England's Winter

First topic message reminder :

As per LT's original post:
New Zealand

T20 Internationals

Friday November 1st - Christchurch
Sunday November 3rd - Wellington
Tuesday November 5th - Nelson
Friday November 8th - Napier
Sunday November 10th - Auckland

Squad
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) captain
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Tom Banton (Somerset)
Sam Billings (Kent)
Pat Brown (Worcestershire)
Sam Curran (Surrey)
Tom Curran (Surrey)
Joe Denly (Kent)
Lewis Gregory (Somerset)
Chris Jordan (Sussex)
Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)
Dawid Malan (Middlesex)
Matt Parkinson (Lancashire)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
James Vince (Hampshire)


Tests

Wednesday November 20th - Tauranga
Thursday November 28th - Hamilton

Squad
Joe Root (Yorkshire) captain
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Rory Burns (Surrey)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Sam Curran (Surrey)
Joe Denly (Kent)
Jack Leach (Somerset)
Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)
Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Dominic Sibley (Warwickshire)
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)



South Africa

Tests

Thursday 26th December - Centurion
Friday January 3rd - Cape Town
Thursday January 16th - Port Elizabeth
Friday January 24th - Johannesburg

Squad
Ill


ODI
Tuesday 4th February - Cape Town
Friday 7th February - Durban
Sunday 9th February - Johannesburg

Squad
Ill

T20 Internationals

Wednesday 12th February - East London
Friday 14th February - Durban
Sunday 16th February - Centurion


Sri Lanka

March 7th - Warm up 1, Katunayake (3 day)
March 12th - Warm up 2, Colombo (3 day)
March 19th - 1st Test, Galle
March 27th - 2nd Test, Colombo

Gooseberry wrote:

alfie wrote:Not calling it yet , though odds have tipped towards England with that wicket. Van der Dussen seems to have settled in now - and we know he has patience and good concentration.  Not really de Kock's game I guess but he is a damn good player.
Get one of these and Philander will be the main obstacle I think. He won't throw it away.

Apparently in 1906 SA's number 8 put on 93 and a 48 run 10th wicket partnership with the 11 in the 4th innings to beat England 

Anythings possible....

Well not anything...SA aren't winning this, but they could yet hold out for a draw. They have form for good rearguard actions , not just against England.

Better not , mind. I don't want to sit up all night chewing fingernails...

Hmm. Denly ?

Nearly gets de Kock first ball too...reckon he might try to move those close catchers ...

Still just over 300 balls to go - will be an outstanding rearguard if South Africa see this off, especially with Du Plessis and Malan dismissed.

Not sure about the two spinner thing. Would have had Jimmy bowl a few while the ball was still hard.

Just three wickets in half a day so it isn't a done deal yet.

Still if they can shift one of these you'd think the door will be open.

alfie wrote:

kingraf wrote:Also, Joe Root needs to be tested for crack for bowling so much spin on a pitch which has seen like 3 wickets fall to spin in four days. Not sure what he saw in Keshav Maharaj being despatched to Row 26 repeatedly that would have made him think there's something here for a part-timer

Nice to see you back on the cricket board , raf

Hadn't seen you around for a while. Been busy elsewhere ?

How goes it Alfie? I've certainly had my hands full, started a new job, bought some property. Between being a slumlord and working, I have less time to follow the game! But also the forum has seen better days, on my rare forays here, it hasn't exactly been a hive of activity

40 overs of spin. Joe Root has had a complete brain fart.

Yeah we've lost a few active posters , I think. Not sure why : everybody too busy with life ?
Even for this absorbing day not exactly buzzing on here .

SA battling well. Too much spin lately I think...England need to shift one of these or they'll start getting over anxious ...

kingraf wrote:40 overs of spin. Joe Root has had a complete brain fart.

And now he’s putting himself on!

8 overs a wicket now to survive ... Maybe england are trying to avoid being done for light by using the spinners so much

What's wrong with Anderson ? Off the field again...missing his bowling desperately . These spinners just aren't good enough to really pressure the bats.

Still forty overs left but I think the draw is looking likely now.

Suggestions that Jimmy is suffering with illness

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Suggestions that Jimmy is suffering with illness

Apparently . More swine flu ? Back on the field now but looks a bit groggy.

Overs running down now. Think they need some magic soon or it ain't happening today. One before tea ? Not sure where it's coming from...

Why isn’t everyone around the bat? Runs wholly irrelevant now. Get a short leg, leg slip, silly point in.

It does feel like England are judging SA by their own standards and inability not to meltdown if denied easy scoring opportunities. SA have collectively shown the same sort of application and diligence that Sibley did, and frankly their doesnt seem to be enough assistance to force wickets if batsmen can hold their nerve in that way. Not even creating half chances, its very worrying. No wicket before tea and Id back the draw, even 6 down gives SA a fair sniff of surviving.  

Andserson not being well doesnt help, but they still have 3 seamers.

Five in the last session looking like a big ask ...

Bess back now : ball spinning out of footmarks but not jumping enough ... Unless something freakish happens or a batsman has a rush of blood he's not going to take a wicket.

Sam Curran has been under bowled. I think I will admit defeat- well , draw - at tea and leave you chaps to it...hope someone works a bit of magic but I don't see it any more. Good luck.

