Archive for South Africa
Kirsten bids farewell with nostalgia
Posted by: | CommentsCoach of the World Cup-winning India team Gary Kirsten admits he is making a reluctant exit from his role. The former South Africa batsman had already announced that he would not be staying on when his contract expired at the end of the tournament. Many wanted him to remain in charge after the triumph and the 43-year-old said he turned down repeated requests from the Board of Control for Cricket in India to continue as coach.
But Kirsten has made it clear that he will be leaving, although he says that he found it extremely tough to walk away.
“Believe me when I say that this is one of the hardest of goodbyes that I ever had to say,” Kirsten said.
Kirsten was a surprise appointment in December 2007 but has led India to the world number one Test ranking as well as the World Cup crown.
“It’s been a remarkable journey over the last three years with Team India. This has been one of the most cherished experiences of my life,” he added.
Another upset targeted by Taylor
Posted by: | CommentsSouth Africa didn’t play a bunch of dummies who had to just turn up in Dhaka and watch Graeme Smith’s men crumble from a vantage point.
South Africa kept their record ongoing as they failed to pass their knockout test again. It was really depressing for the S.A fans as it was one of the undesirable fallouts of South Africa’s exit from the world cup. Jesse Ryder showed how good a batsman can be. New Zealand players were team possessed they had given all over performance in fielding, batting, and bowling. They never wanted to go home and also wanted to settle a score with the ground that gave them the lowest low as they are not bunch of dummies.
Quietly they have slipped into Sri Lanka, warmer than Dhaka, not as hot as Mumbai, facing a far tougher task than the one they accomplished in Dhaka, that of beating a team much more naturally talented, much more varied, playing in home conditions, used to conditions warmer than Dhaka but not as hot as Mumbai.
And it’s staying under the radar that they are hanging on to. Most of the time New Zealand play we are underdogs, Ross Taylor, who has captained New Zealand in some of the games this World Cup, said two days before their sixth semi-final in 10 World Cups. It’s something we almost enjoy, and we expect when we play. I know a lot of teams expect to beat us, and we enjoy the underdog tag, and we expect to beat them as well.
New Zealand have played Sri Lanka before in this tournament, and the result was not too encouraging, a defeat by 112 runs at a ground these teams will be fighting for the right to play at. Taylor sees having played Sri Lanka as an
advantage, as an opportunity to have made the mistakes in a game not so big.
New Zealand’s stunning upset, Oram leads
Posted by: | CommentsSouth Africa were cruising at 108 for 2 in the 25th over when Jacques Kallis fell and they crash-landed spectacularly to be shot out for 172. The self-destructive streak, demonically masochistic in nature, will perhaps need shrinks to decode it. Once they realised their opponents were cracking under pressure, New Zealand went for the kill with close-in fielders and disciplined bowling, led by Jacob Oram who took four wickets and a great catch.
The pitch was slow but there was no sharp turn; the bowlers were disciplined but there was no sensational game-breaking spell; none of the three spinners got much purchase from the wicket; and the total was below par; but for some reason South Africa were feeling extremely claustrophobic. Even when Kallis fell – to a blinder of a catch from Jacob Oram, rushing to his left at deep midwicket – there wasn’t much to suggest that this could turn into another contender for all-time greatest choke in World Cup history.
Their nerves were best represented by the dismissal of JP Duminy, to open the choke gates who played an awful shot. Nathan McCullum slowed up the pace on a delivery that landed on a length, outside off, and Duminy went so hard into an ugly cut that he ended up dragging the ball on to his stumps. With Duminy’s fall, South Africa were in a spot of bother at 121 for 4, in the 28th over, and the first signs of something special loomed over Mirpur.
Next over wa another heartbreak. Faf du Plessis hit straight to midwicket and ran like a headless chicken. AB de Villiers should perhaps have refused that call but he responded, only to find himself well short of the crease. It was at this moment that New Zealand really sensed that this could be their night.
