South Africa crush India2006-11-22 21:19Durban - South Africa crushed India by 157 runs in the second one-day international at Kingsmead here on Wednesday.
Brief scores: South Africa 248-8 from 50 overs; India 91 all out (29.1 overs)
AFP
_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
India seem to have a poor run as of late. I wonder whether they are suffering from management problems within.
Anyway, first Test update at the Gabba. Not looking too good for us, Andre.
1.
Andrew Flintoff lost the toss and was put to the field first. It has been a good batting wicket so far for the Aussies....
2.
Steve Harmison bowled and disappointed us all with the worst 'ball of the century' - a wide that no batsman could have caught even if he had a ten foot pole for a bat.
3.
The only bright spot in England's bleakest hour - Andrew Flintoff and his two wickets. Ashley Giles took the another.
4.
Unorthodox one-foot drive by Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting. But hey, whatever floats his boat.
5.
If England run out of batting options, I suppose they can always call upon the Right Honourable Anthony Charles Blair to take to the batting crease.
As it is, Australia have batted an almighty 346 for 3 with 4 more days of play. This is just the first innings, mind you. They would probably have to declare their innings by tomorrow if the England bowling attack fail to dismiss all their batsmen. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Screw it! England all out for a miserable 157 runs. Australia are having England for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It is bizarre but Ponting didn't enforce the follow on despite the massive first innings lead they enjoy. Do they seriously want to pummel the English beyond relief and to hand them a psychological blow which'd make recovery impossible for the rest of the series?
Sir Elton John was supposed to fly in to watch, but he has since cancelled it as he feels 'embarrassed'.
So do I. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Australia show England no mercy
25/11/2006 14:16 - (SA)
Brisbane - Australia built up a massive 626-run lead over England on the third day of the first Ashes Test on Saturday, after passing up the opportunity of a quick kill in the series opener.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting had the option of enforcing the follow-on after England crumbled to 157 all out in reply to his team's first-innings total of 602 for nine, but decided for a slower, more punishing approach.
Mindful that the second Test in Adelaide starts in just six days, Ponting decided to give his bowlers a rest while sending England's weary pacemen back into the field.
Ponting's decision also allowed his top-order batsmen to get in some extra time in the middle and reinforce their dominance over England, who have made a disappointing start in their bid to retain the Ashes they won in 2005.
When stumps were drawn, Australia were cruising at 181 for one in their second innings, with opener Justin Langer unbeaten on 88 and Ponting not out 51.
England did pick up the wicket of Matthew Hayden for 37 when he was run out from a brilliant outfield thrown from James Anderson.
But an unbroken stand of 113 between Langer and Ponting left Australia poised to make an early declaration on Sunday.
England's first innings came to an abrupt end before tea after Glenn McGrath, playing his first Test in almost 11 months, demolished their batting line-up with 6-50.
"To walk off with six wickets, I'm obviously delighted with the way it's gone," McGrath said in a televised interview.
"Now we can have a bit of a rest and wait for the cracks to widen and have another go at them. Things are looking very good for us."
_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
The Aussies are vicious. Not only do they want to comprehensively beat the English, they want to humiliate them and grind them into dust. Why else would Ponting not enforce the follow on?
I am still shocked when I catch a glimpse of the score. Over 600 runs in the first innings and over 200 in the second - both declared. The English bowling options are seriously toothless. Not only are they deficient in the bowling department, their batsmen are behaving like bunnies at the crease. Did you look at the number of English players who were dismissed for a duck?
Say, I didn't know KP could bowl. He was brought in to bowl for an over. Is that desperation or what?
PS: On a brighter note, I remembered what happened last year at Lord's. England lost the first Test, but went on to recapture the Ashes.
PPS: Still, they put up a better fight in the first Test last year. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Proteas trounce India again
26/11/2006 17:36 - (SA)
Cape Town - Justin Kemp's defiant maiden century and Shaun Pollock's four wickets spurred South Africa to a 106-run victory in the third one-day international against India on Sunday.
