Rest of the World

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Big partnership in the context of the game. If they can add another 20-odd, the lead becomes noteworthy in a low scoring slug fest. As is Jansen showing he may well become a #7, while Keshav is playing with the poise of a man who has 3 Test 50s. Very organised. He probably has done himself a disservice, especially in a South African side both devoid of batsmen and obsessed with pace, in not working a little harder on his batting to be a #7.

Ireland surely need a win.
Their administration was very keen to push for test status. But after getting it, they haven't shown as much interest as Afghanistan even, to play the long format. They should perhaps try arranging at least a 1 test fixture against sides touring England in the summers.

Ireland let the West Indies escape to 229ao, which they should still expect to chase on this small ground. 27 wides (!) and numerous basic fielding errors highlight the pressing areas where Ireland need to improve if they want to get into the top ten ODI sides.

Agree about Ireland and their relationship to test cricket. They've only played three tests, the last of those in July 2019 when they bowled England out for a pittance at Lord's. Obviously, it's difficult for them to get test matches, particularly with the financial side. One idea could be for the ICC to finance a tri or quad nation test tournament between Ireland and similarly strong test nations - Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and maybe England Sri Lanka or Bangladesh?

Bit of rain came down during the chase. DLS intervened and set Ireland the mammoth task of scoring 11 off 28 balls with six wickets left. What was the point of sending them back out?! Good win for the Irish.

msp83 wrote:Ireland surely need a win.
Their administration was very keen to push for test status. But after getting it, they haven't shown as much interest as Afghanistan even, to play the long format. They should perhaps try arranging at least a 1 test fixture against sides touring England in the summers.

It simply makes little sense from a financial standpoint for the Irish cricket board to even attempt to organise a test match, especially during a pandemic. They'd incur huge losses they just wouldn't be able to afford.

I'd agree with Duty, the ICC need to find a way to fund more games for the fringe test nations...but I'd say the chances of that are like 0.001%!

It's a broken model.

The only income the ICC get is basically through their tournaments. Hence we are heading towards a pointless and tedious schedule where there will be a tournament every year - World T20 every other year, CWC and Champions Trophy in between.

Below is the breakdown of ICC funding for nations for the current cycle of 2016 to 2023:

$405m - India
$139m - England
$128m - Australia, Bangladesh, NZ, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies
$94m - Zimbabwe
$40m - Afghanistan & Ireland
$160m - 93 Associates (split across two grant systems - tournament and scorecard)

$5m pa for Afghanistan and Ireland. A Test costs something like $500k in losses for them to put on. 10% of their annual ICC funding.

Meanwhile India, England and Australia occupy the lucrative TV audience, hence broadcasting deals and are playing one another in a never ending cycle of tedium and futility.

When an article pops up with a prominent ex-player saying Test cricket will die in 5 years, 10 years, *enter arbitrarily plucked out number* years I usually disagree simply as Test cricket is important to the big threes financial model and as the big three carved up control of global cricket for their own greed they will not let Test cricket die. It's too lucrative for the three boards who care only for themselves with a notional pinch of caring for the other two cartel members.

Test cricket being lucrative for the BCCI, ECB and CA will prevent it dying in short term. It increasingly existing as a format solely for those boards wallets will also prevent Test cricket being anywhere near as good as it can and should be. That is a sad sad state of affairs.

South Africa can almost taste it. 46 runs away from an incredible series victory. To be 1-0 down against the best team in the world, yes you're at home, but India conquered Australia in Australia. They're 2-1 up against England in England. Our middle order has less runs as a whole than KL Rahul alone. Our best bat retires at 1-0 down. Nortje out to start the series. They lost every toss. Frak. How can you not love Test cricket.

Well your fellows are cruising home , kingraf . Bit like the previous game , eh ?

Keeping their home ground record up against India

I think its safe to now award the series victory, a great turnaround against some difficult odds, also a series where some good players seem to have been found

kingraf wrote:South Africa can almost taste it. 46 runs away from an incredible series victory. To be 1-0 down against the best team in the world, yes you're at home, but India conquered Australia in Australia. They're 2-1 up against England in England. Our middle order has less runs as a whole than KL Rahul alone. Our best bat retires at 1-0 down. Nortje out to start the series. They lost every toss. Frak. How can you not love Test cricket.

He might not get the credit he deserves* but Petersen has had some match; 154 runs on that pitch is no easy task.

*not reaching three figures tends to matter for some reason in these things.

Congrats Raf and C!

So South Africa still remains the Last Bastion for India.

