England v South Africa

[Spy Bee]

If England win the series 5-0 they go to second in the world rankings.

 

They're playing some great cricket at the moment and have a great balance to the side.

[RobbieOR]

England are lucky that the south Africans dont give a fuck about this series,wait until the tough times come about and then KP will crack.

[Spy Bee]

England are lucky that the south Africans dont give a fuck about this series,wait until the tough times come about and then KP will crack.

 

That's very sceptical. I'm sure there is a degree of truth in what you say, but England deserve credit. No South Africa team ever takes the pitch accepting that they are going to get hammered. WE're playing some really good cricket.

[RobbieOR]

That's very sceptical. I'm sure there is a degree of truth in what you say, but England deserve credit. No South Africa team ever takes the pitch accepting that they are going to get hammered. WE're playing some really good cricket.

Im not denying England arent playeing good cricket but the south Africans have took there eye off the ball,i agree with what beefy said the other day they got what they wanted,the test series.

[Spy Bee]

Yes they did. Just looking at the England team at the moment though and they look a very solid side. They have four bowlers all bowling over 85 miles an hour. They bat almost all the way through the side. They are great in the field and they are aggressive.

 

As you alude to, it will be interesting to see KP under pressure, but so far you can't take anything away from him.

[RobbieOR]

Yes they did. Just looking at the England team at the moment though and they look a very solid side. They have four bowlers all bowling over 85 miles an hour. They bat almost all the way through the side. They are great in the field and they are aggressive.

 

As you alude to, it will be interesting to see KP under pressure, but so far you can't take anything away from him.

Thats it you cant take anything away from him,i just hope hes ready when he is under pressure.

[Spy Bee]

The rain has made this an interesting run chase for England. They were a bit behind but Shah and KP just smashed 20 off an over. 63 needed from 53 calls now.

[RobbieOR]

24 from 28 now,looks like the rain could come.

[Spy Bee]

The way Flintoff is batting he could finish it in 4 balls.

[RobbieOR]

Game over,England win by 7 wickets Flintoff was class.

[Spy Bee]

31 from 12 balls

[dudek#1]

Pietersen now gone. Seems a few people saw this one coming from the day he took over.

[wiiksie]

Fuck. Can someone explain the whole mess with Moores, I haven't really stayed on top of it. What was causing the aggro? Personality clash or something else? And where does this leave Pietersen as a player?

 

Answers on a postcard please.

[dudek#1]

Fuck. Can someone explain the whole mess with Moores, I haven't really stayed on top of it. What was causing the aggro? Personality clash or something else? And where does this leave Pietersen as a player?

 

Answers on a postcard please.

 

They say it was down to the non-selection of Vaughan for the Windies tour.

 

Pietersen wanted him, Moores didn't. Pietersen has said Moores is not of the required quality to be an international coach and is surrounding himself with Sussex players.

 

Moores doesn't believe Pietersen is a tactically minded captain and is unhappy with the amount of influence Pietersen expects to ahve as captain.

 

Definitely a clash of egos.

 

Looking like Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss are going to lead us into the tour, which is only three weeks away. Gulp.

[wiiksie]

They say it was down to the non-selection of Vaughan for the Windies tour.

 

Pietersen wanted him, Moores didn't. Pietersen has said Moores is not of the required quality to be an international coach and is surrounding himself with Sussex players.

 

Moores doesn't believe Pietersen is a tactically minded captain and is unhappy with the amount of influence Pietersen expects to ahve as captain.

 

Definitely a clash of egos.

 

Looking like Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss are going to lead us into the tour, which is only three weeks away. Gulp.

Thanks mate.

 

Think I'm tending to side with Moores over this, Pietersen appears to be a megalomaniac who wants the captain to run the whole show. And Moores getting Mushtaq in as spin bowling coach was a good thing surely?

 

Nightmare though, as he is still one of our best players. And 6 months before the Ashes. What a fuck up. Makes the Aussie loss of Brett Lee for 5 months seem a bit irrelevant now.

[mattyq]

Good article in the Indy about it

 

KP as captain: 'On side he's brilliant – but if cracks begin to appear...' - Cricket, Sport - The Independent

[WaltonRed]

SSN saying KP unhappy about touring under the current management but according to their sources neither have quit.

[longballs]

This seems to have gathered a lot of pace when initially it looked like the press trying to cause trouble. We need KP as captain, I really like Strauss, but it was only 3 matches ago that the guy was not even guaranteed his place in the team.

[dudek#1]

Thanks mate.

 

Think I'm tending to side with Moores over this, Pietersen appears to be a megalomaniac who wants the captain to run the whole show. And Moores getting Mushtaq in as spin bowling coach was a good thing surely?

 

Nightmare though, as he is still one of our best players. And 6 months before the Ashes. What a fuck up. Makes the Aussie loss of Brett Lee for 5 months seem a bit irrelevant now.

