< 1 minute readGraeme Smith’s things are hitting the bulk of the runs in a fourth innings chase and winning Test series. There were no miracles from Australia’s bowlers, because the bowlers who could perform them are gone. South Africa chased down 183 for the loss of one wicket, won the match, won
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Neil McKenzie: brave, stupid or mental
< 1 minute readNeil McKenzie did something. Tony Greig called him brave, Mark Nicholas branded him stupid. We’d like to add ‘mental’ to the equation as well. Of course, Neil McKenzie is known to be a bit mental, but this was a different kind of mental. He took up a fielding position maybe
Continue readingJP Duminy shows South Africa’s resilience
< 1 minute readJP Duminy’s Test record is improving: one in his first innings, 50 not out in his second and 166 in his third. The 166 kicks in the balls that he gave Australia’s bowlers were particularly useful as they helped produce 275 ball kicks for South Africa’s last three wickets. Those
Continue readingAB de Villiers follows Graeme Smith
2 minute readSouth Africa could never have chased down 414 without a hundred from Graeme Smith. After he was out for 108, they couldn’t have won without a hundred from AB de Villiers. What’s really impressed us about this South African win is not that they chased down such a huge total
Continue readingMitchell Johnson – Australia fast bowler
< 1 minute readPerhaps the most striking thing about Mitchell Johnson is his ridiculous cartoon character tufty hair. After that it’s his bowling. We watched quite a bit of Johnson when Australia toured India. He was their best bowler. For all the talk about Brett Lee being the fast strike bowler, Johnson’s not
Continue readingAnil Kumble retires as India’s top Test wicket taker
2 minute readPeople still slag Anil Kumble off for bowling too fast and not turning the ball. It’s not really the point. 619 Test wickets say that he’s right and they’re wrong. Kumble never spun the ball much – it’s not a recent thing – yet he’s been the best spin bowler
Continue readingThat’s a win
< 1 minute read6-1 off three overs? That’s a win. We need to be more decisive about things like this. We can’t just say that there was ‘no result’ because there wasn’t much cricket. That’s just laziness. There was plenty of cricket. Three overs is plenty and what we saw was clearly an
Continue readingMore Neil Manthorp
< 1 minute readNeil has been earnestly telling Test Match Special listeners how sandwiches are 99p after 7pm in the shop near where he’s staying. TMS make a grave, grave error every time they don’t use this man for a match.
Continue readingCan Pietersen affix England’s balls to the magic wall long-term?
< 1 minute readBefore this match Graeme Smith said that Kevin Pietersen might be successful in the short-term via the ‘balls to the wall approach’, so that’s what must have happened today. But before half of you try and apply this colourful philosophy to your everyday lives, Graeme Smith also had a warning.
Continue readingWe don’t hate Graeme Smith
2 minute readWhile we’re coming clean about these things, we might as well ‘fess up on this one as well. South Africa are probably the least popular Test team other than England (sorry people, but we have a richly questionable history as a nation, largely at the expense of other cricketing countries).
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