Not sure mate about the attendance mate but despite SA being ranked world number 1 they have been rubbish for the last year. No truly dominant teams in international cricket at the moment, every series can go either way. Which is fun. What is less fun is the tendency to very one sided results of individual games, 3 day tests etc, rather than exciting tight finishes. Looks like the pitch in Durban is playing up, low scoring match. We will need a couple of good innings in our second knock to give ourselves a more relaxed time in the last innings.
New ball does for the SA tail, 89 run 1st innings lead should prove decisive. But then again, this is England...
All very true. England need to score at least 200-250 in their 2nd innings and then it will be tough for SA to bat last on that wicket. See you later.
Good bowling performance from England.....nice 1st innings lead to compensate for early 2nd innings collapse.... Still a long time to go in this test, bat for 3 sessions would see England score 250 plus which should be more than enough time to bowl of SA for a 2nd time.....
England are the only country that sell out virtually every test match, the sad truth is that test cricket is very poorly attended virtually everywhere it is played. Apart from England's home matches and an Aussie Ashes series possibly only India v Pakistan would be a sell-out, any other test series will look very like the SA v England match today. It's got a lot worse since T20 which, paradoxically, probably saved cricket financially but threatens the 5-Day game more than anything previously...
Both Compton and Root dropped immediately before tea.....England should be 4 down instead nicely placed at effectively 147-2.......
It couldn't be much better for England. A lead of 261 might be enough already, but some quick runs tomorrow and a target of 400 with a day and a half to go should be plenty.
