2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

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Ljp86

Ljp86

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2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

The second test is here and is also a Boxing Day affair. South Africa put up a poor showing with the bat in their first innings of the first test and were subsequently thrashed. India bowled well with Sreesanth taking 8 wickets for the game with Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble also chipping in.

South Africa need to get the batting in order if they want to keep their chances alive of winning the series. Captain Graeme Smith is under extreme pressure to score runs having scored just 453 runs in his last nine tests, an average of just 26.64. There are others who also need to make runs to cement their spots in the team.

Indian bowler Irfan Pathan has been sent home to play in the domestic competition. He has had a very poor last few months with captain Dravid putting it down to lack of rhythm and confidence.

This game shapes up as a good one. India have never won a series against South Africa on South African soil and South Africa will be desperrate for a win to keep their chances of winning the series alive.

South Africa XI (likely): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 AB de Villiers, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 Herschelle Gibbs, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Andrew Hall, 10 Andre Nel, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

India XI (likely): 1 Wasim Jaffer, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid (capt), 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Sourav Ganguly, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 8 Anil Kumble, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Sreesanth, 11 Munaf Patel.

Umpires: Asad Rauf and Mark Benson
3rd Umpire Ian Howell

Weather:

(All Temperatures in Degrees Celcius)

Tuesday: Partly Cloudy, 31
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, 31
Thursday: Cloudy, 34
Friday: Partly Cloudy, 27
Saturday: Partly Cloudy, 27

Game starts at 5pm AWDT (10am local time, 8am GMT)
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Once is Fluke. Twice is Nice. This is the mantra that both the teams will be focussing on. While the Indians will be keen to make it nice, the Proteas will give it theor best shot to make sure that the Jo'burg win remains a fluke. The overcast conditions and the pitch might suggest that the Indians will struggle on yet another seamers' paradise but we have already seen that it was South Africa who failed to cope up with a minefield of a pitch.

Their woes start right at the top. Gibbs and Smith have both been in terrible form to say the least. This has forced a change in the line up and Smith has made it public that A B deVilliers will open the innings and Gibbs will bat at number 6. Talking about the bowling, Steyn is not a certainty for this match and the likes of Ntini and Nel bowled too short in an attempt to bounce the Indian batsmen out. They will have it to get it right this time so that they capitalize on the conditions rather than trying to play according to the weaknesses of the Indians.

Everything seems to be going right for the Indians, barring the beginning. The major worry for the Indians is the same as the Proteas. Both the openers have failed to fire even once. The news is that India might just give Jaffer another go and if that backfires again, then you never know... However there is everything going well with the bowling department except for Pathan and he has been sent back home to regain his bowling form. However Munaf is back and looks fit which means that VRV Singh might have to sit out. Sreesanth is in good nick and Zaheer has also been very impressive. To add to this the experience of Kumble and the guile of Harbhajan. So the Indians now have a problem of plenty in the bowling department.

Had India's record against fast bowling not been so pathetic, it would have been easy to dub them as the favorites for the remainder of the series. But under these conditions it will be not wise to do so. South Africa can bounce back at any time and create huge problems for India.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

SA win toss, choose to bat.

Kallis is out replaced by Andrew Hall, due to injury.

India stick with the same team as Wanderers. They should've dropped Wasim Jaffer in my opinion.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Great start for India.

Zaheer has taken out Graeme Smith and Amla.

13 for 2 wickets.

How Graeme Smith even continues to be on the team, let alone be their captian after such awful performances is beyond me.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Sreesanth takes out AB de Villiers, yet another perennial underperformer.

SA 28/3

Hmm. Does Kevin Pietersen have a point in his opinion about the Saffies team? Graeme Smith, de Villiers, when was the last time these put on big scores?
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

South Africa are 7/257 late on Day 1. Ashwell Prince is 98 not out with Andre Nel just geting to the crease, he is yet to score.

South Africa started very poorly with Smith, Amla and de Villiers all back in the pavillion early on. Gibbs made 63 with Boucher scoring 53. But that's been it for South Africa, the next best score is Extras with 17 and Shaun Pollock who hit 11 runs.

Sreesanth has 3/74 with Zaheer picking up 2/61 and the wicket of Greame Smith yet again.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Make that 8/257. Nel out for a duck with Hall also making a duck as well.

