England v Sout Africa 2nd Test Trent Bridge

[Altobelli]

SA batting and The Burnley Express moving the ball around nicely, no edge found yet though.

17 without loss after 7 overs.

[Altobelli]

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Jimmy strikes with Elgar firing one to Dawson who completes a good catch.

SA 18 for 1

[Altobelli]

Downpour at Trent Bridge, walking off SA 42 for 1 after 18.4 overs.

[Altobelli]

Teams back out.

[Altobelli]

Lunch SA 56 for 1, 23 overs.

[Altobelli]

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Broad bowls Kuhn for 34, SA 66 for 2

[Altobelli]

Gone for tea with SA on 179 for 2. Amla 65 and De Kock 68.

[Altobelli]

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De Kock taken in the slips by Cook, bowled Broad for 68.

SA move onto 183 for 3

[Altobelli]

Amla gone for 78 bowled Broad caught Wood, Faf Du Plessis just gone for 19.

SA 220 for 5.

[Altobelli]

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Bavuma gone for 29, 235 for 6.

[Altobelli]

End of play, SA 309 for 6.

[Altobelli]

Philander gone 5th ball of the day, bowled Burnley Express caught Cook for 54, SA still on 309 for 7.

[Supersub6]

Philander gone 5th ball of the day, bowled Burnley Express caught Cook for 54, SA still on 309 for 7.

Nasser pontificating about Anderson needing to pitch it up etc., etc. and he gets Philander with a short ball as he speaks! lol
The one that got Maharaj was an absolute beauty and was also a good catch.

[Altobelli]

Maharaj another Express victim gone for 0, SA 317 for 8

[Altobelli]

Morning Sub.

Anderson gets a hat trick with the wicket of Morris for 36, Tourists on 330 for 9.

[Altobelli]

A Fifer for Jimmy Anderson, SA 335 all gone.

Now our batsmen have to show their metal, it could be a good game if we don't fall apart.

[oldcolner]

Ball swinging about today, may not be easy for us to show our mettle!;D

[Supersub6]

Moring alto
Jimmy really stepped up to the plate again this morning particularly by getting the ball chaged at the start of play!
Lovely bowling with a 4 for 4 spell to finish the innings.
We shall now see whether our batsmen can master the conditions. I think that this may prove to be a very good match -- weather permitting.

[Altobelli]

Doesn't look good as Cook goes for 3, 3 for 1.

[Supersub6]

Looks even worse now at 3 for 2. Good bowling though.

[Altobelli]

FFS ! Jennnings gone now, 3 for 2

[Altobelli]

Joe Root now into the fire, lets see if he can capitalise on his debut 190 as Captain, starts off with 3 runs

[Supersub6]

I have no confidence in Ballance because I think that his technique is flawed and these SA bowlers are very good at exploiting weaknesses. We shall see --follow on to be avoided!

[Altobelli]

With you on Balance Sub :)

[oldcolner]

Sounds like he's off Ballance to me!
85-2 feels better. Joe gets 50 too, so I'm rooting for him!

[Altobelli]

Aye Root to the rescue as they go to lunch, I'm sure Joe Root must be a Lancastrian mixed up in Hospital when he was born.

[Supersub6]

Sad to say that Ballance was 'rooted' to the spot and paid the price. A little unlucky in that he played the ball onto the pad and it went on to hit the stumps, however............................

[Supersub6]

Well, I see that we are doing our best to make this into a match which may see our seven match undefeated record at Trent Bridge be challenged.
SA bowling quite well and using the conditions but one or two of our batsmen falling below standard.

[Altobelli]

Was thinking when Stokes was in with Bairstow who I'd prefer to stay in longer, I would have gone for Bairstow being the steadier of the 2 with Stokes still a bit too aggressive and wayward especially with his bowling.

Moeen (9) in with Bairstow (45 ) now, England 177 for 5

[Altobelli]

Good turn from the spinner (Maharaj) doing Bairstow, England looking glum on 177 for 6.

Moheen has to put in a sterling performance to save us.

[Supersub6]

I think that this may well be all over by the end of tomorrow ---and it won't be us that are singing!

[Altobelli]

I think that this may well be all over by the end of tomorrow ---and it won't be us that are singing!

