England vs South Africa.1st test. 18th-21th Dec.

[Ernest]

Please post here your comments on the first Test . England Vs South Africa play on day two18th December. Comments on todays play, or previewing tomorrows play will be welcome.

[Occasional Fan]

Good morning, one and all. It's reportedly another lovely day for cricket, a bit less windy then yesterday which means that the fielders are going to feel hot. Time for England's fielders to head for the shade of the pavilion, therefore. Well, I'm here: where's everyone else?

[R W S]

Morning OF, Morning everyone.

Happy Birthday Beny

Dull ache in the back of my head, well deserved, and coffee in hand. Hoping to see the end of the SA 1st innings before lunch and an afternoon of fluid stokeplay from Banger & Co. Hoggard bowls a benign first over and the ball is tossed, surprisingly, to Flintoff to open the bowling this morning. (Beny I take it all back - good spot about Harmison not opening the bowling, well it's not the new ball and he's a bit out of sorts so I reckon Vaughan is looking after him early doors)

[Occasional Fan]

So, how's it looking, RWS? Seems to me that the score is clipping along a bit more than it should. Dippenaar has added 7, Tsolekile 9, which means there have also been 9 extras this morning. Are the bowlers still looking OK? Has it been wayward bowling or questionable keeping? (IE Wides and no-balls or byes and leg byes?)

And now Hoggy goes for 17 off two overs! Harmison in and Flintoff presumably changing ends if I read the Cricinfo commentary correctly.

[Ernest]

337 all out, bit more than I thought, not tht bad though.

Don't seem that many, but will only know when England bat.

Oh dear R W S , plunk fiz time!!, wish I hade more sypathy but I like as not will be the same tomorn.

[Irish Left Armer]

Going well at the moment, 48-0. Tresco and Strauss doing a good job of seeing off the danger bowlers and the new ball. No movement or anything for the bowlers, should be comfortable enough for England.

[Occasional Fan]

Well, this is all looking rather encouraging. Difficult to tell from the text commentary, but it seems that Strauss and Trescothick are well settled in and not all that bothered by South Africa's attack. But what on earth are the South Africans doing with their bowling? No balls from everyone, and 17 in only thirty overs. Jennings will have these guys breaking rocks or something overnight just to teach them a lesson.

[Occasional Fan]

He's got eight to his name at the moment. Can't find out what these are all about without going back through the whole ball-by-ball text commentary, but I've just seen a suggestion on the BBC board that his action is "dodgy". Has he been called for throwing, or is he just over-stepping?

[Ernest]

The one thing South Africa don't have is, an Ashley Giles, their attack is much of a same, Giles was able to hold an end up yesterday.

[R W S]

Got some visitors round so I'm just popping in for a minute or two. The pitch is a belter and the Saffers have only got one type of bowler - right arm over - a they didnt go around the wicket until England had reached 107. Smith is bereft of ideas and all his bowlers (bar the consistently excellent Pollock) are either pitching too short or down the leg side. We're galloping along at near 4 an over and they are giving away a noball every other over. Great stuff. We should expect to bat through to the end of tomorrow and get a lead of about 150=200 (more if our big hitters get a move on).

Whereas Vaughan intellligently dried the runs up yesterday afternoon the Saffers havent got the nouse or skill to respond in kind. Kallis has a dodgy ankle and a sidestrain and wont bowl in this innings for sure.
An excellent opening partnership with only a couple of unconvincing LBW shouts to worry about. Trescothick has played a truely patient innings and looks to be groving himself into form. Strauss is showing class and it's hard to believe he's only been around five minutes. Good times.