2 minute readCricket loves to rank things. You’d think the whole point of a cricket match was to determine which of two teams was the better, but apparently that’s not enough. Cricket also wants to know how the teams involved compare to all other current sides and how each of the players
Continue readingCategory: South Africa
Stephen Cook takes care of the present
< 1 minute readThere was a classic Bob Willis moment during the third Test when Charles Colvile asked the lugubrious pundit about South Africa’s then opening batsman. “Well you know my opinion on Stiaan Van Zyl, Charles,” responded Bob – because having repeatedly voiced that opinion throughout the series, he no longer needed
Continue readingFaf du Plessis at Lancashire – a window into South Africa’s present?
3 minute readIt’s almost two years since Graeme Smith played his last Test. More than that since Jacques Kallis retired. Their departures left Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers as South Africa’s senior batsman and all this time later, Amla and de Villiers remain the senior batsmen. Things haven’t moved on. Two
Continue readingWhen South Africa were Stued
2 minute readBack in August, Stuart Broad tore Australia a new one. But that was last year. How many new ones had he torn in 2016? Not a single one. Disgraceful. He doubtless wanted to address this grave situation in South Africa’s first innings, but was apparently struck down by the wild
Continue readingAB de Villiers wants a cake-eating window
2 minute readAB de Villiers wants to retain The Cake of International Cricket and also eat The Lucrative Cake of T20 Franchise Cricket. It doesn’t sound so ludicrous an ambition until you examine the bizarre cake-for-cake barter system that is currently in operation. Under current law, The Lucrative Cake of T20 Franchise
Continue readingIs AB de Villiers captaincy material?
< 1 minute readWe were going to do a half-arsed box-ticking update today, pointing you towards Cricket Badger and our latest Cricinfo Twitter round-up, but the latter seems in no hurry to appear, so we thought we’d better write summat. Let’s talk about AB de Villiers, who despite being a vehement letter-C denier
Continue readingWhy a declaration from both teams is rarely a good sign
2 minute readTo have one team declaring indicates dominance. To have two teams declaring generally indicates a poor pitch. Catching the ball helps of course – unless you’re playing a Shane Watson XI and therefore have no need of such frivolities. With nothing to bat for beyond a draw, England did at
Continue readingThey’re playing Hashim Amla’s song
< 1 minute readDuring Sunday’s play, the England and South Africa supporters did a duet, trading verses of their respective Moeen Ali/Hashim Amla songs which both employ the tune of No Limits by 2 Unlimited. It was really rather entertaining – although they persisted for so long that we can still hear it
Continue readingSouth Africa scrabble for paper
2 minute readSouth Africa are currently undergoing vivisection. Their press and fans are twanging stretchy bits and gouging their fingers into squishy bits trying to work out what’s caused a death that has yet to take place. An obvious issue is that they’re currently missing half their first-choice bowling attack and having
Continue readingDean Elgar’s pretty South African isn’t he?
< 1 minute readWith his South African face and his steady South African batting. He also bowls left-arm orthodox in a way that indicates he might believe Roelof Van Der Merwe to be the finest ever exponent of the art. Dean carried his bat today. Well played Dean. We should probably have more
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