Well two games in a row SA chased what looked like an outlier scenario....on difficult pitches, with Indian attack being genuinely world class...and this time with Kohli to marshal the team

Hard to precisely state where India lost it...But I give it a try listing possible reasons

1. Bowlers Bumrah and Shami did not produce enuf opportunities....they beat the bat, but did not induce enuf nicks

2. And why they did not create enuf opportunities?
because they tried too hard....to create too many wicket taking deliveries, in-swing / out-swing, magic balls every over......ended up giving too many scoring balls, spraying the ball a bit
Top of off line, good length with pace and let the batsman make the mistake would have been just fine..

3. Why bowlers appeared desperate ?...because they felt they were defending a tight/ moderate total.When panic of an inadequate total set in patience gives way


4. India did not put enuf first inning & second inning runs on board
because the batting was flaky......juts not enuf runs coming from Pujara, Rahane & Kohli and after T1 runs from openers also dried up....nor was Ashwin apt for no. 7

btw had we stretched the targets to 300 + with sound batting ...we would have bowled with less pressure and crumbled SA for less than 200 ish in 4th innings

BUT...well played SA....their top-order showed nerve, gut and temperament ....and seam attack proved better than India's

Well done SA

Deserved victory . Chased down 200 plus twice without much fuss. Pitches were actually good for Test cricket , if the bowlers perhaps enjoyed them more.

India will be a bit disappointed after winning the first of three. Might see a change or two in the batting line-up in the aftermath...

Fantastic series win for South Africa, particularly after being 1-0 down. They bowled better and with greater intelligence than India, that was the key difference.

South Africa's next series will be two tests in New Zealand, which will be a step up. Will the vaunted South African attack be able to deal enough damage in more batting-friendly conditions? And can South Africa discover a quality batsman or two on the way? Will be a testing year for South Africa as they will also be making visits to England and Australia over the next 12 months.

Very disappointing result for India, particularly after winning all three tosses. Similar to New Zealand perhaps, they're about to enter a stage of transition with the once quality trio of Rahane, Pujara and Kohli on the way out, and new quality will need to be discovered in the next 12-18 months. They're about halfway through their WTC cycle, their current haul of 49.07% is perhaps disappointing, but the toughest games are out of the way - now only home series v Aus and Sri Lanka, plus a trip to Bangladesh is left (and one test in England!).

The WTC table is a mess of uneven games played at the moment, but it currently looks as though we're on course for a Australia/Pakistan final, with India not too far off. I suspect the ICC are hoping for a slight Australian slump and for an India/Pakistan showpiece!

VTR wrote:I think its safe to now award the series victory, a great turnaround against some difficult odds, also a series where some good players seem to have been found

Strange old game cricket, eh. 240/3 and 210/3 on grounds where 200+ had like one successful chase. As impressive as it is, I think it's also a reflection of where the game is going. With livelier pitches, and slower over rates, fourth innings' are generally starting earlier than they did before, meaning the conditions for batting last aren't as hopeless as they once were. Starting a chase of 200 odd on the final session of the third day isn't as forlorn a task as starting a chase of 350 odd with four sessions to survive back in the 2000s.

Not taking credit from the boys, but I thought Kohli made a poor decision batting first for "five days of cricket" when nothing in the series suggested either team could bat long enough for the pitch to deteriorate on the fifth day. Alternately, though he intentionally gave South Africa the best bowling conditions on day one, and as an unintended consequence of how fast the game progressed, gave them the best batting conditions in the fourth.

For the second Test running I called it wrong in thinking India would bowl SA out in the 4th innings.

I was also wildly out in my estimation of the series result, reckoning that India would win easily.

So a real pat on the back to SA for a terrific effort. Only goes to show just how difficult it is to win away from home in Test cricket.

India’s captain just announced he has resigned.

"The Kohli" quits as a captain
I noted often times during this series the smoke  snd controversy surrounding him w.r.t BCCI

He did not get heavy runs with the bat nor could he win the series
So he quit taking the power out of the hands  of Bcci , attaining moral high ground  in front of cricket loving Billion and achieving a pseudo martyrdom in the eyes of his 100s of Millions of die hard fans

One of World's best batsmen in all forms for all but last year and half and will go down in pantheon  of Indian greats.
He was a very good test match captain, took Indian Test cricket significantly forward
Learnt and inculcated in Indian cricket the cardinal trick of winning tests overseas ....by having enuf firepower to take 20 wickets.
Is India's best test match captain together witj Ganguly.

Well played
Well captained
Well timed retirement
Career in media and commentary awaits him , given he is quite articulate
World.would love to hear his side of story in the BCCI saga  which I am sure he can speak out freely.having cut off chains binding him to Bcci

Resigned in embarrassment after failing to score a century and win a series against opposition even awful Ollie Pope managed a hundred in.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Resigned in embarrassment after failing to score a century and win a series against opposition even awful Ollie Pope managed a hundred in.

