Thetownend.com

51-3 just after lunch, Smith out for 30.

Very good start for us, good toss to win I think there. As long as you don't get cocky and fancy batting on a green top, eh Mr. Ponting :D

If you don't know what I'm talking about: http://www.cricinfo.com/ausvpak09/content/current/story/442073.html

AB de Villiers nicks one, doesn't walk and Harper doesn't give it but then gets out shortly after- justice.

Duminy in now and...he's gone as well! Two in two! Swann on a hatrick.

Oh Swanny you are god, Kallis looking mint though

Boucher gone at 216, Kallis still going strong but only Morkel, Harris, de Wet and Steyn, clean them up tonight please.

"only"... they can all bat

They can indeed, but they're not exactly top order batsmen and we got rid of most of those reasonably easily. With Ntini goes another one of the true number 11 rabbits, a dissapointingly rare breed these days. Just Chris Martin plugging along now, playing and missing at everything he can.

Is it only a 4 test series?

Yes, with the final test at Jo'burg. In Feb, England play the might of Bangladesh.

Cool so we only need 2 draws to take the series then? Yippie!

Of course, win this and win the series.

Cleaned them up quick enough this morning, 2 and a bit overs. Very good work.

Strauss got out early, 20-1 now.

Oh dear, Trott chops one into his stumps and Pietersen chips up a caught and bowled second ball.

36/3 in comes Collingwood.

I am currently there!!

Certainly getting your moneys worth so far, 7 wickets in the morning session!

64 - 3 at lunch.  Lets see colly and cook get hundreds and put us up there!

Well Colly won't......

Doh.  Ill shut up now.

Pieterson is a right cunt at the moment, needs a fuckin rocket.

C'mon Belly

We seem to be carrying him at the moment.  Mind you hell probably come through with a match winning performance at some point.

Cook and Bell cominbation, we should bore them to death for the next couple of hours if they stay at the crease that long.

Bell scored quicker than anyone in the last test so not sure how you worked that out

Because he hasn't scored off the last 32 balls he's faced.

But I don't agree, when Bell gets in he's one of our best batsman to watch, Pietersen obviously aside.

He had a pretty good platform when he came in last time.

What is his scoring rate at the moment? He is a little nudger, never found him entertaining.

Hahahaha, Bell's never been a nudger pal, he's got more shots than anyone in the England set up, maybe except KP.

We are four wickets down, Bell will nudge and block - Bell has never been an explosive player early in his inning pal!!! When established then a different matter, hence the first comment of the NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.

You're wrong.

He got to 30 at a run a ball last week for a start. I assume you mean not expansive, I refer you to his 6 off Harris' second ball to him last week...

Different situation today, one scoring shot off 37 balls - nudge nudge wink wink!!

Bell's playing for the situation dell. We went 4 down cheaply, do you expect your no. 5 to go out slogging? No, of course he wont.

If the first 4 had all made significant runs then Bell would be playing a completely different game. At the moment he's doing his job, which is not getting out.

I thought that is what I said?

No, you said he's always been a nudger. I'm saying he's only nudging at the moment because of the situation. When the situation's right he'll start playing some shots.

I orginally said with Cook and Bell at the crease we could bore them to death in the next two hours I think you'll find.

This says otherwise...

My opinion in a later post and truthful in todays game, to be quite honest I have never liked the player, maybe it shows in my post. He was one game away from probably being dropped for good but to his credit he did come good when we were already in a pretty strong position.

We were in a strong position when he came in last time Dell, but you take his runs waya and we'd almost certainly have had a draw. Platform set, granted, but a match-winning knock... or at least the "set up a chance for a win" knock

19 runs off 72 balls is slower than a old-fashioned Boycott innings, especially when Cook is averaging a run every other ball.

Are we shit again yet?

Cook's just gone, Bell and Prior in, still 150 behind. If Bell is going to finally get that century where nobody else in the team already has one, now would be a brilliant time.

Fuckin 'ell Belly, come on Broady now's the time for some runs

I think it's safe to say we are struggling here.

Indeed, Saffers one down at tea. The pitch isn't doing a great deal though,

We've still got 2 days to collapse though. Yay!

Smith edges to slip on 101, walks and Strauss calls him back because he knows it bounced! Incredible sportsmanship but blimey he'll get stick for that if we lose.

