The Official Cricket Thread

[Insane_Homer]

Not a single boundary in the last four overs.

Another solid good start flushed down the shitter.

[Rinkals]

Almost a carbon copy of yesterday.

Lewis opens his account with a 6 off George Linde, just as he did yesterday.

[Rinkals]

Ngidi from the other end.

Not doing well. Starts off with a no ball, follows it with a wide and then Lewis loses patience and smashes him back over his head.

[Rinkals]

West Indies commentator saying that Lewis loves Ngidi's bowling so much he's turning down single to get the opportunity of smashing him for six.

Rabada takes the third over.

Fletcher smashes him back over his head for six.

Reeza Hendricks puts down a sharp catch at point.

[Rinkals]

Nortje takes the fourth. Finds the edge of Lewis' bat for a four to third man. (or, as the WI commentators say, deliberately guided for four. Not too sure about that).

Doesn't matter because Lewis tries to dump him into the back row of the stands and he's castled.

One down.

[Rinkals]

Rabada gets Gayle.

Two down.

[Rinkals]

Shit.

Nortje injures himself saving one run.

[Rinkals]

Pooran skies Linde and Miller takes the catch.

Three down.

[Rinkals]

Pollard, tired of being tied down, smashes Shamsi but only as far as Hendricks who dive forward to take the catch,

Four down.

[Rinkals]

'Dre Russ' tries to smash Linde out of the park.

Klaasen takes the catch on the boundary.

Five down.

[FalseBayFC]

Good spell from the Proteas.

[Rinkals]

Linde bowled out. 19 for two.

Nortje back into the attack.

[OomStruisbaai]

Dis mos beter.

[OomStruisbaai]

Great spell by Shamsi. We should play 2 spinners in T20 against them.

[Rinkals]

Fetcher lofts Rabada to the midwicket boundary where Kl assen makes the catch.

Six down.

[Rinkals]

Bavuma races after the drive from Holder, Nortje breaks the stumps. Holder departs.

Seven down.

[OomStruisbaai]

Great pick up and throw from our captain. 7 down

[Rinkals]

Windies need 36 off the last over.

Doable...

[Rinkals]

Christ.

Ngidi gets 2 sixes off the first two balls.

[Rinkals]

Fuck.

All Ngidi had to do was bowl it straight and he bowls a wide.

[Rinkals]

Ngidi finally gets Allen.

Nine down.

One ball left.

[Rinkals]

George Linde gets man of the Match.

Says Shamsi should have got it.

As I said yesterday, I would normally back our bowlers to defend sub-par totals.

[OomStruisbaai]

Nigdi had me worried in that last two overs. His length balls went for six, full tosses 1. Sad thing about T20.

[handyman]

Nigdi had me worried in that last two overs. His length balls went for six, full tosses 1. Sad thing about T20.

Ngidi is a worry, he puts in fine performances every now and again, but too often he's way too easy to put away.

[handyman]

Wonderful performance by our spinners, Shamsi on the mark and Linde is such an underrated player. Great work by these 2 in pulling back the Windies.

[Rinkals]

Nigdi had me worried in that last two overs. His length balls went for six, full tosses 1. Sad thing about T20.

Yes.

After he bowled his third ball, which was a dot, it should have been impossible for the Windies to get the runs required barring a wide or a no-ball. Ngidi should have been concentrating on bowing a ball which was neither of those things, even a gentle half-volley in the slot for six would have been acceptable. Trying to get fancy and bowling a wide yorker dot ball risked getting wided and making it possible for Allen to hit the winning runs. Fortunately the fifth ball was better directed and hit Allen's back pad a few inches in front of middle, but that last over was a lot more fraught than it needed to be.

[Insane_Homer]

[Insane_Homer]

Eng after Bairstows departure, now opting for plan B to get all out, before the footy kicks off.

[OomStruisbaai]

Third T20 tonight will be interesting.

[handyman]

Why no Markram?

It's a different format.

T20 cricket is played over 20 overs with a white ball.

Well, it seems Markram plays T20 cricket after all.

[OomStruisbaai]

He and de Kock is going great guns at the moment.

[OomStruisbaai]

Batting struggling again.

[Rinkals]

Why no Markram?

It's a different format.

T20 cricket is played over 20 overs with a white ball.

Well, it seems Markram plays T20 cricket after all.

Not very well, though.

I must say that I'm surprised that they picked him ahead of Mulder for this game.

I also think Williams would have been better to give the lower order a bit of muscle and add another bowling option.

However, it is T20, so it's all a bit of a crap shoot.

Markram is a class batsman, but I think he's better suited to the red ball game where there is a lot less pressure to get on with it.

[Rinkals]

Markram going for 12 rpo.

Ngidi back and opens with a monster wide down leg which de Kock does well to stop diving at full stretch.

Holder goes to smack Ngidi out of the park next ball but skies it. Markram takes the catch.

Hetmeyer to the crease.

[Rinkals]

Umpire very harsh on that wide.

Hetmeyer steps to off and swings and misses. Ball bounces over the middle stump but Umpire deems it as a leg side wide.

[Rinkals]

Hetmeyer looking to put Shamsi into the long off stands but slices to backward point.

4 down.

[Rinkals]

Pollard dances down the track and is beaten for pace as Rabada flattens leg stump.

5 down.

[Rinkals]

Shamsi finishes on 2 for 13.

[OomStruisbaai]

Shamsi finishes on 2 for 13.

He bowled well. I like.

[Rinkals]

West Indies commentator says that Temba Bavuma has dropped the match.

Very difficult chance, though.