Cricket......

[Joeboy69]

Saw it on twitter so maybe not official

 

@EWNsport: #EWNCricket Kyle Abbott, has been added to the Proteas' Test squad for the second Test starting in Durban on Boxing Day.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Joeboy69

[Shebeen]

yoh, what an epic game! I said last night all three results are possible, with 3 overs to go all FOUR were still options!

 

Very disappointed we couldn't close this one out. It looked that there might have been conflicting instructions at the end, losing faf to that direct hit was probably the turning point. 16 off three overs looked like it was worth a dip, but did anyone else notice Shami bowling three bouncers in the third last over?

No point really blaming our tactics in the last 30mins, a draw is a good result for us considering how we played ourselves back in.

Losing morne was huge.

Steyn bowling was not up to his usual standard...

Kallis would obviously have been not out under any normal series not involving the currybullies.

India got the better bowling conditions on 2nd day, or got some tiger balm on the ball to make it zip all over the place.

 

Who's going to come in for morne? - I think Abbot will get his second game, even though he's not in the squad. only change.

 

How's this for Biff in the presentation...Graeme Smith comes up. Credit to India he says, they played extremely well in the first four days............. Both teams have to regroup gong into Durban and hopefully we have a third Test in Cape Town. Morne's injury also played a part in making the decision to draw the game because he was not a 100% and he doesn't control that long body even when he was fit

[Shebeen]

Ill bet you 5 cents (your monthly budget) he gets into the test team before that lot. If you bothered to reach we were talking about him as just a batsmen at this stage with AB still keeping the gloves

 

Graeme Smith opened the batting at 21 with less first class experience behind him but I guess that was a dof move to - neh?

 

The experience probably made him one of the toughest batsmen in the game today

 

Looking back at the QdK/wicketkeeper issue I think it's even less resolved now!

I don't think they'll throw QdK into the squad just yet. if they wanted him in to be in the mix with a mental edge after his odi dominance then they missed the slot. He got 0 and 3 over the weekend, when only a pair of hundreds would have pushed his cause. He won't play against australia either so give him another year to get into the whites(he'll probably be there eventually).

 

I mentioned kuhn and smit as two of the wickie/batsmen in the wings who've performed well over the past few seasons...neither are actually keeping currently(smit has gone back to his legspin and even took a few wickets)!

So I think if they want to give AB a break, we're stuck with thami for now(who is the other keeper in the squad)

 

The squad announcement is huge, imagine being one of the fringe fast bowlers planning your christmas now?!

 

edit: sjoe that was quick

Fast bowler Kyle Abbott has been added to South Africa's squad for the Durban Test against India, which begins on Boxing Day. Abbott has been called in as cover for Morne Morkel, who badly sprained his ankle during the first Test and so is a doubt for the second.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Shebeen

['Dale]

Like the ol saying goes...

 

A draw like this is like wet kissing one's sister

 

 

 

['Dale]

ASHES

 

So sorry to read about Swann checking out of cricket.

Enjoyed his skills.

England's best spinner for years.

Edited December 22, 2013 by ' Dale

[Dirtbreath]

Took my wife and kids to watch the last session and support our team. Wanderers pretty empty but no parking anywhere that was accessible. Loads of parking on fields but you cant drive there. Cant say I'll be going back in a hurry.

 

Great atmosphere once inside though.

[Shebeen]

how's this for an interesting stat.

 

SA/india

caught behind(keeper/slips) - 2/9

bowled - 6(half played on)/3

lbw - 5/2

 

so the indians are nicking the ball, we're missing it.

 

 

 

 

Like the ol saying goes...

 

A draw like this is like wet kissing one's sister

I think that's a reference to drawing a rugby final actually(ask naas).

[Christie]

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.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Christie

[GLuvsMtb]

What an amazing cricket game. It was like watching a rugby team come from 0-40 with 15 minutes to play to draw the game 50 all. To all of you who sit in your comfy lounge chairs knocking today's performance, go and look at where we were yesterday this time. This knock by Faf and co rates as an even greater escape than Mike Atherton many years ago against a fired up Donald at the very same Wanderers. It rates higher than what they achieved a year ago in Adelaide and with a fit Morkel, they might have gotten there in the end. Credit to both sides. SA could have taken a zero risk approach and decided not to chase down the total. India could have slowed down the over rate, or got their spinner to bown over the wicket outside leg stump with our players kicking the ball away (like certain Aussie and English sides did in the past), but India even managed to get an extra over in on the final day with little bowling done by their spinner.

Durban is poised nicely. Pity there is no Cape Town test this year. It would have been epic!

[Christie]

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.

[Shebeen]

had to watch the highlights again..silly supersport included 2 balls out of the final 20...that was were all the drama was damnit!

What an amazing cricket game. It was like watching a rugby team come from 0-40 with 15 minutes to play to draw the game 50 all. To all of you who sit in your comfy lounge chairs knocking today's performance, go and look at where we were yesterday this time.

I was also lank disappointed in us not taking more risks near the end, BUT anyone who judges a test match by tuning in for the last 30minutes doesn't get allowed an opinion.

['Dale]

If they chased the 458 and got bowled out, some might've called them 'Jokers' for not drawing the match.

 

Beautiful game.

['Dale]

The value of that drawn Test, well illustrated

 

http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2013-14/content/story/703257.html

[Shebeen]

am looking in vain to find the youtube clip of the drunk passed out oke in his pienk vest - surely it exists? The oke is clearly the lovechild of vernon koekemoer and patrisja lewis, he needs to get into the huisgenoot before the year is up.

[Snytjie]

No-one should wonder why our great stadiums are only 25% full when SA takes on the nr 1 side in the world. Cricket in SA has no more pride or heart to it. Just a weak philosophy of justifying every soft loss or the passing up the opportunity to make history when it comes by. These dimwits think that a 80% or 90% win/draw rate will make them great; it won't. What makes you great is spirit, of which we have none. To get the chance to make history and not going for it just to try and keep up a mediocre record is spineless.

 

On the upside: more time for me to go cycling...

[GLuvsMtb]

No-one should wonder why our great stadiums are only 25% full when SA takes on the nr 1 side in the world. Cricket in SA has no more pride or heart to it. Just a weak philosophy of justifying every soft loss or the passing up the opportunity to make history when it comes by. These dimwits think that a 80% or 90% win/draw rate will make them great; it won't. What makes you great is spirit, of which we have none. To get the chance to make history and not going for it just to try and keep up a mediocre record is spineless.

 

On the upside: more time for me to go cycling...

Oom H? Is that you?!