Cricket Strategist

We are surprised?

2011-03-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

All I am going to say on the subject of the Proteas going down to New Zealand is.... don't tell me you are surprised.

Prior to the tournament I warned that there was a problem with the makeup the side and the South African brainstrust have nobody to blame but themselves.

In my humble opinion Faf Du Plessis and Imran Tahir were probably the only players in the side to really enhance their international credentials while AB De Villiers and Hashim Amla did their bit. For the rest it was a pretty average performance.

I'm not blaming Robin Peterson completely but he came in at number 8 with 128/6 on the scoreboard. If he and Faf had stayed together - as the allrounders in the side - they could have done a run a ball and gotten us home. Instead he scored zip.

JP Duminy and Johan Botha at 5 and 7, can't be getting out for 3 and 2 respectively.

We can go back to the England game which we tossed away when the pressure was put on us. Duminy (0), Peterson (3) and Morkel (1) didn't keep their heads.

I go back to the point I raised pre the World Cup - we were not building a team for this competition designed to peak in March 2011. One moment Lopsy was going to add variety to the attack, the next he didn't play any big name cricket. At the same time Wayne Parnell was supposed to be the answer to our number 8 allrounder problems and then we decided we didn't need to fill this critical role.

Why invest all that time in Ingram and Miller if they weren't going to be part of the bigger picture? We could really have used an extra batter especially with AB doing the keeping duties.

I'm just looking on Twitter now and seeing all of the sympathetic messages that "winning isn't everything" etc.... KAK - a lot of effort has been put into this side and their goal was to be primed for this event. In short somebody has to take responsibility for this and its got to be the Proteas brainstrust - we can't accept this result.

Betting with my head not my heart

2011-01-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I am a patriot when it comes to backing South Africa and will always back the boys with my heart. But if I have to gamble with my head then I don't see on balance of probability how the side last night can win the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

The squad
Graeme Smith (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras, capt)
Hashim Amla (Nashua Dolphins)
Johan Botha (Chevrolet Warriors)
AB de Villiers (Nashua Titans)
JP Duminy (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras)
Faf du Plessis (Nashua Titans)
Colin Ingram (Chevrolet Warriors)
Jacques Kallis (Chevrolet Warriors)
Morne Morkel (Nashua Titans)
Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors)
Robbie Peterson (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras)
Dale Steyn (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras)
Imran Tahir (Nashua Dolphins)
Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Chevrolet Warriors)
Morne van Wyk (Chevrolet Knights)

Explain to me then the following: Why has Miller been a regular selection over the last few months only to be pipped by du Plessis at the announcement? I get that Tahirs selection was dependant on some regulatory issues but still he has only just made it into the side and suddenly he is walking into the world cup touring squad without really being part of the squad mentality.

Robin Peterson doesn't really bat or bowl (statistically at least) and yet he's in there? Do you want a good pace bowler or an average spinner in the side?

Why I think I Australia will win

Australia have had their ups and downs (more downs) in the last few months but unlike a series where an individual can stick their hand up, World Cups tend to be won by experienced sides with cool heads. You are looking for players who have been there and done that and seen a lot of different cricket.

The South Africans (and their fans) are largely indifferent to the last two narrow ODI losses against India, but if they were world cup games and we slipped like that it could be a catastrophe.

We quickly forget that Australia are masters at preparing for these kind of competitions and the fact that they have won this tournament consistently.

They have not gone in focused on having a spin attack but rather picking the best players in their positions and sticking to their strengths.

Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, David Hussey and Brett Lee... You cant' fault the experience in that side.

Anyway it should be an absolute blast and if you have not yet opened an account to punt on the World Cup then click HERE and get your bets in!

SA won't win the Cricket World Cup

2011-01-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

South Africa will not win the ODI World Cup with Wayne Parnell batting at number 8 in their line-up. I am watching this game against India at the Wanderers and it reminds me a bit of the T20 game they played recently - what should have been walk-in suddenly gets complicated if you lose your top 6.

Don't get me wrong. There is no question that Parnell is a talented cricketer and a fabulous prospect for the future but for the sake of balance in the side we cannot have him coming in when there is a high pressure situation. I appreciate that with Jacques Kallis not around the side is a little unbalanced but without a specialist allrounder coming in down the order and with Van Wyk and De Villiers sharing the keeping duties we are lacking depth.

Without being nasty, David Miller also needs to start showing some brains as well - you need a number 6 who is going to take you home not somebody who is going to blast a couple of balls and then get himself out with 50 runs still to be gotten. In two of the last three games he has smashed a six and then promptly picked out a fielder in the deep.

For those interested in taking a punt on the World Cup, here are the odds as they stand (supplied by Voltbet.com):

India - 7/2
Australia - 4/1
South Africa - 11/2
England - 5/1
Sri Lanka - 5/1
Pakistan - 8/1
New Zealand - 16/1
West Indies - 25/1
Bangladesh - 40/1
Zimbabwe - 200/1
Ireland - 250/1
Netherlands - 350/1
Canada - 350/1

Want to open a sports betting account and get in on the action? Click HERE and open an account with Sportingbet now.

Had to happen

2011-01-11T07:02:00.001-08:00

What is the difference between Ricky Ponting and a Funeral Director?

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V

The Funeral Director doesn't keep losing the Ashes!!!!!!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Love it.

Time for Robin to go

2011-01-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

I hate criticising individual cricketers but the continued selection of Robin Peterson for the Proteas absolutely baffles me. I understand the concept that he brings some variety to the attack being a left arm spinner, who supposedly can bat a bit and not a bad fielder but the stats don't lie - he doesn't fulfil these roles in the national side.

Batting:
T20 - 6 games, 43 runs, average of 14
ODIS - 38 games - 153 runs - average of 12 (Booster by 4 not outs)

Bowling:
T20 - 8 wickets at an average of 15 and an economy of 15.25 from 6 games
ODIS - 21 wickets, 53.19 and an economy of 4.76 from 38 games.

He has taken 11 catches in those 44 games.

England proved a few years back that you actually need some specialists - genuine allrounders not bit players who might get lucky on the occasional day. As Peterson has shown 44 games into his career that he is not getting lucky!

If you want somebody to fill that role then stick JP Duminy in at 7 or 8 and push another batter into the side like Andrew Puttick. A number 7 or 8 in ODI / T20 cricket still needs to be able to bat and at the moment we don't seem to be rushing to find somebody to fill that role.

We need to work hard at balancing our ODI side ahead of the world cup because as it stands, we can't expect people beyond number 6 to carry us through the tight games

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R1500 risk free first punt

2011-01-02T00:15:00.001-08:00

Sports betting is growing in popularity in South Africa with a number of new players coming into the market. One of the big challenges we have noted is that many would-be punters are reluctant to make that first step and actually open an account and make their first bet.

The team from Sportingbet have an interesting promotion on the go at the moment. If you open an account with them and make a losing first bet, they will refund you up to R1500 of your first bet. That's not a bad deal, especially if you can land a really good call at your first attempt.

You can punt from as little as R8 a bet and the interface is very user friendly.

You can sign up by clicking HERE or on the banner link below:

The decider

2011-01-01T21:34:00.001-08:00

Well after an absolutely fascinating series of test cricket between South Africa and India we come down to third and final test at Newlands to decide us a winner. The Indian team really came back hard in the Kingsmead test and that will have given them a lot of confidence coming into this third test, especially with Singh having demolished our tail in the first innings.

I'm still comfortable with my bet that South Africa will win the series but I expect India to make a real game of it. They're certainly not going to be any kind of pushover.

The match odds are in favour of the home side with Voltbet offering 13/10 and India at 10/3 while Sportingbet have priced it closer at 11/8 for both sides.

Our picks for the best batters in the first innings are as below:

SA
Jacques Kallis - 7/2
Graeme Smith - 15/4

India
VVS Laxman - 6/1

(Batter odds supplied by Sportingbet)

C'mon SA!

WANT TO TAKE A PUNT ON THE THIRD TEST? Open a sports betting account by clicking HERE

Nickname trivia

2010-12-25T22:33:00.001-08:00

Which former Australian cricketer is affectionately known as "The Keg on Legs"?

We'll give you a hint - he's a batsman...

Boxing Day cricket is going to be awesome

2010-12-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

This Boxing day has got to be serving up some of the most eagerly awaited Test cricket action we have seen in years and if you haven't yet put some moneydown and want to open a sports betting account then click HERE (you can bet from as little as R8).

The Ashes (4th test)

I would give my left nut to be at the MCG tomorrow when 90000 people turn out to support either the Aussies or the Poms with the Ashes sitting at 1-1. Therehas been a bit of verbal, there has been a bit of controversy and there are a few injury concerns going around at the moment.

Taking a look at the betting:

On the outright win:
SportingBet are offering Australia at 7/5 while England are at 2/1

Voltbet are offering Australia at 10/7 while England are on offer at 15/8. 9/4 for the Draw.

Personally I just think home ground advantage and a fired up team is likely to play in favour of the Australians. I've also backed Michael Hussey (4/1) andMichael Clarke (9/2) as the top run scorers for the Aussies in the first innings and knowing how Kevin Pietersen thrives on pressure games I've backed him asthe top English run scorer (4/1).

It is going to be an absolute thriller!

South Africa versus India

India really need to do something to get onto the score sheet and if there was a venue where they'd fancy themselves it would be Kingsmead. Personal feelingthough is that the home side just packs too much firepower at the moment. The Indians showed a bit of heart in the second innings at Centurion but I can't say the instilled any fear in our bowlers.

Sportingbet is offering evens on South Africa to win the test match while offering India at 9/2. 6/4 on the draw
Voltbet is offering 11/10 on South Africa and 9/2 on India

I've also backed Hashim Amla as the top run scorer at 9/2

Should make for a cracking couple of days of cricket!

Video - Herschelle Gibbs

2010-12-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

For those who missed it, last month Herschelle Gibbs created quite a stir with the release of his book "To The Point". Lots of sordid tales of cricketers behaving badly, but also plenty of insight into what really happens on a cricket tour and some insight into who Herschelle Gibbs really is.

I came across this video interview with him and thought it might give another side to this world-class cricketer.

If you want to order the book online you can order it HERE

Test cricket is fun!

2010-12-18T11:20:00.001-08:00

There are two absolutely awesome test matches on the go at the moment and both are proving absolutely brilliant adverts for test match cricket.

Australia fighting back against the English
The Ashes always come with an added edge but when the Aussies are on the back foot, the home crowd is asking tough questions of their players and the English players (firmed with some good old fashioned South African blood) have their tails up... THIS is what test cricket is all about. Really enjoying the fact that Australia are bouncing back and putting the poms back in their place.

South African versus India
I was a little worried when the first day nearly got wiped out by rain but the South Africans stepped up to the plate... and in between that Jacques Kallis FINALLY got his double hundred. Not sure that the Indians have the bowling attack to make themselves overly competitive this series but they sure as hell are not standing back on the batting front!

Damn this test cricket is exciting....

Crazy cricket bet

2010-12-15T11:10:00.001-08:00

Two absolutely massive cricket matches kick off tomorrow and one has to believe that if the stage were ever set for a Test match cricket advert then it will be centred around tomorrows' matches.

I have actually taken a rather "wild" set of bets around these games and I'd like to think I'm in with quite a good chance despite what all the nay-sayers think.

Perhaps the most intriguing game is the match up between Australia and England in the third Ashes test. Who could ever have imagined that Australia would be on the ropes and staring down the barrel of a home series defeat? Certainly not I... which is why I have backed the Aussies to bounce back and not only win the third test but actually over-turn the 1-0 deficit and win the series.

My thinking is simple. Aussies at home - losing stings and much like South Africans they hate to lose and are at their most dangerous when their backs are up against the ropes.

Closer to home - and rain permitting - the South Africans kick off their test series against the Indians. India have proven to be a real handful under the watchful eye of Gary Kirsten but playing against South Africa in their own backyard is no easy ask.

I've backed South Africa to win both the first test match as well as the series.

So there we go. Aussies to overturn their loss and bounce all the way back to beat the poms and SA to kick off their series winning exploits with a win in the first match.

If you also want to take a punt on the cricket please click HERE and open an account.

Cricket SA versus Herschelle Gibbs

2010-12-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

This whole story between Herschelle Gibbs and Cricket South Africa (CSA) is really a little bizarre.

Obviously there was going to be some fall out after the release of his autobiography but it doesn't seem like it has been handled very well.

On Friday the news headlines are all trumpeting that Gibbs has been dumped by CSA but then they send out the following press release trying to "clarify" the situation.

Still looks about as clear as mud to me. So he can play but he can't play?

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA) today issued an apology to Herschelle Gibbs (Gibbs) for, on 3 December prematurely issuing an inaccurate media release regarding the termination of its contractual relationship with Gibbs.

