South African summer 2009-10 : SA vs England

[Guest Gunner]

We had the belief, we didn't have the skills. http://www.cricinfo.com/rsaveng09/content/current/story/434761.html Alistair cook please stop talking. :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[The Dark Horse]

Cook? T20 captain? Joking?

[Sachinism]

Yesterday Alastair Cook looked like he had turned up for an exam of advanced calculus without having studied for it. All of his mates had advice, but none of them were actually sitting it. It isn’t Cook’s fault – since his junior days he has hardly captained a game of cricket. No one picks wicketkeepers who have kept once in three years, so why captains? Captaincy is hard. Even if you’ve read every page of Brearley’s Art of Captaincy. It isn’t something you should just jump into at international level to see how it feels. A Twenty20 (or Pro20 if you simply must refer to it as such) game might not be the most serious contest out there, but Cook’s pantsing was shown to an international audience who couldn’t stop giggling. Sitting in on leadership meetings and having the unofficial vice-captain title is nice, but no one gets picked to play as a batsman because they have seen a PowerPoint presentation on batting. For some reason selectors don’t seem to think of captaining as a skill, it is just a role they pass to whoever has showed above average intelligence. Sometimes less. Leadership, tactical nous, feel for the game and man-management are all required at once, like being a quarter-back without a coach in your ear. Cook’s debut wasn’t made easier by some of the most amazing limited-over bowling of all time, but that can happen to any captain. If might have helped if he had a bit of time in charge at Essex this year. Or even last year, or the year before. What is the point of anointing someone as ‘FEC’ if you don’t let them practice the skill? Had he played in a county game where Neil Carter, Peter Trego or Dwayne Smith had done something similar, Cook would at least have had something to draw on. Instead he was raw meat, and didn’t those South African boys eat him up.

http://wisdencricketer.com/blogs/blog/2009/11/16/jrod-captain-cooks-voyage-of-discovery/

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South Africa confirm referral system will not be used for England Test series • Umpire decision review system was expected to be in use • South Africa follow India's lead in reluctance to implement it Cricket's controversial umpire decision review system will not be used in England's forthcoming Test series in South Africa. It was due to be implemented in all Test matches from 1 October this year following approval from the International Cricket Council Board but India's decision to snub it for their series against Sri Lanka has set a precedent. A Cricket South Africa spokesman today confirmed it would not be used for the four-match campaign starting next month. England, preparing for today's one-day contest against South Africa A in Potchefstroom, were expecting technology to be used. The coach Andy Flower was due to discuss the issue with Hugh Morris, managing director England Cricket, this week but any talks now appear to be redundant. "We are awaiting to hear from the ICC," said an England spokesman. "We came out here with the understanding that it would be in place for the Test series. Now this has happened with the series in India, it has thrown things out a little bit."

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Duncan Fletcher spies England win as Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior shine Duncan Fletcher was never one to give much away, so it was impossible to know last night whether England’s most successful coach was disappointed or delighted about the thrilling hitting that gave the tourists victory here in their final 50-over warm-up.More... Duncan Fletcher spies England win as Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior shine By Paul Newman Cricket Correspondent in Potchefstroom Last updated at 1:54 AM on 18th November 2009 Duncan Fletcher was never one to give much away, so it was impossible to know last night whether England’s most successful coach was disappointed or delighted about the thrilling hitting that gave the tourists victory here in their final 50-over warm-up. Only when Kevin Pietersen, one of Fletcher’s most devoted pupils, greeted him from the outfield with a cheery ‘hi silver fox’ did the man who now works as a consultant for the ‘other side’ crack a smile from his perch on the balcony within the South African brains trust. Cricket is full of coaches and, as we have seen most recently with Jonathan Trott, players who happily swap allegiance, but there was something slightly odd about the sight of Fletcher deep in conversation with Mickey Arthur and Mike Procter here. This is a man who values loyalty above all other qualities, so it cannot be easy for Fletcher to pass on his intimate knowledge of Pietersen and others he has worked closely with, like Andrew Strauss, to their opposition, even if Cape Town has long been the Zimbabwean’s home. If Fletcher’s heart truly does now belong to South Africa — and to be fair he was Western Province coach long before he worked with England — then he will be content that Strauss was down to his last fit 11 players for this match against South Africa A. So bad has the situation become that Ottis Gibson, England’s bowling coach, twice acted as substitute fielder after Alastair Cook joined Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Graeme Swann and Paul Collingwood on the casualty list when he somehow suffered a back injury. Liam Plunkett, who arrived in Johannesburg on Monday with England’s Performance Squad, was yesterday added to the full party ahead of Friday’s first one-day international at the Wanderers. He has every chance of playing, especially as it would be unwise for England to rush Broad back after a flurry of injections into his damaged bowling shoulder. Those bowlers still standing did little yesterday to provide Fletcher, who will be working with South Africa coach Arthur for the first two one-day internationals and the first Test, with any new headaches. A threadbare attack lacked the penetration needed to unsettle South Africa’s second string even though there was a welcome return for Graham Onions for his first tour game after his own back injury. Fletcher was always a fan of Saj Mahmood but there was again little to suggest the Lancastrian is any better than when he was jettisoned from the England scene, along with Fletcher, after the 2007 World Cup. Mahmood was marmalised in Sunday’s Twenty20 thrashing and here he failed to trouble the South Africa A top order and went for nearly six an over in the process. There was only partial redemption, too, for Adil Rashid, who failed to take a wicket from eight largely unthreatening overs — as South Africa A piled up 279 for nine — after his Twenty20 mauling at the hands of Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman. Fletcher had escaped the unseasonal chill at this Afrikaner outpost when the man whom he used to have reservations about as a one-day player, Strauss, again showed himself to be a batsman transformed. He added a sweetly struck 65 to his scores of 72 and 117 in the other 50-over warm-ups. But the England coach in Fletcher would have been disappointed to miss the contributions of Trott, Matt Prior and Luke Wright that gave England a win which looked far from certain for much of their innings, particularly when the lights on one of the five floodlight pylons went out as the chase reached its climax. Trott’s 78 should have clinched the final place in the England batting line-up over Joe Denly, providing Collingwood is fit, while Wright could be pleased with his all-round contribution, seeing England home with 11 balls to spare to follow his solid bowling performance.

