I obviously misread my predictions.... instead England have the West Indies on the back foot and our Australia are walking all over the South Africans today.
An AB Devilliers century gave our score a TINY level of respectability but we now have to depend on the weather to try and force the draw.
Mitchell Johnson again proved what a classy player he is. He got 96 not out with the bat and then bowled 18 overs for 25 runs and took 4 wickets to boot. Read that again - 18 overs for 25 runs... world class player.
In a lot of ways I think South Africa is regretting a tail that doesn't wag at the moment... Harris and Steyn's heroics in Australia aside, we basically bat to number 7 with Boucher and then the rest is a lottery.
The loss of Shaun Pollock was definately felt today....
At the end of the day the Aussies have gotten on top of us and its now going to take a combination of weather and batting application to make sure we don't go 0-1 down in this series.....
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Spoils are even...
I see Ian over at The Baggy Green hasn't posted his views on the days cricket but so far I reckon we can agree that the spoils were evenly split and it looks like the series is going to carry on where it left off in Australia.
Ponting, Clarke and North have effectively dug the Aussies out of a shaky situation and they should be able to go on and make a big score here.
Pity the rain had to come down...
Ponting, Clarke and North have effectively dug the Aussies out of a shaky situation and they should be able to go on and make a big score here.
Pity the rain had to come down...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
WI vs England - fourth test prediction
Been keeping half an eye on this series and I'd like to make a prediction here.... West Indies to win this fourth test by more than 100 runs....
What do I base it on ... ? The way England approached their friendly game against the West Indian BCA President's XI. They appeared to show no real urgency or enthusiasm for the task at hand.
Yeah yeah its a friendly and doesn't mean much - but the side just seems to lack the killer instinct or fight that other sides would have approached the game with....
C'mon West Indies!!!!
What do I base it on ... ? The way England approached their friendly game against the West Indian BCA President's XI. They appeared to show no real urgency or enthusiasm for the task at hand.
Yeah yeah its a friendly and doesn't mean much - but the side just seems to lack the killer instinct or fight that other sides would have approached the game with....
C'mon West Indies!!!!
1st test prediction
I'm battling to make a prediction for this first test match between SA and Australia kicking off at the Wanderers on Thursday. So I'm going to try and break down the factors I believe are going to influence the outcome of the game.
Bowling attack
Lots of debate at the moment around the attack the Aussies are likely to field with most people leaning toward a four-seam bowler attack of Johnson, Siddle, Bollinger and Hilfenhaus with North and Clarke playing as the part-time spin option.
A lot of negative comments have been passed about the Aussies not including a spinner with some people saying a spinner HAS to be included for variety purposes... In this situation, you go with your best bowlers, not your best three and a spinner.
Clarke and North can add variety where necessary.
Still think the attack looks thin though and this is why I can't see them bowling SA out twice though.
The toss
My prediction for this fixture - if South Africa wins the toss and bats first - we will win the test match. If Australia wins the toss and bats first, then a draw is on the cards. Batting first and clocking up a big score I reckon is going to be important in this test match.
Weather
The weather may play a role with the clouds looming overhead. Overcast conditions may help swing bowlers a little... hopefully we're not going to see the game get rained out.
Fans
The promoters for this series have been talking up the game and are hoping to build a huge awareness... Home fans in your corner goes a long way...
Bowling attack
Lots of debate at the moment around the attack the Aussies are likely to field with most people leaning toward a four-seam bowler attack of Johnson, Siddle, Bollinger and Hilfenhaus with North and Clarke playing as the part-time spin option.
A lot of negative comments have been passed about the Aussies not including a spinner with some people saying a spinner HAS to be included for variety purposes... In this situation, you go with your best bowlers, not your best three and a spinner.
Clarke and North can add variety where necessary.
Still think the attack looks thin though and this is why I can't see them bowling SA out twice though.
The toss
My prediction for this fixture - if South Africa wins the toss and bats first - we will win the test match. If Australia wins the toss and bats first, then a draw is on the cards. Batting first and clocking up a big score I reckon is going to be important in this test match.
Weather
The weather may play a role with the clouds looming overhead. Overcast conditions may help swing bowlers a little... hopefully we're not going to see the game get rained out.
Fans
The promoters for this series have been talking up the game and are hoping to build a huge awareness... Home fans in your corner goes a long way...
Friday, February 20, 2009
Punter got it wrong
Wow... Day 1 of the Aussie match up against the "Presidents XI" warm up match and the tourists have chased leather all day. Currently the home side is 393/5.
What will be worrying for Punter is that he won the toss and elected to put the South Africans in to bat. I understand he wanted to give his bowlers a bit of run but the Potch track is notorious for being flat and once batters get in, it's tricky to get them out.
