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First test won by lovers of cricket

What a great display of test cricket! After five days the game came down to the last over. As we’re all aware by now we couldn’t bowl England out twice and to be honest, if it weren’t for England throwing their wickets away after tea, they probably would have secured the draw comfortably.

Going into the test match I was concerned about our bowling attack, three pace bowlers, of which one was on debut, Paul Harris our no. 1 spin bowler and a part timer in Duminy. I suggested that Harris would need to bowl brilliantly for us to bowl England out twice, he did just that in the first innings taking 5, but couldn’t repeat it in the second innings.

A positive from a bowling perspective was the performance from Friedel de Wet on debut, he was expensive in his first spell, but brought his economy rate down as the game progressed. What a display it was after tea with this new bowler landing up with four wickets in the second innings. I’m sure that, had there been time, he would have gotten 5. A bright talent for the future.

This test was Makhaya Ntini’s 100^th, he didn’t play all that well and as previously noted probably won’t be around long enough to break Shaun Pollock’s record of 421 test wickets, but what a gesture from Graeme Smith to let Ntini bowl that last over. The man is most certainly a legend.

Let’s not forget the centuries scored by Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, without those two brilliant stands we wouldn’t have even been in the game.

Having gone down to SuperSport Park on the first and fourth days myself, been part of a good crowd turn out after a poor ODI series, getting to watch The Ndingi Express in his 100^th test, and then witnessing a Battle Royale in the last session of the fifth day, I can honestly say cricket won this test. I bet there are a few more people who noticed this game called ‘test cricket’, and a few naysayers who are eating their words about the death of test cricket.

Video : Shaun Pollock tells Andrew Strauss he’s a doos

Here is some inspiration for our boys as we get ready to host England this summer, Shaun Pollock tells Andrew Strauss he’s a doos.

Fixtures: England tour to South Africa 09/10

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November 2009
13	South Africa	v	England	Pro20	Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg	18:00
15	South Africa	v	England	Pro20	SuperSport Park, Centurion	14:30
20	South Africa	v	England	ODI	Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg	14:30
22	South Africa	v	England	ODI	SuperSport Park, Centurion	10:00
27	South Africa	v	England	ODI	Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town	14:30
29	South Africa	v	England	ODI	Sahara Oval St George`s, Port Elizabeth	10:00
December 2009
4	South Africa	v	England	ODI	Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban	14:30
16	South Africa	v	England	Test	SuperSport Park, Centurion	10:30
26	South Africa	v	England	Test	Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban	10:30
January 2010
3	South Africa	v	England	Test	Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town	10:30
14	South Africa	v	England	Test	Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg	10:30

England: 3rd Worst performace in test history

England’s number 3, 4 and 5 have in this game posted the worst ever Test performance by and England 3-4-5. The worst. In 890 Tests. Even counting matches when nightwatchmen have broken up the 3-4-5. Even in 19th-century games when the wickets sometimes literally had snakes in them. Ouch. (Counting only games in which numbers 3, 4 and 5 have been dismissed twice, which seems fair in the circumstances.)

Bopara, Bell and Collingwood mustered 16 runs between them in their six innings. Even by the most positive-taking of modern standards, this was ‘a bit disappointing’ and ‘something that needs building on’.

In fact it was the equal third worst performance by numbers 3 to 5 in the batting order in all Test history (excluding South Africa at Melbourne in 1931-2, when they used a completely different 3-5 in the second innings, to spectacular effect – Bell, Mitchell and Cameron managed to double the 5 runs accumulated by Christy, Taylor an Viljoen in the first).

Source

ICC World Twenty20: England ends India’s defence of title

Defending champion India is out of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 after it lost a thrilling Super 8 match to England by three runs at Lord’s on Sunday. Graeme Swann took 2-28 and man-of-the-match Ryan Sidebottom 2-31 as India fell just short of its victory target, ending on 150-5 in response to England’s 153-7. “We have a message for our supporters,” India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. “We are more disappointed than them. India is an emotional country but we gave out best.

“I think 153 was a brilliant effort from our bowlers, but our performance was not really up to the mark. I think they (England) bowled bouncers and used the short ball really well.”

England captain Paul Collingwood also singled out his bowlers for praise, as well as wicketkeeper James Foster, who removed India’s most dangerous batsman Yuvraj Singh with a lightning-quick stumping.

“I think tonight was a magnificent effort,” Collingwood said. “Ideally we would have had more than 150 runs, but I think our bowlers went about their work perfectly tonight and little things like James Foster’s stumping can turn a game.”

Kevin Pietersen was England’s top scorer with 46 – hitting five fours and a six for off 27 balls – while opener Ravi Bopara made 37, with three fours and a six.

Harbhajan Singh bowled superbly to stifle England, taking 3-30 – including two wickets from two balls – and Ravindra Jadeja took 2-26 on his tournament debut.

England’s modest total left the host nation with no room for error, but India lost wickets at crucial times and the run rate rose inexorably until, by the final over, it required 19 to win to have any hope of qualifying for the semifinals.

“Slowly the momentum shifted in their favor and the wickets came at crucial times,” Dhoni said. “We didn’t really perform well and that’s the reason we are out.”

Having won the toss, Dhoni opted to field and his bowlers made an early breakthrough as R.P. Singh had Luke Wright caught for one by Yusuf Pathan off a top edge in the second over.

Pietersen joined Bopara and, mindful of the team’s collapse on Thursday in its loss to South Africa, the pair made initially cautious progress, reaching 71-1 at the halfway mark.

Both men then fell victim to Jadeja in consecutive overs.

Bopara was bowled in the 11th and Pietersen was out lbw in the 13th, having clattered the previous ball for six over extra cover.

Owais Shah and Dimitri Mascarenhas were also cautious initially, but picked up the run rate in the 15th over, scoring 13. Mascarenhas then survived a television referral for a stumping off the first ball of the next over, but Shah was out in the 18th, caught by Jadeja trying to slog Harbhajan.

Collingwood was out lbw to Zaheer Khan in the penultimate over trying an improvised reverse scoop shot that went horribly wrong.

Harbhajan then caught and bowled Foster in the last over and bowled Swann with the next delivery.

With a relatively small total to defend, England could afford few mistakes.

Sidebottom made the early breakthrough, bowling Rohit Sharma in the second over and in the next he had Suresh Raina caught by Wright attempting to hook.

India was 36-2 at the end of the powerplay and 59-2 after 10 overs.

Gambhir was out trying a reverse sweep, caught by Stuart Broad off Mascarenhas in the 11th over, bringing the explosive Yuvraj Singh to the crease.

Ominously for England, he hit an effortless six off his first ball but ultimately didn’t see enough of the strike. Jadeja was caught on the boundary by Broad off Swann in the 13th over and Yuvraj was given out by the television umpire, superbly stumped by Foster off Swann three balls later.

With every single the run rate crept up and Dhoni and Pathan needed 19 off the final over, bowled by Sidebottom.

Pathan got a single off the first and Dhoni two off the second, then a single off the third.

An astonishing comeback looked possible when Pathan smashed the fourth for six back over Sidebottom’s head, but, needing nine from two balls, Sidebottom restricted them to a single from the penultimate delivery to confirm England’s victory.

England must beat West Indies at The Oval tomorrow to be sure of a place in the last four.

Collingwood’s side was abused by supporters during the warm-up. “We came off the Nursery End and got booed,” he said. “It was a bit strange getting booed on our home ground, the home of cricket and we were a little bit about down about it, but I certainly didn’t need to give a motivational speech.”

Source: Yahoo Cricket

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