SA v Eng: Reaction – Test Cricket At Its Best

South Africa and England played out a thrilling draw in the first Test at Centurion. This was Test match cricket at its very, very best; providing twists and turns, changes in balance of power and drama to the final ball of the match.

Many will look at England, who were left clinging on against a rampant Friedel de Wet, and suggest they were lucky to escape with a draw.

But the tourists more than played their part in the match and a number of individuals turned-in excellent performances. Jonathan Trott continues to show his maturity, Graham Onions bowled well and showed his nerves are strong with the bat, Paul Collingwood demonstrated the determination and skills he has made his name for, and Kevin Pietersen’s swagger seemed to be returning during his vital 81 this afternoon.

Swann on song

And then there was Graeme Swann. Swann has enjoyed a superb year as England’s premier spinner and that continued at Supersport Park. A hard-earned five-fer and an innings-saving 85 saw him pick up the man of the match award.

But there are some concerns for the tourists, heading to Durban for the second Test. Alaistar Cook and Stuart Broad look horribly out of form and Matt Prior doesn’t appear to have the stomach for a fight, despite his improvment behind the stumps.

The biggest problem, however, is the continued selection of the gutless Ian Bell.

End of Bell?

How many times has Bell got to show the selectors what a poor player he is? Yes, his cover drive is nice to look at, but if you lack the mental qualities to apply that ability at the highest level, you haven’t got a hope.

The time has surely come to throw Bell on the scrapheap where he has regularly shown he belongs and look to the future.

Looking ahead to the second Test at Durban, starting on Boxing Day, the England selectors have a few big calls to make. Luke Wright should replace Bell, as a poll by the Guardian suggests; he has as much chance of scoring runs and offers something with the ball – it has clearly been a mistake to go in with only four bowlers.

Cook and Broad will probably get another chance, but chances are quickly running out.

Until then, we can all enjoy Christmas safe in the knowledge that Test match cricket is alive and well…. and England are just about level in the series.

Superb England Put the Frighteners on Proteas

England produced one of their finest one-day performances to hammer South Africa at Port Elizabeth today, and Jimmy Anderson provided the star turn once again.

Anderson had his finest hour in the blue of England as the tourists rolled Graeme Smith’s men over 119, their lowest ever total in ODIs in South Africa, before Jonathan Trott’s unbeaten half century saw England home by seven wickets.

The spearhead of England’s attack, Anderson has emerged as a world-beater over the past two years and must now be considered as one of the finest fast bowlers in the game. His efforts today, bowling a full length and extracting uneven bounce from a pitch with a St John’s pitch with a grassy top, were as good as anything Brett Lee or Dale Steyn have produced.

The defeat leaves South Africa with no chance of victory in the one-day series and puts them firmly on the back foot heading into the Test leg of the tour.

England, awful against Australia at the end of the summer, now look like a real force in ODI cricket. Trott has brought assurance to the top of the order and the return of Kevin Pietersen brings quality to the top order.

In Collingwood and Morgan, England have players in extraordinary form who bring balance to the side. And, in Tim Bresnan, they seem to have found a bowler who compliments the qualities of Anderson, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad.

Most importantly they have the edge in the series and have installed in South Africa something which is not easy to shake – fear.

Trott Stars as England Win in Final Warm-up

England, missing a handful of first-choice players, beat South Africa ‘A’ in their final warm-up match before the first ODI on Friday.
Jonathan Trott was once again the star, stroking 78 from 89 balls as England chased down a tough total.
Graham Onions, playing his first match on tour, and Luke Wright took two wickets apiece as a strong South African second-choice – skippered by Hashim Amla and including Herschelle Gibbs and Morne Morkel – made 279-8 batting first.
Andrew Strauss got England’s reply off to a flier, hitting 65, while Trott took over in the middle overs.
Matt Prior (54) and Luke Wright (25no) then finished the job for the tourists with 11 balls remaining, a timely confidence boost ahead of the ODI series.

Twenty20 Betting: South Africa Hot Favourites for Opening T20

England start today’s Twenty20 against South Africa as firm underdogs.
Coral and Ladbrokes both have England at 6/4 to win the match, with South Africa the clear favourites at 1/2.
In terms of batting, Jonathan Trott looks a good bet to be England’s top batsman at a best-priced 9/2 with Coral and Eoin Morgan’s form at the Champion’s Trophy makes him a decent shout at 13/2.
JP Duminy, a master in this form of the game, represents value as South Africa’s top batsman at 4/1 with Ladbrokes.
With rain predicted for the weekend in Centurion – where the two teams meet for the 2nd Twenty20 on Sunday – an England series victory could represent value with Ladbrokes at 9/2. Sneaking a win tonight for the tourists and a weather-ruined weekend would spell a good start to the tour.