I think Punter would have done better to get his batters in early, clock up a massive score and give the team a nice confident start to the tour with lots of runs on the board. The Aussies can take some heart from the fact that the Wanderers is likely to be quicker track where bowlers can extract a bit more from.
Our mate Ian over at The Baggy Green has just posted a great article comparing the 2006 and 2009 Australian and South African sides. Go check it out - it's a goodie!
What will be worrying for Punter is that he won the toss and elected to put the South Africans in to bat. I understand he wanted to give his bowlers a bit of run but the Potch track is notorious for being flat and once batters get in, it's tricky to get them out.
I think Punter would have done better to get his batters in early, clock up a massive score and give the team a nice confident start to the tour with lots of runs on the board. The Aussies can take some heart from the fact that the Wanderers is likely to be quicker track where bowlers can extract a bit more from.
Our mate Ian over at The Baggy Green has just posted a great article comparing the 2006 and 2009 Australian and South African sides. Go check it out - it's a goodie!
West Indies grow a backbone
I don't mean to be nasty to the West Indian cricket side but they haven't had a history of having much fight or "back-bone" in the last few years. That's why watching them bat out for the draw in the 3rd test match against England was so important.
They could quite easily have rolled over, played dead and patted themselves on the back for "managing" a 1-1 test series draw with England.
Instead Fidel Edwards (left) and Darren Powell showed some guts and batted through for the draw and ultimately a series win.
Maybe it is naivety but I get excited when I see performances like this... It is a side that WANTS to win and stick it out for eachother and to often in the last few years the West Indies have coasted on individual performances from the likes of Lara, Chanderpaul or Gayle.
This series was different - it was a team effort that paid off!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Ashes musings...
With their being a bit of a lull in South African cricket this week, I've decided to take a look at The Ashes series and weigh up the two sides.
I have made my feelings on the English team pretty clear on this blog - I don't think they are collectively good enough to be competitive against the Aussies unless Pontings guys throw it away.
Comparing batting lineups
England: Strauss, Cook, Pietersen, Shah, Collingwood
Australia: Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Hughes (presumably), Katich
(Depending on the make-up of the Aussie side in terms of the Haddin role and what role the sides identify for their all-rounders in their line-up.)
Let's be honest - It's a no-brainer in terms of which side I would prefer bowling to. Man for man the English cannot compare to the Aussie test batters.
Comparing keepers:
England: Prior (PS another South African born player) - Test average - 39 from 14 tests
Australia: Haddin - Test average 38 from 12 tests.
I have to be honest I like Haddin. He's a pain in the ass to bowl to, he's tough and he is versatile giving the Aussies a lot to play with. Weigh up what Haddin delivered against South Africa and you begin to appreciate what he brings to the squad.
Comparing allrounders
England: Flintoff
Australia: Andrew McDonald
Flintoff offers more to England than I believe McDonald does but it is still early days for the Australian in his career. But its a serious workload for Freddie to be carrying across the duration of the Ashes - top 6 batter plus a full bowling load. It is hard to expect the best from him for the length of the series.
Comparing attacks
England: Sidebottom, Anderson, Broad, Swann, Harmison
Australia: Johnson, Siddle, Hauritz, Watson, Stuart Clarke, Bracken, Lee (if fit)
With due respect to the English bowlers, the Aussies would look to pack a lot more firepower and this is why I believe they will dominate the series.
Thoughts? Comments?
I have made my feelings on the English team pretty clear on this blog - I don't think they are collectively good enough to be competitive against the Aussies unless Pontings guys throw it away.
Comparing batting lineups
England: Strauss, Cook, Pietersen, Shah, Collingwood
Australia: Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Hughes (presumably), Katich
(Depending on the make-up of the Aussie side in terms of the Haddin role and what role the sides identify for their all-rounders in their line-up.)
Let's be honest - It's a no-brainer in terms of which side I would prefer bowling to. Man for man the English cannot compare to the Aussie test batters.
Comparing keepers:
England: Prior (PS another South African born player) - Test average - 39 from 14 tests
Australia: Haddin - Test average 38 from 12 tests.
I have to be honest I like Haddin. He's a pain in the ass to bowl to, he's tough and he is versatile giving the Aussies a lot to play with. Weigh up what Haddin delivered against South Africa and you begin to appreciate what he brings to the squad.
Comparing allrounders
England: Flintoff
Australia: Andrew McDonald
Flintoff offers more to England than I believe McDonald does but it is still early days for the Australian in his career. But its a serious workload for Freddie to be carrying across the duration of the Ashes - top 6 batter plus a full bowling load. It is hard to expect the best from him for the length of the series.
