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« Previous EntriesSouth Africa unearth the new Jonty
By Will 2 months ago, 2 Comments »
Congratulations to India who beat South Africa to raise the Under-19 World Cup trophy today. Tanmay Srivastava top-scored with 46 in India’s 159 and there were two wickets each for Siddarth Kaul, Ajitesh Argal and Ravindra Jadeja. South Africa fell short by 12 runs.
But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the day was the unearthing of a South African fielder, Sybrand Engelbrecht, who is already drawing comparisons with Jonty Rhodes. My colleague, George Binoy, has a piece on him:
Engelbrecht was the most visible player on the field in the final against India. Fielding at point during the initial overs, he walked in with purpose as the bowler ran in, made quick ground to dive to his left or right, rushed to back up throws from fielders and egged his team-mates on vocally. He moved from point to cover or midwicket when the spinners came on to bowl, always coveting the position where the ball went often. When Manish Pandey drove Mohammad Vallie twice to cover, Engelbrecht, at midwicket, indicated that he wanted to change positions. Towards the final overs, South Africa had him at long-on for that’s where the batsmen were hitting the ball most frequently.
I’ve always found electric, mouth droppingly brilliant fielding is cricket’s most appealing aspect to the ignoramuses among us. You can take a cricket heathen to a match and watch Michael Vaughan cover drive, causing you and fellow tragics near-orgasmic gasps of wonder. But your non-cricket-fan friend won’t be any the wiser; for all they care, the ball has moved from bowler, to batsman, to the boundary. Good fielding - a swoop on the boundary; a one-handed pluck at slip; a desperate, brilliant save at point - is appreciated by everyone.
So look out for Engelbrecht - a name which sounds rather like a German trying to say “angel breath”.
2 Comments »Bollocks to the side strain: give me the ball
By Will 4 months ago, 1 Comment »
South Africa won the first one-dayer against West Indies by six wickets today in Centurion. You can tell by that sentence how excited I was by the game, but the dullness was enlivened dramatically by the most stunning of caught-and-bowleds from Dwayne Bravo. He has a side strain and was not, by his own admission, expected to bowl for another two weeks. But balls to that, he thought, and on he trundled.
He found one to bounce on Justin Ontong who was squared up, fending it up in the air about a metre from his crease. Somehow, Bravo sprinted down the pitch, dived, clung on with both hands with the ball just a few inches off the turf. A brilliant piece of fielding, of spirit in adversity, of courage - and of captaincy.
Photo by Neil Lane Cricinfo Ltd ©
Marlon Samuels loses his head
By Will 4 months ago, 2 Comments »
Is Marlon Samuels finally growing up? I’m not so sure. It was a wonderful innings, his hundred against South Africa today, but all too often he nibbles and pokes at those decent deliveries outside his off stump. I admired his determination, and his coolness under raging pressure from Dale Steyn. The ball he fell to was spectacular, and I can’t remember seeing a better one. It was one for the memories.
Anyway, we have a photographer at the ground, Neil Lane, who’s been providing us with some excellent (and occasioanlly lewd) shots, including this one of Samuels ducking. Where’s his head gone?
The standard of photography from the agencies - Getty Images use Gallo Sports, Touchline and AFP - has been generally weak for the entire series. Neil’s, on the other hand, are crisp and inventive.
Bravo to them all
By Will last year, at the end of December, 2 Comments »
I’d added Sky Sports last night in preparation for a mammoth day in front of the box with a bottle of anything, watching what I hoped would be an historic win for West Indies, only to realise I had family duties in Dorset of all places. Not a chore, but still - no mobile reception and no way of following the cricket.
So I was relieved to see West Indies have beaten South Africa so comprehensively - bloody brilliant news and a fine achievement. Excluding their wins over Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, today’s win was their first victory overseas since beating England in 2000 at Edgbaston (remember that bitch of a pitch?). Looking back to that game, the Almanack says:
West Indies, having failed to win a Test outside the Caribbean since February 1997 - since when they had suffered ten consecutive overseas defeats - won this opening match by an innings inside three days, just as they had on their previous visit here in 1995. It was the 1,500th Test to be played.
All of this puts into perspective just how massive today’s feat is, and also what an impact Chris Gayle has on that motley bunch. South Africa played poorly (from what little I saw and read) - particularly batting in their first innings - but West Indies outplayed them in most sessions. We’ve seen them win occasional sessions, even whole days, but never consistently.
