posted Jun 7, 2009

I like the way he came to a dead halt before bowling. Making SA work for the runs

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posted Jun 7, 2009

Haq is as good as any off spinner I have seen in world cricket
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really?

168-3

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posted Jun 7, 2009

Hope England middle order are taking notes on how to bat when the openers get a good start.

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posted Jun 7, 2009

211/5

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posted Jun 7, 2009

ABdV = marvelously elegant batsman. Nothing like the brutality of Gayle, who has set the benchmark, but a pleasure to watch nevertheless

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posted Jun 7, 2009

Unlucky for Scotland to have met the Saffers at this stage, who are professional and ruthless with a lot of talent.

The South Africans will get to final.

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posted Jun 7, 2009

THAT's how you play T20 against a lesser team.

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posted Jun 7, 2009

For me SA are looking really good, firing on all cylinders, and I would hope they can do well in this series.

Batting - Batsmen look like they're all coming into form at the right time. I don't think any of them are as brutal or destructive as the likes of Gayle, but Smith and Gibbs are always dangerous (I think back to the 438 game) and can set a great platform to build an innings. Kallis, who has often taken abuse on this board (and elsewhere) about his slow run rate, has reinvented himself in the 2020 world. He has always been one of the most talented batsmen in the world, and combined with a renewed hunger to attack bowlers, could prove invaluable to SA progressing through this tournament. ABdV is simply a pleasure to watch, supremely elegant and possesses all the shots in his armory. Duminy is an up and coming talent (and may well be the surprise package in this tournament) - and he came in today at 7! And we have Bouch and Morkel to slog, if need be.

Bowling. Steyn looks to me like one of the best in the world, perhaps only rivaled by Mitchell Johnson at the moment. SA have also discovered how to use spin. I'm not pretending that any of them are top class spinners, but handy nevertheless, and they are paying dividends in this form of the game. Admittedly, without Steyn they look ordinary, if not vulnerable, but provided he stays fit, I think they will be effective overall.

Fielding - looks tight, the team has a hunger about it. You'd be foolish to risk a sneaky run against the likes of ABdV or Gibbs.

Captaincy - Smith has grown loads since his naive outbursts years ago and has really developed. I used to hate the guy, now I think he's head and shoulders above his peers.

All in all, SA are the best balanced team in my opinion, some serious talent in all departments.



That all said, this result was against Scotland and it is a shame for them that their participation ends here in these circumstances. Such is the nature of such matches. I loved (was staggered by) the one-handed catch by Coetzer and the 'mixing it up' bowling of Haq.

I still believe that 2020 is a lottery anyway, and given the nature of the game anyone can pretty much beat anyone else. I'd be delighted to see SA lift the trophy, but realistically upsets can happen a la England on Friday and I will not be too upset if SA don't go all the way.

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posted Jun 7, 2009

Everyone says that Gayle is brutal and ABdV is elegant, however dont overlook the fact that while Gayle hit 80 odd in 66 balls, AB hit 79 in 34 balls, effectively en route to a 43 ball 100 before the overs ran out.

Brutal and elegant I would say.

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posted Jun 8, 2009

As a Scotland supporter I was cringing at Stander in both games - his 1 over bowling in each match was truly awful (43 off 2 !!) and deserved even more ridicule than the reasonable commentators offered. His batting was lamentable too....

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