South Africa Tour 2019/20

[The Big Dady]

James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood have returned to the England Test squad for the tour of South Africa starting this month.

England Test squad for South Africa tour:

Joe Root (capt),
James Anderson,
Jofra Archer,
Jonny Bairstow (wk),
Stuart Broad,
Rory Burns,
Jos Buttler (wk),
Zak Crawley,
Sam Curran,
Joe Denly,
Jack Leach,
Matthew Parkinson,
Ollie Pope (wk),
Dom Sibley,
Ben Stokes,
Chris Woakes,
Mark Wood.

Schedule

December

17-18 v SA Invitation XI, Benoni (08:00 GMT)

20-22 v South Africa A, Benoni (08:00 GMT)

26-30 1st Test, Centurion (08:00 GMT)

January

3-7 2nd Test, Cape Town (08:30 GMT)

16-20 3rd Test, Port Elizabeth (08:00 GMT)

24-28 4th Test, Johannesburg (08:00 GMT)

31 v SA Invitation XI, Paarl (08:00 GMT)

February

1 v SA Invitation XI, Paarl (08:00 GMT)

4 1st ODI, Cape Town (d/n) (11:00 GMT)

7 2nd ODI, Durban (d/n) (11:00 GMT)

9 3rd ODI, Johannesburg (08:00 GMT)

12 1st Twenty20 international, East London (d/n) (16:00 GMT)

14 2nd Twenty20 international, Durban (d/n) (16:00 GMT)

16 3rd Twenty20 international, Centurion (12:30 GMT)

 

[AndyT]

This now explains why they fudged the keeper issue in NZ, rather than taking Foakes on that tour.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

New 300mph bowling sensation Jofra Archer was, err, totally ineffective in NZ bowling low to mid 80's. I expect a lot more on the fast pitches of SA and would like to see him partnered up with Mark Wood as opposed to a Broad or Woakes (please no!)
Trouble is, Wood is a walking injury and wouldn't look out of place in our dressing room.

 

[AndyT]

Jimmy Anderson returns to test cricket and gets a wicket with the first ball of the match.

SA 10-1 after being put in by England.

Only change from the 2nd Test at Hamilton is Bairstow for Woakes. Buttler keeping wicket.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Jimmy Anderson returns to test cricket and gets a wicket with the first ball of the match.

SA 10-1 after being put in by England.

Only change from the 2nd Test at Hamilton is Bairstow for Woakes. Buttler keeping wicket.

Crawley, Jack Leach and Woakes are the players missing from the Hamilton test.
Strange decision to bowl first on a belter of a pitch in blazing sunshine.

 

[AndyT]

Yep, sorry, just realised watching it that there were three changes, not one.

Leach didn't play at Hamilton, as we went with 5 seamers. Changes are :-

Anderson for Woakes
Bairstow for Crawley
Buttler for Pope

It was too early in the morning when I posted earlier!

Agree with you on the toss decision. Du Plessis said he would have batted first. Centurion goes up and down and breaks up, historically. I think if we had a match winning spinner we might have thought differently, but playing 5 seamers it's then a tough decision to bat first.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Don't like this over bowling of Anderson by Root. He needs to be used sparingly for now on in.

 

[AndyT]

Well, possibly unsurprisingly, we've messed up with the toss again and are now staring down the barrel on a wearing pitch.

Bairstow must seriously be on borrowed time. Out bowled again and not even keeping wicket.

 

[kaymac]

Nothing seems to change.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Well, possibly unsurprisingly, we've messed up with the toss again and are now staring down the barrel on a wearing pitch.

Bairstow must seriously be on borrowed time. Out bowled again and not even keeping wicket.

He's only playing because Pope is ill.

 

[AndyT]

Is he though?

I'd wager if Pope was fit, Bairstow would have kept and Buttler would have been left out.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Last night I read one headline that suggested England, presumably because we had SA at 72-4 at the close, had put the match 'back in the balance!' That seems sensible now we face a target of ONLY 376 to win. Given the present conditions and the SA attack is it surely a question whether we will actually get to three figures in our second innings???

 

[Ex-Member1]

Cracking pre tea session, game on!!

 

[rigsby]

Cracking pre tea session, game on!!

Lets wait until tea tomorrow before we get to excited.

 

[Blueronron]

Have to jinx it I suppose but Sibley is like Chris Tavare in his heyday and what we need to frustrate the SA quickies
Great test match to watch

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Lets wait until tea tomorrow before we get to excited.

Yes, a more solid start than I expected but as we know with England (and indeed our beloved Southend)..........disaster can just be around the corner!

 

[Ex-Member1]

Blimey, the optimism on here is a bit lacklustre. COYE

 

[AndyT]

Great test match cricket, this.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Blimey, the optimism on here is a bit lacklustre. COYE

I think it's sadly born out of painful past experience. All I'm about to concede is that they have done well to get to the end of the day with having only lost one wicket.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Well, possibly unsurprisingly, we've messed up with the toss again and are now staring down the barrel on a wearing pitch.

Bairstow must seriously be on borrowed time. Out bowled again and not even keeping wicket.

I don’t see the logic of dropping him for NZ tour (he wasn’t rested he was dropped) only to pick him for SA tour. Should have played Crawley. Bairstow has done nothing to warrant his place and it stinks of favouritism.