Planet Rugby Forum

OomPB wrote:Still try to figure out why we won the toss and bat first?

Because we were shit scared of batting last on a fifth day pitch against Embuldeniya.

Yes, well, Faf as predicted is not going to use Maharaj, despite the turn on offer. Well, not until it's too late, at any rate.

Rabada and Olivier leaking runs as Mendes and Fernando help themselves to 30 in the first few overs.

Make that 35 as Fernando smokes Rabada to the boundary again.

These guys are playing T20 here and having fun.

Olivier taken off, but I'm not sure that Steyn will fare any better.

Well, 12 runs off Steyn's over.

That went well...

This is madness.

Again!

Russell Arnold mocking Faf's field placings on commentary.

Maharaj bowls a longhop which gets punished, so Faf takes the fielder out of cover to put him on the boundary. Fernando then skies a ball which lands safely where the fielder would have been. Russell Arnold is in fits!

Well, this has turned into a bit of a hammering - very surprised that SA have slumped to such a heavy defeat - really expected them to bounce back in this test against a veru ordinary SL team.

ovalball wrote:Well, this has turned into a bit of a hammering - very surprised that SA have slumped to such a heavy defeat - really expected them to bounce back in this test against a veru ordinary SL team.

I'd agree.

We are going to see plenty of excuses, but the fact is that we played as amateurs without any sort of plan, and the Sri Lankans knew exactly how to open us up.

Our bowling has hauled us out of the shit so many times that our batting doesn't feel it needs to perform. It'd be interesting to see the last time we made 300 and how many times we have done this since Kallie retired.

Poor display by the Proteas.
No spark in today's performance. Looked as if they had given up even before taking the field this morning.
Time for a big shakeup in the batting.

Steve_GT wrote:Poor display by the Proteas.
No spark in today's performance. Looked as if they had given up even before taking the field this morning.
Time for a big shakeup in the batting.

Faf was reluctant to bowl Maharaj until it was too late, principally because the Sri Lankans made a point of going after him and hitting him out of the attack. Faf should have backed him early on and reasoned that, if they were trying to hit him out of the attack, it was because they were worried about him. Instead he brought back Rabada and Olivier who conceded 40 runs in five overs-odd (it may have been seven) and he had no runs to play with.

Moving a fielder from cover to sweeper because Maharaj had bowled a filthy long hop was a case in point The next ball but one was skied to the position vacated by the fielder. Not that it mattered: the horse was already in the next paddock.

In schoolboy cricket or club cricket, you can follow the ball around because the batsmen have a limited range. In International cricket you have to have a plan. Which we didn't.

While I'm inclined to agree that Amla has probably played his last test, the rest of the top order need to work on their batting. Markram is a very good prospect and should be persisted with. Faf is inclined to lose concentration and get out to silly balls, leaving straight ones or making similar brain farts. I'm a bit worried about Elgar. Opening is a tricky position and blunting the new ball and the attack is difficult and he's been very good in the past. The Sri Lankans seem to have worked him out, though, and you can be very sure that other attacks will use the same tactics on him. Bavuma needs to go back to his Provincial team, though and work on his batting.

The collapse in SA batting was expectant given that de Villiers, du Plessis and Amla are mid 30s. AB has gone but with replacements there is a quota to meet and it will be a while till you find new players who can step up.

With the bowlers Ngidi needs to get fit as Steyn is 35 and shouldering on with his body.