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[Zapages]

something cool is that andrew straus has destroyed his own glasses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xGXtjeboDw&feature=player_embedded

and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDPCPr0t6uU&feature=player_embedded#!

 

[Meadows]

poor Bopara, they're making him bowl and bowl. Maybe it's punishment for his duck.

He HAS got one test wicket though, be funny if he ended this Amla innings.

 

[Meadows]

SA have declared

 

[Window]

Now we'll get to know if the pitch trully is as flat as everyone's claiming.

Edit: Cook gone! Huge wicket.

 

[Meadows]

fuck

looks like they're getting more out of the pitch than we did. Maybe because their bowlers are fresh. We just need to see out today without losing any more wickets.

 

[Meadows]

people clapping at the Oval for Wiggins winning the Tour de France

 

[Window]

I was starting to get worried about Steyn, hopefully he keeps improving.

 

[Meadows]

come on kevo!

at least Strauss looks a bit dug in. NEED to not lose any more wickets today

 

[Meadows]

god knows why Pietersen was playing like that

 

[phisheep]

Oh dear, Pietersen.

 

[Meadows]

Oh dear, Pietersen.

that lad is a liability. God knows why he was playing that aggressively, probably in some childish argument about wanting to "play his way".

Disgraceful, absolutely shambolic. Not a team player at all. He isn't a blocker but that's what ECC needed him to be at the here and now. Furious. Now we need a hero to step forward.

 

[Window]

England needs Collingwood for a situation like this (no I'm not suggesting to recall him to the team, just saying someone needs to adopt his gameplan here).

 

[Meadows]

England needs Collingwood for a situation like this.

England needs Alec Stewart for a situation like this

 

[Window]

England needs Alec Stewart for a situation like this

Ha I guess if you wanna use a more classical example, but more recently you have to remember that series in SA where Collingwood was amazing.

 

[RibbedHero]

Should've put a tenner on SA when they were 15 to 1 to win it. I was about to, to hedge my happiness, but had to rush for the train and ended up missing out.

 

[RibbedHero]

Damn it. England sinking...

 

[AAK]

Someone told me just now that Hashim Amla made that triple century while fasting. Is this true?

 

[scotcheggz]

Someone told me just now that Hashim Amla made that triple century while fasting. Is this true?

Nope, he's not fasting during matches.

 

[Meadows]

also bare in mind the bowling attack kind of gave up. A lot of the time he was batting against Bopara and Trott...

 

[RibbedHero]

Nice defensive play here by Prior and Bell. Odds of a draw looking better and better, but still not great.

 

[Zapages]

Both Prior and Bell are gone for England...

 

[Window]

Steyn gets a five-for! I love that man.

 

[Zapages]

1 more wricket to go for SA... Lets see if Eng can make them bat today.

 

[artist]

Great game, classic.

 

[master15]

Who would have called this after the first day of play? Stunning fightback by the Saffers lead by their spirited bowling effort in first session of day 2.

England will have to make some changes.

 

[RibbedHero]

We got absolutely dominated by the Saffas. 20 wickets vs 2 wickets, absolute carnage. Would've been unjust, but oh so beautiful, if we managed to scrape a draw.

 

[crazy monkey]

Beautiful test.

 

[Chili]

I just wonder whether England's bowling unit can be considered top-tier still. A few years ago I would have easily rated them up there as one of the best strikeforces in Test cricket but I'm not sure there is any comparison now next to South Africa and even Pakistan who created problems for them at the start of the year (when the alarm bells should have started ringing). Will they bowl out this South Africa team at all this tour? (Also, this should have been a four-match tour!).

 

[legend166]

Now England knows how we felt in the last Ashes

 

[Window]

I only started watching cricket in the early 2000's so I've never seen the Indian team at its lowest point but surely their recent run must come close. What an abysmal batting display in today's ODI. Scary thing is that this is not even their primary concern (as always it's the bowling, the innings isn't even half way over and they have already bowled more wides than SL).

 

[crazy monkey]

I only started watching cricket in the early 2000's so I've never seen the Indian team at its lowest point but surely their recent run must come close. What an abysmal batting display in today's ODI. Scary thing is that this is not even their primary concern (as always it's the bowling, the innings isn't even half way over and they have already bowled more wides than SL).

They are almost always at lowest point.

 

[War Peaceman]

Now England knows how we felt in the last Ashes

Trust me, we know that feeling all too well already.

 

[Meadows]

Now England knows how we felt in the last Ashes

Now England knows how England felt for the 20 years before 2008.

England need to drop Bresnan for Finn.

 

[Curufinwe]

It is really great to see a decent batting performance by a NZ top order for once.

Of course Guptil threw his wicket away on 97 and still doesn't have a century against a top test playing nation.

 

[artist]

The SL-Ind ongoing series is boring. I'm having more fun watching the NZ v WI .. if the Black caps keep dropping so many catches, pretty sure Gayle will get to 300/400. :/

 

[master15]

It is really great to see a decent batting performance by a NZ top order for once.

Of course Guptil threw his wicket away on 97 and still doesn't have a century against a top test playing nation.

Too bad Gayle came in and spanked them around the ground.

Watching NZ string together a consistent performance in a test match is an exercise in futility.

Edit: What happened with ball tampering against NZ bowler?

 

[artist]

India cruising to a series win, making it look like a cake walk over Sri lanka. Boring series IMO.

 

[master15]

Really surprised England left out Swann. Big mistake, be interesting to see if Saffing batting line up can back up here.

 

[master15]

Oh dear not England's morning. Cook dropping a sitter and then deadball called with Finn bowling as he keeps hitting the stumps.

 

[Meadows]

Finn needs to stop hitting the stumps over every other fucking delivery

But as the commentators say, it's not fair on England, dead balls haven't been called when he's hit the stumps and the ball goes for 4. It's only when he got the wicket.

 

[Meadows]

haha SA hit a 4 off a Finn dead ball and Strauss pulled it back.

 

[3Sixty]

Now this is the England i have known and loved for many years.

No clue, no plan.

 

[master15]

But as the commentators say, it's not fair on England, dead balls haven't been called when he's hit the stumps and the ball goes for 4. It's only when he got the wicket.

Disagree, umpire as per the rules had every right to call it a dead ball. I think Davis gave Finn a bit of an allowance the first 2-3 times, although it seems Smith did make mention of this being a distraction. By the forth or fifth time if you're an international bowler and you can't bowl without hitting the stumps, sorry but I don't have too much sympathy.

Now with all of that said, I don't think Finn really put Smith off and it was a nice delivery.

 

[master15]

Oh dear at Amla run out.

 

[3Sixty]

At a point today.

Former England seamer Mike Selvey, of the Guardian: "In the series, KP is England's leading run scorer, wicket-taker, has highest score, best bowling figures and best strike rate with bat and ball."

:lol

 

[master15]

Christ anyone keeping pace with the KP fiasco happening? Talk about a right mess.

I guess that means England are going to win the third test

 

[master15]

Here we go....

 

[master15]

Bullshit call on Kallis. England doing well here.

 

[mclem]

Alice Cooper. On TMS. Talking about his friendship with Tim Rice. MY HEAD HURTS.

Edit: HE BROUGHT IN A CAKE. My worldview is broken.

 

[master15]

Nice wag by Tail especially Philander with 50. 300+ is going to be interesting to see how English top order fair against some swing.