Looking that way Sub.

Tea with England on 184 for 6, trailing by 151 :(

[Supersub6]

Some terrible batting by Moeen and Dawson and here we are with Jimmy at the crease after the big collapse.

[Altobelli]

Some terrible batting by Moeen and Dawson and here we are with Jimmy at the crease after the big collapse.

I made a good decision to spend some time in the garden and do some dead heading then Sub.

SA 14 without loss lead by 144.

[Altobelli]

SA 32 for 1, lead by 162.

[Altobelli]

South Africa finished the day on 75 for 1, 205 runs ahead.

[Acido]

Garbage from us/England and we're now struggling to hold on in this match.
How could we flop so badly again to just 205 a/o in the 1st innings ?
This is all about us hanging on for a 'draw' now.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Might the rain save us?

[Altobelli]

Might the rain save us?

It will have to do BT.

England thrown in to bat for 10 minutes needing 474 runs to win :)

[Supersub6]

Well that has been an underwhelming performance with the ball today. Missed reviewing a caught behind this morning which could have seen Amla walking and who knows what might have happened.
Joe has certainly not been on the ball with the review system in this match, particularly with those lbw reviews which were obviously going over the top. Never mind, he will improve with time --I hope.

Dodgy few overs to survive now until the close of play, however, I can only see one result ----- nad I am an optimist!!

[Altobelli]

4 overs and England survive ending the day 1 for 0, be harder tomorrow :(

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Looks a lot like one each! :(

[oldcolner]

Looks like a sunny day so maybe not so much swing, but the spinners might be a different story. As you say BT it isn't looking good. 474 would be a world record!

[Altobelli]

Can England set a world record ? would be nice wouldn't it, a very sunny day in Nottingham Colner and a batting pitch, just them bowlers we have to look out for.

[Altobelli]

Jennings bowled by Phlilander for 3, England 4 for 1, this may be a quick day, Ballance coming in, can he give us any ?

[Supersub6]

The eternal optimist thinks that we won't get 200 -----I hope that I am wrong.

[Altobelli]

The eternal optimist thinks that we won't get 200 -----I hope that I am wrong.

My thoughts too Sub, we'll either fold like a paper cup or get the runs, 1% we'll get the runs :)

[Altobelli]

Ballance gone for 4 lbw to Philander, 28 for 2.

[Supersub6]

They are bowling really well and, as has been pointed out by the commentary team, they have got the length right, something which we struggle with these days because we seem to have an obsession with bowling too short.
It was always easy in my playing days when the maxim was to bowl at the stumps -- they miss --you hit. Nothing complicated.

[Altobelli]

Lunch on the 4th day and England struggle to 79 for the loss of Cook, Jennings, Ballance and Root.

Bairstow (12) and Stokes (5) trying to hold fast.

Yes an easier game in our youth Sub, but made much more interesting these days, Like Cycling with Sinkov and Co saying the rules for that are intricate yet it makes it a more fascinating sport.

[Altobelli]

Bairstow going early after lunch, Moeen and Stokes still there but a review on Moeen now.. . .. . . . . umpire has to reverse his decision and he's given not out.

England 120 for 5, Moeen 25 Stokes 17.

[Altobelli]

Moeen now gone for 27, poor shot to fielder, we are giving them the game.

122 for 6.

[Altobelli]

England all out for 133, SA win by 340 runs, well done SA, but that last innings by us was disgraceful.

[Altobelli]

England have lost 6 of their last 8 Test Match's and 8 of their last 13.

[oldcolner]

England have lost 6 of their last 8 Test Match's and 8 of their last 13.

So consistent aren't we! We haven't found the Root of the problem it seems!

[Supersub6]

So consistent aren't we! We haven't found the Root of the problem it seems!

Haha. The root of the problem is the fact that we have very few players with the necessary batting technique for Test cricket. We have improved immeasurably in teh T20 and 50 over game, however, I think this has come at a cost to our Test team.
As I said before, we also seem to be obsessed with bowling too short which doesn't give the ball enough time to swing.
We need to rebuild and to do it quickly although I am not sure who we are going to bring in.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

A very, poor performance with only Anderson emerging with any credit. Pity he can't bat. B)