The following correctly reflects the agreement concluded between CSA and Gibbs:

Following amicable discussions, and in the best interests of South African cricket, CSA and Gibbs have announced that they have agreed to terminate Gibbs’ National Cricketer Contract by mutual consent.

“It has been agreed that this is the best way forward for both parties,” commented CSA CEO Gerald Majola.

“On behalf of CSA I would like to wish Herschelle all the best for his future and to thank him for the contribution he has made to the successes of the Proteas over an extended period of time,” he added.

“Herschelle represented our country for 14 years with distinction and I don’t think any cricket lover will ever forget the magnificent innings he played in the famous 438 game against Australia.”

Gibbs remains eligible for selection for the Proteas, and has requested CSA to issue a “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) to allow him to play in a Twenty20 competition in New Zealand later this month. CSA has agreed to do so.

Gibbs said, “I’d like to thank CSA, my team mates and especially the public for the unbelievable support over the years. The fans have been incredible and they all rock. I look forward to entertaining everyone on the world stage.”

Neither Gibbs nor CSA will comment further on this matter, the content of the agreement concluded between them, being confidential.

The greatest "sledges"

2010-11-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

When hefty Zimbabwean chicken farmer Eddo Brandes kept on playing and missing to an increasingly frustrated Glenn McGrath, the Australian had had enough and decided a bit of verbals were called for: 'Oi, Brandes, why the hell are you so fat?' Quick as a flash, the answer came back: 'Because every time I shag your missus, she gives me a biscuit.' Few games have such a rich history of sledging as cricket, with the Australians famed masters of the art.

This collection, featuring contributions from talkSPORT's own Darren Gough and Ronnie Irani as well as many other cricket stars, brings together the best examples from around the world. To be effective, sometimes the sledge can be funny, as when Andrew Flintoff urged Tino Best, who was struggling to lay a bat on the ball, to 'mind the windows' at Lord's. Best immediately charged down the pitch to attack Ashley Giles' next ball and was stumped. But sometimes an element of real menace can do the trick, as when Malcolm Marshall commented to a struggling David Boon: 'Now are you going to get out or am I going to have to bowl round the wicket and kill you?'

Buy this book online now for R136 by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

Taking The Mickey

2010-11-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

Mickey Arthur was one of SA’s longest-serving and most successful coaches. In 2008, along with the national team, he created history when the Proteas beat both England and Australia on their own turf. Beating Pakistan away from home the year before, set in motion an unprecedented journey to the number one ranking in both ODI and Test cricket. Since the world ranking system was introduced to international cricket, Australia has been the only other team to achieve this feat.

In 12 tours ‘down under’ spanning almost a century, South Africa has never managed to win a Test series in Australia. But Arthur, captain Graeme Smith and the rest of the team overcame incredible odds to chase a total of over 400 in the first Test in Perth. They faced what seemed certain defeat in Melbourne to win again and take an unbeatable 2-0 series lead. South Africa became the top ranked team in test cricket, finally unseating the mighty Australians who dominated for years. Soon after, they repeated this feat when they became the top ranked ODI team.

But behind the scenes, things weren’t always progressing smoothly. Whereas Arthur would do anything for the team, his uncompromising approach to administrators and refusal to be dictated to by men he believed were ‘out of touch’, was beginning to count against him. Not surprisingly, the Proteas failed to live up to the heights of 2008. They suffered the ignominy of a first round exit from the Champions Trophy at the beginning of the 2009 season. Soon after, they had to win the final Test of a four-match series against England to salvage a draw.

But there was nothing ominous about the players’ collective form and spirits were high as the squad prepared for a tour to India. The tour was for all intents and purposes a Test match ‘world championship’ between the two nations ranked first and second in the world. A week before the team’s departure, Arthur ‘resigned’. He was given no choice. A press conference was hastily called in his home town of East London and Smith flew from Cape Town to appear alongside him and quash rumours of deterioration in their personal relationship. Arthur never elaborated on the reasons for his untimely dismissal.

You can buy the book online from Kalahari by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

The Extraordinary Book of SA Cricket

2010-11-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

The Extraordinary Book of South African Cricket is the perfect gift for any cricket fanatic. Following up on their tremendous success with The Penguin Book of South African Sports Trivia, Kevin McCallum and David O’Sullivan have trawled the South African cricket archives and put together a collection of behind-the-scenes tales, curiosities, trivia, quotable quotes, famous pranks, amazing-but-true scorecards, great triumphs and embarrassing blunders.

You can buy the book for R104 from Kalahari by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

International Cricket 2010

2010-11-06T00:32:00.000-07:00

International Cricket 2010 has the most authentic and intuitive cricket gameplay you've ever experienced; featuring a range of innovations to deliver the definitive videogame representation of the sport.

Officially licensed by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket board) and Cricket Australia, IC 2010 includes official players, stadia and kits, for an authentic cricket experience.

Next-generation graphics, a stellar commentary team including Jonathan ‘Aggers’ Agnew and Shane Warne, and Hawk-Eye technology combine for a slick TV style presentation.

IC 2010 will take interactive cricket to the next level.

You can buy this game online for Xbox for R365.70 by clicking HERE or on the game cover.

Sachin Tendulkar - Biography

2010-11-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

‘He’s a god in India and people believe luck shines in his hand . . . It is beyond chaos—It is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man.’— Matthew Hayden on Sachin Tendulkar In the twenty years that he has been in the public eye, Sachin Tendulkar has been explosive on the cricket field and just as reticent off it. He was barely fifteen years old when he first wrote his name into record books with a stupendous 664-run partnership with his childhood friend Vinod Kambli. A few months later, he struck his first century in first-class cricket.

At seventeen he became the second youngest man to make a hundred in international cricket, and after that there was no looking back. Today, Sachin is widely regarded as the world’s finest batsman, with impeccable technique, an incredible array of strokes, and maturity far beyond his years.

In this biography of the hero of Indian cricket, sports writer Gulu Ezekiel mines interviews, press reports and conversations over the last two decades and more to create an accurate and sympathetic account of the man and his first passion: cricket. He tracks Sachin from his childhood when he first caught the bug of cricket, through his early performances in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments, and follows him on his meteoric rise to international stardom.

Buy this book online from Kalahari for R120 by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

Herschelle Gibbs bio looks fun

2010-10-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

There have rarely been few cricketers as precocious as Herschelle Gibbs and that's why I was quite excited to see that his autobiography is about to hit the shelves. Should make an awesome Christmas present.

It releases on 1 November and you can buy it from Kalahari for R160 or click on the book cover.

To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography:
There's something about Herschelle Gibbs - a certain quality that has endeared him to cricket fans in South Africa and around the world.

Despite the frustrating on-field inconsistencies of this towering talent, and the messy and very public off-field personal troubles that have tracked him through the years, Gibbs remains one of South African cricket's best-loved sons.

In his own, very frank, words, Herschelle Gibbs chronicles the ups and downs of his personal and professional life, and describes what it's been like to be part of the Proteas for the past fourteen years, through the controversies of its various captains, coaches and administrators.

To the Point is of course, a spicy story of excess - women, alcohol, money and plenty of runs - but it also reveals a warm and generous man who wears his heart on his slevee.

Slow Death: Memoirs of a Cricket Umpire: Memoirs of a Cricket Umpire

2010-07-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

I came across this book earlier today and I thought it would make a fantastic gift for any cricket fan. The fact that it is a South African author, publisher and features a South African cricket icon makes it even better!

Rudi Koertzen is one of world cricket's most experienced and respected umpires. In a career spanning 29 years, he has stood in 100 Test matches and 200 One Day Internationals. (To date, he is the only umpire to have stood in 200 ODIs.) The slow and deliberate way in which he raises his left arm to give a batsman out has given rise to his nickname, Slow Death, which gives this memoir its title.

The title takes the reader back to some of the most important highlights in Test, ODI and T20 matches over the past three decades, including several World Cups and Ashes series. It also covers the controversial side of international cricket, from match fixing to terrorist attacks. And Rudi gives his views on the use of technology in cricket, looking at the pros and cons of the umpire decision review system (UDRS).

You can buy the book online from retailer Loot for R167 or via Kalahari.Net by clicking here or on the book cover below:

Zim bouncing back

2010-06-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Irrespective of whether it is a case that India has simply played poorly, Zimbabwean cricket seems to be bouncing back in some small way and that's fantastic for the game as a whole.

Some of their recent results:

Zimbabwe v India at Bulawayo - May 28, 2010 - Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets (with 10 balls remaining)
Zimbabwe v India at Harare - Jun 3, 2010 - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets (with 70 balls remaining)
Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka at Harare - Jun 7, 2010 - Zimbabwe won by 8 wickets (with 13 balls remaining)

This isn't T20 cricket, which is a bit of a lottery - these are good results against two of the better One Day International sides.

Sure it is early days and Zimbabwe has always had a problem with depth but there are definately some encouraging signs that maybe they are going to be a force to be reckoned with again.

On the flip side, Gary Kirsten must be tearing his hair out (what little he had to start with) over this hot and cold performance from his side. Even without having the best side around, you would have thought India had the depth to be able to run Zimbabwe hard.

What disaster?

2010-05-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking quite a lot about this whole T20 World Cup "disaster" for the South African side and reading all the negative comments that have been going around in the various media channels.

Everyone is dragging up the whole "chokers" tag again and wandering around with the whole "I told you so attitude".

Game 1 - we played India - lost by 14 runs
Game 2 - we played Afghanistan - won 59 runs
Game 3 - we played New Zealand - won by 13 runs
Game 4 - we played England - got thumped by 39 runs
Game 5 - we played Pakistan - lost by 11 runs

We had 1 bad game against England and then two average games against India and Pakistan. The difference between the two sides was effectively one over.

Yes it irritates the shit out of me that Morne Morkel bowls no-balls in ODI or T20 cricket. Yes it irritates the shit out of me that we battle to pace ourselves to score at 10 an over from the word go. It also irritates the shit out of me that somebody would dare to double step Dale Steyn and slug him 90 metres for a six... but these things happen and in T20 it is going to happen on a regular basis.

With due respect if we took on any of those sides in a test or full 50 over ODI match up, our win ratio would be 75% or higher if playing at home and probably 60% or higher playing away from home.

We need to take a look at what we take away from this event:

Morne Morkel is not an ODI / T20 bowler - let's not treat him as such. Let him mature as a test bowler
There is a serious argument to let Johan Botha become the dedicated ODI / T20 captain. He has shown he understands the format of the game - let's use his knowledge
In T20 cricket, where are we going to use JP Duminy? He's a great middle order batter but is he the big hitter that we need with four overs to go?
I'm a Herschelle Gibbs fan but at some point he needs to deliver the goods

We have to be a little realistic about what this tournament says about SA cricket. It's not the end of the world - hell it is hardly a black mark on our record - its just that we need to understand what we want to do with this T20 side.

Best cricket captain in the game?

2010-05-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

I was watching South Africa versus New Zealand in the T20 World Cup and it got me thinking about who the best captains in world cricket are at the moment.

I think one of the things about a good captain is that sometimes their skills and attributes are overshadowed by the quality of the players in their team.

Here was the list I came up with and would be curious to get feedback from our readers:

Daniel Vettori: The New Zealand captain is without question one of the most astute players in the game. He's never really had a quality team underneath him but he has made the most of the opportunities when they have presented themselves and in ODI and T20 cricket, Vettori has been surprisingly competitive.

Ricky Ponting: "Punter" inherited a top quality team but it is not easy to make a quality side "gel" and become one of the most successful units in world cricket for the better part of a decade. His competitive nature and his never say die attitude make him one of the best in the world.

Graeme Smith: Is Smith a good captain? This is one the questions that rolls around in my head regularly. There is no question he is an awesome cricketer and the kind of guy you would want in your corner in almost every fight. But is he tactically astute and can he think on his feet in the way that somebody like Johan Botha (his deputy / stand-in ODI captain) can?

Forget the whole "chokers" tage which gets bandied around. Every now and then I get the sense that Smith "innovates" for the wrong reasons or doesn't know how to change the gameplan when things are looking questionable.

Dunno - thoughts on who the best current captains are in world cricket and who are the more tactically astute players we should be watching in the next few years?

T20 World Cup - first 24 hours

2010-05-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Admit it, if you were a cricket fan you were intrigued to see how Afghanistan played today in their first outing in the T20 World Cup...

Apart from that first clown who came out and wanted to smash the ball to all corners of the park, I actually thought they played quite well against a more than useful Indian side.

(On a side note - how nice was that ground that they played at today? Very scenic!)

Noor Ali and Asghar Stanikzai actually played really sensible cricket in the middle parts of the innings - very few stupid shots. They ran the singles when they were there and they hit had no issues taking a crack at the Indian spinners when they saw the chance was there.

115 was never going to be enough against a side that included Dhoni, Ghambir, Pathan and Yuvraj Singh but it could have been far worse.

