Duncan Gardner wrote:

QUOTE:
KP and Fred especially were ugly swipes.

Are they going to spend the rest of the summer trying to outdo each other?

I'm getting such an England in the mid-90s vibe out of this match that I've half a mind to start listening to Cast and Dodgy and go out canvassing for Tony Blair

Looking at Pattinson's early figures I am ominously reminded of a WI series years ago (I think about 13 or so, I was on holiday in France) when for no very good reason the Windies wheeled out an unheralded leg spinner called Danraj who was carted around for over a hundred runs for no wickets, never to be seen again. I always remember Tony Cozier's voice, filled with pity for him, saying something like "And there's his century, poor lad" as another delivery was sent to the boundary.

I may be wrong on the exact details - I seem to recall I drank a lot on that holiday in between all the usual chateau nonsense. We also had a huge game of Blood Royale going. I played as the French. My uncle came thundering into my room at about 10 a.m. one morning during the second week and yelled "The King of France is a slugabed!" before dashing a glass of water in my face.

Oh vaughny... not sure about that, all my doubts about AB earlier... hmmm

So, why have we picked Patinson? Is there not a proven swing bowler, who causes the SA team all sorts of trouble taking 7 last innings he played against them and who plays at Headingly for his home side, rather than Pattinson who has played one 20/20 game there...

Looked out to me. Disgraceful stuff from Smith and Mickey Arthur. Amla was almost off before the vile cunt came bounding down the stairs screaming at him. Amla should have told him to get fucked. Smith's lot are in danger of crossing the boundary between gamesmanship and outright cheating.

Terrible decision for the no ball on the out a couple later, too.

No ball out? The ball wasn't anywhere near Amla's bat; it barely touched his shirt.

As for Vaughan's catch, I reckon the TV replay shows that the ball did ground. So, whatever you may think of Smith (wasn't it Mickey Arthur who came storming down the stairs?), justice was most probably done.

Amla shouldn't have walked. Once he did, he effectively gave himself out. But he wouldn't have walked had Vaughan expressed some uncertainty about his catch. I don't think that Vaughan (or AB de Villiers) necessarily cheated though, but to celebrate like that when the catcher couldn't be 100% is dodgy.

Not a good day all round for cricket, the umpires appeared to be missing alot of no-balls from the SA quicks, gave Cook out only slightly less ridiculously than Collingwood at Lords and then the players covered themselves in anything but glory with some dubious catches, most notably AB De Villiers, who I have no doubt was blatantly cheating and then Vaughan who whilst not quite as clear cut, still sulked about like a naughty schoolboy who'd been told off after the replays showed alot of doubt. Arthur and Smith behaved like petulant wankers with the way they ran down the tunnel, but then following the AB De Villiers incident and Englands reaction I can't say I'm all that suprised.


Elsewhere, England pick Pattinson for no obvious reason I can think of when we have Hoggard or Jones who seem better qualified in all respects I can think of except being something unseen.

Kallis seems strangely out of form with the bat and very overweight.

Vaughan is even more out of form and must be building a voodoo doll of Steyn this evening or hoping that SA warm up playing Rugby before the next innings.

Ambrose must have incriminating pictures of Peter Moores if he plays in the next match without scoring over 50 in the next innings.

Flintoff was exactly as we feared and hoped, slow and wooden with the bat and pretty good with the ball, if he gets back to form with the bat it's an enormous boost to the team.

That was one of the weakest batting line ups I can remember for England, really from 6 down there's not much hope of runs from anywhere except Broad and the memory of Flintoff.

There seemed to be a complete lack of knowledge of who has the authority to refer decisions; essentially, both today's non-catch decisions seemed to come about through the two dressing rooms jumping up and down. But if the umpires out in the middle put their fingers up without feeling doubtful enough to call for the third umpire then their verdict should stand, surely? Unless we want to have a tennis-style system of a quota of "challenges" per innings. Which might not necessarily be a bad idea, but over-rates - and the late evening light - are bad enough already and it's getting pretty time-consuming.

Flintoff bowled very well I thought.

Enjoyed rarely threatened today. Flintoff was tidy but didn't make the batsmen play; Anderson lacked the zip he had yesterday; Panesar hit out of the attack by Prince. Vaughan didn't look to have much confidence in either Broad or Pattinson.

They'll go into the third innings 250 odd behind. Time for a another big ton from the skipper.

Prince keeps surprising me. I might actually start rating him...

Unlike the whole world with Pattinson.

So far (with five wickets down), he's England's most successful bowler. Not best, but most successful.

AB's century means that all but one of SA's six specialists batsmen have scored centuries this series. And one has to back Kallis to get one at some point.

Another failure for Vaughan, I see.

Pattinson's dad on hearing that his son has been selected for England...

"But he's Australian..."

I bet Ponting is distraught that this diamond has slipped through his fingers.