South Africa v India, 1st Test, Johannesburg, 18-22 December, 2013

Will the SAffers find a place for the prolofic de Kock in the Test top 6? Shirely so?

How green will the deck be? How much shit will there be in Bannies pants?   

Bring it on!!!

will the bannies walk off if the ball bounces as high as the knee roll?

Tomorrow the bcci supporters shall all be in a better position to understand England's predicament. Please bear with us till then.

What a shambolic (lack of) preparation for India.

I don't think they even have a chance to compete in this match.

Actually, the more ODIs you play on flat pitches, the lesser prepared both a bowler and batsman is on fast, bouncy test wickets.

bowlers who have bowled thousands of deliveries on flat ODI/T20 tracks cannot adjust their length to pitches abroad without some major reprogramming to their muscles. They are so conditioned to pitch the ball at Flat Track length that they will keep doing that even if they don't want to.

Batsmen need to be able to delay their shots by a few micr-seconds, which again is something really difficult to do because they have tuned themselves into playing on Flat Track to such an extent that it is really difficult to retune themselves to pitches where the ball bounces more at good length.

Lastly team selection should predominate those players who haven't really played too much on Flat Tracks recently, and those who are better rested and are just coming out of injuries. They can adjust better and faster than those who find their muscle-reflexes are so used to Flat Tracks by now, that they can't retrain themselves if their life depended on it.

skully wrote:Will the SAffers find a place for the prolofic de Kock in the Test top 6? Shirely so?

Don't think he's in the squad. The only thing that may worry them could be Tahir. If he even comes into play, that is.

Looking forward too seeing some of the Bannie young guns get tested by fast bowling on helpful pitches.

The SA players haven't exactly had a great preparation either. Will they be under-cooked? 

well this is slightly better prep than our last tour where no tour game was scheduled and the tests were before the odis

what a shambles

India are an arrogant disgrace. And it's not the fault of their players. Unfortunately, the men working within the BCCI are so faceless, that the players are the only ones for whom the anger can be directed at. The BCCI has treated both CSA and the South African public (not to mention their own players....one rained-off two day game as preparation for a test series in South Africa??) with such utter disdain, that the only way to get some sort of revenge would be to see them get utterly humiliated on the cricket field.

I think MS Dhoni is a good bloke. I like him. He deserves better than having to try and compete against a rampant South Africa in their own conditions, having had minimal preparation. But still, you hope that maybe an absolute thrashing would send the BCCI a message, in the form of a metaphorical middle-fingered salute. Sorry MS.

Henry wrote:India are an arrogant disgrace. And it's not the fault of their players.

they should learn from the English in general and Stuart Broad in particular in how to be more humble in victory and unwilting in competition.

Only hope to avoid the learning curve is for it to rain every day. Any chance of that taips?

Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck, Phuck,

In other words, for what we are about to receive may the lord make us truly thankful.

Henry Nolonga wrote:Only hope to avoid the learning curve is for it to rain every day. Any chance of that taips?

Good chance. It has just turned 6.30 and it is hammering down. But we seem to have settled into the old highveld pattern of late afternoon thunder storms.

Don't think it'll be as bad as everyone's making out. Think there'll be a few surprises along the way.

Plus SA are undercooked

Brass Monkey wrote:..........................Plus SA are undercooked

Undercooked?  Undercooked?

If by undercocked you mean Dale Steyn leering and pointing his c*ck at the (metaphorically) plump Indian 1-6 as they trudge up to the crease, yeah SA are undercooked.

Apart from that, everything's under control and cooked just right.

It's a brave new India. They'll go pretty well, I reckon.

Gotta go better than those English hermaphrodites who are too worried about penetrating their vaginas with their penises.

taipan wrote:

Henry Nolonga wrote:Only hope to avoid the learning curve is for it to rain every day.  Any chance of that taips?

Good chance. It has just turned 6.30 and it is hammering down. But we seem to have settled into the old highveld pattern of late afternoon thunder storms.

Terrible storm. Got stuck in the pub for an hour.

taipan wrote:

taipan wrote:

Henry Nolonga wrote:Only hope to avoid the learning curve is for it to rain every day.  Any chance of that taips?

Good chance. It has just turned 6.30 and it is hammering down. But we seem to have settled into the old highveld pattern of late afternoon thunder storms.

Terrible storm. Got stuck in the pub for an hour.

Jeez, I hate it when that happens.   

Well it's 5.15 and overcast. Hopefully the sun will burn that off.

lots of moisture in the air might be our only chance. will bring our bowling attacks closer. if its hot and dry with a bouncy track we will get hammered

How long until this kicks off?

Normal starting time is 11 so just shy of 5 hours. Patches of blue beginning to appear.

Cloud cover is pretty much broken up and what is left is fairly high. Wouldn't rule out a storm at 4/5.

Correction, I hear it is a 10.30 kick off.

Poor thing ! He won the toss. Not even that reprieve is available now.

To bat. And innings over before lunch.