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South Africa v England: third Test, day one – live! – The Guardian, Theguardian.com

South Africa v England: third Test, day one – live! – The Guardian, Theguardian.com


********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** th over: England (0) Crawley (***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Sibley )

Too straight from Nortje, and Sibley drives imperiously wide of mid- on for four. Shot! “It’s a really slow deck,” says Mike Atherton on Sky. “As an opener, when you’ve got past the new ball, you’re saying,‘ This is the day. This is my day. ’”

“After reading your comments about the Basil D’Oliveira trophy (5th over) I had a close look at a picture of it,” says Kevin Holloway. “I was surprised by how little the bust, to my eye, looks like the great man. Even the hair is parted on the wrong side – I think? It occurred to me that the sculptor might have googled D’Oliveira and mistaken a photo of Dolly’s son, Damian, for a photo of Dolly… ”

Oh my, you’re right about the parting. I still think it looks like him, mind.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (th over: England 35 – 0 (CrawleyThis looks like an excellent opportunity for England t o bore South Africa’s bowlers into submission. Sibley, in particular, has the perfect temperament to bat in conditions like this. If the ball doesn’t reverse swing, it could be a long day for South Africa.

(**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ (th over: England) – 0 (Crawley

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Sibley )

Sibley repeats his stroke in the previous Nortje over, waving a cut through backward point for four. He has started superbly. Right here, right now, Sibley has a Test average of 41. (**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************. Some people wanted him dropped, never to be seen again, after the New Zealand tour. That’s

drinks.

“Have England ever had two openers with three-letter forenames?” Says Daniel Harris. “Yes, Dom is Dominic, but Cricinfo have him down as Dom. I don’t think it’s a proclivity. ”

How about a two and a three, Mo Ali and Jos Buttler in that runchase in Pakistan in 2019 – the ********? Alright, alright, how about Len Hutton and Reg Simpson? I think they opened together in that Brisbane fiasco in – 58.

Updated

at 4.

3. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (amEST(************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ (th over: England) ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (- 0) Crawley (**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Sibley 9 That errant pull stroke aside, Crawley has looked fine against Rabada so far. Rabada’s line has been immaculate, but so has Crawley’s judgment of off stump.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** :

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** th over: England 28 – 0 (Crawley************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Sibley 9 Anrich Nortje replaces the debutant Dane Paterson, who bowled a reasonable first spell of 5-0 – 11 – 0. His second ball is steered crisply through backward point for four by Sibley. With no pace in the pitch and little movement, this looks like a beautiful day for batting. But we’ve said that before with England, is it not.

“Former Essex and Notts batsman Will Jefferson – now there was a tall opener,” says Ian Forth. “He played on an England A tour but never quite fulfilled his potential, partly perhaps because he was 6 foot inches tall. I seem to remember Tom Graveney was pretty tall too – certainly by the diminished stature of Englishmen in a country on s rations. ”

Jefferson used to bat with James Taylor, which must have played havoc with the bowlers’ lengths.

3). ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (AM) ******** (EST): ()

th over: England (0) Crawley (**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Sibley 5Rabada has started excellently, with a challenging line just outside off stump. Sibley steals a single into the off side to move to five from 32 balls. As ever, he has crawled out of the blocks. No, that was acom (pliment.)************

“England have now gone 34 Tests without naming an unchanged side (including the batting line-up), ”says Chris Parker. “Funnily enough the last time we did it was the 4th Test vs SA, but that was the home series back in August 2017. ”

While I will fight any man who rejects the life-changing magic of a good stat, I would say that if they pick the same XI it’s an unchanged side, regardless of any tweaks to the batting order.

(********************************** 3). amEST********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: 52

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** th over : England (0) Crawley (******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Sibley 4)The pitch looks pretty slow, as promised, and Crawley mistimes another pull stroke. This one, off Paterson, fell just short of mid-on.