Great men are remembered for their occasional failures
And mediocre for their occasional success.

~Anon

Hopefully, with this resignation, the saga is put behind, and Kohli would let himself, more than anyone else move on. Despite the numerous frustrations he could create particularly on the selection front, Kohli surely took Indian test cricket a long way forward. Think this call, as KPF mentioned above, is more in line with putting one back on the BCCI. KL Rahul is not the kind of skipper we need, and Rohit Sharma doesn't have a lot of time left and he has only cracked test cricket and isn't fit half the time. Surely not have let Virat go, but he has taken the call, and hopefully, he'll focus on his batting do a bit of reinvention, and have a few more years of quality test cricket. He did show in the last test, as to why his relative struggles can't be bracketed with those of Pujara or Rahane. Kohli will have to now retune his game a bit, realize his reflexes are not the same as it was in his 20s. I believe he's quite capable of the same. Whether he has the drive to keep doing it is another question, I hope he does.

Rohit will be the captain
Rahul probably the VC but he is not captaincy material.
Although I would like to see Pant as VC

Ireland on course to win their ODI series v the West Indies. Batting first, again, the West Indies were 69/0 after ten. But a fightback led by Young and McBrine (who the West Indies have no answer to) has left the home side 99/5 after 20, some good catching ever-present in this collapse.

Ireland would like to wrap this up swiftly, rather than let the West Indies escape again.

Ireland win the series 2-1, despite their best efforts to lose! Chasing 213, Ireland were cruising at 152/2 and 190/4, but collapsed to 208/8. Should have been 210/9, but the West Indies missed a good run-out chance.

Entertaining series, though it was abysmal quality, with an outstanding number of wides, basic fielding errors and drops. Ireland should have won the series 3-0, but for their collapse in the first game. Very good series for McBrine with bat and ball.

West Indies seem to have some deep issues in their game and with their team. Hetmyer has been ostracised from the team, and will also miss the England T20 series, supposedly for fitness issues - but are we really expected to believe Pollard can pass the fitness tests and Hetmyer can't?

Pollard by all accounts is one of those guys whose fitness belies his appearance. Like several Windies cricketers he was a keen played basketballer and apparently has a ridiculous vertical jumper. His pace off the mark and stamina are meant to be excellent for such a big bloke as well. He's also one of the Windies T20 stars who travels with his own trainer. He may not look it but by most reports he absolutely smashes the fitness tests that franchise put their players through. Just a freakish natural athlete similar to a guy like Rupeni Caucaunibuca who looked like the quickest man in rugby back in 2003 despite having a beer belly and by several accounts smoking consistently whilst a player.

That said about Pollard the Windies have certainly used 'fitness issues' as a questionable explanation in other areas before though. Narine missing out for (apparently...) those reasons earlier this year whilst Gayle played is a glaring example of that.

The India-South Africa ODI series under way.
South Africa batted first and on the back of tons from skipper Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen, posted 296 in their 50 overs. India in response, are 80-1 in 15 overs.
India, contrary to expectation, refused to provide a break for young Ruturaj Gaikwad and went in with Shikhar Dhawan at the top, and as regular skipper Rohit Sharma isn't playing this series because of fitness issues, skipper KL Rahul opened. And he batted like he used to do for Punjab, without much intent. Couldn't play a long innings and edged Markram for Quinton de Kock to take a safe catch. Dhawan and Virat Kohli moving along without taking too many risks.

I’ve got my eyes on this Bavuma innings - he might be another name to add to the Amla list of when they get big runs in white ball cricket it must be a mega road.

Rahul continues to show why he shouldn't really be considered for a captaincy role in any formats. Played Vankatesh Iyer at 6. Venkatesh has certainly earned his chance for sure. But he's picked as an all-rounder. Rahul though didn't think it worthwhile to give him even an over, though there was a massive partnership between Bavuma and RvdD and India failed to take a wicket for nearly 36 overs. Unimaginative, conservative and formulaic. And he had really solved India's middle order problem by batting with serious intent and consistency at number 5 in 50 over cricket, should have stayed there...

I caught the end of South Africa's innings. I thought Bavuma was incredibly selfish to not be more aggressive in the final ten overs, with some batting to come, including Miller. VdD did push the score along properly.

India in cruise control unless they collapse like the Irish.

Note that Zimbabwe recorded an ODI win over Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka yesterday. Good effort.

JDizzle wrote:I’ve got my eyes on this Bavuma innings - he might be another name to add to the Amla list of when they get big runs in white ball cricket it must be a mega road.