South Africa have now taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The first game a week ago was washed out.
Kemp's 100 not out was the top score as South Africa rallied from 76 for six to a total of 274 for seven. Pollock took four for 26 to help dismiss India for 168 in 41.3 overs.
Captain Rahul Dravid's 63, which he scored off 103 balls with four fours and a six, was the best of India's batting.
Kemp, who came to the crease at 71 for five and survived chances on nine and 34, faced 89 balls and hit six fours and seven sixes in an innings of effortlessly wielded power.
The 138 runs that Kemp and Andrew Hall, who scored 56, shared in an unbroken stand was a world record for the eighth wicket.
Scores: South Africa 274-7 in 50 overs (Justin Kemp 100 not out, Andrew Hall 56 not out; Zaheer Khan 3-42) defeat India 168 in 41.3 overs (Rahul Dravid 63, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 55; Shaun Pollock 4-25, Hall 3-45, Jacques Kallis 2-29).
_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
India are a side that needs an injection of some self-belief. They have not enjoyed a good run this year. It is probably heartbreaking to a country that is arguably the most cricket mad in the world.
Back to the Ashes:
As we probably know, Australia batted themselves out of sight by the third day. On the fourth, the partnership of Paul Collingwood and KP (the man most South Africans love to hate) brought a faint pulse to the English innings. This is the sort of fighting spirit we want to see, really. The most intriguing part of the fourth day was seeing Shane Warne's exasperation as KP lobbed his shots over the boundary.
But he got dismissed on the fifth day without adding to his overnight score. Geraint Jones and Ashley Giles put up some resistance, but the exposed lower-tail order was always going to be nakedly vulnerable.
What I am worried about is not the batting abilities of England. The top and middle order have genuine world class batsmen who are able to strike terror into the hearts of any bowlers on a good day. Even in the lower order, there is still some decent batsmen like Geraint Jones or Ashley Giles.
What I am worried about is the toothlessness of the English bowling attack. Stephen Harmison is 'a fucking waste of space', as my friend said. I am apt to agree with him.
Hoggard was able to produce his swing, but the excellent Aussie batsmen read it well.
Andrew Flintoff seems to be a better bowler than batsman. If you look at his statistics, he has not accumulated a high batting score in recent months.
The clarion calls to drop Harmison for Panesar are mounting and I'd chant along with them:
PICK MONTY PANESAR! Didn't Duncan Fletcher called him 'the best finger-spinner of the world'? What is the bloody point of having the 'best finger-spinner' warming the benches of the dressing room? _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Another thrashing for India
29/11/2006 22:28 - (SA)
Port Elizabeth - South Africa thrashed India by 80 runs in the fourth one-day international (ODI) at St George's Park on Wednesday, to win the series.
Needing to score 244 to win, the Indian batsmen once again struggled with the South African pace attack, and again failed to bat out the 50 overs.
The South Africans were brutally efficient, giving India no quarter, and keeping up the pressure throughout. India managed to get through five overs before losing their first wicket, but once Wasim Jaffer had gone, caught by Graeme Smith off Makhaya Ntini for 10, the procession to the dressing room started.
Sachin Tendulkar, who is having as much of a batting slump as Smith, lasted just three balls before he was caught behind by Mark Boucher off Shaun Pollock for one. Sehwag was out in the 10th over, caught by Loots Bosman off Ntini for 18.
Mohammed Kaif looked as if he might lend some stability to the Indian innings until a bizarre mix-up saw him and Dinesh Karthik at the same end, giving Bosman time to toss the ball to Pollock, who, grinning broadly, whipped the bails off at the other end. Kaif made 10.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed 26 runs off 21 balls before being caught on the boundary by substitute Ashwell Prince off Andre Nel.
