In theory, there are various English Premiership matches mostly scheduled on top of each other, a tasty Irish derby, and Welsh/Scottish dust-ups, plus some Top14 matches.
CMW – it was something of a comedy dismissal. He was seeing the ball so well, he looked to walk across his stumps and play a T20 shot, but got tangled up when Broad fired it in at the stumps and couldn’t adjust in time. Very funny watching it live, especially the somewhat embarrassed look on his face!
Interesting stat being shown on the screen here before play in the Test: India is apparently the first team to lose all 20 wickets to catches in Test history. Very evenly poised here, I might add, with South Africa needing 111 to win, with 8 wickets in hand. Should be advantage Proteas, but India’s bowlers have been very good this series and our batting remains callow.
He was playing a bit in limited overs mode. When he did that leg side flick to cow corner that nearly went for 6 I did think he was likely to get out soon.
Having said that the response by him, Head, and Green is a great lesson in counter attacking and taking back the initiative. Am very impressed.
The counter attack has probably won the game already.
Labuschagne does play a bit like that anyway – it’s the sort of dismissal Steve Smith ought to have been getting for years, but he never misses. I know he was looking to get on with it, but what he ended up with is about as bad a shot as you can play to a straight ball with the added bonus of ending up flat on his face.
AB de Villiers was going all gagga about Petersen on Twitter the other day. He does look like the one batsman we’ve got who can change the tempo of an innings.
Very, very happy with that series win! India still yet to win a series here. We’ve got some issues to sort out though, notably Markram’s lack of runs opening and the balance of the side without a genuine all-rounder. Long tail at the moment. Elgar is solid enough at the top, Markram looks stunning for his usual 20 or so, Petersen looks to the manor born, Rassie van der Dussen is ok, I suppose, Temba Bavuma likewise, but at nearly 33 and 32 respectively, they’re long there for the long haul. Kyle Verryne has stepped into the keepers gloves following de Kock’s sudden retirement and has very good potential.
Young side though (or inexperienced, anyway), with only Dean Elgar having reached 50 Test caps before the start of the series. Marco Jansen looks like the real deal too, as a giraffe-like left arm quick adding excellent variation to the attack. Our seam bowling stocks are good at the moment, with Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje and Glenton Stuurman all in the mix. Poor old Keshav Maharaj didn’t get much of a bowl this series, but is a solid to very good spinner and lower order batsman.
Our big issue is the all-rounder: Wiaan Mulder hasn’t grabbed the spot with conviction yet and Marco Jansen, playing at 7 in the last two Tests could make it his own, although I don’t know if he’s an actual Test 7. A first class average of 22 in 36 innings doesn’t scream all rounder, but he’s only 21. It means having a pretty long tail, papered over in this series by our fabulous bowling unit – but if they have injuries or off days, then what? Centurion suggests we don’t win if we concede large deficits.
Tonight’s fare is either Castres v Munster or Cardiff v Quins.
I like watching Munster at home because of the atmosphere at Thomond Park, but I recall Flair advising against ever watching Castres because they make any game tedious, I think tedious was the word used.
Quins are good value and it looks like they’ve gone “full noise” in their selection, Cardiff were very disappointing last weekend, they barely got a shot off and they were pretty much at full strength.
I might flick between the two and see what’s what.
@Ticht – The format of this competition is lost on me, but my guess is that Cardiff and Castres are both already effectively out so it’s unlikely either game will be worth watching.
CMW, both of them are at home and Cardiff at least have gone for a strong lineup (I don’t watch Castres on Flair’s advice so I can’t comment on their team), so there might be some interest.
Wasps v Toulouse, Exeter v Glasgow and Leinster v Monpellier could be good watches.
Embra away to Ldn Irish isn’t being broadcast unfortunately as it’s in the diddy cup, but it could be a good game.
@Ticht – I suppose that despite the Covid/South Africa problems Cardiff did provide some entertainment in the previous rounds so maybe they will be up for it. The Wales players have got 6N places to play for too I guess. Still wouldn’t count on it though, it’s more likely that our teams will all be shit and Pivac will just have to pick on the basis of what he already knows.
@Ticht:
no Jonny Gray and no Jonny Hill for Exeter vs Glasgow. Skinner and Lonsdale are 2nd row with a young Welsh lad, Dafydd Jenkins, who is a Welsh U20, on the bench. Also, front rows are very green. Only Moon is a first or second pick prop; Iosepha-Scott is work in progress and Kenny and Schickerling are young lads. Fortunately, LC-D and Innard are good hookers.
Good opportunity for Glasgow to do the double???
Ovally Balls 
Slade – thinking? Ha!
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This chap has the eleventh highest test average of all time. A good lesson in why footage of one bad shot isn’t enough to dismiss someone’s technique.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cricket/59992320
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CMW – it was something of a comedy dismissal. He was seeing the ball so well, he looked to walk across his stumps and play a T20 shot, but got tangled up when Broad fired it in at the stumps and couldn’t adjust in time. Very funny watching it live, especially the somewhat embarrassed look on his face!