So what's happened so far:

New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka in a close match up
West Indies have thumped Ireland but looked really bad doing it
India beat Afghanistan

Pakistan actually look quite dangerous in this competition and they might not be worth a punt at 10/1... but remember T20 cricket is an absolute lottery.

Calling all cricket fans

2010-04-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Fresh from the IPL action, we now invite you to play the ICC World Twenty20 Fantasy League. Select your team of global stars from the 12 countries participating in the 2010 edition of the ICC World Twenty20 series. The tournament starts on Friday 30 April with the opening match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at 19:00 SA time.

Enter your team now at http://fantasy.supersport.com/t20

With another exciting IPL series drawing to a close, the action now switches to the West Indies where the top cricketing nations will be challenging for the honour to be crowned ICC World Twenty20 champions. Will Pakistan be able to mount a serious defence of their title? The team is in turmoil and there are some strong challengers snapping at their heels, with the likes of Australia, India, South Africa and Sri Lanka all keen to claim the 2010 trophy. Fantasy managers can pick their team based on recent IPL form with top players such as Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, David Warner, Kevin Pietersen and Lasith Malinga all available for selection.

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Losing its lustre?

2010-04-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

As a South African cricket fan, I have been a little disappointed by the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket this year and I can't put my finger on why?

I'm not sure whether it has become a little gimmicky or what but I've noticed this year that the quality of the cricket has not been particularly high. I watched the game with the Kings Punjab XI couldn't catch a cold, let alone a cricket ball.

Don't get me wrong - Matt Hayden and "The Mongoose" is a little innovative and something to at least keep the crowds a little entertained but not sure its enough to keep the fans coming back.

Some of the images from the games I've watched seemed to show that the grounds were a little emptier than they were in previous years? But now there are supposedly two new franchises coming in to play in 2011 - are they not diluting the brands which have been built over the last few years?

Surely it is only now that the brands and franchises are starting to build international fan bases?

Not sure whether it is a fair comparison but a few years ago there was quite a strong "Masters" setup in tennis where a lot of the players who were at the ends of their professional careers were involved in a league. The tennis wasn't the fastest or hardest but the players had fun and the crowds enjoyed it. The question for me is whether or not this is where the IPL is headed - a social graveyard where players go to have a bit of fun before they retire?

Dunno? Thoughts on the IPL?

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Sunday IPL action

2010-04-04T01:42:00.000-07:00

Two IPL games on the go today with the Kings Punjab XI taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Daredevils playing host to the Royal Challengers Bangalore

Knight Riders vs Kings Punjab
T20 cricket is a lottery at the best of times but after the shocking showing from the Kings Punjab on Friday night I can't see how you can look beyond the Knight Riders to win this one.

Our picks for this match
Top Kings Punjab batsman - Youvraj Singh
Top Knight Riders batsman - Sourav Ganguly
Most sixes - KKR

Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

As for the Delhi Daredevils and the RCB, I'm leaning in favour of RCB for this one. Kohli really impressed me on Friday night and I've tipped him to carry on his form.

Top RCB batsman - Kohli
Top Daredevils Batsman - AB Devilliers

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Cricket picks - Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers

2010-04-03T04:05:00.000-07:00

The Deccan Chargers need to pick up maximum points this afternoon against the Mumbai Indians if they are planning to make the knock-out stages of the IPL this year. Gilchrist and Co will be cursing the fact that they have dropped some points in earlier games and now need to make it up against Tendulkars men.

Our picks for this fixture:

Split bet on top Deccan batsman - Andrew Symonds (5/1) and Herschelle Gibbs (4/1)

Top Mumbai Indians batsman - JP Duminy

Come on Deccan!

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What the hell happened?!

2010-04-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

Did anybody watch the Kings Punjab XI versus the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL last night?

I have to ask half seriously whether the Kings Punjab team had a couple of phone calls from the bookies considering how they tossed away the game?

I think they dropped four catches, misfielded badly in close and let a couple of balls through to the boundary with some very average fielding attempts.

For crying in bucket - these are supposed to be well paid professionals, many of whom have represented their country at international level. Shocking stuff and certainly not doing the game any good.

Two new IPL franchises announced

2010-03-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Post a successful global Franchise Invitation to Tender process, the Indian Premier League (IPL) today unveiled the names of its two new official franchises for IPL 2011 next year. A fair and transparent bid process saw Sahara Adventure Sports and Rendezvous Sports World emerge winners for the exclusive franchise rights for the hottest sports league in the world.

The rights for the Pune franchise were won by the Sahara Adventure Sports - a part of the Sahara Group with a winning bid of USD 370 million, which was also the highest. Sahara had bid similar amounts for three cities namely Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Pune and finally selected Pune as the host city for the new franchise. The second winning bid was from a consortium named Rendezvous Sports World who won the Kochi franchise with a bid of USD 333 million. The level of interest in acquiring the two new franchises can be gauged by the fact that bids were received from five prospective franchises post an Invitation to Tender, including the Adani Group and VC Digital Solution (Videocon).

Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, Indian Premier League said, "We are absolutely delighted by the overwhelming response to our global Franchise Invitation to Tender process. As you can see the bidding for the two new official Franchises has been fair and transparent and is indicative of the revenue earning potential that the Indian Premier League represents. I am also certain that the IPL fans in Kochi and Pune would be particularly excited with an IPL franchise for their respective cities. Given the high quality of franchises that we have selected, we are certain that both the new franchises will do everything in their power to ensure good competitive teams for next year. All the bids received were of a very high standard and we would like to thank all of the organisations for their participation."

On winning the Pune franchise Abhijit Sarkar of Sahara Adventure Sports said, "The IPL is undoubtedly the most ground breaking international sports development in living memory. There is no precedent for what has been achieved by Mr. Lalit Modi and the BCCI over the last three years and the Sahara group is immensely proud to have won the Invitation to Tender from Pune. I can promise the people of Pune – a team they will be proud of in next year’s IPL 2011. I would like to thank Mr. Modi and the BCCI-IPL for running a very transparent process to allocate the Franchises. All of us within Sahara Adventure Sports just cannot wait for IPL 2011 to commence."

Shailendra Gaikwad of Rendezvous World Sport further added, “We have closely been following every development within the Indian Premier League right from the inaugural year. Today, I am very happy for our consortium of Rendezvous World Sport and the people Kochi as we finally have a team to call our own in this amazing city based sports franchise”

For more information on all the action in IPL 2010 log onto - www.IPLT20.com - the official online destination of the league.

IPL standings after game 22

2010-03-26T21:19:00.002-07:00

After 22 matches in this years IPL these are the standings. Our picks for the season were the Deccan Chargers and the Rajasthan Royals who are at present slugging it out in third and fourth place respectively.

Mumbai Indians 8 +1.167
Royal Challengers Bangalore 8 +0.961
Rajasthan Royals 6 -0.017
Deccan Chargers 6 -0.031
Delhi Daredevils 6 -0.618
Chennai Super Kings 4 -0.079
Kolkata Knight Riders 4 -0.851
Kings XI Punjab 2 -0

So has IPL 2010 caught your eye? Is it losing any of its "novelty" factor yet? I won't lie I haven't watched as much of it this year as I did last year and its been more of the quirky things like Matt Hayden and "The Mongoose" which has made the news.

Kemar Roach

2010-03-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

Does anybody know much about this West Indian cricketer that's apparently making a bit of a name for himself at the Deccan Chargers?

Apparently he is quite quick!

Just looked him up on CricInfo - full profile here - I like this bit though: "He won admirers in Australia for his hostile pace and in one Test, forced Ricky Ponting to retire hurt. He was one of the top draws in the third IPL auction and was bought by Deccan Chargers for $720000"

I'm a fan of anybody who roughs up the odd Australian!

Two match ups in the IPL on Sunday

2010-03-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

The Deccan Chargers take on the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League today and this is followed up by Chennai vs Kings XI Punjab.

Here are our selections for the Sunday match ups:

Match-up one selections:

Deccan to win
Deccan top batsman - Herschelle Gibbs
Delhi top batsman – AB Devilliers

Match up two:

Chennai to win
Top Punjab batsman – Yufraj Singh
Top Chennia batsman – Either Matt Hayden or Albie Morkel (12/1)

Happy punting!

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Some odd SA selections to say the least!

2010-03-19T19:55:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week South Africa named a number of its shortlists for touring teams to do duty in some up-coming tours:

ICC World Twenty20 Squad (prov)
Graeme Smith (Cape Cobras, captain)
Jacques Kallis (Warriors, vice-captain)
Loots Bosman (Dolphins)
Johan Botha (Warriors)
Mark Boucher (Warriors)
AB de Villiers (Titans)
JP Duminy (Cape Cobras)
Herschelle Gibbs (Cape Cobras)
Justin Kemp (Cape Cobras)
Charl Langeveldt (Cape Cobras)
Ryan McLaren (Diamond Eagles)
Albie Morkel (Titans)
Morne Morkel (Titans)
Wayne Parnell (Warriors)
Vernon Philander (Cape Cobras)
Dale Steyn (Titans)
Rusty Theron (Warriors)
Roelof van der Merwe (Titans)

I'd be a little surprised if either Kemp or Morne Morkel made the final cut here... Kemp's 33 now and while age shouldn't be grounds for exclusion I'm not sure he adds much. Why not take somebody like Thami Tsolekile and an up and coming "skiddy" type bowler like Francois Plaatjies along?

ODI Squad for West Indies Tour
Graeme Smith (Cape Cobras, captain)
Jacques Kallis (Warriors, vice-captain)
Hashim Amla (Dolphins)
Loots Bosman (Dolphins)
Johan Botha (Warriors)
Mark Boucher (Warriors)
AB de Villiers (Titans)
JP Duminy (Cape Cobras)
Charl Langeveldt (Cape Cobras)
Ryan McLaren (Diamond Eagles)
Morne Morkel (Titans)
Wayne Parnell (Warriors)
Alviro Petersen (Highveld Lions)
Dale Steyn (Titans)
Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Warriors)
Roelof van der Merwe (Titans)

Not much more you could have done with this side although I'm surprised that they are not giving more game time to a Mark Boucher backup of some description. I suspect the West Indies are going to get rolled again pretty much irrespective of what side we roll out - why not let some of the youngsters have a run? Should Duminy be there over a performing young batter like Vaughn van Jaarsveld or Steven Cook?

Test Squad for West Indies Tour
Graeme Smith (Cape Cobras, capt)
Jacques Kallis (Warriors, vice-capt)
Hashim Amla (Dolphins)
Johan Botha (Warriors)
Mark Boucher (Warriors)
AB de Villiers (Titans)
JP Duminy (Cape Cobras)
Paul Harris (Titans)
Ryan McLaren (Diamond Eagles)
Morne Morkel (Titans)
Wayne Parnell (Warriors)
Alviro Petersen (Highveld Lions)
Ashwell Prince (Warriors)
Dale Steyn (Titans)
Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Warriors)

Again a similar question about whether or not Duminy should be there (on current form). I don't like Ryan Mclaren as a test cricketer but I seem to be in the minority here so I'll just mumble quietly under my breath...

IPL Season 3 betting

2010-03-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

The third season of the T20 cricket bonanza that is the Indian Premier League (IPL) is on its way and it looks like quite an open season this year.

The pre-season odds as supplied by the team at World Sports Betting:

Delhi Daredevils – 3.5 / 1
Chennai Super Kings – 5/1
Deccan Chargers – 5/1
Bangalore Royal Challengers – 6/1
Mumbai Indians – 6/1
Kolkata Knight Riders – 7/1
Kings Xi Punjab – 7.5/1
Rajasthan Royals – 8/1

I am a Deccan Chargers fan so I’ve backed them and the Rajasthan Royals in this years competition.

The Chargers are a quality outfit and surprised that they are not favourites this year but I’ll take those odds thank you very much!

The Royals also surprised me that they were so far out of favour with the bookies. The side includes some quality T20 players including:

Graeme Smith
Shane Warne
Morne Morkel
Shaun Tait
Yussuf Pathan
Johan Botha

Suffice to say they are my outside bet but the Chargers remain my first pick. Bring on the IPL!

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IPL Fantasy League brought to you by Standard Bank - starts Fri 12 March

2010-03-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Rock Star Cricket scales up a notch as we move to the sub-continent for the next action-packed edition of the IPL tournament. With an exciting domestic Pro20 series drawing to a close, now is the time to select your Rock Star team of IPL superstars. Once again, we have some awesome cash prizes up for grabs thanks to Standard Bank. The first round of the IPL Fantasy League kicks off on Friday 12 March. Enter your team now at www.ultimatedreamteams.co.za/cricket

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Kudo's to the little master

2010-02-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar has been around for such a long time in professional cricket that sometimes people forget how good he really is.