(****************************************** 3. () ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (am) EST************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:

9th over: England – 0 (Crawley 9, Sibley 4 )Rabada comes on to replace Philander, not Paterson. He won that compelling contest with Crawley in the second innings of the second Test, and almost picks him up again here. Crawley mistimed a front-foot pull that teased Nortje, running back from mid-on, before dropping just in front of him. Careful now.

“Hello Rob,” says Matt Doherty. “From memory the only other tall openers were Chris Broad and Tim Robinson.”

Oh yes, good one, although strangely they hardly ever opened together in Tests.

(********************************************** 3. 35 amEST(*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:

8th over: England (0) (Crawley 8 , Sibley 4)The Paterson decision hasn’t really worked for South Africa. He hasn’t bowled badly; he just hasn’t found much movement off the pitch or in the air.

7th over: England

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** 0 (Crawley 7, Sibley 3)

Quinton de Kock has moved up to the stumps for Philander to stop Crawley batting outside his crease. The result is a maiden. England’s young openers – Crawley (******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Sibley – have started calmly, although South Africa’s decision to hold Kagiso Rabada back has helped.

6th over: England

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** 0 (Crawley 7, Sibley 3)“With Crawley and Sibley both looking like at least 6ft4, is this England’s tallest ever opening partnership?” Says Oliver Haill. “And is there any significance in that?”

Climate change. Actually, it might be the tallest. Tony Greig never opened for England, and I can’t’t think of any particularly tall openers. Cook and KP at Headingley in 2012 maybe.

(3.) **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (AMEST):

5th over: England

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** -0 (Crawley 7, Sibley 1)

A rare piece of filth from Philander, short and wide, is larruped to the cover boundary by Crawley. Whether in attack or defense, the ball makes a lovely sound off Crawley’s bat.

“Morning Rob,” says Richard Vale. “Am I alone in thinking that the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy being a bust of the man himself is just weird?”

Hmm, I don’t know. At least it actually looks like him, which is a rarity these days.

(3.) ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (AM) ******** (EST):

4th over: England 8-0 (Crawley 3, Sibley 1)Not a great over from Paterson. He was too straight, which allowed a couple of singles into the leg side and then f our leg byes when the ball flew to the boundary off Sibley’s pad.

(3.) ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ amEST************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:

3rd over: England 2-0 (Crawley 2, Sibley 0)It looks like a clammy day in Port Elizabeth, though it’s not always easy to discern conditions in South Africa when you’re in an office approximately 9. 6 miles away . There’s a bit of grass on the pitch, as is usually the case in South Africa on the first morning, and Crawley is beaten by a glorious delivery from Philander that nips away off the seam. Only Steve Smith would have nicked that. The rest of the over is defended confidently.

Good stuff from the Sky Sports team, who use the popular split-screen medium to demonstrate that Crawley has made a technical change, with his bat coming down much straighter.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: 10

2nd over: England 2-0 (Crawley 2, Sibley 0)Well I’ll be damned. Dane Paterson, rather than Kagiso Rabada, will share the new ball. That’s an eccentric decision, though I’m sure South Africa have a plan. His fourth ball is a beauty, shaping away to beat Sibley’s defensive poke. We have seen Paterson before, by the way – he gave a death-bowling masterclass in a (T) at Cardiff three years ago.

1st over: England 1-0 (Crawley 1, Sibley 0)Philander’s second ball nips back sharply to hit Crawley on the thigh pad, and the third takes a thickish edge before falling short of third slip. Immaculate stuff from Philander, as always. Crawley then works a single into the leg side to put England 1-0 up.

“Looking at Joe Root’s England blazer alongside the natty South African equivalent, I was immediately struck by how plainly classical it looks,” says Tom van der Gucht, If you ask me, although judging by my own sartorial crimes against humanity you probably shouldn’t, the ECB need to invest some of the money being blown on the Hundred in some extra trimming on their jackets. Nothing too garish: perhaps just a couple of gold rings around the cuffs and something along the lapels. Who knows, maybe it would empower Root’s leadership if he resembled a young Captain Birdseye. ”

Insert your own can-he-grow-a-beard-yet joke here.