At what point does Root realise that spin isn't going to win this match and start bowling the paceman from both ends.

Looks like the draw now. Very disappointing to waste a winning position, though equally we would have taken this result after day one

alfie wrote:

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Suggestions that Jimmy is suffering with illness

Apparently . More swine flu ?  Back on the field now but looks a bit groggy.

Overs running down now.  Think they need some magic soon or it ain't happening today. One before tea ? Not sure where it's coming from...

Actual injury apparently, not an illness, which is worse news with Burns already out.

Curran, Broad and Stokes have got to be able to push themselves beyond the barrier to win this. Suspect it’s to be too much, which is a shame.

Anderson is bowling. All hail the great man who has come to rescue England for the umpteenth time.

This England team is tactically the worst I can remember for a long time if we ignore short tenure captains like KP and Flintoff; plans are either jettisoned too quickly or persisted with for far too long, the balance isn't right.

Exasperation. Im sure England feel the same but they need to find a middle ground between the T20 approach of Bayliss and the County Cricket mentality that seems to have preceded him. 

Jumping the gun of course but the draw really does look very likely now. Injuries to Archer and Burns havent helped, add in the 3rd choice spinner and an in game injury to Anderson there are mitigating circumstances for failing to chalk a much needed win. 

Andersons fragility shows why they were openly considering looking beyond him. Its the second test series in a row hes broken down in, and thats after sitting one out. Hes not being asked to bowl many overs either. Its a real dilemma, as that stat earlier showed when he is fit hes as good as anyone on any surface, Currans improving but the idea that he and Woakes will be the new Broad and Anderson is pushing it. Im assuming its nothing serious but with Stokes held together by sticky tape and needed for all 3 formats and Archer already getting overbowled and having his own injury problems theres a real risk of this happening again and again. 

Leechs battles with his health are really worrying too. hes had rotten look since getting the England cal and yet to get a proper run in the side. Id be more confident 4th innings if he were bowling ahead of Bess with some assistance, but hes never fit. I reckon England would jump to get Mo back in the side right now which says something. 

As noted its a better situation than looked possible on day 1, but its not good enough and the warning signs are that Englands rotten form will continue in coming tests. 

Depressing.

I think Andersons career is nearing an end, when your fourth seamer is now primarily a middle order batsmen you cannot be going into matches with a frontline bowler who can no longer bowl two innings in a match. He's still the best bowler we have by some distance but the fitness is no longer there.

Bloody hell ! De Kock has a brain fade...

Denly has the breakthrough and suddenly the game is alive again...

Broad looked good last over too so if they could shift Philander now ...who knows ?

Denly again

Always a chance with de Kock making an error like that.

Now a review...a bad review. Could cost England dearly.

England waste their last review

Ridiculous. The combination of Root and Buttler deciding these reviews almost rivals Tim Paine

Soul Requiem wrote:Denly again

Gooseberry wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:Denly again

Posted after the wicket Goose.

Broad needs to make VdD play here.

king_carlos wrote:Broad needs to make VdD play here.

Indeed. He ain't going fishing outside off. If its on the stumps he has to play ...and one just might pop or stay down...

But van der Dussen looks pretty well settled...he's done a good job for SA in these two game without looking like anything special.

But gone now ! Leg trap

First ball with the leg slip. Root the “genius”

That worked! The door is open for England now after two poor shots.

Anderson moves leg slip/gully and immediately gets the catch off the next ball.

Broad sorted his line there and deserved the wicket England desperately needed.

No sleep for me now I guess

Pretorius coming in under massive pressure. Whatever happens this has been a great advertisement for Five day Tests

If these two can survive the rest of Broad’s spell, they might have a chance with Anderson out of action. Inside the final 20 now.

You know it's pretty tense when that nice Mr Buttler gives Philander a right old earful

And Broad getting warned again re stepping on the danger zone : careful , Stuart ! Think England need you to take these remaining wickets.

Duty281 wrote:If these two can survive the rest of Broad’s spell, they might have a chance with Anderson out of action. Inside the final 20 now.

Yeah they've still got a fair chance...pitch is just so slow if you just keep playing straight it's hard to go wrong. But the mental pressure can do funny things.

England really need a ball or two to misbehave but there have been precious few doing anything untoward today.

50/50 at the moment I reckon . This next wicket does look the key ; and you'd think England need it in about the next half dozen overs.

I’d be amazed if England win this, absolutely amazed

If we do go to 4 day tests they should limit an innings to 100 overs and introduce penalty runs for slow over rates and ban Root from bringing Bess back for another spell.

How Pretorius survived that is a mystery. Brilliant over from Stokes.

Why still Bess? Get Curran on.

Stokes bowling really well here...Pretorius just hanging on...

Bess troubling Philander but can't quite produce the killer ball. Nobody leaving their seats.

Need one now Ben...

...and there it is !

Fine catch Joe Root

Two more needed...

There’s one. What have Rabada and Nortje got in the survival tank?

75 balls .... 2 wickets...england should win

Stokes sets him up then gets his man

Nearly too close that time! Great wicket. Great atmosphere.

OH OH OH 

TMS hadnt even gone back to the action when that one went still chatting in the studio! ....surely they must do it now

Two in two

Stokes has the promoted Nortje first ball and suddenly they're on the brink ...

Nice juggle , Crawley

BENNNNN