Cricket......

['Dale]

What a satisfying victory in both modes!

 

First Test series win on the Tea Island since 1993.

21 years

[Shebeen]

how's this for a pitch report. don't think richie's keys would get lost in there but his grandkids could bring their bucket and spades and have a lot of fun.

 

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/video/398584

['Dale]

They made their way past their team bus, whose engine had already spluttered into life and was ready to whisk them off and walked down the SSC tunnel and onto the field. They headed to the surface that was supposed to be their undoing and sang their team song. That's tradition.

...The words are still a secret but at least two of them are known. "Protea Fire," is printed on the banner that hangs outside South Africa's changeroom and is also the title of their track. It is not just a catch phrase. It refers to the national flower, the Protea, which is the first to bloom after a fire. Those two words stand for strength - in particular, the strength to prosper even in tough times. It was apt that South Africa had those words on display in Sri Lanka, where they recorded their first Test series win in the country in 21 years...

 

 

Firdose Moonda, cricinfo

Edited July 28, 2014 by ' Dale

[River Rat]

Please, pleeeease can we just beat the Aussies I am taking so much flak from my colleagues from down under. "Can't claim the the title until you beat us" they're starting to sound like Louis Luyt!

[GLuvsMtb]

Please, pleeeease can we just beat the Aussies I am taking so much flak from my colleagues from down under. "Can't claim the the title until you beat us" they're starting to sound like Louis Luyt!

We beat the Aussies in December 2012 1-0 which is in the 3 year cycle to calculate the current rankings. Now if those damn Aussies and Poms didn't feel it necessary to play each other in 5 match test series and 7 match odi's, the rest of the world might actually get to play against them more often.

[GLuvsMtb]

Today's cricket was something special. SA was the wounded bull and Sri Lanka was the matador. 10 stabs to the heart would have finished us off, but we managed through a combination of discipline, skill, application and some luck to fend off the 558 stabs taken at us and only get hit 7 times. At times our flanks were exposed and as the matador danced around the wounded bull I often cringed thinking that the final few blows would be only a few deliveries away. Yet the bull held firm and while tired from dancing around on the dusty arena it was never beaten.

 

The Sri Lankans were blatant in the way that the pitch was prepared for this game. The toss swung it even more towards the home sides' favour and some excellent batting in the first innings ensured that SA was out of the game from the morning of day 2. From the onset SA made it their business to hang in there. Amla led the charge with 2 match saving knocks and everyone seemed to value their wicket, right down to Tahir who's batting more than made up for a disappointing bowling performance.

A combination of healthy respect from Mathews (who left his declaration quite late), the weather gods (who added to the drama with some rain on day 5) and luck with a few dropped chances worked in our favour, but none of this would have meant anything if we caved in a pressure filled last session. We have done this often before, Adelaide, Durban and almost Newlands recently. Was Columbo going to be "close, but no cigar" or another spectacular save from SA? It turned out to be the latter and was fair justice for the way in which the # 1 ranking changed hands without a ball being bowled earlier this year. We need to make sure of the Zim test and will have to work hard to beat a West Indies side that is on the up and up at the moment later this year to retain the #1 ranking.

[milky4130]

Agree Tahir's is taken a nice U Turn of late but sadly neglected his primary responsibility. I remember his first couple of matches his batting & fielding left a lot to be desired.

[Christie]

We were saved by the late decleration. He could have set us 250, we would not have survived another 10 overs. Too bad for SL.

[Shebeen]

The big three are so powerful at the ICC that even when they lose the #1 ranking, they don't even change the status. But they've removed the Sa vs SL series from the predictor, so they've acknowledge the series is over, as well as having an article on the news feed.

 

http://www.icc-cricket.com/team-rankings/test

 

I wonder how long it will take before they update it?

[Shebeen]

[milky4130]

Oh dear looks as if Tahir will be playing the next test again. Surely if he gets hammered there, he is then out?

[Christie]

Sometimes the conservativeness of our selectors are so disappointing. Zim and WI are the ideal teams to expose some new talent to the top level. We need to improve some areas, before going to India. After our win in Galle, and our struggles in Colombo, India will know what kind of pitches to prepare.

[Shebeen]

Oh dear looks as if Tahir will be playing the next test again. Surely if he gets hammered there, he is then out?

not necessarily, I reckon Piedt will make his debut. Tahir was our best bowler last year in the T20 in sri lanka, the same frikken pitches he just got carted on. They will keep him in the system, but doubt he'll play another test. If you can't do the business on a turner in the sub continent then don't bother.

[milky4130]

Just saw it on cricinfo but yeah let's wait & see, I'm sure someone in the back room is analysing his SL Testsp bowling stats

[Christie]

Imo Tahir is an excellent limited overs bowler. His many variations are difficult to handle when batsmen are looking to score off every ball, he is a similar case to Mendis. We should use him as a specialist. For tests, his control is not good enough, where batsmen can afford to wait for a bad ball, and 4 runs per over is excellent.

[Shebeen]

kallis retires. for good this time.