England vs South Africa: 2nd Test Match Thread

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Here is the match thread for the 2nd test at headlingley

Likely teams

England: Strauss,Cook,Trott,KP,Bell,Taylor,Prior,Bresnan,Swann,Broad,Anderson

S.Africa: Smith,Peterson,Amla,Kallis,AB,Rudolph,Duminy,Philander,Steyn,Morkel,Tahir

Although massive rumours going around that, england will play 4 quicks and leave out swann!

DISCUSS MATCH HERE

[FerN]

Rain saves Englamd the misery of surving 80 off overs on D5 against balls ^keeping low at 140+ kph.....and spinning 45 degrees with occasional jump off a length

What are you on about. SA has 3 injuries that would make it difficult for them to win.

I think the rain forcing a "draw" suits us more.

[Fists of Fury]

Agree with you, FerN.

Overall, rain has put an end to a pretty dull Test, bar a scintillating 149 from Kevin Pietersen that lit the event up in a week in which it has otherwise been totally overshadowed by the Olympic games.

That could quite easily have been Sir Viv Richards in place of KP. It was a carbon copy innings of those so well associated with the 'master blaster', and there isn't much higher praise than that.

[eirebilly]

There almost is not even a point to watching the last day's play. I will anyways but its pointless.

[Fists of Fury]

Agreed. Should just shake hands on it now.

I think we need to just create an absolute minefield at Lord's. It is the only way we can take 20 South African wickets, and whilst it will be just as difficult for our batsmen it is a chance we need to take - we might as well lose 2-0 as 1-0..it still sends us second in the rankings and goes down as a series loss.

[eirebilly]

Lords will be good for England, it has been for a while now so i have every faith of a 1-1 series

[Fists of Fury]

The Lord's tracks are far too lifeless to bowl a batting order of this calibre out twice, that would be my major worry, eirebilly.

[eirebilly]

Its also got that fortress feeling and SA are due a customary Collapse

[VTR]

What do people think about the flat pitches in this series? I'm convinced due to the poor summer and lots of T20 washouts the Counties have prepared them to get 5 days in and make up lost revenue.

[liverbnz]

7 results in the last 8 Test matches at Lord's.

On their last tour, SA were comfortabley able to bat out a draw at Lord's after being under the cosh for most of the Test match.

[eirebilly]

Just hoping that Lords will be an 'England friendly' track pitch.

[Fists of Fury]

Those results at Lord's have been against total dross opposition, though. We have still toiled at times, and if we can't get Marlon Samuels out then we sure as hell won't dislodge Smith, Amla, Kallis and de Villiers.

We need a minefield, chance our arm. Nothing else will suffice and we will go out with a mere whimper.

[Biltong]

I would think the answer is obvious then Fists.

Take a pitch fork the night before and go poke it full of holes.

[Duty281]

Still a lot of overs left, England still have a chance to force a collapse.

[KP_fan]

SA gets a hundred partnership.......and ensures the potential argument......" rain prevented England from equalizing"......is wholly and completely crushed

[eirebilly]

After SA scored 400 in the first inning and given what they did in the first test, there really wasnt any other outcome than a draw in my eyes. Rain has had little influence on the result.

[eirebilly]

KP strikes again in his first over

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

KP strikes again in his first over

Who needs Swann eh?

[msp83]

Strauss should not bring KP on to bowl, with each ball he's making the captain look foolish with Swann selection.
Anyways this one is a goner as far as England is concerned, looking ahead, the HQ track has been pretty much on the flatter side, and if the overhead conditions do not help England, that would be either an SA win, or more likely a draw. The ground staff should be instructed to make the track as lively as possible so that the underconfident England bowling unit can overcome their recent poor form. They still are a quality unit with Swann back in, but the confidence levels I believe would be pretty low.
The other question other than that of the track is about who should go out when Swann would come back? Finn? Bresnan? Broad? Will be Bresnan for me. He hasn't done a great deal wrong, but his pace is down from his peak time in Australia, and on potential Finn can be more dangerous with his extra yard of pace and the bounce that he can find with his tall frame.

[GSC]

Better have some of our archers take one for the team and shoot the Lords pitch

[Duty281]

Who needs Swann when you've got KP?

[Fists of Fury]

England's fielding, once so strong, is now nothing short of a sick joke.

Anderson has just dropped the most regulation of outside edges at first slip from de Villiers, again off the bowling of Pietersen who should have a three-for!

Disgusting.

[Biltong]

We making KP look good out there,

[GSC]

Think Swann has to come in for Taylor at Lord's.

[Duty281]

South Africa should declare at tea to make it an interesting game.