The moment was so intense that even Daniel Vettori, not known for sledging, gave some lip to du Plessis and Kyle Mills, who had carried drinks on to the field at the fall of de Villiers, got into the act. A visibly agitated du Plessis shoved Mills, the departing de Villiers returned to support his partner, and eventually the umpires had to get involved. New Zealand’s players swooped in to the crime scene and it was a classic Youtube moment. You could almost feel the pressure-cooker situation out there.
New Zealand attacked with close-in men, ready to sledge and eager to pile on the pressure, and Johan Botha cracked in the 33rd over. It was a legcutter from Oram and Botha played down the wrong line to lose his off stump. Oram, who was the man who started it all with that Kallis catch, wasn’t done yet. In the 35th over, he lured Robin Peterson into edging an attempted cut to the keeper and South Africa were swaying away like drunken men at 132 for 7. South Africa’s nerves were frayed further when Dale Steyn square drove Nathan McCullum in the air to backward point, where who else but Oram accepted the offering.
If Oram was the man in the forefront of New Zealand’s resurgence, du Plessis was the man seeking redemption for making that wrong call that led to the run out of de Villiers. In his brief international career, he has already shown a tenacity to remain relatively calm under pressure. And he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. He was on 14 when Steyn fell, and he took ownership of the chase. He rushed down the track to slam Tim Southee to the straight boundary in the 40th over, on drove Vettori to collect another four in the 41st, and even lifted Oram for a thrilling six over long-off in the 43rd over.
In the same over that the game turned for one last time, and it was also an over that captured the entire madness of the evening. du Plessis had crashed the first delivery of the over back at Oram who couldn’t hold on to a very difficult chance, and once the six was hit, one had to ask the question: was the night turning for Oram? Was it swinging towards du Plessis? But du Plessis sliced the fifth ball straight to extra cover and South Africa had well and truly sunk into oblivion.
South Africa started the day strong , they attacked with spin and seam, shuffled their bowlers regularly like a pack of cards, and hustled on the field to keep a tight leash on New Zealand. Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor were at the forefront of a revival from the depths of 16 for 2; carefully, almost mindful of a potential lower-order collapse on this pitch, Ryder and Taylor battled through. The odd boundary signalled growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the end of the 30th over with New Zealand reaching 112 for 2 and the game was waiting to be seized.
However, both Ryder and Taylor departed in quick succession but Kane Williamson made a vital 38 to push New Zealand to 221.
Tigers can’t roar any longer
Posted by: | CommentsThe loss after South Africa came out blazing in the morning, and the solid base that the openers gave allowed Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis to consolidate and accelerate seamlessly, giving their spin-heavy attack a substantial cushion to stifle Bangladesh and bowl them to the top the group. That they did so with 206 runs to spare was a testimony to how the fight completely went out of Bangladesh, and also confirmed England’s qualification for the knockouts.
Bangladesh were not favourites to win their virtual pre-quarterfinal against the might of South Africa, especially after the visitors breezed away to 284, but it was the meek manner of their abject batting surrender that would have jarred even their most faithful fans. Eight overs in to the tall chase, and the heart of their batting line-up had been ripped out by Lonwabo Tsotsobe, causing the substantial crowd at the Shere Bangla Stadium to quickly start dwindling. They never recovered from those initial blows, and all they managed was to beat their lowest total of 58 achieved against West Indies earlier in the tournament by 20 runs, before being put out of their misery by Robin Peterson’s fourth wicket.
It was not that South Africa’s attack, minus Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, held a lot of alarms. Tsotsobe did get enough bounce off the slow wicket to trouble the batsmen, and also got it to cut in from a very tight line outside off stump. But it was more a case of poor shot selection by the Bangladesh batsmen under the pressure of a big chase in a must-win game in front of a large home crowd. The first four dismissals were demonstrations of the various ways of how not to play on a low and slow wicket.
