< 1 minute read Opening partnerships are the most boring kinds of batting partnership – especially if it’s the first innings. There’s no context to the innings and you’re removing any doubt about the rest of the game. Let’s face it, after 415 runs without a wicket, it’s either going to be a South
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Shahadat Hossain skittles South Africa
< 1 minute read This would have been a much better update if we’d actually written it yesterday, like we meant to. Now everything’s rather tainted by an impending South African victory. In the first Test between Bangladesh and South Africa, Shahadat Hossain took 6-27 as South Africa were bowled out for 170. Those
Continue readingShaun Pollock isn’t playing international cricket any more
< 1 minute read “I realise I have been blessed by God and feel I have nurtured my talents to the best of my abilities.” No, actually what happened was that you were ‘blessed by God’ and then you threw that blessing back in His face, pausing only to give him a prolonged hand
Continue readingTwenty20 wicketkeeping
2 minute read Do you want the better batsman or the better wicketkeeper behind the stumps for your team? That argument’s been represented by any number of individual duels over the years. Recently though, we think you’ll all agree that the better batsman’s been winning out, in general. Blame Adam Gilchrist. He’s a
Continue readingDale Steyn spoils things in a pleasing way
2 minute read Despite Shiv’s bat and Dwayne Bravo’s best efforts with the ball, South Africa look like getting a first innings lead. This is a shame because while the Windies might continue to put up a fight while ahead, you feel that they’re liable to crumble if they fall behind. You never
Continue readingHerschelle Gibbs: crap and dropped
< 1 minute read Now we have to admit that we don’t pay the closest attention to South African fortunes when they’re not playing England. Their Tests always seem to clash with crucial fixtures for Bangladesh A. Nevertheless, we were a little bit surprised when Herschelle Gibbs was dropped today. Pretty much the last
Continue readingDid Graeme Smith try to be clever?
< 1 minute read South Africa are currently ranked second-best in the world. The West Indies are ranked second-worst. The Windies had also come into this Test on the back of defeat to South Africa A, so when Graeme Smith won the toss, he put his opponents in to bat. This didn’t turn out
Continue readingThe Chris Gayle era
< 1 minute read The West Indies won a Test – and they were away. The West Indian batting is still woefully fragile. Their fielding, while far-improved in this match, will surely take a good while longer to repair from what we’ve seen in the past – progress can only ever be so fast.
Continue readingWindies’ early work keeps them on top
< 1 minute read If there’s one cricketing nation that’s quite reliable, other than Australia, it’s South Africa – particularly at home. If there’s one cricketing nation which is quite unreliable, it’s currently the West Indies – particularly away from home. So how did the Windies rack up 400 and then dispatch South Africa
Continue readingIt’s Shiv and he’s scoring a hundred
< 1 minute read We haven’t seen it, but we bet it was beautiful. We could watch him play those lithe, supple shots all day. He doesn’t look at all like the chimney sweeps in Mary Poppins when he’s at the crease. He doesn’t rock from side-to-side like a dancing cockney when he ambles
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