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equatorThe more I see of South Africa the more I see a little bit of England’s post 2005 hangover.
When South Africa finally ended Australia’s home series stranglehold they didn’t go nuts like England did.
There was no public fellating of each other, no one was licking champagne out of orifices, and Nelson Mandela didn’t give Neil McKenzie anything, not even a hug.
They were just happy, excited, and proud of themselves.
There was no reason to think that when they got home they wouldn’t beat an Australian team with Andrew McDonald in it.
Sure they had lost a semi dead rubber test against Australia, ruining their chances of going number one on the ICC charts with a win, but they had just beaten fucken Australia at home a few days earlier.
When they played Australia at home they didn’t seem to get it. They let Mitchell Johnson bully them, got sucked in by Phillip Hughes, didn’t put enough pressure on Marcus North and quickly they were fucked.
The only test they won, Bryce’s test, meant very little as Australia had beaten them at home straight after they had unofficially got to the pinnacle of test cricket.
Then they had the hibernation from test cricket. This included another poor world T20 campaign, and then not even making the fucken semi finals of the white jacket cup at home.
England did quite well in the white jacket cup (for a team as utterly rubbish at one dayers as they can be), and also had the advantage of knowing both teams had played Australia in their last test series, and only one of them had won.
Before the series I had this feeling that England could win, not based on any logic or anything, but just a fuzzy feeling. South Africa just looked beatable.
In the first test England put on the England show, and even with South Africa’s best bowler missing they went as close to losing as you can.
In this test England won with their albatrosses coming good. Cook went back to his nuggetty self-determined self, Bell enjoyed the cushion of the situation and Stuart Broad pitched the ball up and got it to move.
It is only two tests in, and from next test South Africa should have their bowling unit sorted out, but England has started this series in eerie Ashes style.
And personally I worry about a side that go into bat 200 and change runs behind and lose three of their top five without playing a shot.
The cliché would be saying that they failed to play a shot in anger, because they just failed to play fucking shots at all. See how that works. I know.
A series just like the Ashes, if only you had a book telling you what would happen next.
“A series just like the Ashes, if only you had a book telling you what would happen next.”
What? England get raped at Headingly and you get a pint, served by Mike Gatting?
Much rejoicing in Canterbury today at the events of this morning.
I received an email from Amazon telling me that my order will be dispatched earlier than anticipated. Hurrah! Still got to wait until the sodding 9th of January, though. Pah to that.
Oh and slightly muted woohooing at the result in Durban. Shall hold back on a full woot until we see which England team turns up in Newlands….
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Saffer have looked a bit lost for the whole of 2009 as a whole to be honest, they’ve not been great.
On the otherhand Kallis’s face after he was bowled was priceless, i’m tempted to get it framed so it can cheer me up whenever i’ve done something a bit stupid.
SA bowling is so weak and toothless. Ntini is the source of this pain. SA need 5 bowlers to get 20 wickets based on current form. So they need to get rid of one batsman. Kallis seems unfit.
Bad selection , SA got fucked.
Will be fked again next Test also. I do not think they realize that. They just have no bowlers that is knocking on the door.
SA will lose next Test also. D
Al, Parnell and DeVitt?
It was one of the most startling piles of nonsense I have seen since… the Aussies went down hooking and pulling for glory at Lords.
It was really that bad.
The crowning bit of wierdness was Duminy being so disorientated, that unlike Kallis and ABDV, he couldn’t even unsuccessfully leave a ball, he had to successfully smash it down onto his own stumps.
Broad may never bowl a better spell where every one of his wickets is gifted like that. He bowled very well, but the wickets!
I will bring 3 new fast bowlers+steyn. May be drop khallis and duminy as he is not in form.
Or they can bring neil mackenzie back and draw the game. He plays well in SA than outside.
But i doubt SA will make wholesale changes. They are afraid to change.
That is their downfall. SA did not counter attack …may be they still in long Hangover from their first victory in australia.
There is nothing new in england bowlers. They are same. Just they are batting well suddenly compared to 2 year ago, It is just that SA is playing horrible level and Australia are in the middle of the pack.
England should be no 2 team if you ask me. Even mr 40s ian bell scoring century…what is the world coming into..
Staruss is working with less than Vaughan ever was. England bowling is average at best , still they beat aussies and south africa. What happen if they have out and out fastbowler?.
India is one man team , if you remove sehwag , india will be playing for draw in 99.999999% of the times , it is easy to put pressure when team playing for a draw.
I am awarding England No 2 Rank!.
yeah…still waiting for those comments abt how india is not a deserving numero uno test side.
swann is a sehwagologist
Email update – my Amazon order has shipped! Multiple woohooing!
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Think Alex is right about Strauss working with less than Vaughan. The current three seamers (or swingers) are not as good a bowling unit as the 2005 pace attack of Jones, Flintoff and Harmison.
While Anderson, Broad and Onions are decent honest hard working bowlers, they are no world beaters. Think if they could find one top notch bowler to really lead the attack, the 3 of them would be a good foil though.
Also think Saffers team may well have peaked in Melbourne last year as well, in similar way to England in 2005, although injuries played a large part in that England teams decline.
Wouldn’t write Saffers off yet though, England aren’t renowned for stringing two decent performances together very often, in a weeks time both sides may look very different.
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Of course the best thing about England’s crushing victory is the look on Mickey Arthur’s face.
Second best for me, Chris – Kallis shouldering arms was my champagne moment.
ps Know no-one gives a shit but I have now rectified yesterday’s mistake in the spelling of Swanny’s name on my blog post, though it still appears above incorrectly. The shame! I can spell!
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