South Africa moves closer to quarter-finals
Posted by: | CommentsIf Dale Steyn doesn’t get you, Morne Morkel will, and Ireland found this out the hard way, chasing a tall score on a wicket with true bounce. Morkel removed the openers with his menacing lengths and the back-up bowlers, led by Robin Peterson, ensured there was no escape route for the middle order. Under lights, the game petered out into a mismatch, Ireland’s first in a spirited World Cup campaign, and confirmed South Africa’s entry into the quarters, while the jostling continues for the remaining spots from Group B.
The World Cup finally reached Eden Gardens, and the sparse crowd that turned up on an overcast day were treated to a JP Duminy special that lifted South Africa from the dumps, and set up a too easy win. Ireland’s effort began like a dream and ended like a nightmare as they showcased the inconsistency that holds back upwardly-mobile Associate teams. There was disciplined, if somewhat limited, bowling; there were breath-taking fielding efforts to go with grassed sitters; and there was the glaring inability to land the knockout punch, as they let things drift after hustling their opponents into a corner. Duminy was ready when they ran out of steam, and made them pay with a well-paced innings.
Smith speechless after win and Dhoni hints at seaming error in final over
Posted by: | CommentsThe Proteas elated captain, Graeme Smith watched from the balcony as Robin Peterson’s final-over heroics saw South Africa to victory at the expense of the co-hosts’ unbeaten record. He says South Africa will use their confidence-boosting triumph over India as a marker for the rest of their tournament.
Peterson’s 18 not out saw South Africa successfully chase down India’s total of 296 all out with two balls to spare after half-centuries from Hashim Amla (61), Jacques Kallis (69) and AB de Villiers (52) gave them hope.
Smith admitted the victory – which lifts them into third in Group B – was a fitting fillip after throwing away what looked like an easy win in their previous match against England.
Amla thinks India to be under pressure
Posted by: | CommentsNow it’s time to sample one of the dishes that is considered a speciality in this tournament, two of the favourites, blended in one stadium. The teams have been on this menu before, little more than a month ago, when South Africa beat India 3-2 in a closely fought ODI series in South Africa. The ingredients were completely different, with pitches that favoured the local seamers being the biggest change. Hashim Amla, South Africa’s opening batsman, said that the pressure is on India ahead of their marquee clash with South Africa in Nagpur on Saturday. Being at home comes with a lot of expectation. South Africa and India’s match is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the group stage, the juicy steak everyone has been looking forward to after three weeks of appetisers and the occasional chicken dish, still a main, but not the red-meat one. England have served up most of the white-meat, advertising fifty-over cricket with three delicious roasts so far, one where they got burnt by Ireland, one where they returned the favour to South Africa, and that tie with India – cooked just right.
Nagpur’s kitchen caters to other tastes entirely, with a pancake of a track that promises runs that will drip like an overflowing pot of honey. South Africa have sipped from those fountains before. Dale Steyn helped himself to 7 for 51 in the Test match and Amla scored his career-best 253 not out in February last year.
The same amount may be too much to ask in a quick meal like a one-day international, but the substance of what Amla is saying is there. He hopes to spend as much time at the crease as possible, in keeping with South Africa’s philosophy that at least one of their top six chefs must remain in the kitchen to marshal the rest.
Second highest wicket taker suffers fractured thumb
Posted by: | CommentsImran Tahir, legspinner of South Africa has sustained a fracture to his left thumb but it is not expected to put his contribution in the World Cup at risk although he remains a doubt for the match against India, at Nagpur, on Saturday.
Moosjaee was careful to only mention Saturday’s match and not look too far beyond that because the team are waiting for a more detailed prognosis from a specialist in South Africa. Solomons also worked with captain Graeme Smith, who has been plagued by hand and finger injuries in recent times. Once Solomons has given team management his report, they will have more clarity on Tahir’s availability for the match against India and beyond.
