England v South Africa, 2nd Test , Leeds, 18-22 July

Have to say I enjoyed the History bits they showed in the lunch break. That was some knock by Athers in 1995 (185* to save the Test) and then the 5th Test in 1998 with perhaps the worst umpire in Test history. FFS, just how many lbws did the subi give (I'll have to look it up)?

To answer my own question, Javed Akhtar (quite an appropriate combo of names) appears to have given 9 of the 10 lbws in the match. And fark me some of them were dusty.

Geoffrey Trueman wrote:

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:HAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA!

Man of the match goes to Prince. Wonder why it didn't go to the player who scored more runs and took a blinder of a catch?

I repeat:

HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!

Prince was the first batsman to get to grips with the conditions and the pitch. Da Villain for the most part played a supporting role. I thought it was obvious?

I think Geoff got it exactly right. (Though the sobriquet would be tongue in cheek from me, if not from G.) ABey took up where The Royal One had left off: but before you can drive home an advantage, someone has to open it. That someone was Ashwell Prince. He has been the player of both Tests so far. The decisive (turning) contribution to the outcome of each game.

Brass Monkey wrote:Yeah, they are.

I'd take the '95 Cork over many a bowler today.

And slightly craze-prone too!

When Lancs signed him, a number of supporters 9and not just the "supporters") were in two minds, to put it mildly.

And not just because it was obvious Dom would be a bit past his prime.

As one fan said: "Uh-oh, wait for the manic popeyed dances for LBs when it's a yard down legside"

Prince reminds me a lot of Thorpey.
Tough nut to crack - has plenty of shots in the locker whilst
solid in defence - all the while nurdling the one's and two's
thus denting the bowlers confidence.

Clever batsman - my pick for Man of The Series -
as I reckon he's got shed loads to come yet.
More's the pity for England!!

PearlJ wrote:Good match. Hope the next 2 are as good.

I reckon England should recall Prior. He's the only WK they have tried who looks up to international cricket.

Might be useful if it was a wee bit more even, though!

Or am I NSRing, and you just mean two more whackings?


Prior? Sadist!

Merlin wrote:Prince reminds me a lot of Thorpey.
Tough nut to crack - has plenty of shots in the locker whilst
solid in defence - all the while nurdling the one's and two's
thus denting the bowlers confidence.

Clever batsman - my pick for Man of The Series -
as I reckon he's got shed loads to come yet.
More's the pity for England!!

So we need to find a bowler called King, - fast.


And I don't mean any 'king bowler (((like Pattacake)))!

Wonder if Tottenham lease-back Ledley to the ECB ... give him 11 hours (not games) coachingand bingo - Edgbaston hero in the making!

He can't do a whole lot worse than a couple of our others.


Maybe he's related to Collis??

(Though Collis didn't rip up trees ..)

He won't get f*ck all any more.

Who won't?
F**k all what?

Achwell Prince will get f*ck all runs again this series. We've got plans now. I've been talking to Secret Squirrel.

Ach well ....

And I thought you had a masterplan to terminate Ledley King's paypacket for a moment.

[quote="Brass Monkey"]Achwell Prince will get f*ck all runs again this series. We've got plans now. I've been talking to Secret Squirrel.[/quote]

Vikas???!!
WTF's he going to do .... one-liner punch the poor bugger to death?

Brass Monkey wrote:Achwell Prince will get f*ck all runs again this series. We've got plans now. I've been talking to Secret Squirrel.

Take heart. The Sook had made 2 monster doubles by this stage of the previous home series. He made fark all after that, and the English won the series. Maybe the latter is not possible this time but Prince may suffer the same tapering off that his captain did.

skully wrote:Congrats to the Saffies. My Fox coverage went down last night after lunch. At the time Cook and Bell looked releatively solid. Presumably Bell and Cook got out shortly after.

So that's the end of Pattinson's Test career then? Well, I guess he played one more Test than any of us.