We've seen so many generations of "the next big thing" and yet 20 years after he made his test debut, Sachin is able to blast 200 in a One Day International against one of the premier ODI lineups in South Africa.

15 November 1989, Tendulkar went out to bat against Pakistan in Karachi and in a display of sheer bloody-mindedness he stands up after being hit in the face by a Waqar Younis quick delivery. He was eventually out for 57.

24 February 2010 Tendulkar went out to bat against some of the worlds best fast bowlers and he proceeded to smash 200 not out.

It really is phenomenal stuff. Thanks for the awesome memories and contribution to the game Sachin!

Hashim Amla - greatest ever?

2010-02-22T07:21:00.001-08:00

There is an interesting post on the SA Cricket Blog where Shaun asks whether or not Hashim Amla is the best batsman ever produced... sorry let me correct that...

... his headline says: "Hashim Amla, the greatest batsman that South Africa has produced" and then in the post he writes: "I’m of the opinion that Hashim Amla will become the highest scoring Test batsman that South Africa has ever produced."

There's an important distinction that needs to be made there because highest scoring versus greatest are two very different categories.

"Greatest" batsman ever will always be a contentious issue. You will always remember the positives about the batsman you watch and the guy you remember scoring the winning runs / digging you out of trouble when the chips were down. One generation for instance will always remember the Pollocks of the world.

Me, I think that the Gary Kirsten and Graeme Smith are the two greatest batters SA has produced. Others like Amla while others say that AB De Villiers will still go on to be the greatest. At the moment Amla's record speaks for itself.

At the moment De Villiers, Amla and even Smith to some extent live in the shadow of Jacques Kallis. Have a look at the great mans record below and you will see what I mean! 21000+ runs for South Africa - a true servant of the game.

I dunno - I think it would be an interesting debate. Who is the best and what have they done to get there?

Here is some food for thought in terms of stats for Amla, Smith, Kallis and Kirsten:

Hashim Amla
Age: 26
Test runs: 3261
Average: 47.26
ODI runs: 848
Average: 47.11

Graeme Smith
Age: 29
Test runs: 6799
Average: 49
ODI runs: 5613
Average: 40.47

Jacques Kallis
Age: 34
Test runs: 10843
Average: 54.76
ODI runs: 10498
Average: 45.44

Gary Kirsten
Age: No longer playing
Test runs: 7239
Average: 45.27
ODI runs: 6798
Average: 40.95

They're all awesome cricketers that's for sure.

Fair result

2010-02-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

1-1 was a fair result for this test series... but geez it was achingly close!

I really thought that Hashim Amla and Morne Morkel were going to hang on for those last few overs. But it was not to be and kudos to India for fighting to the end.

This was good quality test match cricket!

Although having said that, both sides really did blow hot and cold over the series. Amla was brilliant through the series, but he was the only one to really stamp his authority down on the game - he really was an asset for the side.

Big question marks continue to hang over Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy. They can't buy runs at the moment. It was really encouraging to see Alviro Petersen making the step up to test cricket - he's going to be pushing hard for a place and one has to wonder whether it will be Prince or Duminy who gets the boot?

And now for the ODI's - should be brilliant.

Feel good story

2010-02-14T12:34:00.001-08:00

There is a fantastic story today on The Times Live website today around Hashim Amla and I think this is the kind of story that South Africa needs to hear more of.

For those of you with a little bit of a memory you will remember that there was quite an outcry when Hashim Amla was selected to first play for the Proteas. The issue that was raised at the time was that he requested not to wear the logo of the South African Breweries (the national team sponsor) because ultimately it was against his religious beliefs.

It raised some issues because a lot of people felt that he was setting a bad precedent and could ultimately damage SAB's relationship with cricket.

However SAB relented and it the sport has been graced by a fantastic cricketer... even if Dean Jones did once infamously call him a terrorist on national television.

I won't lie - when Amla first came on the scene I didn't think he was good enough to play such a critical role in the team. I thought he would be technically found wanting against genuine quick bowlers and wouldn't be able to hold his place.

Earlier this week he moved into the top 10 batsmen in the world after his double century against India and another century in the second test. He's a good player.

He has an average just under 45. He has scored a double century and has multiple centuries against India and England. He has not got one against Australia yet but hopefully that will change in the not too distant future.

Even ODI cricket (which he hasn't played a lot of) he has an average over 45.

On behalf of South African cricket we thank a great cricketer for a great contribution to the team and our enjoyment as fans!

How bizarre is this cricket?!

2010-02-14T02:12:00.000-08:00

They say that cricket is a funny old game and this second test match between India and South Africa just highlights it!

One moment Alviro Petersen and Hashim Amla were cruising along with both of them smashing centuries and the next moment we are 257/8 with De Villiers (12), Price (1), Duminy (0), Harris (1) all going cheaply.

So much for Ashwell Prince anchoring the middle-order!

It is good to see India fighting back like this. It would have been a bit miserable if we had simply steam-rollered them into submission like we did in the first test.

Kudo's to Petersen making a century on debut - he's played nicely.

Well this is exciting cricket news!

2010-02-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Cape Cobras today announced plans to become part of the world’s first global and continental sports franchise, linking up with teams from four other leading cricket nations.

Western Cape Cricket Chairman Mohamed Ebrahim and Chief Executive Andre Odendaal flew to London last night to discuss an agreement which will bring together the Rajasthan Royals of India, the Hampshire Hawks of England, Trinidad and Tobago of the West Indies, the Cape Cobras and one of the top Australian teams, soon to be announced.

The deal will apply to Twenty20 cricket in the five countries.

Details of the planned super-franchise, Royals2020, were announced at a press conference at Lord’s in London this afternoon.

Odendaal said that the partnership would have big benefits for the franchise, the players and the Cobras’ supporters, provided that all the details could be worked out.

“We have been talking about and developing this initiative for well over a year,” said Odendaal. “If formal agreements can be reached in the next few weeks, this new ‘family’ will be opening up a whole new path in cricket. The partners will continue to operate as they do at present in domestic cricket but with the benefits of working together.

Gerald Majola, CSA CEO, said: “CSA endorses this initiative and is confident that all stakeholders will conclude the details.

“This global link up will have benefits for the Cape Cobras through the injection of new funds and new energies that will bring further cricket development to the region and ultimately to South African cricket.

“The parties concerned are to be congratulated on this creative dimension to our sport. It is yet another bonus in this exciting era for domestic players to compete in the global arena”.

Mickey Arthur departs

2010-01-27T12:19:00.000-08:00

I've never been a fan of Mickey Arthur as the South African cricket coach. Yes he has a decent record but in reality he acquired a really top quality team.

At any stage in his tenure he had the worlds top all-round cricketers (Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock), one of the worlds top batters and longest serving captains (Graeme Smith), the worlds top-ranked fast bowler (Dale Steyn) and a host of other superstars in the side.

I was thinking back over his time in charge and trying to work out what were the real highlights for him.

We won in Australia - but that result was courtesy of some exceptional individual performances. Does that get attributed to the coach?
We couldn't follow this up with a win at home (Mental toughness? Unlucky?)
We drew with England at home with the side blowing hot and cold. Some odd selections and a side that looked very undercooked for the ODI and at least the first two test matches

The only one that really jumped out at me is the performance on the sub-continent where really strong management is vital. Winning a test series in India requires a concerted effort both by the players as well as the support staff and this we managed.

As a slight aside - it is interesting to see our Corrie Van Zyl continues to chug along as a regular feature in this side. He's obviously doing something right!

The real question now is who is going to takeover in the long run. I suspect that it has to be somebody with a really strong personality that can work well with Graeme Smith. Is Van Zyl or somebody like Kepler Wessels the right man? Maybe...

My personal choice would be Gary Kirsten but I'm not sure he'd give up the big money India job just yet.

JP Duminy

2010-01-17T02:52:00.000-08:00

Well at least we have a win at the Wanderers and a draw in the series preventing the English pigs from taking our pride and dignity by beating us on home turf.

A small observation is that JP Duminy has just picked up the last two wickets with his off-spinners and has actually been surprisingly good with the ball in this series. Maybe if the SA selectors are not keen to have Harris as part of the test setup then one idea might be for Duminy to come in at number 7 in place of Ryan Mclaren so we have some variety in the attack.

We could then find an opener and shift Prince back into the middle-order.

I wonder if the South Africans and English side are keen to paly a T20 game to decide the series?

England destroyed

2010-01-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Well England took a bit of a pasting on the first day of the fourth test against South Africa at the Wanderers.

Hostile bowling from Dale Steyn (5-51) and Morne Morkel (3-39) reduced England to 180 all out. Ashwell Prince (15) and Graeme Smith (12) managed to see us to the close of play at 29-0 which was encouraging... I guess the real question is whether or not the weather is going to play ball.

It still looks a little overcast in Johannesburg today.

It was nice to see Wayne Parnell get a run but he managed to roll off just 3 overs for 18 run - fortunately the rest of the team (including Ryan Mclaren) managed to pick up his slack and roll over England.

Mclaren was useful (1-30) although I'm not totally convinced he's long-term test cricket material. I can't see what he brings to the party. Fortunately JP Duminy has been delivering with his off-spinners so it does provide some variety for Graeme Smith to call on.

Will be interesting to see how the SA batters fare today. I got the impression that Englands batters contrived to get themselves out rather than problems with the pitch.

Let's see what Day 2 holds

Does Mickey Arthur have a plan?

2010-01-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

I know that coach-bashing is a popular past-time in South African sports, but the more I look at the selections and planning around our national cricket team, the more I wonder whether or not Mickey Arthur really has a clue about where he’s taking this team?

The openers crisis
Our inability to find a decent opening pair is a starting point. Yes Ashwell Prince has had some success there but he’s indicated that he doesn’t want to play there on a regular basis and it puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the team when he gets out cheap.

Yes these may be our six best batters, but why are we trying to make an opener out of somebody out of a middle-order batter?

We have the Andrew Putticks and Stephen Cooks of the world who are chalking up the runs, but whenever the mess hits the fan we draft Herschelle Gibbs back in or try and invent an opener.

Friedel de Wet
De Wet at the age of 29 has come out of nowhere to represent the test squad and somehow is now the first choice back up to Dale Steyn. With Ntini’s retirement this makes him part of the first-choice attack. Where did he come from? He was never given a run in the ODI or T20 side before he suddenly got a surprise call-up.

Wayne Parnell, Lonwaba Tsotsobe, Rory Kleinveldt, Johan van der Wath, Yussuf Abdullah, Ryan Mclaren and Albie Morkel have all been given a crack in the ODI side. Somehow De Wet leapfrogs over all of these guys and Johan Botha into the first test team?

Imran Tahir
The Pakistani / we think South African spinner was out of the blue included in the fourth test match squad at the Wanderers.

Then he was dropped when questions around his eligibility were raised.

All of a sudden he has jumped ahead of all the other bowlers – including the very successful and experienced Johan Botha as a test candidate?

For sure it is easy to be an armchair fan and criticise Arthur and the selectors for the makeup of the team, but there doesn’t look like there is any real process happening here to develop and build a sustainable long-term team.

England sneak home

2010-01-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Graham Onions is probably the most hated man in South African cricket right now as he once again frustrated the home team and made sure that England for the second time in three test matches hung on for an improbable draw.

There have been some incredibly exciting moments in this test series and to have had two of them go down to the absolute wire is good for the game.

One of the commentators summed it up perfectly that South Africa have outplayed England for most of the series and apart from one really bad day in the second test, we should be 2-0 or 2-1 up. Yet somehow we are not.

The Proteas are going to have to take a long hard look at themselves going into this last test match. There is some gnashing of teeth and threats that JP Duminy, Ashwell Prince and Paul Harris are under pressure to maintain their places.

Prince is in a no-win situation at the moment. He is playing a role he doesn’t like, he’s relatively short of cricket and he knows he is under pressure in terms of his form. If they are not prepared to shift him down the order, they are doing him no favours keeping him there.

Duminy’s success with the ball in this test match means he will almost certainly keep his place, but he really needs to get some runs and add some stability to our middle-order.

Ironically Paul Harris is the one player whose position is under threat with many people blaming him for our problems and inability to bowl out opposition. The criticism laid at Harris’ door is that he doesn’t take wickets – the reality is that he has taken 11 wickets and only Morne Morkel (12) has taken more than him. Admittedly Steyn missed the first test but the statistics don’t lie.

The wickets he has taken have also not been mugs. Pietersen, Cook, Strauss, Collingwood – they’ve all been taken by Harris at some point in this series.

More important than all of this is the initial reason Harris was included in the side. Harris does a very specific job in the side that allows Graeme Smith to rotate his seamers. Harris ties up and end, squeezes out wickets and he has done it very well for South Africa.

We have one test match to go in this series and it is a must-win situation. By all means look at a jiggle in the batting line-up and find a way to get Wayne Parnell into the side, but don’t lay the blame at the door of Paul Harris.