The fracture is not on Tahir’s bowling hand, which may be why team management remain hopeful that he will be fit for all of South Africa’s remaining matches. He is South Africa’s leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps and is the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament behind Shahid Afridi.
Broad’s magic for England win
Posted by: | CommentsIt showed you don’t need 600 runs to create an epic one-day international and the celebrations when Morne Morkel was caught behind proved how important it was for England spirits. Without it they would have faced the real possibility of heading home early, but can now approach the clashes against Bangladesh and West Indies with much greater heart. What will please Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower is that it was the much-maligned attack that won the match – after the batting struggled to post 171 – as Broad took 4 for 15, James Anderson produced a devastating burst of reverse swing shortly before the 34-over ball change and Graeme Swann bowled with guile and craft to set up the prospect of victory.
What a World Cup England are producing. From a thrilling tie against India to the shock of losing to Ireland they have now conjured a stunning fightback to beat South Africa by six runs in a gripping contest on a tough pitch in Chennai. They took all ten wickets for 102 through a combination of spin, reverse swing, perseverance and the never-say-die-attitude which is such a trait of this team, with Stuart Broad sealing the victory with two wickets in four balls after Dale Steyn’s 31-ball 20 had taken his team close to the winning line.
AB de Villiers, who began the tournament with back-to-back hundreds, and du Plessis are normally free-flowing batsman, but they decided to consolidate rather than attack during their 42-run stand. It wasn’t a major problem for South Africa at the time with the asking rate remaining comfortable, but it conceded the momentum and when the breakthroughs came England still had runs to play with.
Despite the tricky pitch, South Africa had broken the back of the run-chase after an opening stand of 63 between Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. However, they suffered two slumps; the first as three wickets fell for 19 – with Broad claiming the vital scalps of Amla and Jacques Kallis – then the more significant slide from 124 for 3 to 165 all out as Anderson produced some wonderful reverse swing, Ian Bell pulled off a fine piece of fielding at short leg to run out Faf du Plessis, and Broad cleaned up the tail.
Swann could have dismissed Smith almost half a dozen times with spitting, turning deliveries until one finally bounced and brushed the thumb although it needed the DRS to overturn Asoka de Silva’s on-field not out decision. Amla had moved along serenely despite the testing surface until he became a little lazy against Broad and chopped into his stumps. Kallis then edged a drive and, in a rare sight, accepted Prior’s word on whether it had carried without asking for the umpires to check.
Greame smith opt to bowel first
Posted by: | CommentsIt has since been re-laid under the supervision of the BCCI ground and wickets committee chairman Venkat Sundaram and ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, and appears utterly transformed. Before the start of play, a rock-hard surface exhibited a couple of cracks and healthy tinge of green that could make effective use of the new ball decisive.
Graeme Smith decided to bowl first against West Indies after winning the toss at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, but hinted that there was still a degree of uncertainty over a pitch that last saw international cricket in December 2009, when a volatile surface forced an abandonment of the match between India and Sri Lanka.
Once the shine is seen off, the wicket should settle and favour the batsmen – although South Africa’s decision to play three frontline spinners in Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir, who will be making his international debut for his adopted country gives a hint of their gameplan for maintaining control over the middle of the innings. With JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis, not to mention Smith himself, on hand to provide part-time spin support and left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe sitting out, there is an unfamiliar hue to this South African attack.
A nonplussed Smith suggested that it might have been a good toss to lose given the unknown nature of the wicket, but the nature of South Africa’s bowling line-up and the seemingly ever-present possibility of the ‘dew factor’ with a chilly Delhi evening expected to follow a warm, clear afternoon means his decision was probably the right one. West Indies captain Darren Sammy insisted he was quite happy to bat first and leave the challenge of chasing under lights to the South Africans, but much will depend on whether Chris Gayle can negotiate the new-ball threat of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and lay the platform for a defendable total.
