South Africa v England, 2nd Test, Capetown, 2-6 January, 2016

The weird thing for Stokes is this is surely going to be the batting highlight of his career - and so early into it.

The media will now expect him to dazzle with regularity (and maybe he'll feel like that himself for a while) and when he doesn't he'll have this knock potentially cast up against him.

I think he'll be a career mid 30s average - with spectacular knocks sprinkled between lots of low scores. Which in the current England set-up, deep batting line-up and approach is probably spot-on.

Lindsay no.2 wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:

horace wrote:Unless he is injuuredd, Snorkel has damaged his reputation. Maybe he he has piggy backed on Steyns effort.

WTF are you on about? He's taken 14 wickets @ 19 before this Test, since Steyn has been injured.

That is a damn good record and kind of undermines my previous post. However, looking beyond the headline stats I'd suggest the matches in India were good for bowlers as the pitches were a bit fruity to say the least. But from the stuff I watched he did bowl very well over there - and I certainly don't think he has piggy backed off Steyn rather he just doesn't strike me as guy who likes to be top dog.

He was the best of the seamers on either side.

300-run partnership

Wow.

Brass Monkey wrote:

Lindsay no.2 wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:

horace wrote:Unless he is injuuredd, Snorkel has damaged his reputation. Maybe he he has piggy backed on Steyns effort.

WTF are you on about? He's taken 14 wickets @ 19 before this Test, since Steyn has been injured.

That is a damn good record and kind of undermines my previous post. However, looking beyond the headline stats I'd suggest the matches in India were good for bowlers as the pitches were a bit fruity to say the least. But from the stuff I watched he did bowl very well over there - and I certainly don't think he has piggy backed off Steyn rather he just doesn't strike me as guy who likes to be top dog.

He was the best of the seamers on either side.

Better than Ishant? Surely not

I'm with you - I think he can be a seriously destructive bowler and in that series, as your stats indicate, he obviously did step up to the mark as the leader of the attack.

He's still Steve Harmison, though - I'm in full agreement with that. He's managed to string together a few performances, but there's always a poor showing around the corner, like in this Test.

A guy (Barstow) nervously approaching his first test century, played over 20 teats and hasn't scored one yet, nerves must be jangling....and Amla is bowling part-timers Van Syl and Elgar at him. Oh dear.

Really good knock by Bairstow. Congrats to him on his maiden Test century.

Shit - I think he's welling up!

Well, I've ridiculed him in the past, and called him no good, but I'm absolutely delighted for Barstow. Very emotional stuff. Thrilled for the lad.

His keeping is poor, but there's no doubt that he's looked the business so far on this tour with the bat. Could become the permanent number five.

I reckon Cook should declare at the fall of the next wicket. What a luxury. It's not even tea on day 2.

Henry wrote:Well, I've ridiculed him in the past, and called him no good, but I'm absolutely delighted for Barstow. Very emotional stuff. Thrilled for the lad.

His keeping is poor, but there's no doubt that he's looked the business so far on this tour with the bat. Could become the permanent number five.

Agree - congrats to him. That obviously meant a lot to him.

Why do you see him as no.5? I think we look OK for the foreseeable future and for me he still has major technical flaws, which against better bowling, on spicier pitches can be exposed. But hey, I guess that could be said about many batsmen.

And he'll just never be a great keeper. If he can work on it to reach a level of becoming competent at that and manage to average high 30s with the bat then he could have a long future in the side.

600 up. Bairstow going Napeshit. Highest 6th wicket partnership ever in Tests

Gingas, love'em.

And Jonny, your Dad was with you lad, well done.

Oh Morne.

eowyn wrote:Gingas, love'em.

And Jonny, your Dad was with you lad, well done.

Aye - that was a special moment.

What the shit is going on? How can this be explained?

251 up for Ben Stokes. The highest Test score by a number 6

de Villiers drops Stokes, then runs him out. Stunning innings

What an innings from Ben Stokes.

(And nice they let Jonny get his 150.)

Well that was pretty well done by me.

Fair enough...maybe he is injured.....at any event he is failing here.

That said huge kudos to this pair.

Good reply by SA.

Amla re-discovering his form.

Huge drop of ABdV by Root. If England had got him then I'd have fancied our chances - but as it stands it looks like a belter of a batting track and SA should be able to bat through tomorrow.

Moment of the afternoon - Stokes having a pop at Broad for not backing up a throw at the stumps. Word to the wise kid, that prima donna will probably not react well to being called out publicly. Backroom split coming, along the lines of the much reported KP vs Broad/Swann division (hopefully though Bayliss is a better manager of petulance than Flower was)? Perhaps tellingly or perhaps not, when they walked off at close of play, Broad was about as far away from Stokes as possible and looked to be pretty unenthusiastic in clapping Stokes and Bairstow off the field.

Still England's game. SA will have to bat through tomoeoorw just to avoid the follow on, and then there will still be 2 days left.

Lindsay no.2 wrote:Good reply by SA.

Amla re-discovering his form.

Huge drop of ABdV by Root. If England had got him then I'd have fancied our chances - but as it stands it looks like a belter of a batting track and SA should be able to bat through tomorrow.

Moment of the afternoon - Stokes having a pop at Broad for not backing up a throw at the stumps. Word to the wise kid, that prima donna will probably not react well to being called out publicly. Backroom split coming, along the lines of the much reported KP vs Broad/Swann division (hopefully though Bayliss is a better manager of petulance than Flower was)? Perhaps tellingly or perhaps not, when they walked off at close of play, Broad was about as far away from Stokes as possible and looked to be pretty unenthusiastic in clapping Stokes and Bairstow off the field.

Interesting that the churlish Broad has dealt out much advice to his own fieldsmen and now struggles to swallow his own medicine.