Second Test. SA v England. Cape Town, Jan 2-6

[Arthur Crabtree]

Catches win matches.

[Durhamfootman]

always. did England not drop AB early doors too? if so they've cost 160 runs..... could have bowled them out by now

[backfootpunch]

always. did England not drop AB early doors too? if so they've cost 160 runs..... could have bowled them out by now

root dropped him on 5 or 6, was a dolly

even if compton had caught amla for 120 we would be in a very good position to win as we would have probably got at least bavuma out in the overs that followed

as it is it appears we have blown a great chance to go 2-0 up and simultaneously allowed amla to get back into form which will make winning the test series a lot harder

[Durhamfootman]

not good

[braveneutral]

It would have said 'South African born'.

True a bit like Greg Rusedski when he played bad.

[braveneutral]

If this were Pakistan playing...

[bigfluffylemon]

On a flat wicket, the only chance of forcing a result is to take every opportunity offered. Dropping the opposition's two best batsmen - England have fluffed this. It's just possible they could get a result, but it'll need all 7 SA wickets to fall by middle of the afternoon at the latest.

[Alviro Patterson]

This is a bit misleading...

and the post of 2016 goes to.......

[budgetmeansbudget]

Is there a danger Amla might usurp Stokes for MOM?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Finn has bowled well, with pace, but not managed to translate the help he's got from the pitch into wickets.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Is there a danger Amla might usurp Stokes for MOM?

If SA win. But then a bowler might get it.

[Gingerfinch]

Is there a danger Amla might usurp Stokes for MOM?

Home biased if he does.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Botham talks of the pitches now, as if they are a problem. But most games have results, more so than when he played. There was a spike in scoring in the noughties, and everyone assumes it's still happening, but it isn't. The rpw is pretty standard this decade, and as runs are scored more quickly now, it means the matches evolve quicker.

It's just individual pitches. And the groundsman here might point to the catches that were spurned. It's not his responsibility if you keep dropping Amla.

[Dr Cricket]

Botham talks of the pitches now, as if they are a problem. But most games have results, more so than when he played. There was a spike in scoring in the noughties, and everyone assumes it's still happening, but it isn't. The rpw is pretty standard this decade, and as runs are scored more quickly now, it means the matches evolve quicker.

It's just individual pitches. And the groundsman here might point to the catches that were spurned. It's not his responsibility if you keep dropping Amla.

agree, I believe close to 90% of games lasting 5 days gets a result, with it being so rare of a draw, even then the number of draws of 500 play 500 is so less.

Most of the draws these days have been because of the weather or because a team failed to get 10 wickets in the last innings.
IE few in the NZ and the India vs south africa in Johannesburg.

Depending on your view, the reason the draw is in decline is because home teams are producing wickets where they can get 20 wickets.

The pitches might have been better in the 70/80/90s but because of the low scoring rates it produced loads of draws, looking at some of the old scorecards, if they scored in the mordern rate hard to see them still being draws.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Anderson misses another at slip.