South Africa vs England

[Kobayashi Maru]

Indeed. I've said this many times before, possibly even on this thread, that Harper and Koertzen aren't even fit to Umpire in club Cricket. They are appalling, Harper is the worst that I have ever seen.

Taufel, Dhar and Bowden are three best Umpires out there, sadly they can't be everywhere all the time.

 

Can't agree on Koertzen PB. He has one of the highest consistent percentages for correct decisions from the panel. Agree on the 3 you mentioned...epscially Dar...who has improved massively over the years and is also one of the most humble and modest blokes you could ever hope to meet.

[Guest PurpleNose]

Guess the umpires have stuck money on the outcome.

 

Can't see us saving it now. But if anybody had offered a draw on tour to S:A before it started i would have taken it. Some positives to take away from the series. I honestly think we'll be better equipped to take on the Aussies in their own back yard this time.

 

Clearly the umpires fault we lost this game by an innings and 74 runs.

 

We were thoroughly outplayed in 3 out of the 4 tests.

 

The positives - Swann, Anderson, Collingwood.

 

The negatives - Everyone else.

[Rex Banner]

Ouch! Consider yourselves lucky you got those draws, should of been 3-1.

[Josef Svejk]

The negative: Kevin Pietersen.

[Josef Svejk]

Swann, apart from being England's best bowler in the series, averaged more than Strauss, Trott, and Pietersen with the bat...

[Spy Bee]

The positives - Swann, Anderson, Collingwood.

 

The negatives - Everyone else.

 

I think Cook and Bell have been not bad. I also think Onions played well without much luck.

[Guest PurpleNose]

The negative: Kevin Pietersen.

 

A great series for the best batsman in the world.

[Spy Bee]

I think in fairness if before the tour someone had offered us a drawn series and a series victory in the one dayers then we would have been happy with that.

[Guest PurpleNose]

I think Cook and Bell have been not bad. I also think Onions played well without much luck.

 

Fair enough. Cook and Bell at least showed character in the odd innings, and when we needed it. They're honest players who clearly care.

 

Onions averaged about 50 with the ball. Although he probably bowled a bit better than that. The decision to drop him in favour of Sidebottom was fucking ridiculous.

 

Perhaps we could get rid of our South African players? None of whom performed.

 

I see Kieswetter has made the Lions tour. What a joke.

[Guest PurpleNose]

I think in fairness if before the tour someone had offered us a drawn series and a series victory in the one dayers then we would have been happy with that.

 

Probably. If you take the result in complete isolation. You can still see when we've been shit though. Same with the last Ashes series. We've had about 5 decent sessions in the last 2 series.

[Spy Bee]

Fair enough. Cook and Bell at least showed character in the odd innings, and when we needed it. They're honest players who clearly care.

 

Onions averaged about 50 with the ball. Although he probably bowled a bit better than that. The decision to drop him in favour of Sidebottom was fucking ridiculous.

 

Perhaps we could get rid of our South African players? None of whom performed.

 

I see Kieswetter has made the Lions tour. What a joke.

 

Of the top seven all the English born players averaged over 40, all the others averaged under 30. Coincidence or bottle?

 

I like Trott and I will give him the benefit of the doubt due to his lack of test experience. KP needs to have a long hard look in the mirror. Strauss will come good. Prior is still averaging over 40 at test level I think and he's I haven't ever thought he was good enough to maintain that average.

[Kobayashi Maru]

To be fair to KP, this is the 1st series he has come back to after that long injury lay off and it seemed to show, especially on the mental side of his game. That with the additional pressure of playing in his homeland, I think would have been unfair to have expected any major contribution from him and would still give him the benefit of the doubt seeing as he is one of the few genuinely world class players in the England team.

 

For some reason, Trott does not excite me as a genuine international class player. I think he is a fighter very much in the Collinwood mould and plays within his limitations but can not see him as a long term solution at the top of the order.

