England v South Africa, 3rd Test, The Oval, 27-31 July, 2017

We'd be 3-0 down with half a dozen debutants, if we'd lost the first two...

Most Tests seem to be decided on day 2 now. Not sure I'd buy a ticket for any day after that in advance these days.

It'll be interesting to see what sort of pitch OT serve up - it's usually quite bouncy with some spin later on in the game. It has, however, I understand been quite wet in Manchester recently. "No, shit Sherlock" springs to mind"

So, any more views on players?

Tobes is going to have to find an extra yard of pace to have any chance at all Dahnanda. Medium fast, looking for a bit of swing, is likely to be fodder.

PeterCS wrote:So, any more views on players?

Tobes is going to have to find an extra yard of pace to have any chance at all Dahnanda. Medium fast, looking for a bit of swing, is likely to be fodder.

He's got a yard, or so, of pace more than I gave him credit for but even so he would not be in my starting eleven at The Gabba , assuming full fitness for all the other usual suspects.

PeterCS wrote:So, any more views on players?

Tobes is going to have to find an extra yard of pace to have any chance at all Dahnanda. Medium fast, looking for a bit of swing, is likely to be fodder.

Still, the tall, bouncy bowlers we packed the squad with last time we went there were equally chocolate teapot-esque, because they were all out of form/injured/past it. "Horses for courses" is fair enough if we have some horses that aren't lame. They will want to take Wood and perhaps Finn but they have to show they are fit and firing beforehand.

beamer wrote:

PeterCS wrote:So, any more views on players?

Tobes is going to have to find an extra yard of pace to have any chance at all Dahnanda. Medium fast, looking for a bit of swing, is likely to be fodder.

Still, the tall, bouncy bowlers we packed the squad with last time we went there were equally chocolate teapot-esque, because they were all out of form/injured/past it. "Horses for courses" is fair enough if we have some horses that aren't lame. They will want to take Wood and perhaps Finn but they have to show they are fit and firing beforehand.

The Kookaburra will stop swinging after about a dozen overs, so first and second change need a few more strings to their bow than swing. Stokes has got the tricks to fulfil that role, that leaves one from Woakes, Toby R-J, Wood, ?Ball, ?Finn, ?Plunkett

A word, or several, about Dean Elgar - that was some knock, ultimately in a futile cause. A few of his teammates would do well to watch a video of that innings. It reminded me of AB's ton at Old Trafford in 1981 - he also had a gammy finger.

Congrats to Engulund. They lead from start to finish.

Bring on T4.

Geez, I only just read that Mo finished it with a hattrick!! Well done him.

Pretty limp Test. Elgar aside, only the Quotas performed (inc the Snorkel, who is my quota selection).

The saffies seemed to miss JPD.

btw, nice to see Nigel posting in a Saffie Test thread.

Meanwhile, back in Yarpville, ABdV is chuckling into his Horlicks.

horace wrote:Pretty limp Test. Elgar aside, only the Quotas performed (inc the Snorkel, who is my quota selection).

The saffies seemed to miss JPD.

Really?

You've kept that quiet

I think h is getting quotas and quokkas mixed up.

horace wrote:Surprised that Nigel has been so quiet over the past few days.

But then he usually disappears when SA fails or when the non quota players fail.

Oh yes sireee. Always was a troll our Nige. Bless him. No Flaming Bails poster comes near our Taips for a) stating the bleeding obvious and b) posting so-obvious wind-up offerings. Yet several people continue to fall for his games. Saffies choke again Nigey boy.

horrie and Nigel have an enduring love-hate relationship

Basil wrote:

beamer wrote:

PeterCS wrote:So, any more views on players?

Tobes is going to have to find an extra yard of pace to have any chance at all Dahnanda. Medium fast, looking for a bit of swing, is likely to be fodder.

Still, the tall, bouncy bowlers we packed the squad with last time we went there were equally chocolate teapot-esque, because they were all out of form/injured/past it. "Horses for courses" is fair enough if we have some horses that aren't lame. They will want to take Wood and perhaps Finn but they have to show they are fit and firing beforehand.

The Kookaburra will stop swinging after about a dozen overs, so first and second change need a few more strings to their bow than swing. Stokes has got the tricks to fulfil that role, that leaves one from Woakes, Toby R-J, Wood, ?Ball, ?Finn, ?Plunkett

Some tests, like the first session of Sydney last summer, it didn't swing at all.

The disappointing aspect of the SA performance was that they didn't seem to dig in, as is often their wont, Elgar aside.

