South African summer 2009-10 : SA vs England

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Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen fall late on day four to leave South Africa in control Three late wickets on day four ensured England remain likely losers of the third Test against South Africa at Newlands.More...

[putrevus]

One-all at home would disappoint us: Smith This is what he said after losing kanpur test, and well today he is saying we gave 100% and still came up short.funny how things come full circle. They cannot win this series now he is his arrogant jerk coach who said kanpur pitch was poor just becuase his players cannot play spin. I am so glad they could not win today.South africa and england cannot win consistently due to of their safety first attitude.They were leading by more than 300 runs after day three and they still didn't force the pace or declare earlier. England also did the same in west indies waiting too long to declare.

[Sachinism]

How would you feel about 2-0?

[putrevus]

you mean 0-2 SA I really hope that happens.

[fineleg]

I am so glad they could not win today.South africa and england cannot win consistently due to of their safety first attitude. England also did the same in west indies waiting too long to declare.

putrevus, India follows that safety first approach in many Tests too. It will take a while before teams go the OZ approach.

[vvvslaxman]

Smithy should keep quiet and try to win the next one. Because should he go on to lose the next one it will be humiliating.

[Sachinism]

Imran Tahir withdrawn from South Africa squad Barely a day after they named him in the squad for the crucial final Test against England, South Africa's selectors have withdrawn Imran Tahir, the uncapped legspinner, owing to issues over his eligibility for the country. Tahir, who was born in Lahore, qualified for South Africa on April 1, 2009 as he is married to a local woman and a Cricket South Africa spokesman said his withdrawal was due to issues with his residency paperwork. "His permanent residence papers have not come through yet, so we will just have to put him on hold until they do," he said. It is unlikely that Tahir would have featured in the final Test, but Mickey Arthur is known to be keen to assess the legspinner ahead of the tours of India and the West Indies and this situation is likely to be cleared up in time for the India trip in February. Tahir's original selection was a shot across the bows for Paul Harris, the current No. 1 spinner, after his disappointing display in the second innings at Newlands as South Africa finished one wicket short of victory for the second time in the series. Although Harris took three wickets in the final innings at Newlands, his length was erratic and he delivered several full tosses. He was out-bowled by JP Duminy, whose part-time offspin sparked England's collapse with the wickets of Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior. Duminy's offspin has been more than handy during this series, fetching him six wickets at 26.50, compared to Harris's 11 at 40.36. Mike Procter, the convenor of selectors, admitted there was concern over the form of the frontline spinner. "To a certain extent, yes. Paul Harris has done well for South Africa over the years and it is a little disappointing when your frontline spinner wasn't able to extract more on a wicket that turned," Procter told Cricinfo. "We want to look at Tahir for the future as well. He hasn't been around the squad before and he could be useful in the series to come. He's only been playing amateur cricket really this season, he's at the Titans but he's moving at the end of the season." However, Tahir's inclusion comes at a time when he isn't making first-team appearances for the Titans. He is set to move franchises at the end of the season, having played just two of the eight Supersport matches this campaign for a return of seven wickets at 51. With the domestic season currently in MTN40 mode, Tahir was not part of the Titans side and has been playing most of his cricket for Easterns in the amateur three-day tournament. His form has been impressive with 36 wickets at 15.61. Tahir was prolific for Hampshire in his recent stint in county cricket, claiming 52 wickets at 32.90. He played two matches for Pakistan A back in 2005, and has also featured for Middlesex and Yorkshire. South Africa's squad is now down to 14 names and includes left-arm fast bowler Wayne Parnell, who was released from the squad for the first Test in Centurion, in favour of Friedel de Wet. De Wet, however, has been struggling with a back injury that required an injection on the final day at Newlands. He was noticeably down on pace throughout his last-day spell, and his place in the XI will depend on the outcome of a scan. Makhaya Ntini was another name in the frame for a last hurrah, but his latest omission has all but confirmed his international retirement. South Africa squad Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Friedel de Wet, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn. http://www.cricinfo.com/rsaveng09/content/current/story/443220.html ------ They don't know whether he is South African or not :giggle: Can't believe they made such a mess

[Mamu]

This is nonsesne. Why arent the rules as to who can and who cannot play for a country be clear? In USA they are pretty clear -- you become a permanent resident -- after 5 years get your citizenship (or 3 years in some cases) -- but once you become a citizen -- you can play for USA.

[Desi Cartman]

^ I think the rules are clear in SA its just that they dont have all the paperwork needed

[ESPN]

Miller targets win to seal series Miller targets win to seal series England's selectors already feel vindicated by a successful tour of South Africa so far. However, they are anticipating a grandstand finish in the final Test. Andrew Strauss and co have put themselves in an unbeatable position, 1-0 up with only the Wanderers Test to come, exceeding the expectations of many. England hang on for tight draw National selector Geoff Miller is well aware England have already surprised a majority of observers by following their Ashes victory with a win and two draws away to a team ranked top of the world up to last month. But he has set his sights on a second win in a match starting on Thursday, on what is noted as a 'result' pitch. "This has been a very, very difficult tour," he said. "We came out here, and people were questioning some of the selections - who we'd left out and who we'd actually picked. Was our squad going to be strong enough to play against a team who were the best in the world? "The answer is we've just beaten them in a one-day series - and not only that, we're 1-0 up with one to play in the Test series." Injury concerns beset England at the start of a five-match ODI series but have disappeared since, allowing them to pick an unchanged team in three Tests so far. Much conjecture about their collective wisdom accompanied the decision to pick an extra batsman and only four bowlers in the first Test at Centurion. The jury was still out on the inclusion of Ian Bell to bat at number six after he failed twice in the first Test. But he has repaid the faith in spades since then with a big hundred in an innings victory at Durban and a match-saving 78 in Cape Town - delighting Miller, and others. Flower wants more from Bell "We're looking for continuity, and we hope they return that by performing on the field," said the national selector. "Ian had a bit of a tough time. He was left out, and when the opportunity came back we didn't just bring him back straight away; we gave him the opportunity to go and sort his game out, which he did. "We felt, and he felt, that if he got that chance again he could do it - and he has done it, on two occasions. One was when we were in a very strong position and one when we weren't. That was the question asked of him many times, and I'm thrilled to bits with him that he's been a very integral part of us drawing that game." Miller does not warm to comparisons between the achievements of winning the Ashes and doing so well in South Africa - but he is happy to see England follow one notable performance with another. "I wouldn't say this exceeds it. They are different series altogether. We appreciated this was going to be a tough tour. "This side is starting to move forward; it's a very good unit, with a very good atmosphere - and we've got some quality players. "I'm very optimistic. I like the way it's going." He will like it even more if things go the way he hopes in Johannesburg. "I'm not particularly looking for a draw in the series - I'm looking for us to actually go out and win this game. "We've played two games where we've just hung on by the skin of our teeth; then the other one, we've gone out and played exceedingly well. "I'm anticipating doing well in this last Test match as well. We've got players who are capable of winning games. We won't be going out to play for a draw in this Test match - we're going out to win it." South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has made no secret of the fact he expects the Wanderers surface to be geared to producing an outright result in a match the hosts must win to avoid series defeat. England's selectors are prepared to change their winning team if they think it necessary. But unless injuries return, that seems unlikely. "What we always do from a selection point of view is give the captain and coach the option to go in whatever direction they require," said Miller. "It's been six batsmen and four bowlers - three seamers and one a spinner. If you wanted to play an extra spinner, it's there for them. If they wanted to play an extra seamer, it's there for them. "We can look at the surface, assess it and play a side accordingly. Whatever we turn up to, we can cover."