Succeeded with his first delivery
Justin Kemp was brought into the attack in the place of Andrew Hall, who had been off the field for some time after sustaining an injury while fielding and he succeeded with his first delivery, when Karthik was caught by Nel for 17. A few overs later, Kemp grabbed the wicket of Ajit Agarkar, who was caught by Hall for six, to have India staring down the barrel on 128 for seven.
Zaheer Khan was next to go, caught behind by Boucher off Jacques Kallis for 11 off 12 balls. Just after India reached 150, a Pollock delivery brushed Anil Kumble's glove, and Graeme Smith took the catch.
Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth put on a brave rearguard fight, but it was just a matter of time before it was all over. Kemp delivered the coup de grace with the opening ball of his second spell when AB de Villiers caught Sreesanth for three and India were all out for 163
Pathan was not out on 47 off 52 deliveries. He smashed four boundaries and two sixes, and was unlucky not to get to 50 before he ran out of partners.
Earlier, the South African openers failed for the third time in the series, with Smith out lbw to Zaheer Khan for nought in the first over, and Loots Bosman bowled by Sreesanth in the fourth over, also without scoring.
But Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs pulled things together with a partnership of 69 before Kallis was caught behind by Mahendra Dhoni off veteran spin bowler Anil Kumble for 49 - one run shy of scoring his 58th ODI half century.
Hero of Newlands match
Gibbs was caught by Virender Sehwag off a no ball bowled by Sreesnath with his score on two, and he cashed in on his good luck, finishing unbeaten on 93. It was an innings of maturity, as he played the sheet anchor role, allowing other players to bat around him. AB de Villiers made 13 before being given out lbw to Kumble, immediately after hitting him for a huge six.
Gibbs and Boucher put on 61 runs before Boucher was out, lbw to Sehwag for 29. The hero of the Newlands match, Justin Kemp, received an enormous ovation from the Eastern Cape crowd as he made his way out to the middle, but they were to be disappointed - he was out first ball, when he was caught by Sehwag off Tendulkar without scoring.
Shaun Pollock made a breezy 37 off 42 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes, but his innings came to an end when he was run out by some smart work by Kumble and Dhoni in the 47th over.
It was left to Andrew Hall to cause the biggest sensation of the evening - he launched a six that sailed through an open window in the press box to send journalists diving for cover as the ball crashed between two Indian journalists. But immediately after that, Hall was run out for 13, scrambling to score a second run.
_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
A rude awakening lies in store for all England cricket fans when they wake up this morning. England have threw away their lead and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory to lose the second Test at Adelaide by 6 bloody wickets! 6 wickets, can you believe it, after the heroic partnership by Collingwood and Pietersen in the first innings.
But the Aussies were marvellous. Warne proved that he still has a bite to his bark. Andrew Flintoff, in contrast, looked lost at sea as he batted indifferently, captained badly and hardly bowled at all.
Just when I thought the second Test'd head for a draw, the Australians have to prove me wrong. Life's a Pitch. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Shane Warne - Public Enemy Number One. Invisible in the first innings, surged to life in the second. Take a bow, Warney. This, from an England supporter. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Guess it's all over. England have surrendered the Ashes.
Take a bow, Flintoff. You allowed us to dream while it lasted. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
When I was in school, I was actually nicknamed 'Frog' because I was one of the few blokes in school who took French A levels.
I only support England in cricket. The West Indies as well. When it comes to football, I support France. Ditto for rugby. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
England launch 'Thrashes' probe
05/01/2007 16:06 - (SA)
London - England cricket chiefs on Friday ordered a far-reaching probe into why Andrew Flintoff's side were humiliated in the Ashes series in Australia.
Within hours of the Australians wrapping up a 5-0 series victory, the first Ashes whitewash in 86 years, David Collier, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), had ordered a "comprehensive review" of what went wrong Down Under.
The ECB's Director of England cricket, John Carr, has been ordered to report back next month, ahead of the World Cup in the West Indies in March.
