over tomorrow, we can still be in a strong position. Lets see how we do on this pitch when we bat

Thanks, I hope they have a SIR 9 or two

There is this: http:// http://www.jensonusa.com/Niner-Sir-9-Frame-2012 But they only have XL, I need a M or L, not sure which.

Hmmm, that may explain why I did not have much luck with google

I would appreciate it if somebody can suggest the a good shop in Gauteng to go look at Niners. Secondly, are there online shops that sell them that hubbers have used? Some USA sites have good deals, but I suspect shipping cost on a frame from there will be a deal breaker.