That's better!

2010-01-05T12:24:00.000-08:00

Ah a MUCH more satisfying day in the cricket. My only grumble is that World Sports Betting didn't have any bets up for a top SA batter in the second innings as I was trying to lay down some moola on Graeme Smith.

I actually thought that Hashim Amla batted particularly well today and while Smith got the really big score, it was Amla who looked more fluent - surely it makes more sense for Amla to move up to partner Smith and drop Prince in the middle order if the selectors want to stick with this top 6?!

Otherwise it is time to give either Andrew Puttick or Stephen Cook a crack at the opening berth... unfortunately the selectors don't appear to have given much thought to building squad depth and haven't really given them much t of a run in the ODI side so its a bit difficult to know how they fit into this side.

While the Prior / Onions partnership for the last wicket was a little frustrating, I thought that we actually bowled really well. Morne Morkel finally looked like he wanted to show the world what he can do and Dale Steyn looked fast and scary. While Friedel de Wet didn't pick up any wickets I thought he played his role well and his figures were respectable (16 3 36 0).

I have to say that I am a little surprised that Steyn didn't pick up the original new ball - will be interesting to see what happens in the second innings.

Very satisfying to see the Poms being belted around "Fortress Newlands".

Predictions - 3rd test at Newlands, England vs. South Africa

2010-01-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

The third test match is here and the Proteas are smarting from the hiding they took in Durban.

You can see that Graeme Smith is not a happy man and I’m expecting the Proteas to finally come to a game switched and ready to scrap. When this SA team has its back to the wall and is taking flak from supporters and the media alike they tend to bounce back … and hard!

With the first innings I am backing either Graeme Smith or Ashwell Prince (no announcement has been made that he won’t play) to top score for us. I’m getting odds of 3/1 for Smith and 5/1 for Prince.

Smith is likely to lead from the front and Prince is too good a player to get himself bogged down after two bad performances.

For the English I am backing Jonathan Trott who I got at 5/1.

C’mon the Proteas.

Two tests down and its not looking good

2010-01-01T02:38:00.001-08:00

By: Marc Ashton

So South Africa and England have squared up against one another in two test matches:

Result one was a hard-fought draw with the poms hanging on for dear life.
Result two - the English steam-roller the home team at Kingsmead

Before the first test match started, I had concerns that the South African attack was lacking sufficient penetration and variety in their attack. They managed to take 19 wickets but for big parts of that final day it looked like their attack was going to let them down.

The second test match was a disaster with the English team only needing to bat once and the South African bowlers chasing leather.

In both test matches spinners Paul Harris and Graeme Swann have proven their worth. The second test match, Harris was not his usual tidy self and the lack of variety in the attack was shown up for what it is worth.

Where to from here?
This is the question on all the South African fans lips at the moment.

Let's look at the weaknesses at the moment:

Ashwell Prince has been short-changed being forced up into the openers berth. He' s a middle-order batter and is worth his weight in gold when he holds an innings together. He has said he doesn't like opening but will take one for the team. I am not totally sure that this is the most appropriate treatment for one of your most senior players?
We need a genuine opener and if he has to come in for either JP Duminy or Prince then we need to bite the bullet and bring somebody who is used to the new ball. A bold selection would the decision to include Andrew Puttick but I doubt that the selectors will make that move and will instead plug away with the team that they have.
Wayne Parnells exclusion is completely baffling. Neither Makhaya Ntini nor Morne Morkel have fired in the last two test matches and both Parnell and Friedel de Wet are chomping at the bit and on song.

Graeme Smith has said that wholesale changes are not needed but you have to ask how hungry this South African side really looks at the moment. You can see that the English have come to fight - that has been their attitude from the time they touched down in the country.

De Wet - a selection I admittedly didn't think had merit - and he showed how hungry he was in the first test and got rewarded with wickets. Two or three fringe players being given the chance to create a bit of competition for places isn't the worst thing in the world. Look how hungry Duminy was when he finally cracked the nod last year against Australia - he piled on the runs.

I am pretty sure that the South African selectors won't make any real changes for the third test. There may be consideration to either a swap with Morkel or Duminy, but nothing in the past has shown that Micky Arthurs selection policies are likely to be particularly bold.

Geez we are tossing away this cricket

2009-12-29T04:56:00.000-08:00

Swann has proven a good choice for my Dream Team but he is certainly spoiling this second test match for the Proteas…

I can’t say the same for Ashwell Prince!

I see he has just removed Prince and Hashim Amla and there is still plenty of cricket to be played. Are England going to pull one over the Proteas?!

One must hope that the local boys keep their nerve! Looks like it could be another great finish but at the moment England look like they have the upper hand.

Changes to my cricket dream team

2009-12-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

As mentioned I had expected Eoin Morgan and Wayne Parnell to play in the first test match and picked them in my "Dream Team". With two 0's against their names I finished the first round of the competition with a global ranking of 1530.

I have made two changes to my side with Graeme Swann replacing Parnell and Ashwell Prince replacing Morgan. Hopefully they can come to the party in the second test match.

Swallow my words

2009-12-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

I thought I had posted a blog entry after the last day of the first test between SA and England but for some reason I can't see it here so let me just make sure that I am on the record in saying I was wrong.

After the first day of test cricket I described the performance as "uninspired" complaining that the game was going nowhere fast. I won't lie I had even switched off while Jonathan Trott and KP were chugging along.

I even said some rather derogatory things about the quality of our bowling line-up and not being able to take 20 wickets.

Won't lie I was absolutely stunned to suddenly see how close we came to winning the match.

The second match is likely to be a goodie... Looking forward to it now that the appetite has been wet.

Some good junior cricket on

2009-12-23T20:44:00.001-08:00

For those who enjoy their cricket and looking for something to do during their holidays there is some good junior cricket on the go at the moment at KES and St Johns in Johannesburg.

U19 touring teams from India and Sri Lanka are playing against the cream of the crop from South Africa U17, U19 and university sides.

Yesterday the Sri Lankan side looked liked they were cruising to victory against one of the South African teams and then promptly lost 8 wickets for 40 runs to be wiped out in spectacular fashion. The grounds at KES look amazing at the moment and perfect place to pull up a chair and come and cheer for SA.

Unbelievable

2009-12-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

I have just read that Wayne Parnell has been dropped from the Proteas test side for the next two test matches against England with the selectors reducing the squad from 15 to 14.

Pardon my ignorance but we are battling to take 20 test wickets on a pitch which has been relatively helpful to seamers and we are choosing to exclude probably the best left-arm quick in the country at the moment?

That's bizarre.

Getting interesting

2009-12-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

The first test match between England and South Africa at Centurion is suddenly getting interesting. If it hadn't been for a 109 run stand between Graeme Swann and James Anderson for the 9th wicket then the Proteas would have had a very comfortable lead.

Fortunately this English team has come to fight and sure enough they hung in there and then Anderson knocked Ashwell Prince over for a duck.

Match summary - we're going into day 4 of the test match with the Proteas 71 runs ahead and 9 wickets in hand.

Both Swann and Paul Harris (who picked up a fifer and gave a nice boost to my "Dream Team") have bowled really well.

Its unusual to see the Centurion Park being this spinner friendly but it proves my argument earlier about having variety in the attack.

Gonna be an interesting day of cricket that's for sure.

Uninspired first test

2009-12-17T21:19:00.001-08:00

The first test match between England and South Africa at Centurion Park has been an uninspirational affair.

The home team has set a first innings score of 418 thanks to a Jacques Kallis century and some nice contributions from Prince, Duminy, Boucher and some stubborn contributions from Paul Harris and Friedel De Wet at the bottom of the order.

De Wet then managed to get Alastair Cook out to leave the poms at 88/1 at the end of the second day.

The things that stood out for me:

A scoring rate of 2.73 per over is really slow for the Proteas and while it might be enough runs to put pressure on the English its not exactly setting the world alight... especially considering that Centurion Park is supposed to be a good batting strip
The English bowled aggressively - no shortage of bouncers from their quicks
I like this scrapping spirit - maybe it could be an interesting test match series after all
De Wet hasn't exactly looked on song on his debut - why didn't Morkel take the new ball?
I still think we are going to regret that we didn't play Parnell
Graeme Swann bowled well - will be interesting to see how Harris does on this track

Anyway we will keep on watching to see how it all plays out

Parnell travesty

2009-12-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

Wayne Parnell not playing in the first test against England at Centurion Park is an absolute travesty of justice and in my opinion a really short-sighted decision that the SA management will regret.

We are going into this test match with three right arm seamers (Steyn, Ntini and presumably Morne Morkel) and we have Paul Harris holding up one end as a spinner.

South Africa are almost certainly going to be without Jacques Kallis from a bowling perspective and we have battled to take 20 wickets in a test match for a while.

Despite this we choose not to include the left-arm seamer who has been a brilliant addition to our ODI setup over the last 12 months? Bizarre...

For sure Steyn is still the premier fast bowler in the side and Ntini has 99 caps to his name but if you have to toss-up Morkel vs Parnell on current form and what they bring to the side, you'd be hard pushed to say that Parnell deserves to draw the short-straw.

There are plenty of reasons not to rush a young fast bowler and not put too much pressure on him, but Parnell has proven he has what it takes to play at international level and by not including him we have robbed ourselves of some much needed variety in our attack.

In Paul Harris you have a great spinner who can plug up one end so you won't have a case where a young fast bowler is going to be toiling for hours on end in the sun and taking its toll on his body. But you lose some of your effectiveness if you are going to tie up one end and then charge in with three right-arm quicks for two and a half days.

Don't get me wrong, I am a big Morne Morkel fan and think he has plenty to offer SA cricket, I am just concerned that the balance of the side is not exactly there if he is given preference over Parnell.

England vs South Africa - Dream Team first test match

2009-12-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

So I've picked my Dream Team side for the first Proteas vs England test match side and I won't lie, I am surprised at the number of English players who made my lineup...

So here goes:

Graeme Smith (Captain)
Andrew Strauss
Eoin Morgan
Jonathan Trott
Jacques Kallis (Allrounder)
JP Duminy (Allrounder)
Matt Prior (keeper)
Wayne Parnell (assuming he will get a test cap)
Paul Harris
Stuart Broad
James Anderson

Will be an interesting start to this series - Pick your team here.

Cricket Dream Teams

2009-12-12T08:08:00.001-08:00

Forget The Ashes, it's time for two of cricket's oldest rivals to clash as the Proteas prepare to defend their honour in a home Test
series against England. This Test series is sure to have an extra edge to it with the return of home-grown stars Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Jonathon Trott for England.

Now you can follow the action by selecting your own Dream Team forthe upcoming Test series. You can select up to 8 players per country with a maximum of 8 transfers per round. Each of the 4 Test matches counts as an individual round.

We have a new login process in place that gives you the benefit of easy access to all upcoming Dream Teams games and to some fantastic
SuperSport services. Dream Team Managers must first register and login at SuperSport.com

Then enter your team at http://dreamteams.supersport.com/cricket

The Proteas Test Series Dream Teams starts on Wednesday 16 December at 10:30 SA time (08:30 GMT) with the first Test of the 4 match series taking place at Centurion.

Never live it down

2009-12-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

The English crowing for many years to come about how they beat South Africa in their own back yard in an ODI series...

Bloody rain.

It was a weird series with both sides blowing hot and cold. Now I guess all attention swings to the Test series and there are going to be a lot of questions asked about the composition of the SA team.

Fortunately Jacques Kallis should be back and firing so it should bring some experience to our lineup.

Herschelle

2009-12-02T02:55:00.000-08:00

I had to laugh today - I saw a brilliant Tweet on Twitter.

The first person asked: "How can Herschelle Gibbs be carrying the drinks for the South African team today?"

A couple of people responded: "Set a thief to catch a thief?"

Sharp reply - very funny!

SA vs England - 4th ODI

2009-11-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

England have blown very hot and cold in this series so far - as to I guess have the Proteas.

We were dominant at Newlands (which is becoming something of a fortress for us) but when we played at Centurion (which should have suited our attack) we found ourselves short of runs.

On Sunday we take on the English in the fourth ODI and I expect South Africa to hit their straps now that they have had a couple of games to start building up their momentum and form.

I'd expect us to win it quite comfortably.

The bets I have taken:

AB De Villiers - top SA batsman
Morgan - top English batsman
SA to win

2nd ODI - Centurion Park - South Africa vs. England

2009-11-22T03:31:00.000-08:00

It has been a bit of a disjointed from South Africa in their first ODI match-up against England at Centurion Park.

A couple of guys have gotten starts - Amla, Duminy and Pietersen - but you have to wonder whether or not they should have gone on to make a few more. Personal opinion is you need 270+ to be competitive at Centurion - all it takes is one batter to get going and you can chase down most totals.

Some Boucher heroics at the end as usual helped us along.

