Sri Lanka in South Africa (2011-2012)

They have to pin hopes on him, they don't have another reliable 3rd seamer, which is why I would like to see de Lange given a try in the next game. Let's see how he fares on the international stage, albeit against rather mediocre opposition. Hell, drop Prince and slot in de Lange, SA will still win comfortably.  

Philander's improvement is testament to hard graft and he deserves the credit for that. I think Allan Donald had some input that toughened up the man - he is noticeably fitter now and had no problem bowling into a typically stiff southeaster at Newlands for sustained periods. Obviously taking wickets helps , but I'm willing to give him a pat on the back.
           Mikey, Philander is a bright lad and knows there are sterner tests ahead , the wickets will dry up at some stage but I expect him to just do a job then and keep batsmen as quiet as he can.

I've not mentioned Philander's batting , but it is more than useful  down the order.  de Lange is inexperienced and I can't see him featuring anytime soon. If there is a change (maybe for Newlands after another easy win) Tsotsobe could be recalled after a slight strain - he did okay in the January test at the same venue.

de Lange is now streets ahead of Parnel in the pecking order. Parnel's bowling such dross in the domestic competitions and won't be considered unless all 4 of the front liners break down!

Do you guys think Morkel is better than Finn? They're fairly similar bowlers, I'm quite interested to see how you guys rank the two. Obviously Morkel has more experience but I actually think Finn is a more consistent and faster bowler. 

I think Morkel has the edge mainly because bastmen don't like facing him . He's erratic though and that must be frustrating for Smith and company. When a partnership is blossoming it's useful having bowlers who'll try and contain and that's something that Morkel finds difficult - there always seems to be a four ball around the corner.  Finn can do that job and no doubt that batsmen have to play at more deliveries , but when he gets it right Morkel is more potent.

         On Monday Morne has a chance to rectify a slow start to this series. The pitch will offer a bit on day 1 but will flatten out into a batsman's paradise thereafter.  The ball might swing a bit but seam movement will be minimal.  Bowlers will have to graft and I'll be watching Philander closely in this one. The weather forecast isn't great - the summer has been very wet in Natal and that's going to plague this match on almost every day. Still , there should be enough time to win the game - there can only be two possible results and the worst one for the home side would be the draw.


Edited by Sledger - 23 December 2011 at 7:16am

What an astonishing performance by Sri Lanka!!!!!! never expected this from them, my predictions for the day in the ICC game took a REAL beating today!!!

Originally posted by Mikey Marsh will be really stoked to finally see his lads make some progress.

Shaun just avoided a pair - and Mitchell is nowhere in the reckoning I think 

Originally posted by zuhair_abbasi Originally posted by Mikey Marsh will be really stoked to finally see his lads make some progress. Shaun just avoided a pair - and Mitchell is nowhere in the reckoning I thinkÂ

Wrong lads!!!!!!

Sri Lanka win their first ever test in South Africa, what a memorable day for a team that was really struggling. 

South Africa have all the ability in the world and are very well balanced. To see them lost to Australia at home in a test and now this is quite perplexing! Consistency is what makes a team great...

I can bet on it that this will be an Innings win for South Africa. Nothing less should be acceptable.

Perfect day for South Africa, 347/3 and Alviro Petersen grabbing his opportunity with both hand by scoring a century. Kallis still there and there is AB with him, we could be in for a 600+ score here by the southafricans.

Declaration was too soon imo. The way de Villiers was batting, they should have let him continue and SA could have reached 700 in no time and then you don't need to worry about runs at all. With 580, you're still a little worried about the runs. Or maybe it was the right decision and my judgement is clouded because I wanted to see de Villiers carry on. 

I can't think of another batsman who is as equally competent in all three formats of the game as AB. He is an outstanding must-have T20 player, his ODI batting average and ODI strike-rate is higher than Tendulkar and he is not far off averaging 50 in Test matches. He has been averaging something like 80 or so in the last couple of years in Tests so it goes to show he is probably the best no.5 Test batsman in the world. I rate him higher than Clarke, Bell, Laxman and Samaraweera. He has that extra gear that only special players have, he can pace an innings wonderfully, he has the complete range of shots and a fantastic temperament. His 60 off 25 balls today was just magnificent and destructive, doubt many others in world cricket can look that good tearing an attack apart. Plus, he is a more than handy keeper and is probably the best fielder in world cricket. What an asset to SA cricket.