Today is a triumph; roll on the second Test. Oh, and this was Dwayne Bravo’s first win in 24 Tests…
2 Comments »Collapsing in style
By Will last year, at the end of December, No Comments; be the first!
The collapse is rather like witnessing a pile-up on a motorway. You know you shouldn’t look - but the macabre is always a fascinating sight, if ugly and uncomfortable. The gruesome can be stylish, too, and the West Indies are true champions of collapsing in style. Pottering along at 122 for 2, they buckled to 146 for 8. Now that is true class.
They lead by 359, and Patrick reckons they will still win with two days to go. Hmm…
No Comments »West Indies on top
By Will last year, at the end of December, 2 Comments »
I got a call from a West Indian mate this afternoon, Del, who was definitely full of post-Christmas cheer. It was he, in a roundabout sort of way, who told me about the day West Indies were having, and it’s really a bit special. 408 all out in their first innings (first time they’ve batted first and scored more than 400 since June 2006), followed by five quick South Africa wickets - three by Daren Powell who I met last summer. Impressive character - a very sharp wit and intelligent with it. Neither of those traits makes a good fast bowler - I think it’s Nasser Hussain who says all fast bowlers are stupid - but most successful quicks have had shrewd minds.
Anyway, a cracking day and I still haven’t seen any of it. If anyone’s got a video, shout with the link.
2 Comments »Christmas cricket
By Will last year, at the end of December, 8 Comments »
Now that England’s misery has been put on hold until the New Zealand series in 2008, attention turns to the southern hemisphere. It’s probably the first Christmas for 10 years that I’ve not had Sky to watch Boxing Day Tests, so I was a bit peeved when I woke up this morning to see what a good day India had enjoyed against Australia at Melbourne. Peter English:
Groups of Australians spent the afternoon wondering whether they were being unpatriotic for smiling when India started running through the home team. For the first session those local supporters who demand nothing but dominance by Ricky Ponting’s men were satisfied with the direction of the game. Their disgruntlement when it changed in the second session was offset by the joy felt - and heard - at the ground by cricket supporters who are desperate to see Australia challenged. After the first day there is hope this series might be the fair fight fans have been craving since the 2005 Ashes.
It promises to be a cracking series between the best two sides in the world. Whether it will match or better the 2005 Ashes is impossible to predict (and unlikely, I’d imagine) but any team who can challenge Australia gets my vote of confidence. Even if it is India…
Several thousand miles away in Port Elizabeth, West Indies have raced to 190 for 3 on the first day against South Africa, with Chris Gayle launching a terrific 66 from just 49 balls. Have a read of his innings - he took Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn apart. Brilliant stuff and I can’t wait to see the video.
8 Comments »South Africa slump to 18 for 6
By Will last year, mid-December, 1 Comment »
I’d assumed South Africa’s Twenty20 against West Indies was going to be rained off, but they’ve mopped things up and the home side are tottering, like a drunken pensioner, on 18 for 6. Note: that’s South Africa, not West Indies. What a laugh Twenty20 is. Can West Indies f*** it up from here? Here’s the scorecard for those with nerves of steel.
The lowest ever score in a Twenty20 is Titans’ 47 against the Eagles in 2004. Kenya hold the embarrassment of the most meagre in internationals with 73…which looks a horribly long way off for South Africa.
1 Comment »Football nil, cricket…one?
By Will last year, at the end of November, No Comments; be the first!
Oh, any excuse to belittle football - my least favourite sport. I’d rather watch curling, or darts - or both at the same time (now there’s an idea; darts on ice skates).
Anyway, England have lost, Steve McLaren has stolen his £2.5m (”wally with the lolly”) and everyone’s wondering what the hell’s going on. But spare a thought for the journalists and managing editors whose 2008 summer now looks a little bleak. Peter Preston:
But - for newspapers especially - there is a countervailing point. Football writers are dead keen. Sports editors are dead keen. Marketing departments are keen, because young, affluent lads are also prime reader targets. (Watch literally thousands of entries slamming the departed big drip flood on to the Guardian’s blog comment site). Yet does the experience of football championships past quite justify all the hype and expense? That’s a much more difficult call.
So with our national football side knocked off the radar next summer, let’s hope that English cricket can gain the high ground. We’ll have three Tests against New Zealand followed by four against South Africa, so there’s no better time to showcase England’s true summer sport.
We need a bowling attack first, though…
No Comments »Harmison and Plunkett go head-to-head
By Will last year, mid-November, No Comments; be the first!
