The Official Cricket Thread

[Insane_Homer]

Same as me, left handed

Opening bowler left arm fast, right handed batter, no.11

[Kiwias]

I don’t agree allowing pace bowlers having to bat just before they are expected to pick up wickets, in a position like this, especially on a track like this one.

Do you agree with batsmen going straight from a long innings to field in the slips, when they must be pretty knackered as we saw with Mitchell?

[Thor Sedan]

So a draw yeah?

[Ymx]

It’s hard to see a different result unless England collapse.

Or our second innings capitulates.

[OomStruisbaai]

Iindia batting first in 2nd T20.

India: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.

South Africa: 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 David Miller, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Dwaine Pretorius, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi.

3/1

[Thor Sedan]

It’s hard to see a different result unless England collapse.

Or our second innings capitulates.

England bat through to Lunch or Tea tomorrow - try to run through Kiwis in 2 sessions to maybe have 2 or 3 sessions to chase down 180 - 200 ish? It's weird to suddenly think that maybe 550 isn't enough. Test cricket......!!

Who knows - at the moment it is a bit boring and slowly draining to a draw.

Although some of the strokes are a pleasure to watch.

[Rinkals]

India 50 for 2 after 7.

Wicket in the first over for Rabada, and then Nortje bounces Ishan out.

Maharaj gets Pant.

71 for 3 after ten.

Parnell bowls Hardik.

92 for 4 after 13.

Shreyas edges Pretorius behind.

109 for 5 after 16.

[FalseBayFC]

India 50 for 2 after 7.

Wicket in the first over for Rabada, and then Nortje bounces Ishan out.

Maharaj gets Pant.

71 for 3 after ten.

Parnell bowls Hardik.

92 for 4 after 13.

We seem to have the wood on the Indians a bit at the mo. Caned them in the ODIs and tests in Jan. I wasn't sure about the Parnell selection but he's doin well. I'd prefer they keep Maharaj for the tests. George Linde should be there instead. Also a slow left arm orthodox but younger and a much better batter.

[OomStruisbaai]

112/6 after 17.

[FalseBayFC]

Middle stump crusher from Nortje. Proteas have missed his express pace.

[Rinkals]

I suppose, if you score 118 and get it chased down with 5 balls to spare, there is pressure on to get a big score.

I think the toss was crucial.

[FalseBayFC]

Big 20th over from India. Proteas wilting a bit at the end. 30 runs off the last 12 balls.

[And 1 guest]

Bairstow doing his usual thing. Being shit till his place in the team is questioned, then he'll produce an innings. Rinse and repeat

[OomStruisbaai]

Proteas experiments struggle on this pitch.

[Hal Jordan]

Bairstow doing his usual thing. Being shit till his place in the team is questioned, then he'll produce an innings. Rinse and repeat

A.K.A Ben Youngs Syndrome.

[OomStruisbaai]

Klaasen taking India apart.

[FalseBayFC]

Klaasen taking India apart.

81 off 46 Great innings.

[Rinkals]

Klaasen taking India apart.

Klaasen falls on 81 trying to finish the game with a six.

[Rinkals]

Oh Christ.

2 runs to get in 2 overs and everyone is trying to hit sixes and getting themselve out.

Miller gets the runs with 10 balls to spare.

[OomStruisbaai]

Klaasen and Miller in great form. Both world class when they get it right.

2-0

[FalseBayFC]

Comfortable win in the end for England. What a madcap test! Certainly entertaining for the neutral. Quality innings from Root. A couple of purple patches and he may surpass Allister Cook and enter the top 5 highest test batters list. He would need another 2400 runs. Doable if he lasts until he's 35/36.

Yeah totally
At about ten tests a year and around 100 runs a test average, easy

Err... 10 tests is 20 innings. If he averages 24 over the next 5 years, if he played 20 innings a year, that's 480 runs a year, in 5 years he'd make... 2400 runs.

In reality, he usually plays a lot more than that.

