Third Test. SA v England. Jo'burg, Jan 14-18

[Arthur Crabtree]

Broad needs four wickets to go past Bob Willis as England's third highest wicket taker. He will get them in an equal number of Tests if he does it at the Wanderers.

Equal tests, fewer innings bowled in but substantially more balls bowled.

Down to Flower's four man attack I presume. Yes, Goose's SR was better. Broad seems less likely to have a long career than Anderson, given his ongoing problem with his ankle.

[Arthur Crabtree]

De kock out of test match, villas is in and duminy not playing because no one can open lol.
Although a chance of villas not being here on time, duminy comes in and captain takes gloves

Wow. Busy morning for SA.

Looks like there's some swing. Anderson's line a bit awry so far.

Morning.

[mikesiva]

Holy crap sa have broken the unofficial quota rule.

Never in doubt, IMHO...we need to be careful of the rubbish that is written by cricinfo about South Africa's transformation policy. It tends to be written by white people with a chip on their shoulders....

Duminy omitted, van Zyl keeps his place, and the only three non-whites are Amla, Bavuma and Rabada. I'm surprised Abbott doesn't come back in for either Morris or Morkel. Morris did okay with the bat, but he's a bits and pieces player. Good to see Viljoen getting a run out...I've heard a lot about him. Morkel's been very disappointing in recent times, and is probably close to breaking point too. The only conclusion I can draw is that Abbott is not fully fit, either.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Van Zyl, reprieved by the selectors, will get a ton now.

[Arthur Crabtree]

A bit surprising that SA didn't bowl with their four pace bowlers. Maybe because their keeper is in the air?

[Dr Cricket]

A bit surprising that SA didn't bowl with their four pace bowlers. Maybe because their keeper is in the air?

not really, they didn't pick 4 pace bowlers because it was green top/bowling deck in the first day.
they picked 4 seam option because spinners hardly do anything in this ground and the fact their prefer having 4 quick in SA, even with kallis they usually played 5 at this ground.

Plus it would be idiotic to bowl first considering the first day is the slowest of all the days, it gets quicker on day 2 and 3, with uneven bounce in the last 2 days.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Great morning for SA.

All my life I've been listening to commentators complaining that bowlers are too short, from Fred Trueman on TMS onwards. Bowlers get criticised for it, they retire and go into the box, and join the criticisers. People say A&B don't like being driven, and like to maintain scoreboard pressure, but Broad did bowl full at TB last summer, though in extreme conditions.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Plus it would be idiotic to bowl first considering the first day is the slowest of all the days, it gets quicker on day 2 and 3, with uneven bounce in the last 2 days.

The stat are better for batting second and fourth this century.

And it's overcast.

And I remember 2-4.

Wicket for Ben, with a short ball. Batter got himself out though. Looks like he'd decided on the shot before the bowler ran in.

[Arthur Crabtree]

[
they picked 4 seam option because spinners hardly do anything in this ground and the fact their prefer having 4 quick in SA, even with kallis they usually played 5 at this ground.

Fair enough. It does flatten out as the game goes on though, and bowlers can be in the field a long time. I'm suggesting going in with a seam heavy attack, three seamers. Just a spinner for the second innings. If Elgar bowls a lot, maybe they'll conclude one spinner might have been useful.

Looking at the post 2000 stats, a leggie has been more useful than an orthodox spinner. SA are unlikely to pick Tahir.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Van Zyl, reprieved by the selectors, will get a ton now.

In the second innings.

[sussexpob]

Stokes gets a wicket off a terrible ball that should have hit somewhere into the car park, and now I am having to endure the "he just makes things happen speech"....for the next 3 days.

Van Zyl looks a very poor player. How he made it to test 3 is beyond me

[Gingerfinch]

Didn't Beefy get a lot of his wickets with bad balls? Well, from when I started watching Cricket he seemed to. Some people have it, and some don't.

[Arthur Crabtree]

The new Botham.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I read it in the paper.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Good morning then for SA.

Only Finn really on song for England.