Proteas Tour of England 2012

[Mike Hoxbig]

I'll be off to lunch shortly. Going to camp in front of the telly for a bit. Does this count as buggering off?

No that doesn't count, no cricket at all. You're screwing with their mojo FFS

[Devill]

I'll be off to lunch shortly. Going to camp in front of the telly for a bit. Does this count as buggering off?

No. You are only allowed to watch the replays... after the test has been won.

The only really have Clarke and Hussey (and Ponting to an extent). The rest of their batting has gone downhill, and they don't have any decent replacements either.

You not counting Watsona s a good bat?

[Mike Hoxbig]

You not counting Watsona s a good bat?

He is, but he'll break down sooner or later. He always does. Doesn't have the fitness to pull an Amla marathon.

[Devill]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/page2/co...ry/573579.html

1.36 Amount in centimetres that Hashim Amla's beard grew during his innings.

0.00 Amount in centimetres that thing on Jacques Kallis' head grew during his innings.

895* Number of runs Amla would have made if Smith hadn't made an uncharacteristically positive declaration.

1 World ranking of one of the teams on the pitch. Will still be the case at the end of the series, just probably not the same team.

2% Attention Kevin Pietersen was paying to Kallis and Amla as they showed how to make runs on this wicket.

5 Number of Tests most England cricket fans wanted to see in this series. Have now decided that three is more than enough.

6 Number of brain cells used by Pietersen as he waited to hook Morne Morkel in a bid to show him who's boss.

67213 Number of times Alviro Petersen kicked himself during the last couple of days

311 Number of runs scored by the magnificent Amla. Also telephone number of public information service in North America; maybe they can give the England bowlers some advice.

5000% Increase in noisiness from Indian and Australian fans on the internet now that their conquerors are getting a taste of their own medicine.

0.1 degrees Amount that reverse-swing specialist Tim Bresnan managed to get the ball to deviate off the straight.

25% Amount that Steven Finn has improved as a player in people's minds today.

0 Likelihood of Andrew Strauss sweeping a legspinner successfully.

182 Runs scored by Kallis. Also number of celebratory boerewors sausages eaten by Kallis after innings.

1,000,000 Pints of watery lager drunk by Oval crowd as they tried to numb the pain of a Kallis big one.

Two Number of England captains already retired by Graeme Smith. And counting… ?

Brilliant.

[McT]

No that doesn't count, no cricket at all. You're screwing with their mojo FFS

No. You are only allowed to watch the replays... after the test has been.

Hard ball then? I'm going for a pee.

[Wall]

I would love a wicket before lunch

[Abe]

Please provide me with the proof that we would have been in a better position. As said, two of the wickets, in my mind at least, have come BECAUSE we did not set them a score of 300-350....

Thats a bold statement. Opinion given as "almost" fact. I cannot give proof just as you cannot give proof the other way around. We could have had them all out last night with a "target" of 300 and they could also have also been 0 down. The fact point remains that there are a limited number of outcomes and whole argument of as much time as possible to bowl them out is mute when you only have a lead of 250. In all likelihood we will have to bat again which will waste 2 overs for the change over.

No one can say if it was the right or wrong decision. It was just the decision taken, whatever the outcome. I (and others) have my opinion as to what was the "right" and why and you and others will have their opinion. End of story. There is no point in discussing it further.

[DrYes]

Fsck

These guys are clawing they way back into the game.

Costly drop by DeV.

[McT]

Do we need a long stop for AB?

[DJ...]

Maybe the commentators have a point when it comes to AB. He's cost us 2 wickets behind the stumps now.

I've always maintained he is a better asset in the field with a specialist keeper/batsman behind the stumps...

[Devill]

Thats a bold statement. Opinion given as "almost" fact. I cannot give proof just as you cannot give proof the other way around. We could have had them all out last night with a "target" of 300 and they could also have also been 0 down. The fact point remains that there are a limited number of outcomes and whole argument of as much time as possible to bowl them out is mute when you only have a lead of 250. In all likelihood we will have to bat again which will waste 2 overs for the change over.

No one can say if it was the right or wrong decision. It was just the decision taken, whatever the outcome. I (and others) have my opinion as to what was the "right" and why and you and others will have their opinion. End of story. There is no point in discussing it further.

Yes, I can see how easily we are picking up the wickets now that they have gone into an ultra defensive mode, which in all likely hood would have been step 1 if they were chasing 300 - 350.

By giving us more overs to bowl and an incentive to not crawl into their shells I am sure most people will agree it was the right thing to do trying to win the match.

[Garson007]

Not looking good. Not looking good at all. We need them 7 or 8 down by the time they start setting a target.

[Mike Hoxbig]

We're wasting time and overs with Tahir here, he hasn't carried over his threat from yesterday to today. Go with the 4 seamers and up the intensity, that's how we got them in the first innings.

[Devill]

Ok so in 25-30 overs the pomms might just be ahead, then for every over they bat we should bat 0.5 of that.

So 62 -30 = 30 overs left, they can bat for about another 20 and leave us with 10 to chace 60 odd

[DrYes]

This is gonna be tight.Might make for riveting viewing late on.
SA given 10 overs to score 70.