Cricket

[Chris O'Connor]

Who do you think is more deserving of the opening birth?

His technique just isn't there yet, needs to learn where his off stump is and not play unnecessary defensive shots when there's no need.

If you're not lining the ball up correctly then you'll get found out very quickly against bowlers with far more guile and accuracy than the county trundlers.

His county record isn't even very exceptional, in fact not at all exceptional. I suspect he was taken along to give experience of touring and what's involved in the hope he'll develop his game domestically and be a contender in a few years. It would give him valuable experience. I'm sure they never thought they'd be forced to have to play him.

It's been an occasional policy in the past to take the odd youngster who isn't likely to feature with the hope of dividends in the future. Perhaps playing Bess in front of Parkinson may mean Parkinson was thought to be in the same category. A young leggy being riskier as opposed to an off spinner. Unless you're Warne, young leggys in test cricket are rare indeed.

If they were picking on merit there are people around with far more experience and a better first class average but merit isn't the only consideration, they have unexpectedly had to play him and had no choice in the matter.

 

[BornBlue76]

Proteas just as brittle as England.. lucky we’re playing each other right now!

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Tbh they are two poor batting sides in this test. Crippling Illness problems exacerbated by unecessary and unfortunately timed injuries, especially to the inform opener Rory Burns, have made England's team even weaker than it might have been.

England have struggled away from home for some time now and while they're competitive and haven't lost a series at home with a Dukes ball, their bowlers when there's no pace around, can struggle badly and look toothless with a kookaburra.

Archer and Wood (both injured here) have that pace but Archer had recently been struck down with flu, got off his sick bed to play the first test - although possibly not right - and subsequently injured himself. These two real pacemen offer the best chance in the away ashes and there are one or two with high pace around - as with Archer mainly in the shorter format games atm that may join them.

The county championship fixture list bookended at the start and end of the summer means there are few of real pace being brought through. T20 does though reward pace and it's the shorter formats which could provide some promise for the test side too.

 

[Danny_EFC1878]

223 all out. 46 lead and i think if England can get 250 in the 2nd innings that could be enough

 

[PITA]

Pietersen is such a boring commentator.

 

[Connor]

Dominic “can’t get his eye in but battered county cricket” Sibley going well here

 

[summerisle]

Root out for 63, Sibley 85 n.o., England 217-3, 263 ahead.

 

[summerisle]

Night watchman Bess out for a duck. Close 218-4, 264 ahead.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Sibley showed tremendous character and as with Burns before him, is making real progress despite an ugly and flawed technique.

There are plenty of top class performers with imperfect techniques, Steve Smith a prime example, what they do have though is the ability to find a way round it and a huge confidence in their own ability to do so.

Pope of the relative new boys, looks by far the best technically and is very pleasing on the eye. He has the natural easy flowing game of a young Ian Bell, playing with a more open face for the offside drive and looking equally at home both sides of the wicket.

What Pope, Burns and Sibley have in common is a mass of runs at county level and big runs too.

Crawley doesn't have that to back him up only averaging around 30 even at county level. The step up for him then is all the greater between 70. - 75 mph county trundlers (and he still found big runs hard to come by) and the 90 mph of Notje and test bowlers. He hasn't the confidence of having done it at a lower level and so his little cameo today was encouraging despite only getting 25. His is a longer journey and he needs to make his mark at the lower level too - one for the future perhaps.

Sibley will have learnt a huge amount and perhaps too the areas where further improvement is most needed, namely against spin where he struggled to score and rotate the strike. It's something that will come though and can be coached - a forward press can sometimes make more scoring shots available.

 

[Minimeister]

Sibley showed tremendous character and as with Burns before him, is making real progress despite an ugly and flawed technique.

There are plenty of top class performers with imperfect techniques, Steve Smith a prime example, what they do have though is the ability to find a way round it and a huge confidence in their own ability to do so.

Pope of the relative new boys, looks by far the best technically and is very pleasing on the eye. He has the natural easy flowing game of a young Ian Bell, playing with a more open face for the offside drive and looking equally at home both sides of the wicket.

What Pope, Burns and Sibley have in common is a mass of runs at county level and big runs too.

Crawley doesn't have that to back him up only averaging around 30 even at county level. The step up for him then is all the greater between 70. - 75 mph county trundlers (and he still found big runs hard to come by) and the 90 mph of Notje and test bowlers. He hasn't the confidence of having done it at a lower level and so his little cameo today was encouraging despite only getting 25. His is a longer journey and he needs to make his mark at the lower level too - one for the future perhaps.

Why is South African Test cricket in such a state mate?

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Why is South African Test cricket in such a state mate?

Retirements to big players mainly and some really big stars too.

Graeme Smith, Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock, the great Jacques Kallis, the equally great AB de Villiers (from tests), Hashim Amla to name but a few.

Too many retiring in close proximity has left a big chasm and a big rebuilding job to do

 

[StreetEndBlue]

Watching Australia v NZ on BT Sport. You could literally count the crowd the SCG is so sparse.

Really sad when a nation as synonymous with cricket like Australia is really struggling to get fans in. Well except once every four years when us English seem to take over their grounds.

Outside England, Test cricket really seems to be dying. And if they introduce four days Tests, it will only get worse.

 

[cronullasharks]

Ripper of a catch from james pattinson there

 

[summerisle]

Ben Stokes on the charge,26 of 20 balls, 246-4 lead by 292.

 

[kithnou]

Watching Australia v NZ on BT Sport. You could literally count the crowd the SCG is so sparse.

Really sad when a nation as synonymous with cricket like Australia is really struggling to get fans in. Well except once every four years when us English seem to take over their grounds.

Outside England, Test cricket really seems to be dying. And if they introduce four days Tests, it will only get worse.

Respectfully mate, there are some pressing emergencies currently going on around the country that people are attending to