"The performance in the Ashes series has been a great disappointment and a number of lessons must be learned," Collier admitted.
"This review will be comprehensive and broad-ranging with the clear objective of regaining the Ashes in 2009 and significantly improving England's results in one-day international cricket in the next four-year cycle."
A statement from the ECB added: "The ECB directors present in Sydney met informally on January 4 to consider a proposal for a comprehensive review of the process, programme and structure of Team England.
"This discussion followed the circulation of a paper by the ECB chief executive David Collier on December 29, 2006.
"The vision for the review was defined as: 'To determine how Team England performances during the period 2003-2007 should be improved in order that England regain the Ashes in 2009 and win an ICC global one-day event during the period 2007-2011."
And meanwhile...
Quote:
India dismissed in Cape Town
05/01/2007 17:01 - (SA)
Cape Town - South Africa have bowled themselves into a winning position on day four of the third and final Test against India at Newlands in Cape Town.
India were dismissed for 169 in their second innings.
South Africa require 211 for victory and to clinch the series.
Earlier, at tea, India were 121 for six, for an overall lead of 162.
Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly were in the process of setting up a formidable partnership when, in the sixth over after lunch, Ganguly opened the face of his bat to a Jacques Kallis delivery and steered the ball to Herschelle Gibbs in the gully for 46.
He and Dravid had put on 84 together - a record third wicket partnership for India against South Africa.
Ganguly's place was taken by Sachin Tendulkar, whose absence from the field on Thursday was the cause of the lengthy delay after the second wicket fell early on Friday morning.
Some very disciplined bowling and excellent fielding by the South Africans dried up the runs and frustrated the Indian batsmen. Dravid and Tendulkar put on 20 runs in just 15 overs before debutant left arm spinner Paul Harris caught Dravid for 46 off his own bowling.
It was Dravid's highest score of the tour.
VVS Laxman did not stay long, before some indecision gave Shaun Pollock the opportunity to throw the ball to Mark Boucher, who ran Laxman out for one.
In the final over before tea, Pollock claimed the most important wicket when Tendulkar was given out leg before wicket for 14.
With plenty in the wicket for the bowlers, South Africa will be keen to mop up the Indian tail as quickly as possible.
_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
You know, I began to switch off after England lost the plot in Adelaide when they managed to stumble to a defeat despite a 550 odd runs declared in the first innings. I felt that my crest has fallen so far that I became immune to further disappointments.
I knew back then that England might become the second side in the history of the series to succumb to a 5-0 whitewash. They had a double centurian in Paul Collingwood at Adelaide and they still contrived to lose the plot.
This is disappointing. English cricket has been set back by 10 years, at least. It is very important that English cricket do well, if not for the sake of the health of the sport in the world.
Duncan Fletcher must be axed no matter what his masters at the ECB might say.
Steve Harmison must never be selected to play in any Test match. His international career must be put to an end. I do not question his talent here; I cast aspersions on his dedication.
Ashley Giles should be relieved of all international call-ups. Groom other spinners such as Darymple and Monty Panesar. They are the key to us getting back the coveted Ashes.
Flintoff should relinquish his skipper position and he'd start skipping around the field with a gay heart once again (ok, two bad puns here, I know).
Geraint Jones is out of the picture for good. His memorable pair in Perth is something he'd love to forget in a hurry.
We'd have Michael Vaughn and Simon Jones back in the squad in 2009. Australia would be without the amazing Shane Warne and the ruthlessly efficient Glenn McGrath. Millions of English cricket supporters throughout the world'd be terribly chuffed to see the absence of GD McGrath as well as SK Warne in future cricketing scores.
Our stars look bright. This 5-0 humiliation would be useful only if valuable lessons are gleaned from this process, one of which being to never cling on to past glories in the hope of capturing future ones.