Comparing attacks
England: Sidebottom, Anderson, Broad, Swann, Harmison
Australia: Johnson, Siddle, Hauritz, Watson, Stuart Clarke, Bracken, Lee (if fit)
With due respect to the English bowlers, the Aussies would look to pack a lot more firepower and this is why I believe they will dominate the series.
Thoughts? Comments?
Friday, February 13, 2009
Top Test Venues
The fun and games with the second England vs. West Indies test match got me thinking about Test venues around the world.
Despite being an avid cricket fan, my live cricket viewing experience has been limited to South African venues like Centurion Park and the Wanderers... I can even proudly say I've batted on the main strip at the Wanderers and got a score of 8!
But watching the Australian series, I had such an urge to get on a plane and go and watch some of the cricket at the SCG, MCG and Gabba.
Lords would also be nice just to say - Been There, Done That.
Cricket in the West Indies wouldn't be too bad either methinks... provided you actually get to watch some cricket!
I wonder a bit what cricket in India would be like... the atmosphere looks like nothing we in South Africa or Australia could ever replicate...
I dunno - do our readers have any recommendations or "Must visit" places for cricket fans?
Despite being an avid cricket fan, my live cricket viewing experience has been limited to South African venues like Centurion Park and the Wanderers... I can even proudly say I've batted on the main strip at the Wanderers and got a score of 8!
But watching the Australian series, I had such an urge to get on a plane and go and watch some of the cricket at the SCG, MCG and Gabba.
Lords would also be nice just to say - Been There, Done That.
Cricket in the West Indies wouldn't be too bad either methinks... provided you actually get to watch some cricket!
I wonder a bit what cricket in India would be like... the atmosphere looks like nothing we in South Africa or Australia could ever replicate...
I dunno - do our readers have any recommendations or "Must visit" places for cricket fans?
Test players
Country and ranking points after their names....
Test players
Top batters:
1. S. Chanderpaul (West Indies - 892)
2. M. Yousuf (Pakistan - 880)
3. K. Sangakkara (Sri Lanka - 859)
4. K Pietersen (SA B - 828)
5. M. Clarke (Australia - 825)
6. M Jayawardena (Sri Lanka - 819)
7. R Ponting (Australia - 810)
8. Y. Khan (Pakistan - 799)
9. G. Smith (South Africa - 797)
10. G. Gambhir (India - 771)
Top bowlers:
1. M. Muralidaran (Sri Lanka - 887)
2. D. Steyn (South Africa - 844)
3. S. Clark (Australia - 782)
4. M. Johnson (Australia - 756)
5. M. Ntini (South Africa - 754)
6. J. Taylor (West Indies - 717)
7. R. Sidebottom (South Africa B - 703)
8. C. Vaas (Sri Lanka - 688)
9. H. Singh (India - 686)
10. S. Akhtar (Pakistan - 684)
Test players
Top batters:
1. S. Chanderpaul (West Indies - 892)
2. M. Yousuf (Pakistan - 880)
3. K. Sangakkara (Sri Lanka - 859)
4. K Pietersen (SA B - 828)
5. M. Clarke (Australia - 825)
6. M Jayawardena (Sri Lanka - 819)
7. R Ponting (Australia - 810)
8. Y. Khan (Pakistan - 799)
9. G. Smith (South Africa - 797)
10. G. Gambhir (India - 771)
Top bowlers:
1. M. Muralidaran (Sri Lanka - 887)
2. D. Steyn (South Africa - 844)
3. S. Clark (Australia - 782)
4. M. Johnson (Australia - 756)
5. M. Ntini (South Africa - 754)
6. J. Taylor (West Indies - 717)
7. R. Sidebottom (South Africa B - 703)
8. C. Vaas (Sri Lanka - 688)
9. H. Singh (India - 686)
10. S. Akhtar (Pakistan - 684)
Player rankings
To be honest, I don't really look at the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings much some trivia flashed up during a game recently and it made me go and have a look.
It's interesting to see some of the names there. For instance Daniel Vettori - you know the guy is a helluva good bowler but did you realise he was the number 1 ODI bowler in the world? I sure as hell didn't...
In fact two of the Top three ODI bowlers are New Zealanders... Interesting stat!
Anyway I thought I'd post the Top 10 of each here (and in the next post) for some consideration / debate.
Country and ranking points after their names....
