QDK looking in fine touch for the South Africans, lovely player to watch.
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QDK looking in fine touch for the South Africans, lovely player to watch.
Isn't it time the rules were changed to make batsmen wear proper helmets with neck-protectors?
And maybe batsmen learned that it isn't a good idea to turn their backs on the bowling?
Kuhn could have been badly hurt, wasn't (thankfully) badly hurt, but if he had been it would have been his own stupid fault.
England struggling 3-2 both openers out.
205 all out. Good toss to win, I think.
Let's see how Joe Root is at the Rain Dance .... :wink:
Pathetic show today. as bad as the first test. Cricket is becoming a joke. Grinding out a draw is part of the game and these sides don't have the skills or the concentration. Too much slogging out for the 20/20 money to keep the Market Men happy is the problem.
Holding, McGrath or even Bob Willis would have run through all of them in no time.
That's a weakened SA side.
133 all out (of which Cook scored 42) is a disgrace.
I haven't seen any of it, but I'll watch the highlights and make sure I get the verdict. "Gutless shambles" comes to mind as a possible summary?
Was watching some analysis earlier this evening. Hussein is quite scathing, essentially saying some of the players may have the talent but don't have the backbone.
The top three balance is very much under the spotlight, Ballance and Jennings really, with Ballance more so - questions over whether you can open with three left-handers. Jennings has struggled this series and his domestic form is awful but he's just off the back of a Test century and a Test half-century in his first two tests, both on the sub-continent! Ballance's first eighteen months in the team were strong but he has struggled in the last two years.
I think Root had an easy run last time out - SA had a stand-in captain who didn't seem to be on the ball at all. De Villiers is another matter entirely, very sharp, very experienced, and utterly ruthless.
Root needs to assert himself, IMO - some of the carry-on surrounding appeals to the third umpire was beyond ridiculous, with Broad, Stokes and Bairstow the main culprits. SA, on the other hand - the bowler appeals, Faf walks quietly over to de Kock and they have a word. Faf looks at the bowler - the bowler either backs down or renews his appeal. Faf has a wee think to himself, and either asks for the review or shakes his head and turns away. Absolutely no doubt about who's on control.
One cannot say that about England and Joe Root. I'm beginning already to get flashbacks to Beefy - great player, NOT a captain. I really hope JR proves my dark prognostications wrong.
Having watched the highlights (I'm saving the Lord Chief Justice for just before going to bed) i'll say it again - that performance was a gutless shambles, with some of the worst offenders being senior players. It would be simplistic to blame Root - the same players were doing the same things last winter in India. they seem to have learned nothing.
Rabada's back for the Third Test, Faf's got them playing again - can England pull themselves together and turn things around? I really doubt it.
There was a feature on SSN yesterday morning that Englands 4th innings batting record under Bayliss is abysmal, more of the same by the look of things, although never watched any of the last 3 days play.
Bayliss was interviewed on "The Verdict" and he was as shifty and evasive as he could possibly have been. He didn't give a single straight answer that I could detect. He was saying exactly the same things he said in the winter during the Test series in Bangladesh and India.
'Abysmal' is a very good word to describe the England batting yesterday. Not one of them seemed to have any conception of the idea of just going out to occupy the crease and wear the bowling down.
I think it was David Lloyd told the story about David Steele of Northamptonshire when he was picked to play against the Australians in 1975 (I think!). Steele was near retirement, and probably wouldn't have satisfied the present backroom staff as to his fitness levels or weight or even eyesight (he wore glasses). When he arrived at the crease in his debut Test, one of the Aussie slip fielders remarked loudly to Rod Marsh the w/keeper, "F*** it, Rod, look at the arse on this one!' Steele turned round and said to the guy, "Aye, take a GOOD f***** look at it, mate. You'll see enough of it this summer!" He scored 50, 45, 73, 92, 39 and 66 in his six Test innings that year, and made his top score the following season against the West Indies (in their prime). He wasn't athletic, he had solid technique rather than brilliant, most folks thought he was too old, but if you'll pardon my French, he had bollocks the size of cannonballs and the heart of a lion.
And the Aussies were heartily sick and tired of his big arse occupying the crease - for hours and hours and hours. And scoring runs as well, of course, but the main thing initially was to stay there, and sicken the bowlers - who included Jeff Thompson and Dennis Lillee. Now THAT's a Test batsman.
