South Africa v England, 1st Test, Centurion, 26-30 December, 2019

Should be a good series.

Two boxing day tests running one after another.....eexcceeelent.

The draw has tightened overnight. Any melbournites got the skinny on the pitch?

Heading into a few days of hot weather which will harden the pitch. Seems people are expecting the pitch to be ok.

Wrong thread. Mea culpa

Well, it was good of CSA - or whichever part of it - to allow England almost all still-standing members of their expanded squad on the field at some stage during the warm-up vs SA "A" ... but I'm not sure the England selectors are that much closer knowing who they want to put out on Thursday.

With the veteran opening bowlers (presumably) back if fit, and Archer also in (also if fit), that means one of : Curran S, Wokes or a frontline tweaker. Leach I guess, once again if fit.

And having sent Bairstow home from NZ, will he be restored in place of Pope (and Crawley), since (presumably) Buttler is also back and (presumably) the first-choice wicketkeeper? Or will Pope's good showing vs SA "A" give him another nod?

I suppose they are going to stick with Sibley, though he's done very little to start with (tests or warm-ups), and they seem absolutely convinced Denly can "do a job" at 3. But is that job mainly keeping Root away from the new ball for a while? They won't have been disabused by his batting on Sunday, I suppose.

Not sure if the batting or the bowling is the greater worry for England (or should be). But both seem a bit "up in the air". Of course, illness never helps.

Lots of "if fit"s there, Peter.

Have they been pulling muscles drinking too hard?

Meanwhile, I see Vernie is retiring after the England series.

A meteoric 8 year Test career. Well done him.

skully wrote:Meanwhile, I see Vernie is retiring after the England series.

A meteoric 8 year Test career. Well done him.

He is one of my favourite current players. Suspect his body can no longer deliver what his smart brain orders.

Will be interesting to see how the other BD Test goes. Two unremarkable teams will be striving for a smidgeon of credibility in what has been a difficult year for both.

I think the Saffies will overcome their deficient leadership and win this.

skully wrote:Lots of "if fit"s there, Peter.

Have they been pulling muscles drinking too hard?

Unspecified "flu-like" illness. (Is that a euphemism for the screaming ab-dabs??). And since then, Stokes' father.


Archer, Broad, Leach (23 Dec)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/50891926

Pope, Woakes, still Leach, and (differently) Stokes (25 Dec)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/50910552

Shades of THAT Rugby World Cup waitress??

Elgar is pox against any movement or decent bowling in the first innings but this time gifts his wicket to Anderson down the leg side.

1st ball of the match?

I'm surprised that Faf, at 35, has only played 60 tests.

JGK wrote:I'm surprised that Faf, at 35, has only played 60 tests.

He was Kolpak for a while wasn't he?

Red wrote:

JGK wrote:I'm surprised that Faf, at 35, has only played 60 tests.

He was Kolpak for a while wasn't he?

Not sure, but he certainly didn’t make the Test side on a regular basis until his late 20s. A few players that were tough to dislodge in those days, though they usually seemed to have one passenger in the middle order at any given time.

Anyway, strange couple of sessions, some wayward bowling but wickets coming along regularly, then De Kock riding his luck but then establishing himself to turn things back their way.

Okay - so who contaminated that England party braai? ...

Good efforts from QdK and Vern.

So the Kok got them out of trouble then.

SA top order looks short of class. England did not bowl well as a unit, apart from Curran, who looked to have added a yard of pace.

I thought Denly could have bowled more as there was a bit of carry in the pitch.

I don't think SA will be too unhappy with where they are. Honours even methinks.

Looks a decent first day's cricket. Curran bowled well from what I saw of the day.

Philander's been expensive.

England slightly on top at this juncture.

Such are the vicissitudes of test cricket that the poms lose two wickets to the novice bowlers.

AN is pretty rapid.

QDK has four catches.

Bairstow seems to have been practising leaving a bigger gate for bowlers to target.