Rep South Africa in England Test Series and Tour

[aeolium]

The times I've seen Woakes he's not looked international standard to me

Nor me, to be honest, although apparently he did bowl well in the Aus A game without any luck. He is much more of a bowling all-rounder than Broad could ever be, with IIRC a few centuries to his name.

I feel England need to take a long hard general look and go in for a bit of good old-fashioned self-criticism and analysis.

Here I do agree. There's too much sticking with players out of loyalty and a misplaced belief in that old canard "Form is temporary but class is permanent". Without form, class is no use whatsoever. I think they have to rebuild the team post-Pietersen and look for an opening batsman to succeed Strauss (though he would want to carry on until the Ashes series next year, I'm not sure they can afford that). And the old four-bowler format which Flower has stuck to is OK when all four bowlers are bowling well and when the batting side is not that strong, but it has shown to be flawed here when neither was the case. I don't mind if in the rebuilding process they slip down the rankings a few places.

Flower has been successful but a left-field choice of coach after Fletcher left would have been Dermot Reeve. He would have rubbed a few people up the wrong way but I thought he was a really imaginative and analytical captain (and later commentator) - always ready to try something unpredictable, weird field placings, searching out the weaknesses in batsmen. Perhaps even Pietersen might have got on with him

[amateur51]

I think it's the major flaw of the Central Contract system that England is hanging on to too many players who are currently out of form ( to be kind). I think Stuart Broad needs to be reminded that he is not God's gift to fast bowling and that he will be selected on his current form, not on his past deeds. Likewise Tim Bresnan with his bat - he has the capacity to be an all-rounder I believe but he appears to have gone off the boil, as has Swann although there were times yesterday when his roars for lbw had the cat jumping around - and the cat was sitting in the garden I was very impressed by Finn's fire and his dedication to charging in over after over yesterday

A bonded dressing room is a good thing in principle but an achievement-hungry dressing room is even better, especially when there are one or two other candidates breathing down their necks. We need to be planning/selecting for the next Ashes tour

PS: What's happened to Chris Tremlett?

[aeolium]

What's happened to Chris Tremlett?

Persistent injury, otherwise known as Simon Jones Syndrome (what a pity about SJ - his bowling in the 2005 series was so good)

[amateur51]

Persistent injury, otherwise known as Simon Jones Syndrome (what a pity about SJ - his bowling in the 2005 series was so good)

Oh dear!

I can still play Jones' knee injury in my mind's eye - ouch!

[cloughie]

Oh dear!

I can still play Jones' knee injury in my mind's eye - ouch!

I remember Simon Jones' Dad was unplayable at times when fit but long-term injuries shortened his career.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

well sounds like Trott and Bairstow are having a go for it .... as long as they have a goodish knock and don't get out too easy well worth it


they have both gone, now prior and Broad, we will be fortunate to last the day now ...

[amateur51]

Ninety-nine to get after Swann's hit a six, then he hits a four, then Prior hits a four, Henry's having champagne moments right, left & centre and is becoming a trifle .... over-wrought

[amateur51]

Poor Finn was out first ball and RSA wins by 51 runs and have gone top of the whatisname

A remarkable last day's cricket, a fine example of why the long-form of cricket is TOPS! Well done everyone

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

alas we did not last shmae about the batting in this series, ;et England down; and bowling not as good

[aeolium]

Very entertaining to listen to, and a great effort by the middle and lower order but the two wickets last night were killers. SA are rightly the top team and I should think will be so for a good while. Why don't the ECB dump some of these dreary ODIs and provide more Test cricket when it is as good as this?

[amateur51]

Very entertaining to listen to, and a great effort by the middle and lower order but the two wickets last night were killers. SA are rightly the top team and I should think will be so for a good while. Why don't the ECB dump some of these dreary ODIs and provide more Test cricket when it is as good as this?

Deffo aeolium - we could have had two more Test matches instead

Bloomin' pyjama cricket

[aeolium]

Watching the very entertaining highlights yesterday made me ponder on the sitter dropped by Anderson off de Villiers, who got another 35 runs and which led to SA getting a lead of over 300. Given the relatively small margin of the final victory this really was a critical miss (and why was Anderson at midwicket and Strauss at slip rather than the other way round - Strauss later dropped Rudolph there off a sharp chance?) That carelessness compared with SA's catching (blinder by Kallis) summed up the difference between the teams.

Oh well, onto the winter tour....

[gurnemanz]

Elgar is batting for the South Africans in the one-day match now but Strauss is not in the England team.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

et fils .... brilliant lunchtime chat on TMS today ... then Cook got out again ... careless that lad ....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

...well they did it in style eh ..Kieswetter wins with a six at Lords ... the stuff of boyhood dreams eh ...