Well one could not ever believe if the team that is being placed second in the ICC one day rankings let alone winning a match against a team that is placed third from the last in England,but,could not even put up a formidable batting nor play its allotted 50 overs.Sorry,not even half of it.The South African tem was all out for a mere score of 83 in just 23 overs.Can any one of you believe it!And the man who was responsible for such a devastating spell being the one who got belted for 6 sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh in the inaugural T20 championship.And six catches to a keeper who is not known to be one among the world's best?
Well..I suspect some foul play being involved in the game.For,even when the going was really found to be tough for the South Africans who were batting out there,the incoming batsmen showed no signs of seriousness absolutely whatsoever.Only three of the South African batsmen were found to cross the double digit mark.Despite losing the first ODI by 20 runs,the visitors showed no signs of improvement in the second one dayer.And when it came to the batting of the England side,they never had problems of any sort,for they never lost a wicket and successfully chased down the target in less than 15 overs with a run rate of 6.00 per over.
How come so much difference in performance and that too when the team which has lost is above par with the team that has won.All these happening despite no injury woes to any of the South African players.Did the captaincy of Kevin Pietersen influence to that extent on the South African team?Its really confusing to see the South African team succumb to England bowling so badly even in a pitch that was favoring the batsmen.How?
Has the England team really become so tough to out play or has the South African team lost its balance to out perform the England team.Not once but twice this has hapenned.The last time when the South African team toured England,the result was 5-1 favoring South Africa.Well..the point is not that the same history has to repeat itself.But,atleast some fighting reply would have cooled down things.With as many as 27 overs left to bat in the South African side,the lower order could have done a lot better.But?Well this is only an illusion,but,the suspicion is justified.Sorry to say this.
Showing posts with label England vs South Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label England vs South Africa. Show all posts
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sun Starts Rising In Englend Atlast
High hopes of the England cricket team winning the test series was shattered when they lost the first two of the four test match series.Well,this was not expected though from the England team.And when most of us (if not all) thought it would be South Africa who would walk away with the one day series as well.this was only to be deceived.And what a captain the team has chosen!A captain who was found to play his captain's knock in the beginning of his career as captain.The captain also forced Steve Harmison against retiring from one day internationals.Looks like the words of the former England captain Michael Vaughan which said "I want 11 captains on the field" is turning out to be reality.
Pietersen's knock of 90 off just 82 balls in addition to his unbeaten 158 run partnership with Andrew Flintoff in just 21 overs at a run rate of just below an over was one of the finest way to start off his career as a captain.The question at the moment is "how long will he continue to do the good work?".If this continues atleast till the end of the series against South Africa,it would be worth the praise.The trump card of the day for England's batting was that they never lost wickets at regular intervals and batted patiently until it was really time to call the shots.Thus by blasting 94 runs from the last 10 overs.
And if this wasn't enough,the duo also had something to offer with the bat as well.For,both the batsmen who put up a huge partnership of 158,shared 4 wickets between them.Two each to both Pietersen and Flintoff.This coming at a time when the England team just needed.In other words,the England bowlers got crucial wickets whenever they wanted.Whenever the South African batsmen were found to cut loose,even the England bowlers were found cutting.All South African batsmen were found putting up the same performance.Hats off to the team effort.
Every batsman who took to the crease tried his best to over power the England bowlers.The going was easy in the beginning when Smith and Gibbs put up a score of 50 in the first 8 overs and when the second wicket fell, the scoreboard reading 93/2 after 15.4 overs.It was then only that the batting debacle started happening.But,South Africa did what England didn't.Lost wickets at regular intervals and also the match at the end of the day.
It looks like South Africa is the best opponent Pietersen.May be because this is his motherland for,he played the series of his life also against the same team amassing 500+ runs in 2005.
Pietersen's knock of 90 off just 82 balls in addition to his unbeaten 158 run partnership with Andrew Flintoff in just 21 overs at a run rate of just below an over was one of the finest way to start off his career as a captain.The question at the moment is "how long will he continue to do the good work?".If this continues atleast till the end of the series against South Africa,it would be worth the praise.The trump card of the day for England's batting was that they never lost wickets at regular intervals and batted patiently until it was really time to call the shots.Thus by blasting 94 runs from the last 10 overs.
And if this wasn't enough,the duo also had something to offer with the bat as well.For,both the batsmen who put up a huge partnership of 158,shared 4 wickets between them.Two each to both Pietersen and Flintoff.This coming at a time when the England team just needed.In other words,the England bowlers got crucial wickets whenever they wanted.Whenever the South African batsmen were found to cut loose,even the England bowlers were found cutting.All South African batsmen were found putting up the same performance.Hats off to the team effort.
Every batsman who took to the crease tried his best to over power the England bowlers.The going was easy in the beginning when Smith and Gibbs put up a score of 50 in the first 8 overs and when the second wicket fell, the scoreboard reading 93/2 after 15.4 overs.It was then only that the batting debacle started happening.But,South Africa did what England didn't.Lost wickets at regular intervals and also the match at the end of the day.
It looks like South Africa is the best opponent Pietersen.May be because this is his motherland for,he played the series of his life also against the same team amassing 500+ runs in 2005.
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