 

I agree Mushtaq's appointment is a good thing, Monty has struggled and badly needed a specialised spinning coach for the India tour. Then again it was work permit issues which delayed this. Pietersen obviously had an issue with Moores surrounding himself with acolytes as it isolated him. Pietersen obviously wanted a base of power, and saw it drastically reduced as Moores got his Sussex buddies on board.

 

The Vaughan issue is an interesting one. Why was Pietersen so insistent on having him? He has been moderate for Yorkshire since resigning the England captaincy. The only reason I can see is to consolidate Pietersen's poor tactics on the field. This sounds cynical, but I feel Moores was against bringing Vaughan back to highlight Pietersen's weaknesses. They have obviously never got on.

 

Both should go to be honest. Pietersen cannot make ultimatums to the selectors in asking for Vaughan to be re-instated or he resigns. He ahs come out of this as wiiksie says like a megalomaniac.

 

Moores is out of his depth and has come out no better than Pietersen.

 

The thing is, Pietersen is first on the teamsheet and is paramount to England's success. Moores should go and Pietersen sacked as captain, returning to just a player.

[wiiksie]

I agree Mushtaq's appointment is a good thing, Monty has struggled and badly needed a specialised spinning coach for the India tour. Then again it was work permit issues which delayed this. Pietersen obviously had an issue with Moores surrounding himself with acolytes as it isolated him. Pietersen obviously wanted a base of power, and saw it drastically reduced.

 

The Vaughan issue is an interesting one. Why was Pietersen so insistent on having him? He has been moderate for Yorkshire since resigning the England captaincy. The only reason I can see is to consolidate Pietersen's poor tactics on the field. This sounds cynical, but I feel Moores was against bringing Vaughan back to highlight Pietersen's weaknesses. They have obviously never got on.

 

Both should go to be honest. Pietersen cannot make ultimatums to the selectors in asking for Vaughan to be re-instated or he resigns. He ahs come out of this as wiiksie says like a megalomaniac.

 

Moores is out of his depth and has come out no better than Pietersen.

 

The thing is, Pietersen is first on the teamsheet and is paramount to England's success. Moores should go and Pietersen sacked as captain, returning to just a player.

Yep, that's pretty much how I see it too. But if Pietersen chose to throw in the captains armband over something like this, I can see him fucking off being a part of the team too.

 

Nightmare. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the Ponting household right now.

[Ian Sea]

Kevin Pietersen isn't bigger than the England team or the ECB and I think he's been out of order demanding Vaughan's selection and his public criticism of Moores. Vaughan doesn't deserve to be in the squad at the moment; as good a player as he is Test match cricket isn't the place to regain form. Pietersen should demand his selection and his reaction since Vaughan wasn't picked has been horrendous.

 

I think the ECB have wanted Moores out and this is just the excuse to do it. Pietersen has to go as well, given his reaction. I hope the ECB has the balls to sack him to be honest.

 

The timing is great (to say the least) but this has to happen given what's gone on over the last few weeks.

[A_S]

Graeme Smith, what a fucking inspiration. Yes, I am very glad that we won today, albeit a dead Test, but good to get a bit of confidence heading into the return series against the South Africans. Still, this bloke already had a fucked elbow since the start of the series, then copped a brute of a ball that broke his finger from Mitchell Johnson (watch for this bloke in the Ashes) off a shit Sydney pitch that had cracks so bad it looked like an earthquake had just hit the SCG. Coming into bat with South Africa having to face out 8 overs to save the Test with Makhaya Ntini to bat with....you've just got to take your hat off to this bloke.

[wiiksie]

Graeme Smith, what a fucking inspiration. Yes, I am very glad that we won today, albeit a dead Test, but good to get a bit of confidence heading into the return series against the South Africans. Still, this bloke already had a fucked elbow since the start of the series, then copped a brute of a ball that broke his finger from Mitchell Johnson (watch for this bloke in the Ashes) off a shit Sydney pitch that had cracks so bad it looked like an earthquake had just hit the SCG. Coming into bat with South Africa having to face out 8 overs to save the Test with Makhaya Ntini to bat with....you've just got to take your hat off to this bloke.

Smith has been on fire of late, but so have Amla, De Villiers, Steyn, Morkel etc. Big team are SA, I'd love to see them play India on current form. That would be a huge test series.

 

I see a lot of hype about this Johnson fella, we'll see if he's up to it in the Ashes...

[A_S]

Smith has been on fire of late, but so have Amla, De Villiers, Steyn, Morkel etc. Big team are SA, I'd love to see them play India on current form. That would be a huge test series.

 

I see a lot of hype about this Johnson fella, we'll see if he's up to it in the Ashes...

 

Some serious injuries earlier in his career delayed his coming of age somewhat, but now he is the real deal. He's gonna need to be for this Ashes though...

[RobbieOR]

England are lucky that the south Africans dont give a fuck about this series,wait until the tough times come about and then KP will crack.

 

Well who was right. Pietersen is a disgrace. Throwing his dummy out of the pram because of a coach he doesnt like, Moores would of been gone ifhe had loast to the Windies anyway.