Cricket VIII

[Stubby]

Pax! Where you been mate?

[delete this account pls]

Incredible. Just ... incredible.

[Rimmer]

Pakistan really are the worst-run side ever for all the talent they have. I feel sorry for Yousuf really; I don't think he ever much wanted to captain the team, he's just the only option after Younis Kahn spat the dummy for whatever reason. Yousuf has looked pretty calm about it all and looks like he has the respect of the players. Also, in the first session of a day, when the game's poised like it was and him being new to the captaincy, I'd bet on the coach coming up with most of the fielding tactics, but who knows.

If you take a glance at a Pakistani messageboard, cough pakpassion.net, the fans on the whole do nothing but point the blame at their own players and want to drop everybody, it seems to be ingrained in them or something. I don't think Pakistan has ever burned effigies, but poor old Kamran Akmal had to have it in the back of his mind that there were 200,000 people out for his blood, and he just got worse and worse. I'm from New Zealand, I'm used to my team consistently being a bunch of arse, but we try to just laugh and enjoy it anyway. It's only a game.

On that note, I really wish I could support Australia, but I just can't for some reason, it's in my genes or something. I'd like to think that I would not want the interminable English press to have three home Ashes wins in a row to crow about, but honestly, I'm not sure which side I'll be on. My support goes something like NZ > Ireland > SL > Bangladesh > Pakistan > India > SA ( they're too good recently) > England > Australia.

[Jeor]

Pakistan really are the worst-run side ever for all the talent they have. I feel sorry for Yousuf really; I don't think he ever much wanted to captain the team, he's just the only option after Younis Kahn spat the dummy for whatever reason. Yousuf has looked pretty calm about it all and looks like he has the respect of the players. Also, in the first session of a day, when the game's poised like it was and him being new to the captaincy, I'd bet on the coach coming up with most of the fielding tactics, but who knows.

If you take a glance at a Pakistani messageboard, cough pakpassion.net, the fans on the whole do nothing but point the blame at their own players and want to drop everybody, it seems to be ingrained in them or something. I don't think Pakistan has ever burned effigies, but poor old Kamran Akmal had to have it in the back of his mind that there were 200,000 people out for his blood, and he just got worse and worse. I'm from New Zealand, I'm used to my team consistently being a bunch of arse, but we try to just laugh and enjoy it anyway. It's only a game.

Pakistan have burned effigies before, including on the last Pakistani tour here four years ago. I remember distinctly because the Telegraph on the back page had the headline: "YOUSUF ON FIRE" where they put side-by-side photographs of him celebrating his century (where he hit Warne for four sixes) and a photograph of Pakistanis burning posters of him from previous days. ;)

I do feel sorry for Yousuf. He must not feel very good after his tactics this morning will be criticised, but of course Rimmer you're right. It wasn't entirely his own doing - surely the coach (Intikhab Alam, a supposedly experienced former captain) would have had a good long think about it overnight and they would have consulted senior players. The problem is there aren't many senior players in the Pakistani side. Only Kamran Akmal has played more than 40 Tests besides Yousuf. The batting is filled by three first-class journeymen cricketers (Butt, Farhat, Iqbal), one rookie (Umar Akmal) and one old veteran first-class player (Misbah), leaving Yousuf as the one and only proven Test-quality batsman. The bowling stocks are a bit better as Kaneria, Asif and Gul have had slightly better exposure to international cricket and have decent records but there's no doubting the Pakistani side is low on experience.

Hence the need for Younis Khan. His calm manner, experience, and fighting attitude would have been perfect for this botched run chase. You always felt that if Yousuf got out, the rest would fall like a pack of cards, and so they did, and only the rookie Akmal went down fighting. Yousuf is a top-flight batsman and a calm leader with lots of match experience but he needs some more support on the field. Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik strike me as the available players who would add batting talent and international experience. I genuinely like Yousuf and feel very sorry for him, as a captain he isn't getting much help and he's always led in a very dignified and calm manner.

I don't know much about the Pakistani fans, but it does seem that they are 'negatively passionate'. India of course are famous for burning effigies and wanting to drop everyone etc, but for every effigy-burner there are at least ten more people who passionately root for their favourite players, celebrate them as heroes and believe they can't do any wrong. Guys like Ganguly, Dravid, Sehwag, Dhoni and of course Tendulkar have had huge fan followings. But I don't think Pakistan have really had anyone on that same hero-status since Imran Khan. Guys like Wasim Akram had the potential but he was tarnished by match-fixing and I remember Pakistanis bitterly claiming when they lost the 1999 World Cup final that Wasim had sold them out to match-fixers and were burning effigies and stoning his house. And yet they were an unfancied, generally inexperienced side that had made the final.

[Paxter]

Pax! Where you been mate?

Hey Stubby. Just had a couple of weeks away from the board while two of my friends (who work outside of Perth) were in town for Christmas/New Year's. Back in business now though ;).

[Jeor]

Hey Stubby. Just had a couple of weeks away from the board while two of my friends (who work outside of Perth) were in town for Christmas/New Year's. Back in business now though ;).