2021: 1708 runs in 15 Tests / 29 innings @61
2020: 464 runs in 8 Tests / 13 innings @42.2 (COVID affected)
2019: 851 runs in 12 Tests / 23 innings @37
2018: 948 runs in 13 Tests / 24 innings @41.2
2017: 966 runs in 11 Tests / 19 innings @50.8
2016: 1477 runs in 17 Tests / 32 innings @49.2
2015: 1385 runs in 14 Tests / 26 innings @60.2
2014: 777 runs in 7 Tests / 11 innings @97
2013: 862 runs in 14 Tests / 27 innings @34.5

I think you may have not have realised how many matches these guys play. Take the COVID year out and Root averages over 13 Tests per year (over 25 innings) post-2014. He's already played 6 Tests this year and there's 2 more against NZ then 3 more to come against SA followed by 3 against Pakistan at the end of the year - and that's in a year that is dedicated to the T20 World Cup, meaning we've shortened the Test series we're playing.

If he plays on average 25 innings per year over the next 5 years, even if he just averages 30 in that time it's another 3750 runs. If he manages to average 45, it's 5625. If he averages 50 (a huge ask, obviously), that's 6250 - taking him beyond Tendulkar at the top of the tree. Shit, if he averages 40 for the rest of the year and plays every innings it's another 640 runs before we even hit 2023.

He's already played more innings at age 32 than Younis Khan managed in an 18 year career. If he plays this frequently for the next 5 years, he'll have played more matches and more innings than anyone else in world cricket.

Well there is another 163 closer to the target in one innings. I'm backing Root to end up as England's leading Test run scorer.

[Mahoney]

He's already played 6 Tests this year and there's 2 more against NZ then 3 more to come against SA followed by 3 against Pakistan at the end of the year

There's the single test against India in July too that they didn't fulfil last year.

[Kiwias]

Not very encouraging and even more reason to regret not picking Wagner for this test.

From Black Caps management

"Kyle Jamieson won't take the field on day four as he awaits an MRI scan to determine the extent of the injury to his lower left back. Jamieson experienced sharp pain while bowling in the final session of day three forcing him from the field."

[JM2K6]

Would be a real shame, he's great to watch.

[Big D]

2nd ball he faced in the day and Root played a reverse scoop off Southee for 6. Enjoying his cricket at the moment.

27 runs off first 3.2 overs today. England aren't hanging around.

[Kiwias]

Root definitely not hanging around any more. Taken at cover by Southee off Boult. A superb innings of 175 by Root

[Mahoney]

Hmm... not a lot to hang around with Foakes now

[Paddington Bear]

Get ahead, declare and see if both sides fancy a result.

[Big D]

Root definitely not hanging around any more. Taken at cover by Southee off Boult. A superb innings of 175 by Root

Nice bit of bowling by Boult.

[Paddington Bear]

Excellent catch

[Kiwias]

Great catch by Mitchell at slip and England 527 - 7

[Kiwias]

Root definitely not hanging around any more. Taken at cover by Southee off Boult. A superb innings of 175 by Root

Nice bit of bowling by Boult.

He still has it.

[Paddington Bear]

Potts has panicked there - had at least enough time to cross

[Kiwias]

YESSSSS

Foakes run out and England 527 - 8

[Kiwias]

Five-for by Boult. What an absolute pearler of a delivery to get Potts.

[Big D]

Unravelling a little for England, but this probably gives the best chance of a result.

[Kiwias]

A seriously impressive come-back by the BCs after the frenetic pace of scoring in the first five overs.

[Big D]

Potts has panicked there - had at least enough time to cross

Yeah, Foakes a bit too desperate to get Potts off the mark too.

[Mahoney]

Potts missed that by a loooong way, it went sideways late. Now has the joy of going and apologising to Foakes.

I'm not unhappy to see the ball swinging sharply.

[Kiwias]

As much as I hoped for something like this, it is still a genuine surprise that we take a lead into the 2nd innings given where England were before Root fell.