Day 5, 4th Test - SA Vs Eng - Johannesburg

[Ernest]

Please post your comments for the 5th and final days comments here.

Should be a good days cricket, can England save the Test?,will England set a total, and then South Africa collapse?.

I don't know, in this series anything is possible.

[Rahul_Dravid_is_No.1]

I think if thresco is out early, the rest will follow with another mini collapse...


anyway the stats are against saffers. no-one has chased more than 140 or something on this ground in the second innings. that is pretty low to say the least!

Intruiging days play awaits

[Trescothick]

I want Tresco to come out and put on 50 with geriant Jones at a fairly steady rate: 3.5-4 an over. And then just go out all guns blazing to try and make a quick extra 50 at least. At a rate of like 6 an over. This is obviously ideal but it is also realistic.

[Occasional Fan]

Given the comment above about no-one ever having chased 140 successfully here, I'd like to see all guns blazing from the start - over rate up around where it was at the beginning of yesterday afternoon. If England get anywhere near a 280-300 lead and still have wickets in hand, declare and have a go at the South Africans. We really don't want to be on level terms when we start again at Centurion on Friday.

[Zainub]

So far so good.

Current partnership between Jones 13* and Trescothick 113* : 36 runs in 9.4 overs at 3.72 runs/ over

[Zainub]

To bad it didn't last:

Originally Posted by cricinfo ball by ball commentary

60.3 Pollock to Jones, OUT: hooking the shorter delivery, caught by a running de Villiers on the square leg boundary

[Mike_Hock]

Good catch by De Villiers. Jones unlucky there I feel.

I think England will struggle to win this one as if they set SA a target and they loose a couple of wickets they can go into defensive mode and the light will be offered pretty early.

[Zainub]

Don't right of England just yet, Giles can bat, he is IMHO, world's most reliable number 8, and if he and Tresco can hit a few quick runs and get the lead to 300, England will be in with a decent chance, Giles has just hit Steyn for a six over backward square leg - England are making the right moves: they're being positive

[Richard Jenkins]

Giles has gone, the lead is 264 runs with 3 wickets remaining. Hoggard's come in ; I'd have sent in harmison,need quick runs now.
Can Trescothic carry his bat? With only two sessions left now, this is a draw. England should try to limp to lunch, wich is an hour away and then just go for broke. Declaration after lunch and have a bowl.

[Glamorgan Wanderer]

England should just try to bat time now IMHO and Tresco should try to take as much of the strike as possible. The lead is at present uncomfortably small given the number of overs left in the game and the quality of the England bowling thus far (and the depth of the SA batting).

However, if England are to force a surprise victory then Harmison needs to reproduce his form from the last Oval test against SA when he returned figures of 4 for 30-odd when bowling with an injury.