Would AB de Villiers have done the same?

87-0 at the moment.
Hope Bell will be in a pushey/nudgey mood tomorrow to save the match!!

Under 400 to win. Nice. Reckon we can pull this one off.....

If we pull off a draw it would be fantastic achievement. Not sure if 400 let alone 500 has ever been scored by the side batting fourth to win.

101-0 after 35 overs.

Highest chase is 418 from West Indies against Australia I think.

Cook out for 55

107-2 Strauss out

Arse, Pietersen gone at 129, not long before the close.

Its actually 466 to win.

The Saffas got it together and dropped Ntini, about time our lot gave KP the fuckin rocket he desperately needs and drop the shit cunt

Saffers had de Wet to come in, who do we have? Carberry seems to be next in line, would he do better?

And besides, Pietersen has the highest average of any of our batsman by a mile, despite a rather poor series so far. Form/Class and all that.

I'd go with 5 bowlers or play Lukey Wright, given we're gonna have to win to win the series

Agree with that.

Duh I meant taking off the runs we've already scored.

Actually, so would I- I strongly dislike playing 4 bowlers only unless you have an all rounder of Kallis' quality, which lets face it, only the Saffers have, or it's a complete minefield. I just don't think there's any chance of our Selectors going with a 5 man bowling attack- a drawn series away in South Africa would be a respectable result. I just wouldn't drop KP for the 5th bowler (You'll never guess who I would drop :D)

Slightly off topic, but what are people's thoughts on the increasingly likely possibility of the Bangladesh Tour resting a whole lot and sending a team captained by Cook and minus Strauss, Pietersen, Collingwood, Anderson et al?

Why the bejesus would we drop our best player?!?!

Because he isn't our best player.....

Yes he is. Best Batsman definatley. The stats back that up

He's been shit on this tour though. I don't think he likes touring as he was very shit against the Windies last year as well.

He is, but he's batting like an arse

Bit of research as I'm a budding Beaders.

KP since losing the captaincy:

West Indies (Away) 406 runs @ 58, 1 century, 3 half centuries
West Indies (Home) 49 runs @ 24.80
Ashes (Home) 153 runs @ 38.25, 1 half-century
South Africa (Away) 158 runs @ 31.60, 1 half-century

Two Series before (KP is captain for last test of SAfrica and whole of Indian series)

South Africa (Home) 421 runs @ 60.14, 2 centuries, 1 half century
India (Away) 149 runs @ 49.66, 1 century


Apart from showing IOB to be wrong about the Tour of the Windies (I'm presuming he meant the home series rather than just talking shit) it's worrying how long he's gone without a ton.

Drop KP and replace him with Luke Wright?

Chortle chortle

I'd say that not too bad an option, give them a rest from the international game, work on training etc. Get them all ready to do the Aussies down under at the end of the year. Also playing the less used/upcoming playes like Wright,Bopara,Denly,Rashid and Sidebottom giving them more experience in the test arena and seeing if the first four of those names can hack a whole series without the pressure of being booted out the team if they fail.

pietersen is coming back from a long-term injury - you have to give average players a fair run of a couple of series, not to mention the best batsman of his generation

Hopefully Trott will have a good innings tomorrow,which would boost his confidence,
even though i expect us to lose this Test.

I was expecting the Aussies to lose to Pakistan,but yet again they pull it out of the
bag,thanks to Mike Hussey and Nathan Hauritz.

179-5 at lunch, Trott and Anderson fall in that session.

Collingwood (8 from 50) and Bell (12 from 27) gritting it out. Will take one hell of an effort from here, even Harris is turning it considerably and the less said about his spin the better.

49 overs to go, blocking along nicely, Steyn is bowling very well but just isn't getting them out.

its fucking lush, sat here working from home :) lying on my sofa watching this great rearguard action. great stuff.

The Win Likelihood tab on the Times' Hawk Eye application shows the likelihood of an South African win having fallen from 81% to 50% since the last wicket fell.  More of the same, please.

Now 41% chance of a SA win.

Now it's 33%.  How many more overs?

that was close, just short.....

Eight minutes until Tea.  If we can avoid losing a further wicket before then, I will start to believe we can save this.  Sooner or later, the Saffas' heads will drop.  Hopefully.

Almost tea time.

