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Sven Roeder 7:29 Sat Dec 26
First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

8am UK start
Likely teams
England : Cook Hales Compton Root Taylor Stokes Bairstow Ali Broad Woakes Finn
S Africa : vanZyl Elgar Amla duPlessis deVilliers Bavuma Duminy Steyn Piedt Abbott Morkel

Westside 1:07 Thu Dec 31
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

None of Hadlee, Botham, Khan or Kapil Dev appeared overnight...

Exactly what Botham did. In his first full year and a bit of test cricket he played 14 matches, taking
76 wickets at under 20 and scored 3 centuries and had an average of 37.

Grumpster 12:49 Thu Dec 31
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Amazing, Head had about 50 runs with 51 needed and ends up with a ton.

Nothing missed the middle of the bat there, happy new year in Adelaide!!!

Sven Roeder 12:49 Thu Dec 31
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Travis Head .... unbelievable
101no

7 sixes in 14 balls to snatch the win in front of 47,000 at the Adelaide Oval for the Strikers v Sydney Sixers

Grumpster 12:47 Thu Dec 31
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Abbott is taking death bowling to a whole new level tonight.

His balls are more likely to kill people in the crowd with the way they're being dispatched there.

VirginiaHam 6:13 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

team boaty 3:41 Wed Dec 30

You don't stroll into a test side with the status of world class all rounder. It takes time to learn the game, your game and get comfortable playing with the best. I've been there.

No side has ever had 3 world class all rounders, and the last side that had one was SA, with JK.

If you don't like the idea of Stokes/Bairstow/Buttler/Ali please tell me who you'd pick, but with a transitional team as England are, I'd rather go with 14 players in 11 aside who are growing than a bunch of over the hill cricketers.

You'll get inconsistency because they are new to test cricket but you'll also get decent performances too, as we did in this test from Bairstow and Ali.

None of Hadlee, Botham, Khan or Kapil Dev appeared overnight....

Sven Roeder 5:16 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

So Stokes batting average is less than 1 run ahead of Starc's?
Thats a bit poor isn't it from the Albino Kiwi.
He really should be performing better with the batting talent he has.

If he ever gets a bat this summer Mitchell Marsh will continue to improve after his superb bowling effort yesterday.

Dr Matt 5:06 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Ignoring the greatest of all time in Kallis.....

Who is the last Test class all rounder then?

Shakib al Hasan?

Would he get in the top 6 of the top 4 or 5 Test teams? Not a chance.

Since 2010, the Top 10 highest batting averages of players who have taken 30+ Test wickets is as follows....

Kallis @ 58.54
Shakib @ 44.85 (Only 3 Tests outside of Asia or Zimbabwe since 2010!)
Hafeez @ 43.11 (Banned from bowling!)
Samuels @ 38.10 (Banned from bowling!)
Watson @ 33.63 (Utter cripple who hasn't bowled properly since 2007)
Ashwin @ 31.68 (Only 9 Tests outside of Asia since 2010!)
Duminy @ 30.60 (Doesn't even bowl any more!)
Stokes @ 27.72
Bresnan @ 26.95
Starc @ 26.92

Kallis and Watson are now retired, 2 are banned from bowling and 1 doesn't bowl properly any more.

That only puts Shakib and Ashwin ahead of Stokes - both of whom thrive in Asia/Zimbabwe and nowhere else.

And Stokes isn't even the 2nd best all-rounder in the England team!

Westside 4:26 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

"3 all rounders, Stokes, Bairstow and Ali. Most sides struggle to find one all rounder never mind three, and all have made major contributions in this test."

To be considered a test class all rounder, you need to be able to be picked for both of your two disciplines, in their own right. For example, if Stokes couldn't bowl, but was fit enough to just bat, would you pick him? Unlikely. Would you pick Bairstow if he was unable to keep? Possibly. Been tried before as a specialist batsman and failed miserably. Ali is the closest to an all rounder.

Yes they've made contributions, but don't consider them all rounders. Stoke's contribution was 20 odd runs in two innings and one wicket. Hardly major.

Grumpster 3:49 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

I think Taylor is going to prove himself very nicely indeed.

