What a fantastic 2 days of test cricket for England As for Cook? Breaks the England record for test hundreds and becomes the youngest player ever to 7,000 test runs. Younger than Tendulkar
More than capable of scoring 12,000 runs with 35-40 centuries. No exaggeration. Two of the three best EVER English test batsment are in the current England side, so good that at the moment they are carrying the likes of Bell and Trott on their backs and still winning. Great seam and spin attack, again so good that it carried Broad for the first two tests, with genuine quality in reserve. All good, all the more startling that South Africa hammered us but if we keep form the Aussies won't live with them. Trebloodymendous.
The Aussies looked very good until the second day of the final test, I think it's going to be an epic Ashes series. I have a feeling the Aussies would be more fired up for the Ashes than the RSA series battling for the no1 spot, so I think it's going to be a cracker. I'm a South African btw, very glad your batsmen didn't perform like that against us, although I guess there's an argument that our bowlers didn't allow your batsmen to play their best. Good luck for the Ashes
I still find it very difficult to understand how the yarpies beat us the way they did. It doesn't make any sense.
Because Dale Steyn is immense. Even when he's not taking wickets he builds the pressure which helps the others take wickets.
We couldn't get Amla out for a start, he just batted non stop all summer. Was a blip, South Africa took advantage of it and rammed it home, the Pietersen bollocks overshadowed a lot of it and they sensed that weakness and struck. Fair play to them. I don't think the Aussies have a strong enough batting line up, they'll give their bowlers too much to do.
I once took a client to Lord's to watch England v South Africa. He'd never been to a cricket match before. He asked why the umpire was chasing the ball to the boundary and I told him that it was Hashim Amla. He asked why Amla was wearing a hat and had a beard and I told him because it was sunny and he's a Muslim. Runs his own company.
I think so too, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey were the only batsmen scoring against us, and they scored BIG, especially Clarke. They can't rely on that every match...
Imagine working for someone like that Funny thing is he might have understood it as you saying that Amla was Sunni and a Muslim, he probably thought you were the one being quite daft!
Even better is Phil Hughes is the one replacing him. The one we were supposed to be wary of last time out!! The guy was a gibbering wreck by the time we'd finished with him, his technique is utterly bobbins. They've some decent bowlers but, as Tennis points out, take Clarke and Hussey out and their line up is weak.
Shucks you're right... So instead of making a captain step down he made a previous captain retire earlier than expected... Not quite the same, but it's still a decent record
Another epic day. Would take a big big effort for India to turn this round and they don't look up for it.
Nice to see Bell scoring runs again There doesn't seem to be a middle ground with him, he is either brilliant or awful
He doesn't suit it out there, plays seam and pace better. I think anyway. Needs to watch it now too as there seems a useful replacement in Bairstow standing by. At least trott chipped in.
Fantastic day, and there I was joking about a 200 run lead We've taken 10 wickets once in this game. No reason why we can't do it again