Interesting selections from the South African side as well. I don't totally understand how Bosman can get 90-odd and then be dropped while we substitute Alviro Pietersen as a middle-order batter.

Thought maybe we could have gone with another specialist batter but let's see how the bowlers fare.

English bowlers again didn't look like any great shakes.

And then the rain came!

2009-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

I was so excited - I had box tickets to the Wanderers yesterday to watch South Africa take on England... and then it pissed with rain all week! Grrrrr....

I was going to blame the poms for bringing the bad weather here but then I realised the team is made up of South Africans and an Irishman whose sole purpose in life is to get into the pub as quickly as possible so I can't even blame them for the weather!

Selections - second T20 - SA vs England

2009-11-15T00:24:00.000-08:00

After the rain in the first T20 game, it looks like the English have come here to play good, hard cricket this summer which is quite encouraging.

They take on South Africa today in the second of the T20 games and I expect the South Africans to put on a more convincing bowling performance this time around. Credit must be given to Morgan for his destruction of the bowlers at the Wanderers - there were some massive sixes hit there.

I have backed:

- South Africa to win today
- Graeme Smith to be the top SA batsman
- Either Jonathan Trott or Morgan to top score for the English

Pity the rain came

2009-11-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

So the first real competition of the summer ended in a wet and miserable wash out... do you think it is co-incidence that it is because we were playing the Poms?

So what can we take out of last night and the couple of warm-up hit 'em ups against Zimbabwe?

Our bowlers are rusty - don't read too much into the performances in the first few games
Morgan, Trott, Collingwood and even Pietersen are going to be a handful this summer. It's probably the first time I'd say that the English have had a batting lineup that I would be wary of.
I don't think it is out and out talent (although there is some there) but I think it is the attitude which is there. Good gritty English (or more specifically South African and Irish) determination and balls
I still don't think the Poms have a bowling attack to write home about.
Loots Bosman - not a clue what to make of THAT selection - there is no question he can slog a ball but it all seems a little hit and miss
Ryan Mclaren looks capable enough - let's see what he can do
Nice to see Charl Langeveldt back in the mix

All in all - I wouldn't read too much into losing a T20 game via Duckworth-Lewis but I definately think that England have come out here to play hard cricket and if we don't get on top of their batters it could be a hot summer.

Trinidad and Tobago - A positive boost

2009-10-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while - things have been a little hectic on the home-front!

As a Cape Cobras fan I was a bit disappointed to see them get knocked out at the semi-final stage but I was pretty impressed that they made it that far and had a good run in the tournament while entertaining fans.

T20 cricket by its nature is a bit of a lottery but it does capture the imagination of fans and players.

For that reason I thought it was quite encouraging to see Trinidad and Tobago making it to the finals of the competition. I have blogged on the subject before - West Indian cricket is in absolute turmoil at the moment and administrators and players will probably be pleased to have found a format of the game that suits their style of cricket -it would be nice to see them go on from here.

T20 Champions League - Saturday Picks

2009-10-10T03:48:00.001-07:00

Another day in the T20 Champions League competition today and now that a couple of teams have had a chance to stretch their legs punters will be able to make some more informed decisions.

Deccan vs. Somerset
It is hard to look beyond the Deccan Chargers for this fixture - too many big guns for the Somerset side and I would expect them to romp home.

Preditions

Deccan to win
Top Deccan batsman - Adam Gilchrist
Top Somerset batsman - Justin Langer

Cape Cobras vs Otago
The Cobras were good in their last fixture and even minus Charl Langeveldt I'd expect them to win here.

Money on Andrew Puttick to top score for the Cape Cobras with Brendan McCullum top scoring for Otago.

Franchise cricket making big strides

2009-10-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

I know I have blogged on the subject before but I think it is significant to see how the franchise brands are beginning to become an out and out competitor against the international teams. For those who don't know I had said that I expect franchise cricket to overtake the importance of the international fixtures by around 2012.

This won't be limited to T20 cricket either but will see the franchises playing full length One Day fixtures and most probably test matches.

This T20 Champions Trophy event is already providing a competitor for sponsors money, supporters at the ground, television revenue and even the importance in the players careers.

Players who could be resting are driven to play by the money that is attached to it - at some point this is going to come at the detriment of the national teams as fatigue starts to kick in.

Personally I think we are reaching an intriguing stage in world cricket and I guess if I have to attach my flag to the franchises it will probably be the Deccan Chargers and the Cape Cobras.

Champions League Twenty20 kicks off

2009-10-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

JP Duminy has kicked off the Champions League Twenty20 with a stirring 99 off 52 balls to help the Cape Cobras beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore - a good result but its a pity he couldn't do that for the Proteas in recent weeks!!

I have to say that I am a little disappointed in the low-key build-up to the tournament at least in South Africa. Conceptually I think that it is a great idea and a brilliant way to reinforce the franchise brands and yet a lot of people didn't even know the event kicked off yesterday.

Anyway I'm a supporter of the Cape Cobras domestically and I won some nice money supporting the Deccan Chargers last year so I guess I will spread some money around these two teams to go all the way. Thoughts on which teams are looking interesting this year?

ICC Champions Trophy predictions

2009-10-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

So the ICC Champions Trophy is coming to an end with conditions looking a little overcast - hopefully we get a full game of cricket in.

I put some money down on New Zealand to win after they qualified for the semis (at the expense of my pre-tournament picks of Sri Lanka and South Africa!).

Ok my money is down on New Zealand with Ponting to top score for the Aussies and Elliot to deliver the goods for the Black Caps!

Damn - I have just heard that Vettori is out for this final - that's a huge blow!

Yay for the Black Caps!

2009-10-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

So it is the Black Caps vs. Australia in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy and I think it is fair to say that the two best teams have come through a busy two weeks.

I was at the Wanderers last night and I had to admire how well the New Zealand team performed considering how little support they had! I kid you not - 90% of the support was for the Pakistani team - great atmosphere considering the home team wasn't playing.

Big kudos to the New Zealand side - they came through a tough tournament and a tricky total to chase down and they did it to perfection. Some of you will remember that I backed Grant Elliot (pictured) to score runs in the last game and he promptly delivered a duck but he came good last night in spectacular style.

One performance which I thought didn't get enough credit was that of Daniel Vettori - batting at six for New Zealand shows there are some shortcomings in that batting line-up but boy oh boy did he deliver the goods last night! It needed somebody to take the responsibility of sticking with Elliot to the end.

On current form - Vettori must be one of the best one-day international players in the game at the moment.

Considering the love-hate relationship South Africans have with Australia, I have to wonder how partizan the crowd are going to be when the two teams clash in the final!

Justice!

2009-10-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

I have been following a couple of the big international cricket blogs and a number of people have come out bluntly saying that England intentionally lost that game against New Zealand.

The motivation being that if you lost to New Zealand, you don't have to playoff against the Sri Lankans who on paper can be a really difficult ODI side.

Have to be honest and say that the idea doesn't seem that far fetched considering how they were able to set a score of 300+ two days before against South Africa and then get skittled a few days later. Anyway the sheep shaggers give the Poms absolute carrots on Friday and then the poor boys from New Zealand win the Champions Trophy final as some JUSTICE!

Madness!

2009-09-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

An absolutely bizarre game of cricket going on between England and New Zealand...

A few days ago England comfortably beat a star-studded South African side and bumped them out of the Champions Trophy and now suddenly they have been bundled out for 146.

New Zealand looked like they were easily going to overhaul the target and suddenly Stuart Broad has ripped through their batting lineup and they've slipped from needing 35 runs with 8 wickets in hand to suddenly needing 6 runs with 4 wickets in hand.

Crazy stuff!

ICC Champions Trophy - Sunday betting

2009-09-27T00:32:00.000-07:00

Two big clashes for Sunday and two fixtures that should ultimately decide one of the groups.

New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka
After losing to England earlier in the week, Sri Lanka will be looking to wrap up their semi-final spot with a victory over the Black Caps.

I can't see Sri Lanka losing this one and neither can the bookies.

Bets taken:

Dilshan to top score for Sri Lanka
Grant Elliot to top score for New Zealand

South Africa vs. England
A critical fixture for both teams with the winner pretty much assured of going into the semis having each picked up a win.

The pressure itself is piled on the South African team as both the home team and pre-tournament favourites. After stumbling in their first game against Sri Lanka they are left in a "must-win" situation.

In contrast England have very little to lose - they've come off a drubbing from Australia and then surprised Sri Lanka the other day. If they beat the local team the English press will have an absolute field day....

My picks:

South Africa to win
Graeme Smith to top score for South Africa
Paul Collingwood to top score for England

C'mon SA!

ICC Champions Trophy - Saturday betting

2009-09-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Two more games in the ICC Champions Trophy are here and after England blew Sri Lanka out of the water, Group A is looking for interesting - especially if you are a South African supporter!

Australia vs West Indies
In the first game of the day Australia and the West Indies clash at 9:30.

With all due respect to the West Indies (which isn't very much) I don't see how Australia could lose this game and the bookies don't either. I don't even think they have the firepower for an upset.

I've gone with:

Ricky Ponting as the top Aussie batsman
Devon Smith as the top West Indian batsman

India vs. Pakistan
Boy oh boy does this game have the potential to be a cracker...

The two old rivals are at it again and there is a lot riding on this fixture in terms of who goes through to the knockout rounds. There is nothing to choose between the two sides and I anticipate a tight game.

Bets I've placed:

Rahul Dravid - top Indian batsman
Shahid Afridi and Mohamad Youssuf - top Pakistan batsman

Helluva interesting tournament so far although I have to say I've been surprised by some very stilted batting performances.

Mixed feelings on the West Indies

2009-09-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

I had some serious mixed feelings on the West Indies side after their match-up against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy last night.

On one hand - the fact that they had been bowled out for 133 at the Wanderers and fielded what was effectively a "B" or more likely a "C" side I felt was unfair to international cricket fans as well as the tournament organisers.

Personally I think the tournament would have been better off inviting Bangladesh to participate in their place.

On the other hand - Maybe this player revolt and whinge about money is just the thing to bring some new blood into West Indies cricket at senior level and maybe help them rebuild a more committed core of cricketers.

It is not my place to criticise the West Indian players for deciding not to play when it is not commercially viable for them, but the reality is that their cricket has been in the doldrums for many years now and something has to give. Either new players need to come through that can turn their cricket around and make it a competitive side which can be backed by commercial sponsors or the West Indies cricket board needs to draw a line in the sand and say it is not their intention to in the long run try and develop their talent beyond a certain level - i.e. you get what you get.

Pakistan vs. West Indies last night
I personally thought the West Indies gave a pretty good account of themselves last night.

Yes Gavin Tonge (pictured) bowled particularly well, but go and have a look at how little "spray and pray" bowling was dished up by their guys last night. They consistently bowled a good line outside off-stump and they kept the Pakistani batsman working for every run.

That's important because the one thing that the West Indian bowlers have not been able to do in recent years is deliver a consistent and disciplined bowling performance. A BIG positive for the side.

As well as the bowlers bowled, the batters batted badly. You cannot win a cricket match with 133 runs on the board and even THAT was helped by some big-hitting from Miller at the end. Interesting statistic is that Mohammad Yousuf on his own has nearly six times as many career ODI runs as the entire West Indian side put together.

Like I said - mixed feelings.

I have said it before and I will say it again - the world needs a strong West Indian cricket base.

As a parting shot
Just my own humble response to the West Indian players who are on "strike" at the moment. I appreciate that this remuneration issue with the West Indies Cricket Board is a long standing one, but economic reality is that you need to be in front of cricket fans all the time if you want to make the most of your short careers.

Somebody like Gavin Tonge has emerged from last night as a name to be considered for things like the IPL when contract time rolls around. If you are not out playing in front of people you are unlikely to be picked.

The real money for these guys is in the likes of the IPL and the other big money domestic tournaments and that is where you want to be playing.

Sri Lanka get the ICC Champions Trophy off to a colourful start

2009-09-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

Say what you like about Sri Lanka, they are pound for pound one of the toughest One Day International sides you'll ever come up against and they showed what they are capable of in the opening match-up of the ICC Champions Trophy.

At the time I am making this post the game has been delayed due to rain, but the performance they put on in the batting front will certainly have caught the eye of the other teams in the pool.

I think South Africa was quite lucky to restrict them to 319 - it could have been a lot worse. Maybe the Proteas were a little ring rusty having not had any top-level cricket for the last three months, but the team looked a little out of sorts in their first big match of the season.

Hopefully the South African boys are simply going to need to shake off the cob-webs and will be out all guns firing in the next fixture.

Clouds hover over England

2009-09-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

By: Tom Mallows

England travel to South Africa with great heart……………..oops sorry wrong sport.

While Fabio Capello’s England football squad will arrive in South Africa next summer confident of making an impact, the same cannot be said of the England cricket team ahead of the Champions trophy in the same country.