[mystiroakey]

No not for talyor!!

Gonna say drop broad for him- and as his biggest fan I am not saying that lightly

[Fists of Fury]

de Villiers, who should have been out in the 20's, falls to Broad lbw. 209-4.

[mystiroakey]

sweet . Am i the new trebbel!

[Fists of Fury]

Duminy out first ball! Broad on a hat-trick!

[Duty281]

No not for talyor!!

Gonna say drop broad for him- and as his biggest fan I am not saying that lightly

Fantastic mysti, as soon as you say that, Broad gets 2 in 2.

[Fists of Fury]

Mystir takes trebs crown. The king is dead, long live the king!

[Duty281]

I'm not joking here, We're into the tail, Petersen is injured, there's 53 overs left...we can win this!

[Biltong]

too late mate.

[Fists of Fury]

We can't win this. Even if we removed them without them adding another run I'd back us to get bowled out before reaching the total

[mystiroakey]

I blame trebel for this drawn game. Where is he when you need him- Clearly I have the power , but i was just to late

[Duty281]

Maybe 30 overs to bat and chase 240? 8 an over, send KP and Bell out to open. 'Ave a go lads!

[alfie]

OK I haven't been watching today (assuming a bore draw) but why all this drop Bresnan , drop Broad ?
I mean , I know he has promise , but Finn didn't impress me at all in the first innings whenever I was watching , and he doesn't seem to have done any damage in this one yet...I am unsure why he should be nailed on for a place ?

[Fists of Fury]

Finn is certainly a different bowler in ODI's to Tests, Alfie. He needs to work out a successful method in Tests, and it won't necessarily be that which has brought him great success in recent ODI's.

Onions is the man I'd like to see. He has troubled South Africa in the past. I don't believe that Bresnan, or Finn (yet) are all that effective at the very highest level, so we certainly need to change something.

Swann's omission has been made to look a stupendous error, as well.

[VTR]

Swann in for Finn is surely the 100% nailed on change for the final game. I don't think Swann is as good as he was, but if KP is taking wickets on the last day that's a Royal eff up from the selectors. Finn, once again has proved to be fairly ineffective in Tests. Fitness issues or something else?

[Duty281]

Broad's on fire! Pity he couldn't have been this good on the first day of the Test Match!

[GSC]

Philander goes. England have a slight opening here.

[JDizzle]

I'd drop still play four bowlers at Lord's. Swann clearly has to come back in, and Anderson has to play for sure so that leaves us picking two from Broad, Finn, Bresnan and Onions. Whilst I don't like picking bowlers for their batting, one of Broad or Bres have to play as Anderson coming in at 9 is too long a tail. I'll have Broad. Then it is one from Finn, Onions and Bresnan and I like Finn as he does offer something different in terms of pace and whilst Onions has bowled well in the CC, Lord's is Finn's home ground and he should bowl well there.

I'd leave Taylor in as he did play as crucial knock fro us in the first innings, putting on 140 odd with KP was huge in context of the game and put us in a position where we were unlikely to lose whereas if he had gone early then we would almost certainly have struggled to save this game.

Whilst I type, another for Broad; go on Stu!

[Duty281]

Petersen comes out to bat. Promising bowling from England, something to take to Lords at least.

[GSC]

Kallis gone!

Prior and KP to come out and try and get England a go?

Always block out if they go

[Duty281]

It's on now surely with Kallis gone! He's big, he's bad, he's better than his dad, Stuart Broad! Revised batting order:

KP
Prior
Bell
Taylor
Cook
Broad
Bresnan
Trott
Strauss
Anderson
Finn

[Fists of Fury]

Don't get excited boys. Not a chance.

[Fists of Fury]

Shame the weather has had such an impact here. You'd fancy England to have won this had we lost no time to rain.

[Duty281]

Don't get excited boys. Not a chance.

Mammoth 3 hour session after tea. 44 overs to go. 3 wickets needed. Possible target of 255 in 35 overs? Just over 7 an over. Doable.

[GSC]

They'll give it a go I'd imagine. Send in KP and Prior and if those 2 guys go we still should be able to survive one session.

[amanuensis]

Only Pietersen & Prior look likely to score at any sort of rate against this South African attack, so you can kiss goodbye to any chase frankly.

[JDizzle]

Yeah, cannot see a win. Even if, and it is a big if, we bowl SA out quickly then they can just stick everyone back on the boundary and make it nigh on impossible to score above 6 an over consistently. It is a shame the weather has curtailed this match, because it would be set for a gripping finale with by sides in with a shout of victory.

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