He did ok in fact. Hope he enjoyed it. I am not sure the selectors are totally mad. This was a message to his younger brother James to come and play for us and not Australia.

skully wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:Achwell Prince will get f*ck all runs again this series. We've got plans now. I've been talking to Secret Squirrel.

Take heart. The Sook had made 2 monster doubles by this stage of the previous home series. He made fark all after that, and the English won the series. Maybe the latter is not possible this time but Prince may suffer the same tapering off that his captain did.

That series was drawn, and Ashley Giles was playing in it.

THICKEDGE wrote:

skully wrote:Congrats to the Saffies. My Fox coverage went down last night after lunch. At the time Cook and Bell looked releatively solid. Presumably Bell and Cook got out shortly after.

So that's the end of Pattinson's Test career then? Well, I guess he played one more Test than any of us.

He did ok in fact. Hope he enjoyed it. I am not sure the selectors are totally mad. This was a message to his younger brother James to come and play for us and not Australia.

Why would they play a sub-par player just to try and lure a completely untried player? Who is even more Australian than Pattinson Sr......

Who the hell was the match referee in this game. Totally invisible and useless.

How did AB not get a ban or at least a fine? And surely Smith is responsible for on field behaviour. The Amla being sent back to the middle by his captain after being dismissed and then the umpires choking was disgusting behaviour too.

THICKEDGE wrote:Who the hell was the match referee in this game. Totally invisible and useless.

How did AB not get a ban or at least a fine? And surely Smith is responsible for on field behaviour. The Amla being sent back to the middle by his captain after being dismissed and then the umpires choking was disgusting behaviour too.

Why? Vaughan didn't get fined when he did it last year.....

PearlJ wrote:

THICKEDGE wrote:

skully wrote:Congrats to the Saffies. My Fox coverage went down last night after lunch. At the time Cook and Bell looked releatively solid. Presumably Bell and Cook got out shortly after.

So that's the end of Pattinson's Test career then? Well, I guess he played one more Test than any of us.

He did ok in fact. Hope he enjoyed it. I am not sure the selectors are totally mad. This was a message to his younger brother James to come and play for us and not Australia.

Why would they play a sub-par player just to try and lure a completely untried player? Who is even more Australian than Pattinson Sr......

Maybe they think that importing players like Pieterson has worked out well.

bliksem wrote:

skully wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:Achwell Prince will get f*ck all runs again this series. We've got plans now. I've been talking to Secret Squirrel.

Take heart. The Sook had made 2 monster doubles by this stage of the previous home series. He made fark all after that, and the English won the series. Maybe the latter is not possible this time but Prince may suffer the same tapering off that his captain did.

That series was drawn, and Ashley Giles was playing in it.

Fair do's on your first point bliks. The point of your 2nd?

THICKEDGE wrote:

PearlJ wrote:

THICKEDGE wrote:

skully wrote:Congrats to the Saffies. My Fox coverage went down last night after lunch. At the time Cook and Bell looked releatively solid. Presumably Bell and Cook got out shortly after.

So that's the end of Pattinson's Test career then? Well, I guess he played one more Test than any of us.

He did ok in fact. Hope he enjoyed it. I am not sure the selectors are totally mad. This was a message to his younger brother James to come and play for us and not Australia.

Why would they play a sub-par player just to try and lure a completely untried player? Who is even more Australian than Pattinson Sr......

Maybe they think that importing players like Pieterson has worked out well.

They didn't make that choice though. Pietersen made it off his own bat.

Pattinson didn't really do OK. He leaked early runs to release the pressure, fluked a couple of wickets, bowled many innocuous balls in with the odd good one.

PearlJ wrote:

THICKEDGE wrote:Who the hell was the match referee in this game. Totally invisible and useless.

How did AB not get a ban or at least a fine? And surely Smith is responsible for on field behaviour. The Amla being sent back to the middle by his captain after being dismissed and then the umpires choking was disgusting behaviour too.

Why? Vaughan didn't get fined when he did it last year.....

He should have been fined.