South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Cape Town, 9-13 November, 2011

Henry wrote:Is Steyn injured? He hasn't touched 140kph at all both in the ODIs and here. Bowling around 132.

WTF are you on about? He was constantly over 90mph yesterday.

South Africa have almost overhauled Aus's second innings total already ...

Target now under 200

Brass Monkey wrote:

Henry wrote:Is Steyn injured? He hasn't touched 140kph at all both in the ODIs and here. Bowling around 132.

WTF are you on about? He was constantly over 90mph yesterday.

Ok fair enough. I admit it. I didn't get to watch yesterday's play. But I watched most of the ODIs and today, and on those occasions he was well down on pace.

He was making all the batsmen twitch with searing deliveries. I only watched the highlights, but he was as fearsome as I remembered.

Have you morphed into PP, Monkehh?

Things are serious - the Swinger is on.

So where's everybody's money now?

(Mine's in my pocket. Mug's game, gambling.)


I'm glad I am neutral. Heart failure stuff if you were emotionally involved.

And Amla is dropped by Hussey off the last ball of one of most extraordinary days of test cricket ever.

The One wrote:

Allan D wrote:

The One wrote:that must surely be the highest percentage of a team score scored by the last wicket

and another one of those 'number 11 top scoring in an innings'

i wonder if the aussies will complain about the pitch to the icc once again

Only if they lose (although ironically that would mean that the wicket improved as the game went on). Siddle batted 9, surely?

lyon top-scored with 14

Absolutely right, TO, sorry didn't realise that he'd overtaken Siddle until I looked at the scorecard. He is the 3rd Australian No.11 to topscore and the third time (out of 8 ) it has happened on this ground - the last occasion being GBH with 42 out of 304 in 2005:

No 11s Top Scoring in Test Innings

At 55.32% it does look to take the biscuit as far as the highest percentage for a last wicket partnership. The closest other examples that I can find are as follows:

3rd Test, India v. NZ, Hyderabad, 15-20 October 1969

3rd Test, Sri Lanka v. Pakistan, Kandy, 26-28 August 1994

1st hour tomorrow will decide it.

Even money now.

Mental really. Astonishing day's cricket. Really was. Whoda thunk that the Yarpgasms could achieve parity from that sitch? Nutso.

mynah wrote:Jehosaphat!

Mr Baley?

Hey Red, just seen the Tahir drop. Pretty crap. Now let's discuss Hussey.

JGK wrote:Looking easier already.

I'm off to bed. Expecting Safs to be 1/91 at stumps.

Pretty shrewd call.

As long as South Africa don't [..........] near the end, they should have this one in the bag.

And, coming back from under 100 ao first innings, the win should prove to be a great morale booster for them - and likewise a big downer for the Aussies. Provided of course they manage not to [...............].

Let's just hope they don't [...........] .

It would be a terrible shame after all that sterling effort from the bowlers, if they were to [.............].

WTF?

PeterCS wrote:As long as South Africa don't [..........] near the end, they should have this one in the bag.

And, coming back from under 100 ao first innings, the win should prove to be a great morale booster for them - and likewise a big downer for the Aussies. Provided of course they manage not to [...............].

Let's just hope they don't [...........] .

It would be a terrible shame after all that sterling effort from the bowlers, if they were to [.............].

I agree. I get all [.............]ed up just thinking about it.

PeterCS wrote:As long as South Africa don't [..........] near the end, they should have this one in the bag.

And, coming back from under 100 ao first innings, the win should prove to be a great morale booster for them - and likewise a big downer for the Aussies. Provided of course they manage not to [...............].

Let's just hope they don't [...........] .

It would be a terrible shame after all that sterling effort from the bowlers, if they were to [.............].

If Oz lose after having a 1st innings lead of 188, especially given Clarke's innings, it would be an even more remarkable example of a side [....]ing.

It's the end of the world! ... and it's not even 2012 yet.

Just madness.

Number 11 top-scoring has already been mentioned, and is not unique ...

Number 11 surviving more deliveries than any other batsman in the side could well be.

Number 11 surviving more deliveries than #1, #3, #4, #5, and #6 combined (first innings positions) must be quite unusual.

and skully ...two-fitty? fitty two? 52 would have been better ...

FMD and WTF???? Went to bed at Lunch with SAf doing it relatively easily after some good tail end work from Aus to extend their 1st dig to 284. Then apparently Watto and Rhino crashed through the Yarps after lunch to shoot them out for 96. Game over.

Apparently not. Aus crumbled to 9-22 before some lusty stuff from Cot got them to an appalling 47!!!

Haven't seen any of the Aus wickets but there sounds some pretty ordinary shots in there. And how many lbws were there in the day????

2 and a half day Test?? WTF. And a couple of quick wickets to Aus tonight, and the result could go either way.

Was it also at this ground that Steve Waugh had his best bowling performance, mostly lbw and bowled?

Strange days indeed.

DHBs to win easily from here, though, you surely can't EVER be all out for 47 in a Test and still win. What's the lowest completed Test Innings score (ie not 0-0 dec) made by a winning team?

time to sharpen the axe and knives, and get a new batting coach