And now the grown ups cricket starts and it's about time after one of the most bizarre one day series I can remember.

England are talking about going in with a 4 man attack and putting Bell in at 6 to take care of the tail and it's a role he has done well at in the past. I think his average is higher at 6 than at 3.
Hopefully they will put Trott in at 3 and leave KP at 4 and Colly at 5.

I think we can nick this series but it is going to be tough.

Well it's not quite a megathread yet. Looks like SA will level the series in the 3rd test. New ball due first thing tomorrow morning so it could change, but I can't see us bowling SA out. I reckon they'll declare at around tea tomorrow with a lead of about 500 ahead and back themselves to take 10 wickets in the final 4 sessions.

Anybody else think sky's so called "highlights" are interminable? I know they've got a schedule to fill, but surely it would be better to repeat a shorter programme a few times a night than the current 2 hour purgatory. O for someone else to provide a snappy 45-60 minutes highlights programme for overseas tests. Five do it brilliantly for the home tests.

Anybody else think sky's so called "highlights" are interminable? I know they've got a schedule to fill, but surely it would be better to repeat a shorter programme a few times a night than the current 2 hour purgatory. O for someone else to provide a snappy 45-60 minutes highlights programme for overseas tests. Five do it brilliantly for the home tests.Broadly agree with this, but the way they do it now made Gower's advert for the highlights package much funnier than for your method:

"If you like watching Graeme Smith bat, you won't want to miss the highlights of todays play..."

Broadly agree with this, but the way they do it now made Gower's advert for the highlights package much funnier than for your method:

"If you like watching Graeme Smith bat, you won't want to miss the highlights of todays play..."

Ha Ha Ha. :hihi:

Strauss gone, up to KP now

Strauss gone, up to KP now

So, in effect, we've lost two wickets.:hihi:

Deeply disappointing to be three down at stumps. One I could live with. Two was moving into dangerous territory, but three is staring a defeat in the face.

We simply don't have two or three 'stoppers' down the order. I'm sure many can remember the famous rearguard action in Johannesburg in 1995 when Russell scored his 29 in 235 deliveries (3 fours) to stave off certain defeat*. Can you honestly see Prior, Bell or Broad being able to do that?

Granted, that was an extreme example, but it's a very similar situation to the one we're in now. Here's the Wanderers scorecard (http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Matches/MatchScorecard.asp?MatchCode=1326) for comparison. To add, England were 167/4 at the end of the fourth day's play in 1995, chasing an improbable 479.

It's going to take something special to save this, and I bloody hope we find it.

*This might seem like kicking a puppy, but I recall some recommending that Ramps be brought back in the not too distant past. Take a look at his batting figures in that 1995 test ...... typical of Ramps, which was a real shame.

Granted, that was an extreme example, but it's a very similar situation to the one we're in now. Here's the Wanderers scorecard (http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Matches/MatchScorecard.asp?MatchCode=1326) for comparison. To add, England were 167/4 at the end of the fourth day's play in 1995, chasing an improbable 479.That card is actually full of player-typifying innings and figures, in addition to poor old Ramps. The best one is Andrew Hudson's 27-ball first innings duck, although mentions deserved to Clive Eksteen's 52 wicketless second innings overs, Robin Smith getting in and getting out twice, Graeme Hick's two failures under pressure and, of course, the heroics of Atherton and Russell.

I'm not really believing this as I write (I think we'll lose), but England have recent pedigree saving test matches. Anderson can draw on his Cardiff experience, and Colly has the first test of this series to inspire him. Ian Bell, well less said about him the better.

I reckon Anderson's the man. If he can hang around for a while tomorrow morning, that'll get up the noses of the bowlers. One thing's for certain, it'll be a fascinating day's cricket. Oh to be snowed in tomorrow!

I think you're truly deluded unfortunately. My only thinking for having a nightwatchman is that Collingwood's hand wasn't right to bat.

That effectively means that he can't bat. Given that, I'd rather have put him in, than allow a wicket to fall. I can't see Anderson hanging about. This was a time for the batsmen to stay, and once again it may be a poor decision from Strauss.

My book is more than fair, which is 1/3F South Africa, 7/4 Draw, name your price on England.

At those odds, I'd wallop the Boks for a win.

Collingwood and bell are doing well. Its just a shame people like Strauss and pieterson didnt show the level of application needed to save us from a defeat in this match. The South Africans made batting look so easy yesterday

I'm not really believing this as I write (I think we'll lose), but England have recent pedigree saving test matches. Anderson can draw on his Cardiff experience, and Colly has the first test of this series to inspire him. Ian Bell, well less said about him the better.