Cool! Yeah, we've missed you Pax, been a lot of cricket going on. :)

Just looking at this Cape Town match and I actually think England have a chance of saving this. There's so much time but the pitch looks completely dead and England bat well down the order. I wouldn't be surprised if they manage to grind it out (and they always have Trott's timewasting tactics up their sleeve too). ;)

[DJDonegal]

I may be $170 richer now but I have a rather empty feeling.

That empty feeling could be the fact that at one point you could have won $900. ;)

[Slick Mongoose]

A mere 466 to get? Easy. :smoking:

[Jeor]

That empty feeling could be the fact that at one point you could have won $900. ;)

Shush you! :P

If I had thought about it properly earlier I should have put the $100 on at the start of the innings. I knew it was going to be tense and I wanted Pakistan to win, that way putting $100 on Australia would have been my insurance policy! ;)

[Stubby]

I may be $170 richer now but I have a rather empty feeling.

I have an empty feeling too. Its therefore your shout. :cheers:

[ljkeane]

Cook and Strauss out in quick succession after putting together a 100 partnership. :bang:

Bollocks, I was just starting to entertain a little hope of a decent result for England.

[DJDonegal]

That's where England do best.

Giving out false hope.

[Jeor]

Three down is probably one too many. The pitch is still dead and with the deep batting order and stonewallers like Collingwood and Bell there remains an outside chance for England to do this, but I think South Africa want the victory more especially after missing out in the First Test.

Interesting that Pietersen has chosen this tour for a form slump.

[ljkeane]

Three down is probably one too many. The pitch is still dead and with the deep batting order and stonewallers like Collingwood and Bell there remains an outside chance for England to do this, but I think South Africa want the victory more especially after missing out in the First Test.

Interesting that Pietersen has chosen this tour for a form slump.

Bell a stonewaller? :shocked:

Basically I think England need Trott and Collingwood to bat for the majority of the day to have any chance of salvaging a draw.

Pietersen hasn't been on top form for a while but I think that the pressure of playing in South Africa straight after coming back from injury hasn't helped him find any form.

[Jeor]

Basically I think England need Trott and Collingwood to bat for the majority of the day to have any chance of salvaging a draw.

I think if they can get to tea only 4 or 5 wickets down then they would have a possible shot of it. Five down would mean one of the earlier recognised batsman plus Prior. On this pitch I could see Prior, Broad, Swann and Anderson hanging around for a session if needed.

[Sir Thursday]

I think if they can get to tea only 4 or 5 wickets down then they would have a possible shot of it. Five down would mean one of the earlier recognised batsman plus Prior. On this pitch I could see Prior, Broad, Swann and Anderson hanging around for a session if needed.

Anderson is in already, remember ;). I'm hoping he pulls a Gillespie, personally :P.

Realistically though, I think if England get to tea no worse than 6 down, they're in with a shot. That would leave one of the top 6 + Prior, Broad, Swann, Onions...

Sir Thursday

[Jeor]

Anderson is in already, remember ;). I'm hoping he pulls a Gillespie, personally :P.

Sir Thursday

Oh, I missed that bit...must've been when I went to sleep at 2:30am. ;) Well, if Anderson's in already as nightwatchman, yes...6 down at tea would be ok. If you think of the evening session as being about 30 overs long, in a normal game situation that'd be the equivalent of scoring about 100 runs, and I'd usually entrust a recognised batsman plus Prior, Broad and Swann with getting that.

[Paxter]

Collingwood and Bell digging in now - partnership of 50 has taken 28 overs. Collingwood is probably one of the best players in the world for these sorts of situations. But this is a big test for Ian Bell. I have been a pretty harsh critic of him in recent times, now's his chance to prove me wrong ;).

Great signs for Bangladeshi cricket. They've racked up 296 in an ODI against India - their highest limited overs score against a test-playing nation.

[Jeor]

I think England have this safe. They've survived the second new ball so there's really not much more South Africa can throw at them, and they still have two recognised batsmen at the crease. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Collingwood scores another of his 'accidental' half-centuries - as cricinfo puts it on Kallis's profile, "where runs are an accidental byproduct of crease occupation".

I really admire Collingwood for this scrappiness. He may be an ugly batsman but I really don't think there's anyone in the world who can shut up shop as effectively as he does to save a match. Dravid and Kallis at their obdurate best, perhaps, but even they still played the occasional stroke when tied down -whereas Collingwood is that rare, pure stonewaller.

[Vestrit]

Unbelievable

I've been off work sick all week, and wrapped up on the couch watching SA v England.

Then, today I come back to work and end up missing out on watching what cricinfo and the Guardian are saying was one of the epic test battles, the second new ball spell between Steyn and Collingwood

I hope Bell sticks around and helps Collingwood get England home. I've always been a fan of his technique but about this time last year finally admitted that he just didn't have it mentally for test cricket. But there have been promising signs on this tour and if he can stay in today, then maybe he might get a few people off his back and, more importantly, prove to himself that he can do the tough stuff and bat well when it matters