Thetownend.com

Nice start by Cookie and Strauss, slow but solid. Disappointed that Andre Nel and "Gunther" have missed out, but it'll be good to see Dale Steyn in action

Just reading up about "Gunther" and Steyn interesting read(s). 

Cook 50 no....

Sounds like Bell and Kev are putting in a decent show.  Fair play england needed this partnership.

   After the 100 opening partnership, I fully expected a clatter and a descent to 180 for 5 or 6. 

   Think the Boers look a bit undercooked.

Just watched the highlights, Pieterson looks in top nick. Another 100 tomorrow please.

Haha, I had a dream last night that Pieterson made 985 not out.

355 - 3, great 4th wicket stand!!

Will Bell get his century???????

A superb knock from Pietersen yesterday. Now he's come out of the rut he was in, KP could go on a devastingly hot streak of form.

Bell's now on 88* but even if he makes a ton, he still won't have scored one without another player scoring one before him. Which is a bit unfair given how well he's played in this partnership.

south africa are rubbish

How Bowden judged that to have hit Collingwood's bat I do-no-know.

Swings & Roundabouts I guess.

150 for Bell

Usually about right for Bell to have a good knock when under pressure.

Fair play to him.

491-6 Bell 158* Broad 23*

And when you think Strauss was given out lbw when it pitched outside leg, we could only be 4 down.

500-6.

hope the weather stays dry tomorrow...

A good 50* by Broad.

Hope you have a great day :)You'll have a sore arse if nothing else!Sitting on those hard seats all day is painful work for the posterior.Myself i have a seat cushion from Lords,don't watch cricket without it :-[

Off to Headlingley next weekend for the Sunday.Hope to God its better than last year,it didn't stop raining all day :(

I've noticed that we've scored 226 run by tea in 48 overs, which is just under 5 an over.

With 42 overs still to be bowled in the final session, we could get well over 600, unless we declare tonight.

Poor old Colly,when you're in the middle of a bad run these things seem to happen.

Great to see the younger players Bell and Broad putting on a great partnership.

Morkel with his 4 wickets so far,is showing that he'll cause problems throughout

the series.

199 and out - Gutted.

Great knock though.

Kallis out. 47-3.

We are dominating this game. Cue the rain to come and ruin it all.

161-5, good old Monty!!! 8)

9 down, 200 up. You'd have got fair odds on this last week.

Prince is just out for 101. Fantastic knock.

Hopefully,if the weather can hold we stand a great chance of going 1 up.Come on boys!

Monty will have a big part again to play in the 2nd Innings.

that was one bloody chilly day.

Here's hoping, although I'd expect stiffer resistance second time around. Smith and Kallis hold the key.

What did you think of Lords, Sonic ?

Good to see KP ripping the skin off it, and taking the new ball too. Much improved fielder too. Is there anything our new short-form captain can't do?

it was great - little bit of an odd atmosphere, very restrained and a little detached from the game at times. considering the weather we were lucky to have a full day's play and saw plenty of wickets, a great catch, a deserved century from prince and even a six(!)

fairly dull day of test cricket though and our seats in the mound stand were possibly the coldest place in england yesterday - good view but it was like a fucking wind tunnel...

this pic sums up the weather:

http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/92100/92191.jpg

the saffa's looked very poor though. amla looked lost and almost getting out after he knocked his helmet off summed up his innings; mckenzie was dismissed by a beautiful ball from monty which bowled him round his pads but was looking steady and aside from prince and de villiers was the only man to pose any threat but they always looked certain to follow on.

no chance of losing it from here but at the rate of this morning's session it could end up a draw.

  So can Smith and McKenzie bat through a whole day?  Think the only time I can remember this in England was Taylor and Marsh for convicts, circa 89? Think it was Devon Malcolm's debut and he sprayed it around a bit.

 I'm hoping this puts the mockers on them.

this is turning into a draw rapidly.

good shout!

"There have been 22 instances of pairs of batsmen batting throughout the day, but only once in England - Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor for Australia in 1989"

Hooray! A wicket! :)

What a yawn fest, complete waste of my afternoon.

 I suspected something like this....it was very similar v Sri Lanka a couple of years ago, so I went for a walk.  Definitely made the right decision.

I'm glad I worked today as I would have most certainly watched the coverage in all its glory.

Disappointed but not suprised.

Yet again England blow away a super position.

not really. aside from ambrose's drop i thought england were more or less faultless today, the saffa's just got all the luck.

i think we'll take a couple of quick wickets tomorrow morning and the saffa's will be all out by tea, leaving us with approximately fifty runs to get by close of play.

I thought Graham Thorpe did it with Nasser Hussein against SA in about '98....I'm wrong, clearly.  Maybe only one of them did it...I'm guessing it was Thorpe.

We don't often win at Lords do we?

I would guess that draws happen there more often than yer average track?

seventh draw in a row at lords i believe.

oh well

last win at lords would have been against Bangladesh in 05. I think it was over at lunch on the 3rd day.

 You're probably thinking of when Nas and Thorpe put on close to 300 v Convicts in the joyous 1st test at Edgbaston in 97.

  Caddy Gough and Devon Malcolm had run through them in the 1st innings and we went on to win...

 

Dull pitch

Never mind the pitch. England's cricket was the only dull thing out there today.

Cheers Reg.

Interesting stat that I read today (and I do love my stats):

"In the 1970s, English batsmen hit eight Test hundreds at Lord's. In the 1980s, they made 12; in the 1990s, 10; and in the 2000s, a whopping 32, with Sri Lanka and Australia next year still to come..."

Cracking and quite unbelievable stat! Says alot about the modern game but I'm astonished that the 1990's only saw 10!

Name them.....!

The highest score would have to have been Goochies 333 vs India in 1990

Did he not get a century in the 2nd innings too?

Ummm, Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain... the Judge?

Athers? I'm guessing now.

Rich,

You've got an excellent memory,he did indeed score 123 in the 2nd innings.Match aggregate 456

Yeah,a excellent memory,right.He didn't just google it like the rest of us then ;)

Ten isn't a lot is it?Would have thought Athers and Stewart are certs,not so sure about Nas.Gatting,Hick,Ramps?Surely not Beefy or Gower??

Put us out of our misery!!!

My knowledge of the Gooch century is through reading as opposed to watching it. Doing my research here...

Jack Russell 127 against the West Indies 1996 (which I do remember)
Alec Stewart 119 against New Zealand in 1994
Robin Smith 148 against the West Indies in 1991

http://www.cricinfo.com/ (http://www.cricinfo.com/) (I'm better than a mere google, larwood thankyou very much!)

Nuts,was going to say Russell.But then i would say that wouldn't i :D

So thats five then.

Athers and Gower in sydney in 1991.

"In the 1970s, English batsmen hit eight Test hundreds at Lord's. In the 1980s, they made 12; in the 1990s, 10; and in the 2000s, a whopping 32, with Sri Lanka and Australia next year still to come..."

soapy tit wank.What a berk i am! :-[

Has to be said the Cric info website is ace.Goes so far back.I've always enjoyed the Bodyline stuff on there.