 

The English pace attack is too 1 dimensional for my liking imo. Similar type of pace, height and line of attack from all 3. I like Onions and I think Anderson has developed his game and always looks a threat, but still think they are lacking a genuine world class pace bowler to provide something different.

[Spy Bee]

For some reason, Trott does not excite me as a genuine international class player. I think he is a fighter very much in the Collinwood mould and plays within his limitations but can not see him as a long term solution at the top of the order.

Collingwood has made it, so why can't Trott?

[TheBitch]

Hell of a lot of right on this last page, am pretty pissed off we've thrown away this series. It seemed to me that after we won that test we thought we could cruise the rest of the series, we thought international test cricket was easy. Hello?? Its fucking not. We play like that in Oz we'll get bent over.

[Guest PurpleNose]

Of the top seven all the English born players averaged over 40, all the others averaged under 30. Coincidence or bottle?

 

I like Trott and I will give him the benefit of the doubt due to his lack of test experience. KP needs to have a long hard look in the mirror. Strauss will come good. Prior is still averaging over 40 at test level I think and he's I haven't ever thought he was good enough to maintain that average.

 

Cricket Records | Records | Basil D'Oliveira Trophy, 2009/10 - South Africa | Batting and bowling averages | Cricinfo.com

 

Cricket Records | Records | Basil D'Oliveira Trophy, 2009/10 - England | Batting and bowling averages | Cricinfo.com

 

Compare and contrast.

 

Prior very quietly had a fucking shocking series. Strauss, Pietersen and Trott were so shite it took the limelight away from him. He does average close to 40 though, and infact can average 35 if he keeps well (which he has improved) as long as our top order get runs. Kallis, Smith, De Villier and Amla are class. This takes the pressure of the lower order. Relying on runs from Swann is ridiculous.

 

Trott is 29. Its a disgwace he's in the side anyway. He's South African. I'm no xenophobe, the first to stick the boot in to the neanderthals who shout at waiters abroad, but what is the fucking point in us competing in International cricket if half our team isn't from England? Anyway, if he can't hack International cricket now, he probably never will.

 

Its much like another team I follow, I'd gladly accept a twanzizional pewiod, if it meant long term stuff got sorted.

 

For England, no more South African, Pakistani, Irish or Australian players. Have some faith in young players. Give them a chance when they're 19-23. Not 27-30.

[Guest PurpleNose]

 

For some reason, Trott does not excite me as a genuine international class player. I think he is a fighter very much in the Collinwood mould and plays within his limitations but can not see him as a long term solution at the top of the order.

 

 

Collingwood is our best batsman.

[Redexile]

Guess the umpires have stuck money on the outcome.

 

Can't see us saving it now. But if anybody had offered a draw on tour to S:A before it started i would have taken it. Some positives to take away from the series. I honestly think we'll be better equipped to take on the Aussies in their own back yard this time.

 

The Aussies will eat England. There is just no discipline ( Collingwood apart) in the batting to build a big score which is what you need to put the Aussies under pressure. Way to inconsistent to give Oz a hard series.

[Redexile]

Cricket Records | Records | Basil D'Oliveira Trophy, 2009/10 - South Africa | Batting and bowling averages | Cricinfo.com

 

Cricket Records | Records | Basil D'Oliveira Trophy, 2009/10 - England | Batting and bowling averages | Cricinfo.com

 

Compare and contrast.

 

Prior very quietly had a fucking shocking series. Strauss, Pietersen and Trott were so shite it took the limelight away from him. He does average close to 40 though, and infact can average 35 if he keeps well (which he has improved) as long as our top order get runs. Kallis, Smith, De Villier and Amla are class. This takes the pressure of the lower order. Relying on runs from Swann is ridiculous.

 

Trott is 29. Its a disgwace he's in the side anyway. He's South African. I'm no xenophobe, the first to stick the boot in to the neanderthals who shout at waiters abroad, but what is the fucking point in us competing in International cricket if half our team isn't from England? Anyway, if he can't hack International cricket now, he probably never will.

 

Its much like another team I follow, I'd gladly accept a twanzizional pewiod, if it meant long term stuff got sorted.