Every time i've switched on TMS Vaughan is on  :). I've so far managed to avoid the doom team of CMJ and Duncan Fletcher.

Tea. Vaughan is rather good.

I know they're both summarizers, but I'd like to let loose Fletcher and Boycott together at some point when the game's a little dull. I don't think they get on very well.

Just found an answer to my own question.  South Africa must bowl 142 overs, so 35 still to come in the final session.

Come on boys, see it through

Actually what am I saying, fuck that boys press the accelerator only 7 an over needed press the accelerator Belly

Bell reaches 50, off a 134 balls.

Collingwood has 33 from 156.

Great work from these two.

Full credit to Ian Bell. He hasn't bottled it for a change

With about 15 overs left, a little bit of an acceleration could get Bell to a well deserved ton, he's on 68.

Ooh, Colly's gone.

Surely too late for excessive drama?

Collingwood gone. Dun dun derrrrr

273 minutes, 187 balls, 40 runs.

Arise Sir Paul.

Cunting hell, come on Prior you king

Oh holy fuck, Prior's gone.

Onions just be sat in the hutch thinking "Not again..."

I shouldn't think 3 more will go down though in 9 overs

Jeees Louise

I wish Gerald de Kok would stop shouting "Caught" when he hasn't hit it, I'm going to keel over in a minute.

The unbiased nature of the commentators is severely tested at this stage.  Im finding it difficult to listen and wish aggers was on at the death!

Good, aggers is back.

Fancy us to see this out easy.

Bang Bang Bang

Broad's gone!

Oh shat.

Broad Gone :(

Swanny'll save us.

this is ace. i love cricket.

Swann thumps his first ball for four!

I love him a little bit.

Smith's taken Steyn off? What the heck?

Morkle on for Steyn. Goood.

Arseflaps

Oh fuck Bell goes to Morkel, i'm never talking again.

Onions!

I'll just shut up now.

hahahaha fucking hell!!!

[url width=750 height=600]http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr322/CAC_003/facepalm1.jpg[/url]

11 to go

11 balls to go.

Do we not finish at a set time?

Steyn seems to have injured himself...oh lordie.

We can't do it three times in a year. Luck has to run out sometime

8 to go

I have to leave at 4 to get the train. Hurry Up!!

Fucking hell.  Tension is unbelivable.

One. Last. Over.

Drama. Huge, huge drama.

Here we go...

5 :)

5 balls to go.

4 :)

4

3 :)

2 :)

fuck off last ball :)

Fuck off Saffas.

Whats happened?!!!!!!!!!

They appealed 2nd to last ball. Not out.

Reffered a catch that's nowhere near, last ball.

Don't believe this.

OK.  LAst ball.

Graham Onions- SPOTY 2010. That is all.

get in oninons :)

Jesus fucking christ

Why couldn't I have been sent home early today to watch!  grrrrrrr

Get in.

Job done.

Cannot lose the test series. 1-0 up with 1 to play.

Jesus.  Whoever finds cricket boring knows fuck all.

Wow, that was tense.

Way to grind it out, phew!

Fair play to Onions aswell.

Gods

We're getting into a little habbit of doing this but it's great.

I quite agree.

When Swindon play football i only have to endure palpitations for about 15 mins, with England playing cricket, it lasts all day!!

Yep.  Even draws can be exciting when they're like that.  It was like the equivalent of hanging on for a point, something we're often guilty of.

This was the equivalent of Charlton coming back for a point with nine men.

Very true, I know fuck all and I find test matches boring. The evidence is undeniable.

Well that's not strictly true, today must have been quite exciting, if only we could get rid of the previous 4 days.

I'm running for cover as I type.

I have to admit, I had this down as a certain loss after they declared and put us in. Fair play to the lads for proving me wrong!

 See the Saffas have brought in their ringer Imran Tahir for the last test. Did wonder if he might be eligible for England having watched him bowl for Hants, seeing as how Pakistan didn't want him.

 Also brought in Parnell...not sure why he wasn't playing earlier as he looks good.

Wait a second, Imran Tahir is eligible for South Africa and they pick Harris?

Parnell was the best bowler in the World T20 last summer.

Ironically, Tahir is a very literal ringer, as he's eligible for SAfrica having just married a South African. Although they're not quite sure about that now, apparently...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/8448832.stm