The Cricket Thread

[Duppy Conqueror 1,532]

It was a joke. The South Africans don't like him.

Also the only immigrant to have ever played for Australia was Symonds. Everyone else was born here, even Kasprowicz and Khawaja, the only two immigrants to have played in recent years.

i know mate that was how it was taken and responded with a joke too. it`s great that we have fans from around the world but even if we all can speak and type clear english it`s very easy to mis interpret a joke or opinion especially in regard to tone..because i`m brain damaged i probably shouldnt even be on the internet really as sometimes people can be too quick to jump on a remark made and my true personality which is very chilled out , easy going and embracing of all walks of life doesn`t always come through from words typed on a screen.

[Duppy Conqueror 1,532]

England 385 all out anyway. lol

now we`ll get to see how the South Africans cope with our bowling attack. conditions for batting much like yesterday have become better after an overcast morning tho. but England bowling attack have proven they can get wickets in the sunshine plenty of times in recent years.

[capriccioso 2,545]

'Graam Smuth' and Amla doing pretty well.

Nearly 50 million people in South Africa and they still can't find a better spinner than Imran Tahir. All he does is throw up half track pies!

[capriccioso 2,545]

Good article on the decline of Kiwi cricket:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/573101.html

Despite my 'support' for South Africa, I really can't stand 'Graam Smuth' or Kallis and their fat red Boer faces. No offence to any Boer posters.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Anderson will prove today why he is better than Steyn.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Come on you Lions!

I don't like how we've reverted back to Tharanga-Dilshan as the openers. Tharanga performed pretty solidly down the order and Jayawardene-Dilshan was magnificent, better even than the glory days of Kaluwitharana-Jayasuriya.

DILSHAN NO

You can't afford to drop Sehwag! It was a sitter as well!

[capriccioso 2,545]

Anderson will prove today why he is better than Steyn.

But Malinga's better than both in the coloured clothes .

From what little I've seen of Steyn in ODI's, he's well below his test level.

[capriccioso 2,545]

YES, YES YES! KULAAAAAA!!!!

[capriccioso 2,545]

Sehwag is killing us.

Dilshan better make a century to atone for his mistake.

[Duppy Conqueror 1,532]

hats off to South Africa. the oval pitch doesn`t seem to have offered much atall during this test match apart from the first couple of morning sessions but they have batted well fair play. i admire all good cricketers as long as they are good sportsmen and don`t cheat or take bribes. just want England to be the best. Kallis is one of the all-time greats,4th on the all time list today for test matches.only Tendulker,Pointing and Dravid scored more.

[capriccioso 2,545]

2/403?

World's best bowling attack indeed

And there's plenty of batting to come. De Villiers, Duminy, and Rudolph average 49, 44 and 44 respectively. I can see the South Africans, if they really want to, declaring at 5/700 or something.

[Ollie 4,400]

I remember a couple of years we played South Africa at home and they did the same thing, just stayed in forever and it was Amla again too. The pitch is flat and boring yeah but that means the bowlers have to actually do something themselves rather than the pitch do the work. Can see this being a draw tho, if the pitch stays dead, we can be 400/2 ourselves with our batting line up.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Not if Steyn has his way. The difference between Steyn and Anderson is that Steyn can do it on just about any surface, but Anderson struggles on low, slow, subcontinental style wickets. Anderson has 30 wickets at 33 in Asia, compared to Steyn's 63 wickets at 23 in Asia.

Of course, McGrath, Waqar and Wasim shit on both, from a very high height. Bowling in general (and batting) has sharply declined in quality over the last 7 years or so, aside from a few special cases (like Cook for England, Clarke for Australia, Jayawardene for Sri Lanka, 'Graam Smuth' for 'Seth Efreca' to name a few) who are genuinely as good as their predecessors (none amongst the bowlers, of course).

[Ollie 4,400]

How is it that England couldn't just bowl full and straight? That's what SA are doing and they look dangerous even on a dead pitch. Our bowling was pathetic in all honestly. No variation, no intensity, no nothing. South Africa look like they may just win their first ever test at the oval. Amla's a beast, great innings.

[zolayes 14,489]

only S African batsman to fail ....Petersen ....oh make that 2 Pietersen as well