One Day Internationals
Top batters:
1. M.S. Dhoni (India - 809)
2. M. Hussey (Australia - 798)
3. Y. Singh (India - 790)
4. C. Gayle (West Indies - 783)
5. S. Chanderpaul (West Indies - 769)
6. G. Smith (South Africa - 741)
7. K. Pietersen (South Africa B aka. England - 730)
8. M. Yousuf (Pakistan - 716
9. AB de Villiers (South Africa - 715)
10. R. Ponting (Australia - 705)
Top bowlers:
1. D. Vettori (New Zealand - 727)
2. KMDN Kulasekara (Sri Lanka - 724)
3. K Mills (New Zealand - 719)
4. N. Bracken (Australia - 700)
5. M. Muralidaran - or however you're spelling it this week - (Sri Lanka - 696)
6. Shakib Al Hassan (Pakistan - 687)
7. S. Broad (South Africa B - 673)
8. M Mortaza (Pakistan - 671)
9. A Flintoff (South Africa B - 662)
10. M Johnson (Australia - 660)
It's interesting to see some of the names there. For instance Daniel Vettori - you know the guy is a helluva good bowler but did you realise he was the number 1 ODI bowler in the world? I sure as hell didn't...
In fact two of the Top three ODI bowlers are New Zealanders... Interesting stat!
Anyway I thought I'd post the Top 10 of each here (and in the next post) for some consideration / debate.
Country and ranking points after their names....
One Day Internationals
Top batters:
1. M.S. Dhoni (India - 809)
2. M. Hussey (Australia - 798)
3. Y. Singh (India - 790)
4. C. Gayle (West Indies - 783)
5. S. Chanderpaul (West Indies - 769)
6. G. Smith (South Africa - 741)
7. K. Pietersen (South Africa B aka. England - 730)
8. M. Yousuf (Pakistan - 716
9. AB de Villiers (South Africa - 715)
10. R. Ponting (Australia - 705)
Top bowlers:
1. D. Vettori (New Zealand - 727)
2. KMDN Kulasekara (Sri Lanka - 724)
3. K Mills (New Zealand - 719)
4. N. Bracken (Australia - 700)
5. M. Muralidaran - or however you're spelling it this week - (Sri Lanka - 696)
6. Shakib Al Hassan (Pakistan - 687)
7. S. Broad (South Africa B - 673)
8. M Mortaza (Pakistan - 671)
9. A Flintoff (South Africa B - 662)
10. M Johnson (Australia - 660)
Geez!
What a weird day for world cricket!
First up the Australian and New Zealand series which went right down to the wire was rained out and subsequently awarded to the Aussies because they won the previous series...
Well at least they won something!
The beaut for me though was the West Indies test match against England being called off because of a dodgy field. It so typically West Indian cricket - the sublime and the ridiculous!
Oh well another day in cricket!
First up the Australian and New Zealand series which went right down to the wire was rained out and subsequently awarded to the Aussies because they won the previous series...
Well at least they won something!
The beaut for me though was the West Indies test match against England being called off because of a dodgy field. It so typically West Indian cricket - the sublime and the ridiculous!
Oh well another day in cricket!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Why world cricket needs a strong West Indies
Watching the English batting order collapse is a bit like watching speedster Usain Bolt run the 100m... blink and you miss it...
Thought that it would be a good way to kick off this blog post, seeing as the West Indies cricket board has a picture (left) of Bolt partying it up after thumping the English...
It's good to see the Windies on form at the moment and it is helluva important for world cricket.
As for the Poms and their decline over the last decade, maybe they've just accepted the inevitable that their mud island is slowly slipping away into the sea and the empire will never return to its glory days.
It is so important for world cricket at this point to have a strong West Indian side. The Australians and South Africans have slogged it out over the last few months and India have been right in the mix with tough series against both these powerhouses.
But cricket cannot be about three sides at the moment... especially with the emergence of the big money IPL.
Pakistan can be explosive on their day but ill discipline continues to plague them and away from home tends to be one disaster after another.
Sri Lanka and the Black Caps are always there or there abouts without really threatening away from home conditions (current Aussie tour aside).
The English (AKA South Africa's B-side with KP and Strauss leading the charge) hold no real worries away from home.
Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Kenya simply lack a decent number of quality players to be of any real threat... but I do have high hopes for Bangladesh over the next 10 years or so.
Which leaves the West Indies as potentially the fourth quality touring side in the mix. These guys have no problem winning away from home - when it suits them - and they have quality fast bowlers and some serious firepower in the batting lineup... again when it suits them.
A quality West Indian side would be great for world cricket right now and a thumping of the English may just give them the confidence to step up their game.... In other words - Give the english CARROTS!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
English 26-7 .... can't decide if its funny or terrible...