Could be another good period for England if Bairstow learns how to keep wicket.

Joey Woodwork 3:47 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Stokes and Ali have both won matches for England, their records are not great at the moment, but they have both made massive contributions. Once it all clicks with Stokes he will be World Class.

Not sure on Bairstow just yet, but he has looked good in patches,

All 3 of early on in their careers.

team boaty 3:41 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

VirginiaHam 3:27 Wed Dec 30

Because they are average all rounders on the world stage with average records

Players that average 26 with the bat and 38 with the ball rarely are able to win you a test match but are very effective in limited overs

World class Test Cricketers are able to win games by scoring massive hundreds or by getting 10 wickets in a match. Cook, Root, Anderson & Broad fall into that category, maybe even Finn if the conditions are right. Nobody else though

Grumpster 3:32 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

I think Woakes is absolute shit personally and needs to improve massively.

7 wickets in 9 innings is terrible, especially as 4 of them were in one innings.

Early days I know.

VirginiaHam 3:27 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

I'm not sure who the bits and pieces cricketers are? Here's what I see.

5 front line batsmen, two (Cook, Root) of whom have played a lot at test level and are proven. Compton and Taylor look good, Hales may or may not come off.

3 all rounders, Stokes, Bairstow and Ali. Most sides struggle to find one all rounder never mind three, and all have made major contributions in this test.

3 quicks, Broad, Finn and Woakes/Anderson. Woakes has taken wickets at test level, nuff said about Broad and Finn.

The key to this side is the 3 all rounders, because you get 6 cricketers. We are playing with 14, not 11.

If I was fielding I'd hate to see Broad (top score 169) coming in at 10.

Westside 3:21 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Unusual for a team to win a test match, without any player scoring a century, or taking 5 wickets in an innings. South African players did both and lost.

As Boaty says, a bit too many bits and pieces players, be surprised if somebody other than Cook and Root score a century for England, in the series.

team boaty 3:13 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Great point by Athers at the top of the show on how England NEVER get the credit when its due. The headlines will inevitably again be about how average SA were in this test match

Still a few too many bits and pieces cricketers in there for my liking (stokes at 6, ali averaging 39 bowling 25 overs a day, bairstow with the gloves on) but plenty of positives to come from this test including the re emergence of Compton, Taylor`s continued good form and even Woakes showing he is not out of his depth filling in for the 2nd best test match bowler out there

Anderson in for Woakes for Cape Town, SA will have the dangerous Rabada in for Steyn while De Kock will replace Bavuma at 7 and relieve De Villiers of the gloves

Sven Roeder 12:54 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Masterclass by the Perth Scorchers
Melbourne Renegades 170/4 20 overs
Perth Scorchers 171/0 18.4

Shaun MARSH 76no off 54
Michael KLINGER 90no off 58

Sven Roeder 11:41 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

They may feel that after injury they might not be sure about playing Finn in the next Test straight away starting on Saturday.
He has only bowled 30 overs in the match so you'd think he should be ok.

Sven Roeder 11:37 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Amusing that Graeme SMITH has decided he can play Test cricket again 5 mins after Mitchell JOHNSON retires.
Broke his hand twice and made him realised he was finished after the last Australian series win in SA.

Eerie Descent 11:37 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

It will be now, Zeb, but as I say, according to Mikey HOLDING, the talk from the England camp was it was going to be Anderson replacing Finn, obviously they can't do that now, but it's worrying how they don't seem to fancy the bowler with the 8th best strike rate of any Test bowler in the history of the game.

zebthecat 11:32 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Eerie Descent 11:08 Wed Dec 30

If Anderson is fit it will be Woakes who makes way.

Eerie Descent 11:29 Wed Dec 30
Re: First Test : South Africa v England at Durban

STRAUSS is a very impressive man, fantastic captain, and I thought he was absolutely spot on with the Pietersen situation. Things are definitely looking up, once an opener really stands up (hopefully Hales can do it) and I still want a proper spinner, we look in a promising state. I think Taylor will eventually be number 3, but a couple of years of Compton there first I'd expect.

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