England's Summer test matches, 2012

England's Summer test matches, 2012

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spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Friday 20th July 2012
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If you'd have asked me yesterday then I'd have said 500 was a good score, however there was a lot of swing this morning that now seems to have settled a bit. Still think we're below where we should be unless the tail continues to wag well.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Friday 20th July 2012
quotequote all
385 all out. Not a bad total but it's a lot less than I thought we'd get yesterday.

Let's see what the Saffas can manage, which I suspect will be weather dependent.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Friday 20th July 2012
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one gone

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Saturday 21st July 2012
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Some excellent grinding by the Saffas, hopefully we can pick up a few wickets with the new ball and then let Swann at their tail. They're still 200 behind.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Saturday 21st July 2012
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DJRC said:
385 All Out.

500 was never a par score, even at Stumps yesterday, against this attack. You just dont go around walloping 500 against arguably the best South African test attack of all time.

The question now is what can Jimmy et co do in these conditions?
errrrrm, I still think that 500 was a good score and 450 a parr one. There's no doubt that the Saffas have batted with a determination that only Cook and Trott have shown from us. I also think that whilst we've bowled reasonably the plan seems to have been to try and get wickets by boring the batsmen and you can't do that against class players. We've shown very little aggression with the ball and that isn't enough at this level.

I suspect that this game will fizzle out into a draw. Hopefully we'll put up a better show in the next couple of matches and I also hope the pitches will have a little more life in them.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Sunday 22nd July 2012
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Carfolio said:
OK, the lunch is over. 20 overs at a very sharp runrate could see a pre-tea declaration with a deficit of around 260 odd. That's what I hope to see, anyway.
Your guys have batted very well/ We've plodded our way through in the field without either attacking hard or defending well after losing focus with our batting in the first session of the second day.

I still think it'll end in a draw, the pitch is just to dull for anything else.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Sunday 22nd July 2012
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The declaration has arrived.

Time for some stonewalling from us.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Sunday 22nd July 2012
quotequote all
It's not the pitch, it's the attitude. We've had it easy for too long. Being able to bore out sides with good accurate bowling works well enough against most.

Batting overly positively works well enough against most. The Saffas are a class outfit with plenty of strengths and in this match considerably more desire to win, even if that means that batting involves grind, grind and more grind. We seem to have forgotten how to do that. We seem to have forgotten that the most important shot in a test match, particularly in a game we can't win is the leave.

However the series is long, as is our tail, even if we don't have Monty coming in at 11 to fend off the last few balls.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Sunday 22nd July 2012
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DJRC said:
Sorry, been busy all day recovering from a monster night.

Well chaps, the boks royally stuffed us today frown
. ...and yesterday, and the day before.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
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I wonder how much we'll learn from that?


spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
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What surprises me is not that Ravi didn't do well, is that he was asked at all.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Thursday 2nd August 2012
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Win the toss and bat nine times out of ten. On the tenth time, count to ten and then say bat.

Poor again from us, I wonder if Strauss will play after this series?

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Thursday 2nd August 2012
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AndySA said:
Lots of frustration, we have not had a proper 5 test series for ages. Really needs to be brought back, there is far too much time in the year wasted on ODI's and T20 games. These should be limited to a side show, with more focus on test cricket.
This may be the first time I've ever been in agreement with a Saffa

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Friday 3rd August 2012
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AndySA said:
English bowling seems really good this morning, very few runs so far. Our boys are doing well not to have lost a wicket or 2 to this.
I think that's the real difference, when we bowl well your batsmen shut up shop. Whe it happens the other way round we attack and get up.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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[quote=AndySA]Been quite on here for a while, hoping for a good few wickets to fall today.
[/quote

I'm hoping we remember that this is a test match and not a T/20 and bat accordingly.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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Why can't we bat like it's a test match?

BBC said:
There seems to be a disease running through the England side, one that makes them throw wickets away. Jacques Kallis comes on before tea and serves Bell up with a very wide, full delivery that is swinging away. Bell should leave it, but can't resist driving while on the move. He succeeds in only getting an edge to Smith, gifting South Africa another wicket when England were again just getting into the ascendancy.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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AndySA said:
KP going mad at the moment, lots of runs but for how long!
Sufficiently.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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johnfm said:
Do you think KP has been inspired by the Olympian of tht other British Great....

Phillip Hindes...


hehe
Here, have some HMV vouchers

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Sunday 5th August 2012
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AndySA said:
Hope the weather leaves time for a result, either way. With such a short series the last thing it needs is a rain forced draw.
It's a draw. If only there were five tests.

I think I need a beer, that's twice I've been in agreement with a Saffa.

spikeyhead

Original Poster:

17,355 posts

198 months

Monday 6th August 2012
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AndySA said:
Well played to both teams! One match to go
Indeed, shame about the rain and more shame that it's only a three match series.