Ian Bell would be proud of that knock

India seemed to be walking it when Kohli and Dhawan looked untroubled in a big partnership. Risk-free cricket, from experienced campaigners. Unraveling quickly though as both are back in the hut.

JDizzle wrote:I’ve got my eyes on this Bavuma innings - he might be another name to add to the Amla list of when they get big runs in white ball cricket it must be a mega road.

Strike rate wasn't great for an ODI century, a quick glance at RVDD's innings suggest he should have been striking far higher.

Duty281 wrote:India in cruise control unless they collapse like the Irish.

Yep, that's exactly what they did.

Shame India couldn't find anyone to selfishly score a hundred. They might have won, too.

Equally shameful is the fact that they aren't going to even cross 250 on a mega road

Raf channeling the V2 debates circa 2011 re Trott.

It just reads like actual insanity. An entire chain of unchecked messages discussing how selfish an innings of 110 on a pitch where a team not named South Africa hasn't scored 250 in like 20 years was. Like maybe he just baked in that it wasn't a 300 pitch and Rassie was just playing worldie?

Yeah, this isn't a Bell/Trott type knock. Those sort of innings usually ended in a 9 wicket defeat, with about 10 overs to spare. Bavuma has played a very good hand today in a match winning partnership

Bavuma scored 21 runs from 25 balls (one boundary) when he batted in the final ten overs of the match, with a noticeable lack of intent for the most part. Perhaps my standards are higher than some, but when you're three down, I think you should be aiming for better than that.

No doubting his overall contribution was excellent, though, in the middle overs stage of the game.

Bavuma kept the innings together, probably could have gone for it a bit more in the slog overs, but a match-winning performance nevertheless.

And poor from India. Kohli and Dhawan had it under control, but both fell in quick succession, and then the Iyers and Pant failed to deliver.
Poor overall captaincy from KL too. So in a game that doesn't count in the super league, the only good thing for India is that it is not counted in there. And even that, doesn't make a difference actually, as they have automatic qualification as the tournament hosts in any case!

7th lowest strike rate of innings over 100 since the end of the 2015 WC (out of 457 tons!) - Shai Hope has two of the 6 lower, now that is poor! Not a net negative innings, but given India got 265 even with a huge collapse I don't think a strike rate of 77 is near good.

Think we need to have a sense of context as well, when lookin at Bavuma's innings. At one stage, SA were 68-3. And their best batter Quinton de Kock was already back in the hut. David Miller is always a hit or miss kind of player and they didn't have much batting quality left... Only thing, as Duti said, perhaps Temba could have pushed on a little bit more in the last few overs. But if he hadn't held the innings together, perhaps they wouldn't even have reached 296.

Saw some ridiculous hitting yesterday in the Australian twenty over competition. Melbourne greens piling up 273, was absolutely mental. Maxwell hammered 154…in a twenty over match 🤯

SA-India 2nd ODI underway. India won the toss and are batting. They are 45-0 after 7 overs.
No Ruturaj, and KL is still opening as India have gone in unchanged.
Sasanda Magala in for Marco Jansen who had to do a lot of heavy lifting in the tests. But he has had a poor start so far going for plenty in his 3 overs and the line all over the place.
Rahul still in his IPL captain version, batting as if he's the only batter in the side!

Aiden Markram in for an early bowl. KL last time treated him as if the combined version of Murali and Warne bowling to Cullinan!

Markram gets Shikhar, who went holding out in the deep.
Hope Virat Kohli would not only get a big one, but also give some guidance to the listless looking KL Rahul. Markram into his 3rd over, not giving away much and also got the breakthrough. He is in a terrible place with the bat of late, but doing a fine job for a parttime spinner. India letting the South African 6th bowler to get in cheap overs so early in the innings, giving Bavuma great flexibility going forward, with his regular bowlers.

Well, nothing from Kohli today, Keshav Maharaj does him in.
India clueless against South African spinners, and Shamsi hasn't even had a bowl yet.

msp83 wrote:
India clueless against South African spinners

That's something I never thought I'd read or hear.

Kohli cruelly denied that elusive hundred by a mere 100 runs

msp83 wrote:Aiden Markram in for an early bowl. KL last time treated him as if the combined version of Murali and Warne bowling to Cullinan!

Cullinan actually had a superb record against Sri Lanka.

Soul Requiem wrote:

msp83 wrote:Aiden Markram in for an early bowl. KL last time treated him as if the combined version of Murali and Warne bowling to Cullinan!

Cullinan actually had a superb record against Sri Lanka.

Fair enough. Iffy he generally though waws, against spin.
Anyways a bit of a recovery from India led by Rishabh Pant. And though he ensured Markram almost bowled out his quota, Rahul still there. Hopefully unlike his Punjab times, he'll ensure a proper finish.