ENG v RSA 3rd Test...

Another succession of top order batting failures so far this innings... Strauss gone fending tentatively. I wish some fecker would teach these batsmen that they are actually allowed to leave a ball outside off stump

The big partnership now. Bell needs to show some bollocks and stick it out
 
surpirse surprise strauss out again after a measly set of runs. I have had enough of him, he never seems to perform. FFS i'd take crazy man trescothick over him
 
I want to punch Bells lights out

What the feck is he doing playing a shot like that?!

These players haven't got a speck of brain matter between them have they
 
how long before kp is out trying to smash someone out of the ground?
 
Before we started our first innings a BBC pundit described what was to come as the most important session of crickets since the Ashes [in no small part due to our build up to next year's].

It strikes me that the current cricket setup shares a lot of faults with Sven's/McClaren's England. Whcih doesn't bode well. lol
 
At the risk of jinxing him, Collingwood is playing himself back into form here...

Safricans are still well on top. But another 50 runs or so without losing a wicket and for me, the game is back towards a level playing field. Hopefully these two can keep their heads. Back to the days of old where Pieterson and Collingwood would consistantly bail the rest of em out
 
Brad said:
At the risk of jinxing him, Collingwood is playing himself back into form here...
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Yes...:nervous: he is. *touches desk*


Brad said:
Safricans are still well on top. But another 50 runs or so without losing a wicket and for me, the game is back towards a level playing field. Hopefully these two can keep their heads. Back to the days of old where Pieterson and Collingwood would consistantly bail the rest of em out
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HA, from no battin order to a third of one, hm. Quite true though.
 
England lead by 136 runs with 6 wickets remaining. How many runs do you think we still need to have a chance of winning this?
 
Addict said:
England lead by 136 runs with 6 wickets remaining. How many runs do you think we still need to have a chance of winning this?
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you just jinxed kp. reet bastard.
 
Pietersen could be amazing if he got his ego in check.

Flintoff gone now for 2.

How the feck can Paul Harris take wickets at Test level? He's a shocking bowler!
 
Collingwood needs to bat it right through and Flintoff will score a few.

If England can get another 100 runs on the board it will be nearly 250 ahead. A half decent chance in the last innings.



NEVERMIND!
 
Spoonov said:
I really can't stand Pietersen.
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He's so frustrating. Someone really needs to get his ego in check - he could score hundreds in every innings if he wanted to.

Why oh why would you try and reach your hundred with a six when your team leads by only 130 runs?!

Unfortunately because he is the best batsman we have he's untouchable.
 
Frosty said:
He's so frustrating. Someone really needs to get his ego in check - he could score hundreds in every innings if he wanted to.

Why oh why would you try and reach your hundred with a six when your team leads by only 130 runs?!

Unfortunately because he is the best batsman we have he's untouchable.
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I think he's a bit of flat track bully. That said, 99% of the wickets around the world are pretty flat.
 
Spoonov said:
I think he's a bit of flat track bully. That said, 99% of the wickets around the world are pretty flat.
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You think? Perhaps there is a bit of that. He would do well to start building eight hour Atherton like innings, as he always seems in a hurry to score two hundred before lunch. Mind you, if he is a flat track bully, that doesn't bode well for the rest of our batsmen. Can you name one that could perform against the big sides?
 
We can't heap this all on KP, consistently we are suffering due to errors and faults from Strauss, Vaughan and Bell. The instacnes when they do turn on the style are simply too far apart.

At the minute it seems that two or three have to always carry the rest, it doesn't do. But none of you need em to tell you this.
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
We can't heap this all on KP, consistently we are suffering due to errors and faults from Strauss, Vaughan and Bell. The instacnes when they do turn on the style are simply too far apart.

At the minute it seems that two or three have to always carry the rest, it doesn't do. But none of you need em to tell you this.
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Bell's problem is mental more than technical - he's coming off a 199 less than a month ago so he's not out of form. He needs to gain some self-belief and sort his head out. If he does then he will fulfil his potential. Likewise, Strauss needs to knuckle down and grind out a big score - form does not seem to be an issue here, concentration or silliness is.

Vaughan is the worrisome player. He is woefully out of form and, as captain, is a weight all the others carry.

Cook should score more centuries, as should Pietersen. Watching Pietersen is almost like watching Ronaldo in his first three seasons. Hugely talented as he is, and all the accomplishments he has, I don't think he is the finished product yet, at least not in relation to how good he could be if he stopped the silly shots and, yes, playing to his ego. It's ultimately very very frustrating, which is why I think so many people criticise him.

Anyway, the other problem is the seeming lack of adequate replacements for Strauss, Bell et al. Outside of Bopara and Shah, who else is there?
 