Cricket’s such an incestuous sport really, isn’t it? Steve Harmison is playing for the Lions in South Africa thanks to Dale Benkenstein’s connection (his team-mate at Durham). And today Harmison faces off against his other colleague, Liam Plunkett, who’s swimming with the Dolphins. Plunkett whacked 45 but neither bowler has really shone so far. Scorecard here.
No Comments »Mark Gillespie the flanker
By Will last year, mid-November, 1 Comment »
Mark Gillespie, the New Zealand fast bowler, made his debut yesterday and had his first bowl today. He did pretty well, too, until Jacques Kallis went berserk (what a knock that was). Much quicker than he appears - and he is built like an All Black. Massive bloke who wouldn’t look out of place with a No.8 on his back No.6 or No.7 on his back.
We’re seeing a new, brilliant side to Kallis. I’ve never been his biggest fan but the last two innings (186 at Johannesburg, 131 today at Centurion) have been dazzling. Today was the Kallis of 10 years ago; technically perfect but flamboyant and cavalier. The bowling was embarrassingly meagre, but 12 months ago I doubt Kallis would have attacked with such verve. A top knock.
1 Comment »The wilting New Zealanders
By Will last year, mid-November, 5 Comments »
What a tour New Zealand are having. Hammered in the first Test, after which their changing room resembled a hospital waiting room. And now today, when they plummeted from 84 for 1 to 187 for 8 and, in the process, have almost certainly lost Craig Cumming (right: Dale Steyn broke his cheekbone) for the remainder of the match.
The pitch was a beast, the fast bowling even beastlier. When Daniel Vettori won the toss and chose to bat, it reminded me of Mike Atherton’s tenure when winning the toss mattered so little. Either England were rolled over in a couple of sessions, or their bowlers would concede 350 in a day for a couple of strangled wickets. They were hopeless and hapless, much as New Zealand now are.
But here’s a stat: in the past two years, New Zealand have played eight Tests. Eight. South Africa on the other hand have notched 19. What on earth is going on? Are New Zealand a Test-playing nation or not? The very fact they can field an international side is remarkable enough, given that they such a tiny pool of players to choose from. But if they don’t play Tests, how can they expect to compete? The only man to cope with Steyn’s pace, and the pitch’s vagaries, was Stephen Fleming who has strode out 105 times for his country.
It’s a shame for New Zealand but also for South Africa’s fans. Who wants to see them roll a side over this easily, this meekly? The matches are sparsely attended and who can blame them?
If you have any thoughts on the series, let me know.
5 Comments »Notes from the pavilion for October 27th
By Will last year, at the end of October, 2 Comments »
- Andrew Flintoff ‘drink disgrace’ on tour - Fletcher’s book is going to be fascinating reading for sure…
- Murali is last hope for Wallaby wannabe - A terrific piece - read it
- Rudolph considers England future - Another South African threatens to split…
- Warne says the county game is a source of England strength -
Pakistan struggling against the odds, and Mark Boucher’s record
By Scott last year, at the start of October, 1 Comment »
Pakistan have their work cut out to get something out of the First Test against South Africa. The Proteas scored 450, on the back of a big hundred by Jacques Kallis, who certainly would have had a point to prove to the selectors who left him out of the Twenty20 team. Then the rather unlikely sight of a South African spinner on top, Paul Harris taking 5 for 73. That left Pakistan all out for 291, and it could have been even less if it wasn’t for some stout lower order batting. Now South Africa in their second dig are 76 for 3, and the lead is already beyond 200. (scorecard)
The other notable feat of the Test is that South Africa’s keeper, Mark Boucher, has passed Ian Healy’s record for the most dismissals in Tests. He’s a worthy holder of the record, a fine gloveman who has mastered his craft. The one disappointment in his career would have to be that South Africa have not really produced a spin bowler worthy of his talents. On the rare occasion that I’ve seen him up to the stumps, he’s certainly looked the goods though and it is notable that in Pakistan’s innings he did get two stumpings. There’s nothing wrong with his abilities at what is the ultimate test of a keeper’s skills. (stats)
1 Comment »Ye Gods! A Test match is happening!
By Scott last year, at the start of October, 7 Comments »
We don’t get a lot of South Africans or Pakistanis in these here parts, but there IS a Test match going on as we speak- South Africa, batting first, are 104 for 1, with Gibbs on 50 - Smith out for 42.
Ahh. White clothes and a red ball. God is in his heaven and all is right with the world, et cetera!
Meanwhile, England play Sri Lanka in a Fifty/50 tonight, and Australia play India tomorrow. But who cares? Tests are the best!
7 Comments » « Previous Entries