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Broad and Swann ruled out for England for first two ODIs England's injury woes increased today when it was announced spinner Graeme Swann will miss the first two one-day internationals against South Africa due to a side strain. More... Swann ruled out for England England's injury woes increased today when it was announced spinner Graeme Swann will miss the first two one-day internationals against South Africa due to a side strain. Kent's James Tredwell has been called up as cover and he will fly out to join a squad beset by fitness concerns. Nottinghamshire's Swann could be joined on the sidelines for Friday's first ODI by James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graham Onions. Off-spinner Tredwell is uncapped at international level although he was called up to England's one-day squad for the tour of New Zealand last year. The 27-year-old will challenge Adil Rashid for the slow bowler's role, with the young Yorkshire leg-spinner low on confidence after conceding 25 runs in his only over of South Africa's record-breaking score in the second Twenty20 international at Centurion last Sunday. Tredwell joins a squad struggling with injuries just over a fortnight after arriving in South Africa for the 10-week tour. Broad missed the two Twenty20 internationals with a shoulder complaint that will also sideline him for the opening two ODIs against the Proteas. Paul Collingwood also missed the second Twenty20 with a recurrence of the back stiffness that plagued him during the summer while Anderson has played through pain in his knee.

[Sachinism]

South Africa vs England: 1st ODI @ Jo'Burg - 20th Nov 2009 South Africa (from) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Mark Boucher (wk), 6 Albie Morkel, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Charl Langeveldt, 12 Alviro Peterson. England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Joe Denly, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Luke Wright, 9 Tim Bresnan, 10 Sajid Mahmood, 11 James Anderson Scheduled to start in :

[The Dark Horse]

Whack the pommies:bumsmack:

[Don Sharma]

South Africa (from) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Mark Boucher (wk), 6 Albie Morkel, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Charl Langeveldt, 12 Alviro Peterson. England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Joe Denly, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Luke Wright, 9 Tim Bresnan, 10 Sajid Mahmood, 11 James Anderson

Botha, injured? I don't think SA will go in with five frontline bowlers. Hasim Amla might play.

[The Dark Horse]

Match referee J Srinath:cantstop:

[SachDan]

Match referee J Srinath:cantstop:

Better than Alan Hurst, Andy Pycroft and Roshan Mahanama. Srinath has been a ICC match refree since 2006 :cantstop:

[Sachinism]

Match referee J Srinath:cantstop:

Whats so funny? :dontknow:

[The Dark Horse]

Whats so funny? :dontknow:

I didnt mean funny, if thats what it implied.

[Sachinism]

The news from the ground is entirely bleak, I'm afraid. There has been 40mm of rain in the last three days, and it is still raining now PSHHHHH

[StriKe]

The news from the ground is entirely bleak, I'm afraid. There has been 40mm of rain in the last three days, and it is still raining now PSHHHHH

:dash1:

[StriKe]

"Having just said there are no updates, news from the middle is that the umpires are out under umbrella's and the rain has returned. Ho-hum. The minimum we could squeeze in is a 20-over game, which would have to start by 8.25pm (6.25pm GMT)." SA gonna thrash pommies

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Injured Kallis ruled out of one-day series vs England South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has a fractured rib and will miss the one-day international series against England. More... Injured Kallis will miss series South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has a fractured rib and will miss his side's one-day international series against England. The injury only showed up after a scan on Saturday, although it is thought the 34-year-old suffered it during the Champions League in India last month. "He just wasn't getting better from that injury," said coach Mickey Arthur. South Africa intend to call up a replacement batsman but hope to have Kallis back for December's first Test. Arthur admitted even that match, due to begin at Centurion on 16 December, may be a "grey area" regarding the return of Kallis, and expressed disappointment at losing him. "We had him re-scanned this morning," said Arthur, "and found there is a fracture in the cartilage of the rib - which clearly affects his performances for the next four weeks." South Africa have yet to name a replacement but are expected to name a batsman, having accepted Kallis was unlikely to regularly bowl his full 10-over entitlement in the five-match series. The first one-day clash between South Africa and England is now set to get under way at Centurion on Sunday, following Friday's wash-out at The Wanderers.

[Lord]

:((

[SachDan]

Another one perishing to Modi's juicy half volley :giggle:

[bright1]

I hope he plays the second test... Source: http://www.cricketnirvana.com/news/international/2009/november/news-20091121-227.html