Thread: Cricket scores around the world

Mmm, slaughtered, as expected.

If we manage to come back into this series we will deserve the world number 1 ranking, but I can't see us beating this SA team.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

I can't see us beating this SA team

Why not?

Surely they can play a couple of tests where the batsmen don't think they're playing a 1-dayer?

With all this Olympical stuff on, no-one seems to have noticed that the jaapies are at bat and are 80/0, looks like England are struggling to take wickets again.

Couple of wickets, 139/2.

157/3.

SA bowled out for 419. Not brilliant for England but it's better than the first test.

Time for tea.

Didn't even know it was on.

I'll have to go take a peek.

I see the Poms are not playing their key spinner.

Is he injured?

Dunno I'm struggling to keep up with everything that's on today!

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

Is he injured?

No. Selection mistake.

Fucking hell England haven't lost a wicket.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Fucking hell England haven't lost a wicket.

How many overs? 2?

16! Quite remarkable.

Meanwhile in the shadow of the Olympics, Pietersen has scored 145 n.o. as England chase SA's 419 with 331/5.

^ yep, I just checked that too - just as well one of our SA is playing well otherwise the SAs would be slaughtering us.

Swan should be in, he has done nothing wrong in several years.

Perhaps it just isn't a spinner's wicket.

348/5.

Finished on 351/5.

Looks like a draw, unless England collapse after SA whack out a quick 150 or so (highly unlikely, SA don't score quickly)

Rain has stopped both the cricket and the tennis. Meh.

"UPDATE: An awful lot of rain has fallen at Headingley, and continues to do so. Even if this stops, the mopping-up operation is going to be lengthy. Go and watch the Olympics or something."

Play may resume on the hour....

It would seem Kevin Pietersen's unsavoury behaviour has cost him his place in the third Test match against South Africa, and possibly his England career to boot.

BBC Sport - Kevin Pietersen: ECB brave to drop him, says Jonathan Agnew

By Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent

The decision to leave Kevin Pietersen out of the England team for the final Test against South Africa is clearly a very brave one by the ECB.
With England having to win the match to level the series to stay number one in the world, there must have been a temptation to bite the bullet and deal with the Pietersen issue afterwards.
Continue reading the main story

“England players are well paid and you must be available to play. You sign the contract, like Pietersen did, or you don't”

Jonathan Agnew

But it shows how disenfranchised he is within the set-up and how aggrieved they are over his comments about team spirit and even more so about reports he sent text messages to South African players during the Headingley Test.
It has been reported that the content of those messages was not flattering about either Andrew Strauss or Andrew Flower.
It is my understanding that he was asked to apologise for those text messages and he has not done so.
The subsequent video on YouTube, which was in violation of his contract, was a last-ditch attempt to salvage his place.
He was asked not to do it and yet he still did.
It is a real statement by the selectors, which has been backed by the board, that the team comes first and until he demonstrates that, Kevin Pietersen will not be playing.
This will split opinion but in a team sport you have to have 11 individuals pulling together.
You can have different types of people but they all have to play for the team and respect their team-mates and the game.
Trying to manoeuvre everything into his way is not the way to play cricket for England.
New Zealanders and Chris Gayle of the West Indies do it and that's because their boards do not have the money to pay them so they accept players can earn those sums in the IPL.

But English cricket can afford to play the players well and that is why they are top of the world rankings and New Zealand and West Indies are not.
England players are well paid and you must be available to play. You sign the contract, like Pietersen did, or you don't.
Pietersen is going to have to show commitment to the team and I know the ECB still want to know about these texts and what he was sending to the South Africans. That is unfinished business.
The selectors will have to decide what happens for the World Twenty20 and after that there's the one-day internationals.
He was retired for the previous series against Australia and England won that comfortably so you would have to question whether he deserves a place anyway.
There's still more to run and the message to Pietersen is clear - that he has to be a team man, fully committed and nothing less.
I think that most of the players will think it's the right decision. They will know their job is certainly going to be more difficult in terms of scoring runs but they all buy into the same thing.
Jimmy Anderson has said today that it has been a distraction and the first he knew about it was when Pietersen talked about it.
The irony will not be lost on many people that we have the commitment and delight of the athletes at the Olympics, achieving what they are on lottery grants, with this rather sorry saga running alongside it.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

I see this as the same. P is a twat. But, to leave him out is a failure of management...

I disagree.

If a player thinks he's bigger than the team he can get fucked.