 

For England, no more South African, Pakistani, Irish or Australian players. Have some faith in young players. Give them a chance when they're 19-23. Not 27-30.

 

 

Agree with you on Prior when you compare him to the likes of Boucher or Haddin who are both capable of holding their end. His average does seem good byut my guess is that it's due to a few big scores rather than a whole load of decent 40's 50's and 60's.

As for the last bit in bold it aint never going to happen. Some thought should be given to sending some of Englands younger players to Oz and SA in the English winter to get experience on quicker pitches it might help down the line.

[Brownie]

England were extremely lucky not to lose 3-1. Totally outplayed in the tests.

[Ian Sea]

Same old, same old. I get bored slating our batting line up but they let us down constantly and yet they get picked for game after game, series after series.

 

Strauss is a class act but had a shocking tour. Same with KP; these two I can excuse because of their usual high standards but they haven't been there to bail the others out this time.

 

Cook was his usual hit and miss self, a good innings or two and the rest low scores. Trott looked terrible after a good start at the Oval. He should stop fucking about and just bat. And I agree with Purple Nose, he shouldn't even be in the side - he's not English. Although he's probably more entitled than Pietersen as one of his parents is English.

 

Collingwood is a funny one, the longer he bats in an innings the worse he looks. He must be the only player who plays himself out of form on a regular basis. By the end of an innings he looks like a fucking grave digger he's shovelling it so much. No wonder he didn't score a ton in any games.

 

If Ian Bell is picked for England then he has to bat at 6, that's were he scores his runs. Again, hit and miss though. A good couple of matches and a couple of shockers.

 

Prior is ace when we're doing well, but when we are up against it (as happened in 3 Tests here) then he shits himself and bats terribly. Nerves must get the better of him and he really needs to sort that. Good wicket keeping though.

 

I'm happy with Anderson, Broad and Onions though (what a shocking decision it was to drop the latter by the way), they're well deserving of their places. Swann was fantastic, I hope he carries this form on constantly though.

 

Overall though, a drawn series in South Africa isn't a bad result but it could (and probably should) have been worse. 2 - 1 to them would have been a fair result I think, we got away with it in all honesty. The last Test was massivelt disappointing though, to have been so close to a series win and to bat like that twice at the end of the tour is just not good enough.

[George Costanza]

England were extremely lucky not to lose 3-1. Totally outplayed in the tests.

 

I've not seen any of the cricket but it certainly looks that way on paper. I thought we were 2nd best in the ashes too but made count crucial periods of play. Its a good knack to get into but the batsmen really have to start performing. 2nd series in a row where our first 6 batsmen haven't contributed enough, often enough. Never been a big Collingwood fan but he's done really well of late.

[Guest PurpleNose]

Can't understand the lack of love for Collingwood.

[meijer 09]

England were extremely lucky not to lose 3-1. Totally outplayed in the tests.

 

Agree, a drawn series in south africa is a good result with the calibre of players we have. It doesn't make the result of this test any more easier to stomach though. Especially when half our team grew up in SA and should know the conditions inside out

[Yozzer]

After a draw in SA we are travelling to Bangladesh and the selectors have gone for a mixture of experience and inexperienced players. In all honesty I'm not sure what to make of it. As I posted earlier in the thread I think some players should be given a rest such as Anderson who has a niggling injury. I also wanted to see how players like Carberry would face up against continental conditions. But as Paul mentioned it will break up the team and disturb the flow. Good job i'm not a selector.

 

Here's the Test Squad and I'm glad to see Cook getting a test of captaincy as I can see him being future England captain:

 

Alastair Cook (captain, Essex)

Ian Bell (Warwickshire)

Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)

Michael Carberry (Hampshire)

Paul Collingwood (Durham)

Steven Davies (wkt, Surrey)

Graham Onions (Durham)

Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)

Liam Plunkett (Durham)

Matt Prior (wkt, Sussex)

Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire)

Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)

Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)

James Tredwell (Kent)

Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

Luke Wright (Sussex)