The woeful poms lost Alastair Cook (trudging off - left) and Ian Bell cheaply to leave them trailing the West Indies by 63 runs with eight wickets remaining at lunch on the fourth day of the first test in Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday.
They're sitting on 26-7 in a test match against the West Indies... absolutely shocking, but its really good to see the West Indian cricket side with the upper hand.
At this rate I can't see the Aussies having anything to fear when they square off against the English in the Ashes later this year...
Another day at the office for the poms...
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Hhhhhmmmm
I momentarily felt sorry for the Aussies when they went down against the Black Caps today... They've been through one hell of a summer with almost every game being fought down to the wire...
48 hours after the South Africans have departed their shores and are putting their feet up and enjoying some rest and relaxation, the Aussies are out scrapping against Daniel Vettori's boys.
I really don't understand the logic and in my (humble) opinion, this smacks of overkill for the Aussies.
On the 26th of February the two sides lineup at the Wanderers. Mitchell Johnson has bowled his heart out in long test match spells and a bunch of ODI's. Now he's expected to attack an SA batting lineup that is fresh and well rested?!
In comparison - Steyn, Morkel and Ntini are resting up and sorting out any injury niggles... Just doesn't sound right.
48 hours after the South Africans have departed their shores and are putting their feet up and enjoying some rest and relaxation, the Aussies are out scrapping against Daniel Vettori's boys.
I really don't understand the logic and in my (humble) opinion, this smacks of overkill for the Aussies.
On the 26th of February the two sides lineup at the Wanderers. Mitchell Johnson has bowled his heart out in long test match spells and a bunch of ODI's. Now he's expected to attack an SA batting lineup that is fresh and well rested?!
In comparison - Steyn, Morkel and Ntini are resting up and sorting out any injury niggles... Just doesn't sound right.
NFL / Franchise System in SA sports?
From the Sports Mongrel blog...
I haven't blogged in a while but with the NFL SuperBowl this evening, I thought I'd touch on something that could become quite topical to South African sport - the franchise system...
The SuperBowl final this year pits the Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals - two sides who didn't make the grade last year.
Sides like the New York Giants, The Green Bay Packers and The Patriots who dominated last year are nowhere to be seen this year...
The draft system ensures that players don't end up stuck in contracts where they are not playing. It also ensures constant rotation of the top players ensuring development of players in various geographical regions.
Currently our cricket and rugby teams have looked at franchise systems with mixed success, but what we haven't seen is moves from controlling bodies like Cricket SA and SARFU to help manage players more actively... Maybe its time for us to look at a draft system...?
I see they're doing it in the IPL cricket league and it makes it helluva exciting.
One obvious complaint is that sides will argue that they have invested a lot of time and money in player development and a draft system will negate that. I guess its always possible but in the bigger scheme I think it could make SA more competitive.
Instead of one side having an excess of batters, bowlers, strikers or flyhalves, players go into a pool and are split up evenly where they're needed.
I immediately think of sides like the Cheetahs in rugby who are constantly finding themselves outbid (financially) for quality players. A draft system would ensure that they would have fair access to quality players... and we wouldn't be losing players to Australia or New Zealand or even the UK.
Times are a changing in South Africa and the old provincial loyalties are being replaced by commercial franchises in different sports disciplines. As a result better player management is going to be essential...
I haven't blogged in a while but with the NFL SuperBowl this evening, I thought I'd touch on something that could become quite topical to South African sport - the franchise system...
The SuperBowl final this year pits the Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals - two sides who didn't make the grade last year.
Sides like the New York Giants, The Green Bay Packers and The Patriots who dominated last year are nowhere to be seen this year...
The draft system ensures that players don't end up stuck in contracts where they are not playing. It also ensures constant rotation of the top players ensuring development of players in various geographical regions.
Currently our cricket and rugby teams have looked at franchise systems with mixed success, but what we haven't seen is moves from controlling bodies like Cricket SA and SARFU to help manage players more actively... Maybe its time for us to look at a draft system...?
I see they're doing it in the IPL cricket league and it makes it helluva exciting.
One obvious complaint is that sides will argue that they have invested a lot of time and money in player development and a draft system will negate that. I guess its always possible but in the bigger scheme I think it could make SA more competitive.
Instead of one side having an excess of batters, bowlers, strikers or flyhalves, players go into a pool and are split up evenly where they're needed.
I immediately think of sides like the Cheetahs in rugby who are constantly finding themselves outbid (financially) for quality players. A draft system would ensure that they would have fair access to quality players... and we wouldn't be losing players to Australia or New Zealand or even the UK.
Times are a changing in South Africa and the old provincial loyalties are being replaced by commercial franchises in different sports disciplines. As a result better player management is going to be essential...
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