And they needn't blame T20 - the Indians are top-class at T20, and ODIs, and Test matches. They're able to adapt to the format. The English guys can't, or don't, or just won't.
Yesterday was the first time I have ever though Root was looking older after watching his post match interview. He looks like a man under pressure already.
I think he is. I rather fear for him, TBH.
Something that was brought up on 'The Verdict' - there may be a pattern emerging of players being picked for England, coming in and doing a terrific job, then either falling away badly or simply not improving, not finding their feet in the team. IIRC some of the players mentioned were Jennings, Ballance, Vince, Wood and Buttler. There were others, but I missed them.
I didn't catch it all, and I'm not saying it's true, but I do wonder just how useful Trevor Bayliss is? What exactly does he do? How exactly does he interact with the captain? And what influence exactly is he exerting on the players? Because not to put a fine point on it, he's doing a rank bad job as far as I can see.
India appear to be able to prepare the same top players to play Tests, ODIs and T20 equally well. Most other countries too. England seem to have a thing about 'specialist' short-game squads, and yet they of all the top (maybe I should say 'big') countries seem to have this problem with batsmen walking out in Tests and setting off as if they were playing T20 - no concentration, no determination to stay at the crease, poor judgement, poor choice of shot ...
Bairstow's dismissal yesterday was farcical. So was Moeen's. So were half-a-dozen others. At one point Broad came down the wicket to speak to Dawson - they were laughing and joking? Two balls later Broad gave HIS wicket away - spooned the ball straight down the fielder's throat.
And I see Root's defending them - 'not fair to say they have no respect for Test cricket'. IMO he should have torn each and every one of them a new one last night. And he should have been backed by Bayliss - who was also spreading excuses and platitudes around and avoiding give a straight answer to anything he was asked.
Win one Test by more than 200. Lose the next by more than 300. That's not just random. Nor is it just down to Faf du Plessis coming back - though I think his captaincy was a major factor in the match.
So which England will we see next out? I suppose they could bounce back (though I rather doubt it). I just hope it doesn't do to Joe Root what a similar situation did to Beefy ...
I think he's still injured, but given the way the team seems to be run these days, they could have already decided he's not good enough.
He looked very good in that one match in India. Right now I'd rather not see any more youngsters drawn into the England set up until that set up's sorted out and running properly.
Complete this well-known phrase or saying - "Couldnae run a p***-*p in a b*****y." Answers to the MCC, Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood Road, London NW8 8QN.
SAF doing well. Pity about the interruptions but then I wonder whether the conditions also add a bit for them when they are able to bowl?
Rabada's wicket was an absolute beauty! Welcome to Test cricket Dawid Malan :greengrin
Stokes's on fire.
Hameed has struggled a bit this season, hes played in 7 County matches but his average is only 19 and has a high score of 47. He'll be a class act I think but at the moment its a bit after the Lord mayors show. Expectation has weighed a little heavily on him I think. His time will come but not yet, still has much to learn despite his endevours in India.
I agree he's got lots of ability. Is he still in his teens?
They've looked a lot more composed and disciplined this time out - more application to the job in hand, I thought.
Of course a debut bowler taking 5 wickets in his first innings is a real bonus, but the batsmen have looked to me a lot more solid than even in the first Test.
SA 252-9, gutsy innings by Elgar is going to mean very little.
Hat trick for Ali to take the match, cracking stuff. England win by 239 runs.
Terrific performance - they looked the part this time. Very well played.
BTW there is an uncanny resemblance here?
Attachment 19014 The Man in the High Castle ...
Attachment 19015 The MCC Captain?
Maybe young Joe really IS the guy to bring order and discipline to the England Test side .... :devil:
That is quite freaky! :-)
Seriously, they played really well in this Test. Let's see them repeating the performance next out and WINNING THE SERIES!
Interesting series as SAF have the players who can do it with bat and ball and could yet turn it around.
England are only a couple of picks away from being a really strong side and could be top three as opposed to top five or six. They have to be mindful of succession planning though, particularly with Broad and Anderson. Also need to sort that top order, because they are genuinely solid in the middle order.
I've got tickets for days 2 and 3 at Headingley for the second Test vs the Windies at the end of August. I would expect England to be dominating that match if they are as good as they think - first match to iron out any kinks and come across any surprises, second match to demonstrate why they are so much higher in the rankings.
They took a fair hammering in the first series too, hopefully they'll never arrange a 3rd.