The long home summer, stretching from the start of May till end of September, came to a close in the Durham sunshine on Sunday, where England took a crumb of comfort from what was a miserable one-day series. Though even after skittling out the tourists for 176 they nearly contrived to throw it away as once again a middle order collapse gave the Australians the scent of victory. Thankfully Prior and Bresnan finished the job to seal a four wicket win.

With little time to draw breath the squad are on their way to Africa themselves for the Champions Trophy which begins this week.

With issues in the upper order and problems in the bowling attack even the most optimistic of England attack would foresee any other than early elimination. But we also carry with us a foolish optimism that things maybe different, perhaps the win in the North East can inspire the side to a Lazarus style comeback – I’m not holding my breath though.

Elsewhere the hosts South Africa will once again look to shake off their chokers tag, though Graeme Smith’s men clearly have the talent, they maybe hampered by a lack of competitive action since the Twenty/20 World Cup (in June. They begin against Kumar Sangakkara's talented Sri Lankan side. I consider them the two favourites alongside the old enemy Australia, who regained the number one spot during their series with England.

I can’t help but feeling an exciting tournament is needed to breathe new life into the 50 over format. The growth of Twenty/20, the arduous 2007 World Cup and the planned scrapping of the English domestic 50 over game has left many people scratching their heads as to the future of this form of cricket. A few swashbuckling batting performances and some spectacular bowling could inspire new interest in the game.

Sadly, if the past few weeks are anything to go by, that inspiration is not going to come from England.

Good for a laugh

2009-09-21T02:57:00.000-07:00

I am not sure where this comes from but I got e-mailed this and I thought it was good for a laugh:

JOHANNESBURG. Minister of Sport Makhenkesi Stofile has called on South Africans of all races to be at Johannesburg International Airport on Tuesday to welcome home the country`s Ashes-winning cricket team. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Sport, Tighthead Mabandla, said it would be great to have as many people as possible at the airport to cheer on the arrival of Andrew Strauss and his all conquering Ashes heroes, who recently defeated Australia 2-1 to reclaim cricket`s most coveted prize.

"Last time a South African side won the Ashes was during the height of Apartheid," said Mabandla, referring to the powerful South African eleven of 1972 that included the likes of Basil D`Oliveira and Tony Greig.

"The 2009 winners are truly a team of the people." Mabandla said it would be a shame to see the emotional return of the Ashes winning heroes turned into a political points-scoring exercise.
"We have learned lessons from the airport welcomes afforded to Caster Semenya and the Tri-Nations winning rugby side," admitted Mabandla, who said everybody would be welcome at Johannesburg International Airport provided they acknowledged the role that the Ministry of Sport had played in helping to build one of the greatest sports team on earth.

"The team that beat Australia was a truly representative side," said Mabandla, who said their success illustrated that even when quotas were in place, South African teams could still challenge the world`s best. "Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior were the only white South African`s in the side," he said, adding, "The rest were all previously disadvantaged."

Mabandla said he would write to rugby coach Peter De Villiers, or maybe summon him to appear before parliament, and urge him to follow the example set by Andrew Strauss` side. "A couple of non-white wingers and some reserves were all that De Villiers could manage," said Mabandla. "I doubt he will ever win The Ashes with that team." Meanwhile a spokesperson for the England team, Crusty Horse-Whisperer denied there had been a foul up with the team`s travel arrangements.

"We purposefully didn`t book a hotel for our trip here," he said. "The lads are all going to be staying with their parents."

Freddie Flintoff

2009-09-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

As an aside - what do you guys make of Andrew Flintoffs career decision to become a hired mercenary and basically become a full-time free-lancer?

Freddie has never been the fittest guy around and injuries have weighed on him - suddenly he is running around the globe trying to fit in as many ODI and T20 games as possible. Wonder how many other quality international players are going to follow this kind of career path?

It could definately change the way world cricket is played and fit in with the scenario I presented a while back about franchise cricket overtaking international fixtures in terms of importance for both players and fans.

Champions Trophy Picks

2009-09-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Right - the ICC Champions Trophy is around the corner and if you read the media reports it is nothing but a two horse race between the usual suspects South Africa and Australia.

South Africa has the homeground advantage and a pretty settled side, while Australia is in the process of thrashing the English side left, right and centre.

Before I continue I must tell you a joke I heard on the radio - it's a bit lame but I'm going to tell it anyway. (Bearing in mind that half the English side are South Africans by birth):

- Where is the English side going to stay when they are here for the Champions Trophy? At their moms' houses!

Ok it was lame but I told it anyway.

Anyway the teams I have backed to win the ICC Champions Trophy are South Africa (15/10), India (3/1) and Sri Lanka (6/1).

Personally I think the Aussies may regret the long series against the English and may wish they'd had a chance to recharge some of their batteries. India are good in these kind of tournaments and Sri Lanka also tend to fire when it counts so I think it is a nice mix of bets.

Nobody else really seems to feature for me - anyone else got thoughts on the tournament?

Calling all cricket fans,

2009-09-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

The ICC Champions Trophy Dream Teams is now open! Follow the action by picking your own fantasy cricket team from the top 8 countries challenging for the honour to be crowned ICC champions.

The tournament kicks off on Tuesday 22 September at 14:30 SA time (12:30 GMT). Enter your team now at http://dreamteams.supersport.co.za/championstrophy

Hosts South Africa are the odds on favourites after the tournament was moved from Pakistan. But current holders Australia will not relinquish their crown that easily and will be buoyed by their recent triumph over England in the ODI series. Pakistan have a point to prove after losing the hosting rights and will want to build on their recent success at the World Twenty20 tournament. India are always a force to be reckoned with and have the players to make an impact while Sri Lanka and New Zealand can't be counted out either. Only the West Indies look weaker than the rest after fielding a second string side due to an unresolved player strike. With so much choice in quality players, remember to look out for players who can perform with both bat and ball when selecting your team. Good fielders pick up extra points for catches and run outs, while your captain scores double points and should be one of your top players.

Our top 3 performing managers at the end of the tournament will each walk off with a cool LG KP500 cellphone worth R2400. With great prizes and bragging rights up for grabs you can’t afford not to show off your cricket knowledge. Enter your team now at http://dreamteams.supersport.co.za/championstrophy

Good luck!

Super Dream Teams

www.supersport.com/dreamteams

Is Test Cricket In Danger?

2009-09-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

By Keith Barret

There has been a lot of talk recently that suggests that there are real problems ahead for Test Match cricket. These dangers appear to be caused by a combination of the increased popularity of Twenty-20 cricket and falling crowds at Test Matches in some parts of the world.

So let's take a look at some of these issues and see what's going on. One point to note is that more and more money is being pumped into the game in India, increasing the importance of this country massively in cricketing terms. It's also the country that has the greatest number of cricket fans in the world.

This is having a big impact on the game as a whole. The great success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has brought vibrant matches to a large, worldwide audience. It's also clear that crowd levels at Test Matches in India appear to be much lower than those for IPL and other limited overs forms of the game. But does this necessarily indicate problems ahead?

The situation here in England is somewhat different. There's no doubt that Twenty-20 has made a big impact on the domestic game. Crowds have been much larger for these matches than they have in the 4-day County Championship matches. So this might indicate that the longer form of the game is certainly at risk.

Yet nothing is as simple as it may seem. Although county sides may indeed be struggling to attract large attendances to their County Championship contests, it seems that the national team are having no such problems. Attendances at Test cricket here in the UK tend to be impressive and tickets are in high demand.

So what is going? It seems clear that there are different approaches to the game in different parts of the world. Limited overs cricket is really capturing the attention in some parts of the world but Test Match cricket remains the primary form of the game for some viewers, especially in England and Australia.

Is this to be the end for Test Match cricket? It seems hard to believe that it possibly could be, although different countries may place more emphasis on particular forms of the game. There could be associated risks with this, but it may be best that we all simply accept that the newest form of the game provides new opportunities and helps to bring more people into the game.

Anything that makes cricket more popular has to be a good thing. One important set of people in all of this will be the players themselves. As long as they still see Test cricket as being important, it seems certain that this form of the game will continue.

Keith Barrett has written about cricket for a number of publications.

It's a funny old game

2009-08-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

I thought these stats made for interesting reading:

Aussies scored 2890 runs - England scored 2630
Aussies took 82 wickets - England took 69
Aussies scored 8 centuries - England scored 2

And yet Australia lost the series - no question about it - its a funny old game is cricket!

Hooray for the Ashes

2009-08-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

By Tom Mallows

The last time I wrote for this blog it was in the wake of a morale sapping defeat at Headingley and I have to admit I feared the worst when the Ashes bandwagon moved to the Oval for the final hurrah.

I have never claimed to be an expert in England team selection and a good job I didn’t as my predictions for the final test were completely wrong! I thought Bell would be out with Key in at number three. As it was Bell was promoted to three (a case of no one else around?) with Jonathan Trott coming in for his debut instead of the struggling Bopara.

Trott is, of course, South African but we were kindly informed before the test that he wouldn’t be good enough for the South African batting line up so they obviously aren’t missing out!

A test debut in a deciding Ashes clash is a big ask for any player so for Trott to do as well as he did is credit to his temperament and ability. With Pietersen on his way back England’s batting line up suddenly looks more robust. However Collingwood and Bell must be looking over their shoulder, I expect Bopara to return to the fold at some point making it a safe England cricket bet that one, or both of them, will have to make way.

The Aussies, ever graceful in defeat, seemed to think the pitch had been doctored to force a result. Well ‘doctored’ is a strong word, after all no one knew the outcome of the toss so it wouldn’t be in the groundman’s interest to create a dodgy wicket that would deteriorate after day one. Plus all the doctored claims on Friday night, after the Aussies were skittled out for 160, were made to look a little silly when England comfortably massed a lead of more than 550 the following day.

The deciding factor in this test, indeed this series, was that England won the crucial sessions and took full advantage when they were on top. Yes Australia had more century makers and more wicket takers but what’s the use of amassing over 600 runs, like at Cardiff, if they can’t bowl the other side out?

The Saturday afternoon at Lord’s and the Friday at the Oval proved decisive in swinging those tests in England’s direction. But given a draw would have been good enough to retain the Ashes for Australia the contribution of Anderson and Panesar on that dramatic afternoon in Cardiff should not be overstated.

Overall it was a contest between two average sides – this wasn’t the Aussie side of McGrath/Warne/Langer fame.

But considering the mess England found themselves in, with the West Indies at the start of the year, the turn around is remarkable. They do not, of course, want to lose focus like in 2005 - we don’t want another 5-0 whitewash down under.

But that’s for the future, for now I’m going to savour the moment as we once more have that famous little urn back in our possession.

Ashes Day 4

2009-08-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

At the time of writing South Africa B has the Australians on the back foot with Mike Hussey (107*) and Brad Haddin (33*) chasing another 226 runs for victory with only Mitchell Johnson to come after them.

I thought the South Africans put together a pretty accomplished performance with:

Andrew Strauss contributing 133 runs in the match
Jonathan Trott contributing 160 runs

Excluding Matt Priors contributions (giving the Poms the benefit of the doubt) - these two contributed 41% of all the runs scored by the English team and Strauss ran out Michael Clarke at a critical time. With due respect, the English cannot claim they "retained" the Ashes.

Bugger I see that the South African Strauss has just caught Haddin pushing the English one step closer to winning the Ashes...

Ashes Day 2 notes

2009-08-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well England appear to have come back from the death to put Australia on the rack courtesy of some top quality bowling from Stuart Broad.

I'll partially take back my comment yesterday about the Poms not looking like they wanted to win it - Broad seems to have lit a bit of a fire underneath them and his first spell of 5-16 simply wrecked the Aussie lineup and it was some top quality fast bowling.

Yeah the English cause was helped a bit with some tight decisions but when the ball is in your court you run with it.

I was a little surprised that more wasn't made of the 37 and 18 contributed by Broad and Swann at the end of the English innings. I think those two scores could prove vital on a pitch which is going down fast.

Having said that, the Aussies don't look they have given up either and they've knocked over three quick wickets leaving the South African batters the job of securing an Ashes winning total.

It could be a humdinger of a weekend for these two sides - let's see who comes out on top!

Ashes Day 1 musings...

2009-08-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

A solid enough performance from the South African B side (AKA England) today against the Aussies but I get the sense that they are batting for / will be content with a draw?

I thought Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus were the pick of the bowlers which is quite ironic considering that 8 months ago I was slating Siddle and not exactly complimentary of Hilfenhaus. This Ashes tour seems to have been a really important stepping stone for Hilfy in that he now knows what is expected of him.

As much as I would like to see the South Africans trump the Aussies to win the Ashes I don't think that they have the desire to win it which is disappointing considering the spirit they showed in the second test match.