Kumble has 2 wickets this over and 2/48 overall. South Africa have scored 4/40 off the last 10 overs. 73 overs bowled so far today.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Thanks to bad light, there was only about 60 overs of play during Day 2. The tail wagged for the Proteas, Prince got to 121 before a good Laxman catch, and Morkel (31) and Ntini (16) put on a last wicket partnership of 32 to give SA a total of 328. Sreesanth got 4/109, Kumble 3/62 and Zaheer 2/83. V.Singh chipped in with 1/60. Sehwag fell for a golden (I don't know why I'm not surprised) after once again not moving his feet, playing away from his body and getting caught behind the wicket. AB de Villiers took a brilliant diving cath to dismiss him at second slip. Dravid fell to a dubious lbw decision (all but umpire Mark Benson thought it was going over), and Jaffer also went after crafting 26, with encouraging signs. Under pump skipper Graeme Smith dropped a dolly. It was the big one, Tendulkar, and at stumps, he is playing supremely with 46, and Laxman is supporing after just coming in. Nel got 2 wickets, Ntini the other. india are 3/103
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Bad light again halted play on day 3 of the durban test. Tendulkar fell first for 63, and VVS Laxman really fought hard for an unbeaten 50*. But apart from that, and some aggressive tail hitting by Sreesanth and V.Singh, it was a day dominated by the home team. Ntini got Ganguly for a second baller, and after some Dhoni fireworks Morkel cleaned up the tail and received figures of 3/86. Ntini got 3/41, Nel 2/60, Pollock 1/17 (he bowled extremely tightly and built huge pressure) and Hall1/28.
The unlikeable captain Graeme Smith got off to a slow start, nearly losing his wicket to Zaheer Khan (again!). But he got off the mark with a four following some mocking cheers from a crowd that obviously despises him. Stumps was called after bad light because there was a power surge in the city and floodlights went out. Smith was on 28 not out, and AB de Villiers a streaky 31 not out, to leave South Africa with a 152 run lead at 0/64.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

India will be looking to draw this match now. It's extremely unlikey for them to win it. Not getting a single SA wicket on Day 3 was very bad for them.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Smith got to his half century, but not before Vikram Singh got AB de Villiers out for 47, caugh at second slip (Laxman) playing away from his body. Amla was next to go, followed by the skipper and Ashwell Prince, all by Sreesanth! Kumble got Gibbs, and Boucher fell to Zaheer. SA fell from 0/99 to 6/143 in 10 overs. SA recovered slightly, with allrounder Shaun pollock and andrew Hall still at the crease at lunch. Looks like an exciting session to come. Can SA build on their lead of 280, which looks like a par total on this pitch? Or can India knock over the last 4 South Africans, and go for the win tomorrow?
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Shaun Pollock batted very well to put the match back in South Africa's grasp. He scored a quick 63 and was well supported by 20s from Hall and Morkel. Sreesanth got 4/80, and 8 for the match.
Chasing 354, Sehwag again failed and Dravid did aswell, both by Ntini. At stumps, Jaffer is 22* and Tendulkar yet to score as India are 2/38. It looks most likely that the series will be 1-1 after this match.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Ha!! Bad light has delayed start of play on Day 5.

Rahul Dravid is grinning from ear to ear as he accepts bad light for India.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Alright, so play has started now.

And Tendulkar out on duck. :(
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Wasim Jafer gone!! They're praying for rain now, the Indian team.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Good news for India. Bad light stops play again. The longer this continues, that's their best hope.

In hindsight, I'm thinking that short period of play in which India lost 2 quick wickets must have been of poor light and shouldn't have probably happened.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Great news for India!

Rain, drizzle has started in Durban.

But what the hell is wrong with Ganguly? Everyone has gone back to the pavillion, even the Saffies. But he's pacing back and forth like a mad man on the pitch, under the rain! Has he gone crazy? Does he want to continue batting while his team is facing defeat?

:confused:

And they're having early lunch now.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

42 overs remaining on Day 5 and India are in deep trouble at 9/179. The batting has been disappointing for India. Dhoni made 47, Jaffer 28 and Ganguly 26 but the rest have shown little. Tendulkar was out for duck.

Zaheer Khan was just dismissed by Nel for 21 and Sreesanth is on 10. Nitini has 5/48 and Andre Nel 3/57.

VRV Singh is the last man in with India still needing 175 runs to win.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

All over!! What a bowling change by Smith. Hall comes on to replace Ntini and with his first ball, Sreesanth edges to Bouncher and South Africa have won by 174 runs.

But wait, oh no, it came off his shoulder!! Hard luck for India but that is the way cricket goes. Sreesanth is not happy with the decision but South Africa celebrate leavelling the series 1-1.

They were just too good with bat and ball and completely turned it around from the first test. Prince played very well in the first innings And Ntini starred with the ball with Pollock, Smith and de Villiers all chipping in with the bat in the second dig.

South Africa will be very pleased with their efforts.

So, South Africa win and level the series. Our eyes now turn to the New Years Test which starts on January 2, the winner of that game will win the series.

Player of the Match is Makhaya Ntini.
 
Re: 2nd Test: South Africa vs India at Durban

Sreesanth was not out. But it doesn't matter.

Wasim Jaffer should never play for India again, after seeing the kind of shot he played, in the condition his team was in. It showed zero signs of maturity.

Sehwag has done absolutely nothing in a long, long time and is treading on thin water himself. He should have been dropped a long time ago to force him to work on his batting.
 
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