And here ends my ramblings on the disastrous Ashes. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
So England's winless streak in the land of Oz continues as they were beaten by 8 wickets in the first ODI at the MCG. Things are already so bad that it is hard to make it worst - but the tourists surpassed expectations when their star batsman and arguably the only Englishman at the crease who are able to tame the Australian bowlers have flown home with a rib injury, courtesy of Glenn sodding McGrath's pinpoint accuracy.
Yes, the batsman I am referring to here is Kevin Pietersen.
Australia's fortress is Australia. It is impossible to beat them at their game and in their backyard. This is the conclusion I've arrived at in my short (cricketing) lifespan.
PS: Maybe we should all be switching our attention to the upcoming Australian Open. Watching the cricket Down Under is bad for our ulcers. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Surfing the net and watching the cricket at the same time so I might as well post the live scores for now.
Currently, Australia are reeling which is a rare piece of good news that must be savoured slowly and carefully lest the happiness which is accompanied by such a bit of luck is exhausted rapidly. Australia are currently 56 for 3 with 36 more overs to go. England won the toss and chose to bat first and have amassed a very respectable score of 292 for 7. I must single out Irish-born Ed Joyce for his magnificent century; I must also single out stand-in wicket-keeper Paul Nixon (any relation of Richard Nixon?) for giving me a bit of a laugh when he was dismissed after just scoring 4 runs. He's always making cameo apperances - like a fool in a Shakespearean play, really.
Liam Plunkett is looking good and cementing his spot as a reliable swing bowler in the one day squad. Maybe the selectors should consider replacing Steve Harmison with him as well for the Test squad.
There is also another cricket match between Kenya and Ireland at present, but I am not too keen on watching that. Nonetheless, I am obliged to report on their development and I must say that the Irish desperately need their famed luck as they are looking fragile at 57 for 3. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Finally, the first English victory on Australian soil since the tourists arrived last November.
The English cricketers have finally arrived at the party. It is a pity they came 3 months late. Nonetheless, better late than never! _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
It's not only on the rugby field that England suffered against South Africa...
Quote:
Proteas remain unbeaten in T20
16/09/2007 21:44
Cape Town - Albie Morkel hit three massive sixes off successive balls and then took two wickets as South Africa beat England by 19 runs in a Twenty20 Super Eights match at Newlands on Sunday.
Morkel's lower order hitting enabled South Africa to score 154 for eight after a stuttering top order performance.
He followed up by dismissing England's top scorers, Matt Prior and Owais Shah, as England were restricted to 135 for seven.
Collided with Pollock
A key turning point, though, was the dismissal of Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood, England's key batsmen, in the space of three balls.
Pietersen was run out by a direct hit from Makhaya Ntini at backward square leg after he collided with bowler Shaun Pollock as he raced to the bowler's end.
Pietersen lost his balance and his bat went flying but he was only centimetres short of making his ground. Pietersen fell heavily on his left elbow.
Two balls later England captain Collingwood was caught at slip off Pollock off the first ball he faced and England were 27 for three.
Prior (32) and Shah (36) put on 55 off 47 balls for the fourth wicket before Morkel had Prior caught at backward point. He bowled Shah in his next over.
One hit travelled 106m
Morkel's big hitting transformed South Africa's innings. They had struggled after being sent in and were on 112 for five when leg-spinner Chris Schofield came on to bowl the 18th over.
In an over which cost 21 runs, Morkel hit his first two sixes over midwicket and out of the ground onto a railway line which runs close to the perimeter fence. Television technology estimated one of the hits to have travelled 106m - the biggest hit of the tournament so far. The other went 102m.
Made 43 off 19 balls
Morkel's third six was hit straighter to wide midwicket off a full toss. The left-hander made 43 off 19 balls with four sixes and three fours before being caught off the last ball of the innings.
Stuart Broad claimed two early wickets as South Africa slipped to 42 for three. Until Morkel's assault, South Africa were unable to get on top as England captain Paul Collingwood made a bewildering 15 bowling changes in the space of 20 overs.
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_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
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