Boxing Day Test : South Africa v England at Durban

Woakes gets his first wicket (deservedly so) and South Africa are down to their last wicket.

I said this previously in the thread, but once again, I must give full credit to the brilliant commentary team. A special note of praise to Graeme Smith who has been very honest with his comments regarding the team and players.

Fittingly, Stuart Broad, who got things started in the first innings, finishes this one off. South Africa bowled out for 174. England win by 241 runs - their third biggest margin of victory over South Africa and South Africa's heaviest defeat at Durban. A brilliant all around performance by England, especially after losing the toss and being put in to bat in testing conditions.

From South Africa's point of view, I would imagine there will be multiple changes for the second Test in Cape Town. If I were selecting their side, I would bring Stephen Cook in for van Zyl to partner Elgar at the top and Quinton de Kock to keep wicket, replacing Duminy. If Steyn isn't fit then Rabada will almost certainly get the call as his replacement.

It was good to see a ruthless display from England this morning and finish things off quickly, putting to rest any thoughts of South Africa doing the impossible. Moeen Ali bowled beautifully. I know there are those that don't believe he is a front-line spinner, and while I don't think he is a match winner all by himself, he is a genuine wicket taker and a very vital cog in this England side.

Well played, England. On to Cape Town.

Quinton de Kock has been added to the squad, but Stephen Cook hasn't, so once again we'll be seeing a makeshift opener partnering Dean Elgar. I'm not sure about dropping Duminy though as he seems to be finding a bit of form. My guess is that Faf is likely to lose his place.

When it comes to replacing Steyn, Chris Morris has also been added to the squad, and it has been suggested that he may play. That would be hard on Rabada, but might strengthen the batting.

I'm still worried about Amla's form though and noticed that there was some mention made about the pressure that the captaincy was putting on him.

South Africa were good because ABDV and Kallis effectively took on two roles each. They were four players in two bodies. With South Africa's mandatory quota system - at least four blacks on the team always, even if they're not better than white countrymen - this worked out well. As ABDV, Steyn, Kallis and Amla start to get phased out, though, SA have little to fall back on.

Local blacks have little to no access to cricket clubs and don't pay the subscriptions to gain access to cricket on TV. Cricket in SA is still an exclusive thing for priviledged white boys. Without the presence of white superstars, and with a nation whose history and systems block its black majority from becoming superstars, your quota picks thus starts hurting you.


I think he's now only on the team because Steyn's injury allowed Rabada to play, opening up a "white spot" for De Kock. I think South Africa's well meaning racial selections are starting to confuse them. If the team continues to fail, people will probably start calling the selections policies divisive and harmful and probably even racist. SA might drop the quota to 2 and justify this by pumping money into grass root cricket projects.

I prefer not to discuss politics online, but I agree that the quota system doesn't help. However it's not true that all privileged South Africans are white. And there are opportunities for the underprivileged. The most notable success story was Makhaya Ntini who came from extreme poverty, but was spotted as a talent in his teens and sent to a good school. Since retiring Ntini has opened a cricket academy, where he hopes to uncover new talent among the underprivileged, but of course it will take time for those players to come through to international level.

why such a preference...politics is life ::confused::

so is fighting!  fighting is life.  nothing changes without a fight and depending whats between the combatants it could be life and death.

humans are emotional. would you like to change that ::confused::

emotional, ego..all that means difference in and of opinion can(will) end up in a fight.  give of your best win or lose.  time changes all even opinions especially in the face of what is more right.

the likely reason you don't want to discuss the politics of Saffie cricket is because you feel defenseless in the face of truth.  well the way to denature such such feeling is to accept the truth and look at..or look for... the best way forward..honestly, truthfully..without getting yourself killed for being truthful.

in South Africa currently black or white social control, any undue focus on truth in the public will likely get you a lot of trouble...even killed.  but in these pages a bit of truth should be harmless.

to me in South Africa all we have had is a change of face..rather of skin... at the seat of power but the power remains the same. and that power is represented in RSA cricket as it always was..class oriented now if not totally racist as well, as it used to be.

people like Lorgat and the black faces previous to and contemporaneous with him are the same as the whites before them..elitist but not racist which is worse...because at least in principle much more efficient at human exploitation.  they are not in the business of changing RSA society but in its maintainance of its exploitative established way.  their intent is to maintain RSA as a society in which elitism is safe.  they are elites now so there.

the RSA cricket admin regardless of its current rainbow hue' has no intention of changing the status.  that means the whites can do as they always have in cricket and in the society as a whole.

that is why RSA cricket has remained they way it always was, why it still looks like it almost always has looked.  but way that is now ketching up with the nation as a whole, now as virtually the same social reality has caught up with the west indies..in all things including cricket

the old colonial way no matter who runs it is old and can go no further.  the society democratizes or it declines into irrelevance.
just watch