Other thoughts

I was obviously being a bit tongue-in-cheek around the "South African B" side nickname for England but surely it is a sign when Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss, Matt Prior and now Jonathan Trott are likely to make-up the England batting line-up for the forseeable future - where exactly is the ENGLISH talent coming through?
I wasn't joking when I said that in 10 years time Bangladesh cricket would have surpassed the English in test rankings.
On the subject of Bangladesh, I see that they have thumped Zimbabwe comfortably in an ODI series and I say good for them. Beating the current Zimbabwe and the West Indian sides isn't going to set the world alight but they must be given opportunities to play against the top sides and maybe host a few international matches as well to make sure that Bangladesh cricket thrives
The West Indies and their ICC Champions Trophy antics I just shake my head at.... not sure what there is to be made from this anymore

Calm needed in wake of crushing defeat

2009-08-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

By Tom Mallows

The fact this test match was over in three days should at least give Strauss and his England side 48 extra hours to take stock and re-organise after such a heavy and bruising defeat.

Australia looked like the imperious side of old as they ruthlessly ripped through the England batting line-up and then mercilessly took the game away from them with the bat.

After having the better of the last two tests England were second best by a distance in this game, just as they were at Cardiff. But while we did not get too carried away with Lord’s, there should be no over reaction now.

Talk of wholesale changes in the line-up is, I feel, unnecessary. I don’t feel the gap between the two sides is as great as the past few days suggest - though credit has to go to the Aussies for outplaying England in every department. The now infamous ‘momentum’ is definitely with them.

If Flintoff is fit enough even to bowl in short bursts I think he should play. He inspires those around him and adds a bit of steel to what is looking like a fragile batting line-up. Harmison, who again failed to live up to the hype, should make way.

Ravi Bopara’s place is also under threat after successive failures in this series. But while it would be easy to put say, Rob Key, in his place, would that benefit long term?

The ECB has put faith in Bopara and I believe they need to keep faith with him for longer than a few tests. Playing with the spectre of being dropped will hinder rather than help - though he is running out of chances.

What is needed now is a return to basics. Australia pitched the ball up on day one, not a complicated tactic, yet England fell for it every time, with nearly every wicket coming from catches behind the wicket.

But instead of imitating their opponents England persisted with their short wayward line, allowing Watson and Ponting to blast the ball to all four corners of the stadium.

England have enough talent to beat Australia at the Oval and re-claim the Ashes if they return to the disciplined batting and bowling seen earlier in the series. However my fear is that the psychological damage inflicted during the Headingley horror show may prove terminal.

Make sure you keep on top of the Fifth Test odds before making your Fifth Test bet .

Ashes update.

2009-08-09T13:26:00.001-07:00

My favourite thing about English cricket? The way that their press crucify them when they get drubbed...

... I can't wait to read the headlines after the thumping they took today. Aussies have set up a real humdinger of a final test match and without question have to be going in as the favourites into the last test match. I just hope that the weather doesn't intervene.

Mixed feelings

2009-08-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

Is there any way that the England "leg" of the Ashes could be moved to somewhere that rain doesn't always cock up a good series?

Surely there is a case for it being moved to a more civilised cricket destination like India, Bangladesh or South Africa??!?!?!?!?! I wonder if there has been any research done into whether or not the mediocre standard of English cricket is directly related to the poor weather they experience?

Anyway enough about the Ashes - it (the weather aspect) has been disappointing to say the least.

What I actually wanted to blog about was this whole West Indies vs. Bangladesh series which has left me with some real mixed feelings about world cricket - even though it fits in with my expectations of the change in the global game. For those who don't know I expect world cricket to be dominated by the likes of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka with the likes of South Africa, Australia, Kenya and Zimbabwe fitting in amongst the top nations as the world becomes more focused on Asia and Africa.

Whether it goes the whole franchise route over international "country" route still remains to be seen.

I have previously blogged about how badly the world needs a strong West Indian cricket offering so watching this disaster of a series against Bangladesh has irritated me immensely.

On the flip side of that, I think some big pluses for the Bangladesh team. They've needed a decent international tour to build some momentum and irrespective of the quality of the West Indian side, the tourists got the job done.

Don't underestimate the value of that providing some incentive for the rest of their cricket population. The money that will keep flowing into Bangladesh cricket is likely to keep rising the more they start beating the bigger "name" sides and as the side matures and they develop a pipeline of quality players you will in turn find them becoming more and more competitive.

But still... it would be nice to see the West Indies not rolling over and becoming a drag on world cricket.

Pressure on Bell to fill Pietersen’s shoes

2009-07-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

By: Tom Mallows

From the moment we saw Kevin Pietersen limping across the field and grimace after every batting stroke it became clear we would not see much more of him for the rest of this summer.

The arguments over his rehabilitation and whether he should have gone to the IPL and played in the Twenty/20 World Cup while carrying the injury will no doubt rumble on, especially if England go on and lose the series with Australia.

It was apparent he was struggling right from the first day in Cardiff and scores of 69, 8, 32 and 44 since have showed that. But despite the lack of runs it is Pietersen’s sheer presence and his destructive ability to rapidly take the game from his opponent that makes him such a big loss.

But Pietersen’s loss is Ian Bell’s gain. Not a straight swap by any means. England doesn’t have anyone quite like KP. But Edgbaston represents a massive opportunity for the Warwickshire batsman to show he is good enough at International level.

Bell last played for England in February but was dropped after England’s defeat to the West Indies in Jamaica. Since then he has amassed 640 runs in seven County Championship games this season.

Bell’s talent and ability has never been in question, many people in the game say he is one of the country’s technically gifted players. But it is transferring that talent onto the Test Match stage that has proved the problem - especially against Australia.

Despite averaging just over 40 in tests in his 10 Ashes appearances he has scored just 502 runs, at an average of just 25.10.The Australians, it appears, can get under Bell’s skin and they will no doubt be boosted by his presence instead of Pietersen.

However, as we have seen this is a very different Australian side than the one Bell has faced in the past. Even their famed ‘sledging’ tactics out in the middle has been toned down at the request of Cricket Australia.

But they still have talented players, despite what the British press are saying. England would be foolish to underestimate them and believe the series is any way in the bag – they came from behind to beat South Africa remember.

Is this finally Bell’s chance to flourish without the likes of Warne and McGrath? Or will the wounded Aussies bounce back from Lord’s and once again target Bell and intimidate him enough to give his wicket away?

SA cricket gearing up

2009-07-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

It is a quiet weekend cricket wise and I thought I would use some of this time to take a look at the South African cricket diary and highlight why the Ashes is important for local cricket viewers.

We kick off with the Champions Trophy and that includes round-robin matches against Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand in September. It's probably a good way to kick off our international calendar playing some top-class ODI cricket in our back yard.

After that November rolls around and we play two T20 games, five ODIs and four Test matches against the Poms.

Looking at our side I don't see too many problems as things stand.

Test spinner - Harris - CHECK
ODI spinners (Two) - Botha and VD Merwe - CHECK!
Decent seam attack - yes - going to be interesting to see what role Parnell plays this year. Would be nice to see him pushing for a spot in the test side from a variation perspective.

Things I think we could improve on:

Backup keeper plan - Boucher still has plenty to offer us but who is coming through next?
A lower order allrounder could be nice to identify. Albie is there but the competition with his brother makes it tricky

Otherwise I think we can look forward to this English tour. Flintoff has been the differentiator between the two teams and he's going into retirement. The poms have a decent top-order but I cant think that their bowling attack holds any great shakes for us on the hard South African pitches.

Could be an interesting match up if the English come into the tour with some momentum from a successful Ashes campaign... but I won't be holding my breath.

Aaaahhh England takes the second Ashes test at Lords

2009-07-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't had so much fun cheering for an Australian side pretty much well... ever!

Geez I enjoyed this Test match. A bit of drama with the English (through their prolific SOUTH AFRICAN run-scoring connections), a bit of class - Freddie Flintoff showing what a loss he is going to be when he goes and the Australians making a game of it when everything looked to be lost.

Eventually it was a step too far and Australia will rue some average umpiring and the fact that they didn't get the runs in the first innings.

As an English cricket fan you have to proud. It is quite obvious that the guts shown by Collingwood in the first test match has worn off on the others who have suddenly realised that they can be competitive. Flintoff impressed me - as did Prior. I still think they are a batter / allrounder short and their lineup is going to be seriously exposed when Flintoff retires but
in all these guys put their hands up to be counter.

I don't rate Graeme Swann particularly highly but he deserves some mention as he seems to have come on a long way in the English setup. Personal opinion, I think he has done well because he knows what is expected of him. In a similar vein I think Paul Harris knows what is expected of him in the South African side and he has settled.

In comparison the expectation around Nathan Hauritz doesn't seem to have been settled.

Which brings me to the Australian side. There is not a lot wrong with this side when they click. Would Australia be 1-0 down after 2 games if Brett Lee had been in the side? I don't think so but he could have dished up a dogs breakfast and maybe they would have so there is no point theorising.

As an armchair fan personally think there are only two things that need to be done from an Australian side.

Number 1 - they need to decide if their strategy includes or excludes Nathan Hauritz. If it includes him then they need to tell them what they expect of him and back him on and off the field.

Number 2 - Ponting needs to remind them that they have come back from a loss at home to beat a far more formidable South African side not so long ago they can win this.

Still think the Aussies are good to take the series but hats off to the Poms for showing some grit and determination!

Any takers?

2009-07-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

I want to back the Australian cricket side to win this second test..... Who will give me odds - anything under 600 is gettable if Punter gets his men to knuckle down - the Poms will wilt if the pressure is applied.

Ashes - 2nd test - Day 2

2009-07-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

The second day of the second test match is rapidly turning into one way traffic - the Poms are all over the Australians courtesy of some very handy bowling from James Anderson.

Prior to this test match starting I was actually going to post on The Baggy Green that Anderson was going to have to do something special to remain at the head of the English attack.... guess he unknowingly answered my criticism.

I am a little surprised that the English elected to open with Flintoff... maybe he just knows the conditions better - would like to see them give the new ball to Onions but it is still early days in his career.

C'mon Aussie c'mon!

Test cricket is a result oriented discipline!

2009-07-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry I meant to blog about this earlier and Ian's post on The Baggy Green blog reminded me....

While I appreciate that the last two English batters had to bat out the overs and find any excuse to waste time, I wonder a bit of the umpires and match referee erred by not giving Australia every opportunity to force a result from the game.

It rained on the second day of the test matc hand about two hours were lost... In hindsight could have made the difference between a win and a draw....

Surely the match referee could have pushed for an earlier start on the final day? We mustn't lose sight of the fact that Test cricket must remain a result driven discipline. It cannot allow games to drift off into mediocrity because while the English performance was brave and exciting to watch, a draw in the test records is uneventful....

England snatch draw from the jaws of defeat

2009-07-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

By Tom Mallows:

I suspect many England fans woke up on Monday morning thinking the events of the previous evening were some sort of perverse dream. The sight of Monty Panesar fending off the Australian pace attack is certainly something you only envisage in a deep slumber. But the reality will start to kick in when we get ready to do it all over again at Lord’s on Thursday still, crucially, on level terms.

However, whatever celebrations there were in the Cardiff sunshine should be forgotten quickly, make no mistake England got away with it at the Swalec Stadium. A whole session was lost on Saturday to rain, more than enough time for the Aussies to skittle through the England order, that they came so close even with the lost overs illustrates how poor England were in their second innings. As Strauss said after the game, tail-enders Jimmy Anderson and Panesar, magnificent as they were, should never have been put in that position after the rest of the line up, bar Graeme Swann and the superb Paul Collingwood, crumbled in the face of Aussie aggression.

With the ball, despite a flat and lifeless pitch, Strauss’ men appeared to capitulate as Brad Haddin and Marcus North piled on the runs. Too many wandering eyes looked to the heavens waiting for the gathering clouds to force them off the field and put them out of their misery. But as one frustrated fan wrote on a banner: ‘only cowards wait for rain’.

A contributing factor to the success of 2005 was the vociferous backing from the public. Early on Sunday afternoon much of that public were threatening to turn on their side, angry at their apparent lack of fight. But as the overs ticked by and the England tail end dug in the crowd became more and more involved in the game, holding their breath as each ball was bowled and breathing huge sighs of relief as each delivery was blocked. When Ricky Ponting shook hands with Anderson to signal the end of the game the huge cheer that erupted was reminiscent of Edgbaston or Trent Bridge during that famous series five years ago.

I think it was crucial that England avoided defeat going to the Lord’s test, especially given their poor record against the old enemy at the home of cricket. But while there is plenty of scope for improvement the manner of their great escape should give them some crucial momentum and help to re-capture the spirit of 2005.

Bear this in mind when you're checking the Lord's Test odds ahead of making a Lord's Test bet . If you want to get in the mood for a bit more rivalry, check out Betfair's fan v fan site.