Interesting stat being shown on the screen here before play in the Test: India is apparently the first team to lose all 20 wickets to catches in Test history. Very evenly poised here, I might add, with South Africa needing 111 to win, with 8 wickets in hand. Should be advantage Proteas, but India’s bowlers have been very good this series and our batting remains callow.
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@cmw
He was playing a bit in limited overs mode. When he did that leg side flick to cow corner that nearly went for 6 I did think he was likely to get out soon.
Having said that the response by him, Head, and Green is a great lesson in counter attacking and taking back the initiative. Am very impressed.
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@Deebee – Shame Elgar got out.
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The counter attack has probably won the game already.
Labuschagne does play a bit like that anyway – it’s the sort of dismissal Steve Smith ought to have been getting for years, but he never misses. I know he was looking to get on with it, but what he ended up with is about as bad a shot as you can play to a straight ball with the added bonus of ending up flat on his face.
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Keegan Petersen is a lovely looking batsman.
Top Trivia: His dad played club cricket with Marais Erasmus, who’s umpiring in this test.
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AB de Villiers was going all gagga about Petersen on Twitter the other day. He does look like the one batsman we’ve got who can change the tempo of an innings.
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Well didn’t I just jinx him there? Petersen chops a rather innocuous delivery onto his stumps.
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Gosh, the Proteas did well. A terrific series win for them.
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Very, very happy with that series win! India still yet to win a series here. We’ve got some issues to sort out though, notably Markram’s lack of runs opening and the balance of the side without a genuine all-rounder. Long tail at the moment. Elgar is solid enough at the top, Markram looks stunning for his usual 20 or so, Petersen looks to the manor born, Rassie van der Dussen is ok, I suppose, Temba Bavuma likewise, but at nearly 33 and 32 respectively, they’re long there for the long haul. Kyle Verryne has stepped into the keepers gloves following de Kock’s sudden retirement and has very good potential.
Young side though (or inexperienced, anyway), with only Dean Elgar having reached 50 Test caps before the start of the series. Marco Jansen looks like the real deal too, as a giraffe-like left arm quick adding excellent variation to the attack. Our seam bowling stocks are good at the moment, with Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje and Glenton Stuurman all in the mix. Poor old Keshav Maharaj didn’t get much of a bowl this series, but is a solid to very good spinner and lower order batsman.
Our big issue is the all-rounder: Wiaan Mulder hasn’t grabbed the spot with conviction yet and Marco Jansen, playing at 7 in the last two Tests could make it his own, although I don’t know if he’s an actual Test 7. A first class average of 22 in 36 innings doesn’t scream all rounder, but he’s only 21. It means having a pretty long tail, papered over in this series by our fabulous bowling unit – but if they have injuries or off days, then what? Centurion suggests we don’t win if we concede large deficits.
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Tonight’s fare is either Castres v Munster or Cardiff v Quins.
I like watching Munster at home because of the atmosphere at Thomond Park, but I recall Flair advising against ever watching Castres because they make any game tedious, I think tedious was the word used.
Quins are good value and it looks like they’ve gone “full noise” in their selection, Cardiff were very disappointing last weekend, they barely got a shot off and they were pretty much at full strength.
I might flick between the two and see what’s what.
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I like that Marnus Labuschagne has a sense of humor
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@Ticht – The format of this competition is lost on me, but my guess is that Cardiff and Castres are both already effectively out so it’s unlikely either game will be worth watching.
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CMW, both of them are at home and Cardiff at least have gone for a strong lineup (I don’t watch Castres on Flair’s advice so I can’t comment on their team), so there might be some interest.
Wasps v Toulouse, Exeter v Glasgow and Leinster v Monpellier could be good watches.
Embra away to Ldn Irish isn’t being broadcast unfortunately as it’s in the diddy cup, but it could be a good game.
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@Ticht – I suppose that despite the Covid/South Africa problems Cardiff did provide some entertainment in the previous rounds so maybe they will be up for it. The Wales players have got 6N places to play for too I guess. Still wouldn’t count on it though, it’s more likely that our teams will all be shit and Pivac will just have to pick on the basis of what he already knows.
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If I were neutral – then Cardiff vs Quins. Munster vs Castres was tedious at Thomond and will be worse I expect in France.
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@Ticht:
no Jonny Gray and no Jonny Hill for Exeter vs Glasgow. Skinner and Lonsdale are 2nd row with a young Welsh lad, Dafydd Jenkins, who is a Welsh U20, on the bench. Also, front rows are very green. Only Moon is a first or second pick prop; Iosepha-Scott is work in progress and Kenny and Schickerling are young lads. Fortunately, LC-D and Innard are good hookers.
Good opportunity for Glasgow to do the double???
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New post up!
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