Cricket......

[Stretch]

22/2 and in walks Faf....

Just looking at his stats.. he's DEFINITELY due now

 

[Christie]

They are making Root and Bess look like master spinners. VdDussen looked like a confused giraffe, playing different shots with with his feet and bat.

 

Imagine if they were facing Ashwin and Jadeja ????

[Kranswurm]

Just looking at his stats.. he's DEFINITELY due now

 

Not today and I doubt very much in the last one.Very disappointing.If the captain cant hold the fort in troubled times the rest will just fold

[Christie]

Boucher: " its not a technical issue"

????

I wonder what it was, then?

[Kranswurm]

Mark Boucher: "We were outskilled," he says. "Ultimately I'm responsible for the performance of the team, I have to look at ways to up-skill the guys in a short space of time."

"I do think towards the end there, Joe Root was tough to play, but we've created this issue for ourselves, we've got to man up and learn our lessons. When you're under the pump for a long time, every side has its breaking point, but I thought we broke too early, which was disappointing."

On the future of Faf du Plessis, Boucher won't been drawn yet. "That's not a call to make at this moment in time, with a Test series on the line. There's lots of things in the media which can accumulate when you don't score runs, but the best way to answer that is to go out and score runs."

[leeubok]

I wonder what the weather is like in PE? That's all that can save this test.. 

 

These last 2 tests have really been disappointing. Things looked so promising after the first test, only to unravel spectacularly. But I suppose you can't expect boucher and co to fix a very broken team within the first series they play. 

[Vetplant]

Some rain possible at around 14h00.. but I fear we won't even get there...

[leeubok]

Some rain possible at around 14h00.. but I fear we won't even get there...

 

No ways we'll make it till then..

[gemmerbal]

HAHAHA...

I wonder how the pep talk went this morning: "lets go out and show them who is boss!"
10 min later:
"Ok, lets go out again, and try something else"

[gemmerbal]

This, 1000% agree.

 

I think Bouch is trying to divert attention from the team by saying he's to blame. I dont quite agree because he's not the guy out in the middle playing rash shots. 

 

What irks me is that conversation yesterday when Hamza got out: KP was saying he needs to go back and work on the technical issue that is causing him to lose his wicket (bowling at his hip because he gets very front on when the ball is back of a length), Pommie's answer to the problem was to move him down the order. Now, how the FU_K does that help? ("reshuffle of the order").

 

Hamza is talented, but he has a techical flaw that he needs to sort out. He is not the first or last youngster to come into international cricket to experience this. I wish for his own sake he makes a score in the last test, we need him at 3, and if he can come through this he will be the better for it. The only reasonable alternative is to bat Markram at 3 when he returns. Which altogether might make the most sense in my opinion. Then possibly Hamza can bat at 4. I agree with the sentiment that class is permanent/form is temporary. I doubt though that Faf will be around beyond this year. The pressure is showing on his face, and eventually something has got to give.

 

Temba made ONE score, ONE. I am happy for his sake, but one swallow doesn't make a summer. That being said, it's not like our current lineup is making it difficult for him to get back into the side.

 

Now, I'm off to do the rain dance.

 

 

I wonder what the weather is like in PE? That's all that can save this test.. 

 

These last 2 tests have really been disappointing. Things looked so promising after the first test, only to unravel spectacularly. But I suppose you can't expect boucher and co to fix a very broken team within the first series they play. 

Edited January 20, 2020 by gemmerbal

[Shebeen]

Some rain possible at around 14h00.. but I fear we won't even get there...

 

 

9.40am: Morning all, here's the update you've all been after/dreading: "Dry," reports George Dobell. "Looks OK to me. But there are some brooding clouds in the distance. Reasonably confident, though."

[Shebeen]

This, 1000% agree.

.

 

Temba made ONE score, ONE. I am happy for his sake, but one swallow doesn't make a summer. That being said, it's not like our current lineup is making it difficult for him to get back into the side.

 

 

agreed. but the timing was amazing

Faf says Temba make runs.

Temba makes runs.

 

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_innings.html?id=13189;type=tournament

 

Temba is #5 for highest scores in the 4Day series.

11 150+ scores, even George Linde has 148*

 

all this tells me is runs in 4Day does not equal test quality. Guys like Stiaan van zijl et al have made bucketloads over the years and then just not cut the mustard for the proteas.

[gemmerbal]

Correct, we thus get back to the Domestic Competition not being strong enough...

 

 

agreed. but the timing was amazing

Faf says Temba make runs.

Temba makes runs.

 

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_innings.html?id=13189;type=tournament

 

Temba is #5 for highest scores in the 4Day series.

11 150+ scores, even George Linde has 148*

 

all this tells me is runs in 4Day does not equal test quality. Guys like Stiaan van zijl et al have made bucketloads over the years and then just not cut the mustard for the proteas.

[leeubok]

Third ball of the day = WICKET

[Vetplant]

"South Africa trail by 175 runs with 3 wickets remaining"

 

This is the saddest line of text I have read in sport in the last decade.... Plus England have an innings in hand.

[leeubok]

Maybe this idea of changing tests to 4 days only is a good thing. We would've drawn this test and the Newlands one 

 

Seriously, we were comprehensively outplayed these last 2 tests but still made it to day 5. Would've been an injustice for Eng to draw them both if day 5 wasn't available!