(************************************************************************ (3) **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (amEST(************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Here we go.Vernon Philander has the new ball , Zak Crawley is in the interrogation room. This will be a challenging morning for England.

(************************************************************************** (2.) ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* (amEST

)

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:

Now (this) is how to start a Test match

“Morning Rob,” says Tom Bowtell. “There is a tantalising chance of an era-defining statgasm this morning. If Philander concedes 26 runs without taking a wicket, his career figures will read (wickets @ (******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************. It rather tarnishes Big Vern’s career that he lacked the foresight and basic human decency to have scored (fewer Test runs which would have given him a current batting average of 22. (****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************. ”

(**************************************************************************** (2. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** AMEST:

“Where do you think Chris Woakes is at the moment?”says Kevin Wilson. “He’s the least talked up of any of England’s quicks. He’s been in and out of the side and bowled well in Hamilton and was reasonably decent in the Ashes. But even when he’s played, it feels like Root underbowls him. He’s the natural replacement for Anderson with the new ball. I’m fine with Wood coming in as I think some extra pace will be needed, but the decision you need to make is around the new ball. Would Woakes be more effective with the new ball than Sam Curran? ”

His illness has made this tour a bit of a write-off. He’ll always be a good option, especially at home, and I thought he was poorly managed during the Ashes. But I’d say England are right to use Curran for now. Woakes is 32 in March and has a chronic knee injury; It wouldn’t shock me if Anderson outlasted him as a Test player.

(********************************************************************************

(******************************************************************************** (2) ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (am) ******** (EST)******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:

Team news

Both teams make one change, with each bringing in a skiddy fast bowler. South Africa give a debut to Dane Paterson, who replaces the allrounder Dwaine Pretorius. England bring in Mark Wood for the injured Jimmy Anderson.

South Africa

Elgar, Malan, Hamza, du Plessis (c), van der Dussen, de Kock (wk), Philander, Maharaj, Rabada, Nortje, Paterson.

EnglandSibley, Crawley, Denly, Root (c ), Stokes, Pope, Buttler (wk), Curran, Bess, Wood, Broad.

Updated (2). ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (am EST)

(************************************************************************************ (**************************************************************************************** (2). ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (am) ******** (EST******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: England have won the toss and will bat first

“It looks a good surface, dry underneath, and it could deteriorate,” says Joe Root.

Faf du Plessis, who has now lost six tosses in a row, says he would also have batted, though it was a / 43 call.

Updated (at 2.) ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* am EST

(************************************************************************************

(************************************************************************************ (1.) ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (AMEST):

(Preamble) ************************************************************************************

Hello and welcome to live, over-by-over coverage of the third Test between South Africa and England at Port Elizabeth. Let’s start with something thrilling, a list of scores: 1-1, 1-0, 2-1, 2-1, 2-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-1, 0-2, 1-2 3-1. Those are the series results between these sides since South Africa were readmitted in (*********************************************************************************************************************************************************. No whitewashes, not even a rout, and only three dead rubbers in (series.)

South Africa and England have been the most well-matched sides in world cricket in the last years. Some might say that’s because they’re essentially the same team, but that’s one for the Guardian Sport SuperBrains to consider. What we can say with confidence is that contests between the two usually come with a guarantee of tense, hard-nosed, sometimes brilliant cricket.

This series, which has been no different, will end with back-to-back games at Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. If you believe inthe M word, then England have it after their stirring victory in the second Test at Cape Town. But they will be without one of the stars of that match: Jimmy Anderson, who had frankly absurd match figures of 41 – – – 7, has flown home with the latest manifestation of professional old age.

His like-for-unlike replacement will be Mark Wood, who has been bowling like the wind – or even the Typhoon – in the nets. Port Elizabeth has a reputation for being the slowest pitch in South Africa, so England want what we are now obliged to refer to as an X-factor bowler. There has been plenty of talk of reverse swing, too. Slow pitch or not, I doubt the next few days will be dull. After all, it’s England v South Africa.

The match startsat 8am in England, 12 am in Port Elizabeth. ************

Updated at 2. 34 am EST********************************************************************************************** (Read More)

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