Philander's illness on day one was a big blow to them, but Abbott would have been handy in this line-up. Morris, is too consistently hittable and he releases the pressure.

Red wrote:

Basil wrote:

beamer wrote:

PeterCS wrote:So, any more views on players?

Tobes is going to have to find an extra yard of pace to have any chance at all Dahnanda. Medium fast, looking for a bit of swing, is likely to be fodder.

Still, the tall, bouncy bowlers we packed the squad with last time we went there were equally chocolate teapot-esque, because they were all out of form/injured/past it. "Horses for courses" is fair enough if we have some horses that aren't lame. They will want to take Wood and perhaps Finn but they have to show they are fit and firing beforehand.

The Kookaburra will stop swinging after about a dozen overs, so first and second change need a few more strings to their bow than swing. Stokes has got the tricks to fulfil that role, that leaves one from Woakes, Toby R-J, Wood, ?Ball, ?Finn, ?Plunkett

Some tests, like the first session of Sydney last summer, it didn't swing at all.

The disappointing aspect of the SA performance was that they didn't seem to dig in, as is often their wont, Elgar aside.

Philander's illness on day one was a big blow to them, but Abbott would have been handy in this line-up. Morris, is too consistently hittable and he releases the pressure.

Exactly who would Abbott have replaced? Philander, Radaba or Morkel?

I'd still pick Rabada over Radaba; I think he's done enough.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:

Basil wrote:

beamer wrote:

PeterCS wrote:So, any more views on players?

Tobes is going to have to find an extra yard of pace to have any chance at all Dahnanda. Medium fast, looking for a bit of swing, is likely to be fodder.

Still, the tall, bouncy bowlers we packed the squad with last time we went there were equally chocolate teapot-esque, because they were all out of form/injured/past it. "Horses for courses" is fair enough if we have some horses that aren't lame. They will want to take Wood and perhaps Finn but they have to show they are fit and firing beforehand.

The Kookaburra will stop swinging after about a dozen overs, so first and second change need a few more strings to their bow than swing. Stokes has got the tricks to fulfil that role, that leaves one from Woakes, Toby R-J, Wood, ?Ball, ?Finn, ?Plunkett

Some tests, like the first session of Sydney last summer, it didn't swing at all.

The disappointing aspect of the SA performance was that they didn't seem to dig in, as is often their wont, Elgar aside.

Philander's illness on day one was a big blow to them, but Abbott would have been handy in this line-up. Morris, is too consistently hittable and he releases the pressure.

Exactly who would Abbott have replaced? Philander, Radaba or Morkel?

The last sentence says explicitly it would have been Brass Eye...

beamer wrote:

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:

Basil wrote:

beamer wrote:

PeterCS wrote:So, any more views on players?

Tobes is going to have to find an extra yard of pace to have any chance at all Dahnanda. Medium fast, looking for a bit of swing, is likely to be fodder.

Still, the tall, bouncy bowlers we packed the squad with last time we went there were equally chocolate teapot-esque, because they were all out of form/injured/past it. "Horses for courses" is fair enough if we have some horses that aren't lame. They will want to take Wood and perhaps Finn but they have to show they are fit and firing beforehand.

The Kookaburra will stop swinging after about a dozen overs, so first and second change need a few more strings to their bow than swing. Stokes has got the tricks to fulfil that role, that leaves one from Woakes, Toby R-J, Wood, ?Ball, ?Finn, ?Plunkett

Some tests, like the first session of Sydney last summer, it didn't swing at all.

The disappointing aspect of the SA performance was that they didn't seem to dig in, as is often their wont, Elgar aside.

Philander's illness on day one was a big blow to them, but Abbott would have been handy in this line-up. Morris, is too consistently hittable and he releases the pressure.

Exactly who would Abbott have replaced? Philander, Radaba or Morkel?

The last sentence says explicitly it would have been Brass Eye...

Except the fact he is not picked as a front line bowler

Yeah, but you could always change the balance of the side and play an extra specialist. Philander is a viable number 7.

beamer wrote:Yeah, but you could always change the balance of the side and play an extra specialist. Philander is a viable number 7.

He's an 8 at best. If he batted 7 it would be an extremely long tail. What we need is a top line batsman who can maybe give us 10 overs an innings. The long line of allrounders has finally dried up.

Well, I guess that's what Duminy brought, just about...

Another alternative would be to lose the spinner, though Faf would be banned for every other Test due to over rates.

Duminy brought nothing. I think even Shane Watson had a better batting average.