Pietersen is immediately absolved from blame. He has a genuine world class average above 50, and he's still put together 94 runs for the loss of his wicket. It's very easy to criticise, but that lad actually has some bollocks and performs in tough circumstances

Bell doesn't do that. He doesn't play the conditions of the game, he doesn't have it upstairs. That said he clearly has the quality, and as things stand he isn't the biggest problem in the England top order

My problem is that we have a collection of batsmen with low 40 averages, which they're nursing from former more glorious days. They're are repeatidly failing, but then they'll score one bigger innings, and suddenly its as if that's enough to keep their place. We won't get anywhere with a team of streaky scorers who stay in the team on the bare minimum

Now players go through bouts of form, and sometimes you have to stick with a player as they attempt to play their way out of it. But you need a balance between that, and letting players outside the team in form and scoring heavily the chance to break through. And we simply don't do that, not with the batsman
 
Frosty said:
You think? Perhaps there is a bit of that. He would do well to start building eight hour Atherton like innings, as he always seems in a hurry to score two hundred before lunch. Mind you, if he is a flat track bully, that doesn't bode well for the rest of our batsmen. Can you name one that could perform against the big sides?
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I was being a bit harsh. As for the big sides, Pietersen, Cook, Bell and Vaughan when on form can perform against anyone. But cricket's not like football. . .the wicket itself makes a huge difference. Get these players on pitches that offer some lateral movement and you'll see them all struggle and in some cases look totally inept. Our wickets used to be seamer friendly, but most grounds including Headingly don't offer much to the bowlers. A far cry from yesteryear when pitches used to be uncovered. It's a batsman's game.
 
Spoonov said:
I was being a bit harsh. As for the big sides, Pietersen, Cook, Bell and Vaughan when on form can perform against anyone. But cricket's not like football. . .the wicket itself makes a huge difference. Get these players on pitches that offer some lateral movement and you'll see them all struggle and in some cases look totally inept. Our wickets used to be seamer friendly, but most grounds including Headingly don't offer much to the bowlers. A far cry from yesteryear when pitches used to be uncovered. It's a batsman's game.
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Which is no good for us while our batsmen keep getting themselves out to cheap shots!

I think the ridiculous reaction to Pieterson was frustration more than anything. The lad almost singlehandedly - again - pulled us back into the game. Just as it looked like we were at a point to really press home our advantage and perhaps set up a winning position, he lost his wicket with an extravagant shot. Well I'm sorry, thats the way he plays, thats the reason he'd just totted up 94 runs with the pressure truely on. Bell and Cook gave their wickets away without such a contribution this innings, and I don't see the same nonsense and vile directed to them as I've read and heard from various sources in the last few hours

Word on Collingwood: Wonderfully gritty innings, with no little skill and at times, some particularly graceful strokes. He shouldn't even been playing, he got very lucky with his selection, and the selectors have got lucky that today was the day he played himself back into form. The correct decision was to bring Bopara in, but who knows, he might have failed. Or he might have scored two big scores unlike Collingwoods one, and taken wickets too, and we might be in a dominant position rather than the current tentatively balanced situation. That's sport, that's how it is
 
Brad said:
Which is no good for us while our batsmen keep getting themselves out to cheap shots!

I think the ridiculous reaction to Pieterson was frustration more than anything. The lad almost singlehandedly - again - pulled us back into the game. Just as it looked like we were at a point to really press home our advantage and perhaps set up a winning position, he lost his wicket with an extravagant shot. Well I'm sorry, thats the way he plays, thats the reason he'd just totted up 94 runs with the pressure truely on. Bell and Cook gave their wickets away without such a contribution this innings, and I don't see the same nonsense and vile directed to them as I've read and heard from various sources in the last few hours

Word on Collingwood: Wonderfully gritty innings, with no little skill and at times, some particularly graceful strokes. He shouldn't even been playing, he got very lucky with his selection, and the selectors have got lucky that today was the day he played himself back into form. The correct decision was to bring Bopara in, but who knows, he might have failed. Or he might have scored two big scores unlike Collingwoods one, and taken wickets too, and we might be in a dominant position rather than the current tentatively balanced situation. That's sport, that's how it is
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I reverse jinxed, Collingwood!

As for Pietersen. It's the way he plays. If you ask him to buckle down and play a Collingwood type innings, then he's not going to get many runs is he? He could've easily hit the ball he got out to, for a six. . .but then again he could've just as easily mistimed an earlier shot and got himself out for 10, as he's done many times in the past. I don't have a problem with the way he plays, to be honest. His game is all about instinct.
 
Why do South African seam bowlers, sorry bowlers, full stop(Adams?!) look like utter spastics when they bowl? I can only think of Donald and possibly Ntini and the ginger bloke, who had non spasticated run ups and actions.
 
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