I reckon Anderson's the man. If he can hang around for a while tomorrow morning, that'll get up the noses of the bowlers. One thing's for certain, it'll be a fascinating day's cricket. Oh to be snowed in tomorrow!

he got 140 in the last test and hes still there now, if he saves england today then are you still going to critise him?

Well, I'm being well and truly proved wrong here, aren't I :hihi:

Well, I'm being well and truly proved wrong here, aren't I :hihi:

It was entirely predictable that Bell would get runs when the pressure was off:hihi:

If test matches are going to be played on these dead surfaces, I think that it is time that ball tampering was allowed. Either that, or ban the heavy roller.

Oh well, looks like this is going to be a case of so close, but so so far. :(

tense stuff!!!

well south africa need one more wicket now. why did bell get out to a ball he could have so easily left alone

And breathe! :)

Just the sort of stuff you don't get in 20/20.

very good innings by bell and collingwood, england cant lose the series now. comon england, maybe we'll see another 'where did that come from' performance in the next test.

And so Collingwood became Russell ...... skin of teeth stuff, but who cares? The match is saved.

he got 140 in the last test and hes still there now, if he saves england today then are you still going to critise him?

So glad that Ian Ronald Bell proved me wrong. It must have been my criticism that inspired such a performance! Once Colly and Bell had made it past tea, I thought we were safe. Even when the wickets started to fall, I never stopped believing. Bloody hell though, they are certainly making test cricket exciting. What's 20 20?

the ashes and now this test series have been great...got to be on terrestrial tv

the ashes and now this test series have been great...got to be on terrestrial tv

Agree it would be great if home tests were on terrestial. I don't remember away series ever being on telly before Sky. I wouldn't have had the chance to watch much of the latest test anyway as I was at work everyday except Sunday.

I was bemoaning earlier the lack of a decent highlights package. I imagine it's too late to sort anything out for the final test of this series. Hopefully they'll get something sorted for the Ashes next winter.

The away series were never on BBC, you're right. I'm absolutely amazed that there isn't a terrestrial highlights package for this series.

Sky have transformed Cricket coverage. From the extensive televising of overseas games, to the critical coverage of games. I'm still not comfy with the notion of players questionning umpiring decisions, but I do think that the technology brought by TV coverage has much to offer the game. It just has to be channeled in the correct way.

Terrestrial coverage has gone. The pay TV audience is too lucrative for it ever to return. Highlights of the Ashes are the best that the BBC or C4 can hope for.

Pay TV now owns the game in much the same way that it controls the Premier League. That is not necessarily a bad thing, check out ESPN Classic to remind yourself of the way that we used to see cricket on the TV.

Nothing beats being there though:)

It's an interesting take sibon, and I finally took the Austramerkin's shilling last year, after holding out for years ......

But.

Are the highlights so lucrative? Can they really not be shown on terrestrial tv? Actually, take away the gadgets like snicko, hotspot, hawkeye and the like, and there's little difference in coverage, live or no.

The only (albeit massive) difference, as far as Test cricket is concerned, is that we can see away series. As much as I hate to admit it, they do provide good coverage, but I just think that the highlights should be on terrestrial TV, or more to the point, 'free-to-air' TV.

It's the reason why The Venerable Benaud has nothing to do with the Sky set up. He'll only work with a broadcaster who provides a free-to-air service in the first instance.

last test only need a draw to win series-180 all out
another batting masterclass by strauss-not
luckily rain has stopped play on south africa 16 for 0

They knew it was a wicket taking pitch but chose to bat-don't they ever listen to Sir Geoffrey?:nono:

The man with the mane; the man with the mane;
How the eFF does he get a game !!!!!

Can't comprhend why Onions was left out.
What has he done wrong!

I bless the rains down in Aaaaaaaafricaaaaaaa .......

They knew it was a wicket taking pitch but chose to bat-don't they ever listen to Sir Geoffrey?:nono:

If Boyks was advocating that they choose to bowl, he must have been hit on the head pretty hard!

He was always a leading advocate of W.G.Grace's theory:

If you win the toss, bat.
If you're not sure, think it over a while, then bat.
If you really don't fancy the wicket, consult a colleague or two - then bat.

england are such a hit and miss team, bowling superb today so far. heres hoping england either skittle them out or make them bat all day, or lets do another rain dance even :D snatch a 1-0 victory in this series now that would be a phenominal effort

The man with the mane; the man with the mane;
How the eFF does he get a game !!!!!

Can't comprhend why Onions was left out.
What has he done wrong!

Isnt he injured?