England v South Africa, 2nd Test, Trent Bridge, 14-18 July, 2017

Great session for SAf. Excellent bowling put 4 of the top 6 to the sword.

At 4-79 England are farked (Capt Obvious mode now turned off).

185* taips, but we won't quibble about the odd four runs. Equally impressive Jack Russell at the other end. He raced to 29* off 235 balls - but yes, that's the match I was referring to.

As for AD, I reckon every batsman worth the name got a going over at some point. As a "nasty" bowler, he's one of the few I'd put in the same class as the great WI quicks of the late 70's/early 80's.

So that session put paid to any hope of a brave England come from behind win or salvaged draw.

Ironically Rabada being out may have attained a better balance in the SA team. Just swap him for Olivier next test and the line-up should be even spicier. The rest should help him too.

Morris perhaps a bit of a surprise packet here, even though he has performed well in limited overs cricket at times.

England hasn't put up a lot of resistance with the bat, but clearly their problems stem from the instability in the opening position over the past four or five years. They cannot seem to establish a partner for Cook who is probably on the wane anyway.

Growler wrote:185* taips, but we won't quibble about the odd four runs. Equally impressive Jack Russell at the other end. He raced to 29* off 235 balls - but yes, that's the match I was referring to.

As for AD, I reckon every batsman worth the name got a going over at some point. As a "nasty" bowler, he's one of the few I'd put in the same class as the great WI quicks of the late 70's/early 80's.

Best rearguard I saw until Faf in Australia.

Nath wrote:Ballance still crap?  The new Hick/Ramprakash?

Would he make the Zimbabwean side atm?

South Africa now at the top of their game - catching blinders too.


Next question: Will England changing a thumped team, or carry on regardless?

Well, that was fast.

I've decided we need continuity above everything else. Exact same England XI for the Third Test. The four or five passengers will get up to speed eventually.

Well that was less than heroic from England.

Abject.

Well played South Africa.

Heroism has nothing to do with it. Application, skill, grit would be more the point!

PeterCS wrote:Heroism has nothing to do with it. Application, skill, grit would be more the point!

It's was an obscure Simpsons reference.

Well done by the Saffies...a comprehensive win....easy to be critical of the Pomgolians, but this should not be at the expense of the team effort put on by the visitors.

The Pom top 7 looks very fragile. If Root and one other don't fire, they are ferked.

Ah. So I see we're still lacking any form of guts. I'm hardly surprised. Or angry.

That was a "four or five changes" type of performance. Seemingly no interest in even putting up a fight to take it into the final day. Six sessions to bat and they didn't manage two.

Call it a one-off but we've now lost seven Tests in ten, when was the last run like that we had? Anyway, this is the point in a home Yarpie series when we generally consider a change of captain

JGK wrote:

PeterCS wrote:Heroism has nothing to do with it. Application, skill, grit would be more the point!

It's was an obscure Simpsons reference.

Ah.

So, it's better a calamity happens now than the fantasy-wagon trundles on too much longer.


They will probably keep a pretty much unchanged team.


What should happen?

Well, just a view. Always just a view.

1) I hope Hameed gets his mojo back soon, he's ideal as a Test opener in all senses but his current trough of confidence.

2) Jennings is currently washed up; and despite his undoubted Hickian CC excellence, Ballance is no Test batsman, not even at 5 I think (despite the cries for another chance in his proper position, feet set in stone and rodent eyes in headlights are no better at 5 than 3).

So who won't but should be introduced ASAP?

Either Stoneman or Rory Burns? Or even both, at 2 and 3. Surrey's openers not only have the basic averages (Stoneman's rising fast since moving south) - they have the look (the "cut" as they say in Ireland) of Test players. The decisive thing about Trescothick getting into Test cricket was not so much his county average.

Nick Browne is Cook's opening partner at Essex, and a good age. Now, I must admit I haven't seen him play (!), but he's got to be a better bet than a Jennings going backwards fast. Or a Ballance at sea.

(Why are they all left-handers?)

3) Is Wood carrying an injury (AGAIN?). He seems down on pace, and is ineffective. As a stopgap, I'd go back to Plunkett if so. Maybe anyway, if Wood shows only death when his eyes are looked into.

4) I still have no idea at all why Dawson's there. Rashid (though his form has dipped), or Jack Leach if they want an alternative actually to spin the ball, and do it with a certain amount of skill.

But I have to say, if OT is another wicket where you don't need two frontline spinners as well as Root, I'd probably instead slot in a proper bat (or even the very-sound-technique-if-inclined-to-be-headstrong-which needs-a-word Malan, useful supplementary leggie too - yet another bloody southpaw though).


So, what's that - four changes? No, of course they won't happen.

But two have to.

And it's look deep into the eyes time for most of them. Not what they say, but how they react.

Better now than in Australia, 15 pedalos going missing.

PS: If names fit people properly, Gary Ballance would be called Setin Stoneman.

It's the Oval next, strangely... so expect them to persist with two spinners.

So whereto for SA. Better yes, right no.

Now we have got rid of the absurd idea that a specialist batsman who averaged under 35 at 6/7 was good idea at 4, options are opening up.

Kuhn, as anticipated is a failure opening, time to go with the future with Markram.

Faf has to bite the bullet and take the 4 job. QdK is ideal at 7 but with no top 6 batsman who can bowl he has to go to 6 with Bavuma at 5. Radaba for Olivier will be the best team out of the touring squad.

Going forwards though, our biggest problem (which won't be solved in a hurry) will be replacing James Anderson. Not only will he turn 35 in a couple of years time - but he's half of a highly experienced and outstanding opening test bowling attack. Stuart Broad will be a superb replacement leading bowler, of course - but he's going to be under huge pressure to carry the attack as senior bowler.

We think the batting stocks are pretty low - IMO the choice of batsmen is a luxury compared to future decent bowlers. I'm sorry, but the two main strike bowlers should not be bowling 84 overs between them out of 200 bowled in any match.

We keep losing matches - but not because opposing teams are posting mammoth scores. They are getting "par" scores or thereabouts, and we are collapsing like a sack of shit. Fast forward a year or two, if we're still folding so tamely - it will be against bigger totals as jimmy's replacement is highly unlikely to be anywhere near as economical as well as taking fewer wickets.

On top of that, at 31 himself - a severe injury for Stuart Broad will make an international comeback next to impossible. I'm thinking of something like a stress fracture which caused Anderson to miss all summer 2006 - but he was only 24/5 at the time. Right now, the prospect of England without JA and SB is summat I don't like to think about.

Yeah... bring on Ireland and Afghanistan when that happens. Root will be like Lara after Ambrose and Walsh retired (without even a Chanderpaul equivalent...)

Although he's recently indicated otherwise possibly, I think Jandy will want to continue for a bit. As I said, he looked like he's been pretty revitalised. Maybe his body may break down, but if not, I can see him doing a year or so. He's basically been cotton-wooled for Tests. Fair play.

Think you're right, Danny. BTW I just noticed an error above - I said he'd turn 35 in a couple of years ..... it's a couple of weeks of course.

A quick look on Dickinfo has proved interesting. There are 2 more tests v SA, then 3 v WI at home. Only injury will stop him playing all 5 Ashes tests over winter, for a total of ten matches between now and February. He's on 477 wickets, so if he can take an average of two wickets/innings he will reach 517 - which is only two behind Courtney Walsh at 519.

I think the Ashes will almost certainly be his last tour. Who are we due to play next summer at home? He'll have a few months off (no short-format cricket) so a good summer may see him close to Glenn McGrath's 563. I think he'll fall short - but it's not impossible if he's not over-bowled in back-to back matches.

Yeah, could be a bit of a Roger Federer of cricket, in terms of picking and choosing his tours/series and having a rest in between, to recharge and avoid burnout and peak for the big events. I guess you have to have targets to be motivated to carry on, whether statistical or just big series. The next home Ashes may be a tempter, but would they allow him a winter off before it? An injury or poor series might prompt him to call it a day at any time though.