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England crushed South Africa by an innings and 98 runs in the second test at Kingsmead to lead the series 4-0.

England only required an hour and 15 minutes to wrap up the South African innings. Any hopes of some South African resistance on a good batting pitch were non-existent.

England thoroughly deserve their victory as they played the more positive cricket, and put South Africa under increasing pressure.

It’s the  first time since 1964 that England have beaten South Africa by an innings while the last time the Proteas suffered an innings defeat was in 2006 against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

South African captain Graeme Smith could only say it was “Massively disappointing.”

“It’s been disappointing, the past few days, the way we’ve been outplayed and we haven’t really had an answer. We fought very well in the first innings, to post 340-odd – it was a very good first innings total. But right from ball one, with the ball we were very poor. We gave England a start, after we’d created some pressure with our tail, to get a total. We bowled badly, took the pressure off them and they raced to 80, 90, 100. And right from that point, we were playing catch-up. We never really found our areas, we weren’t precise enough and it was disappointing the way we finished,” said Smith.

Looking ahead to the next test, Smith said  “We need to make the right decisions to win the next test in Cape Town. So we’ll have a look at the squad and see what the selectors give us for Cape Town and take it from there. We’ve had one collapse, and disappointing as it is, I don’t think it’s a call to make massive changes in the team. Our top six have got good records and have performed well over time.”

To rub salt into the would English captain Andrew Strauss said “It was as emphatic a victory away from home as I can remember. The whole test match, we did exactly what we wanted to do. We wanted to start the game well, and we got them two down early on. They got stuck in and came back at us a bit, but they never got away from us. We always felt it was under control and manageable.”

One of the key elements I felt was the pressure the English Bowlers were able to exert with accurate bowling. Andrew Strauss also said, “The ball was reversing a bit and spinning a bit, but it was also the pressure and we didn’t give them any loose deliveries, and that’s ultimately what got us into a position to win the game today.”

It shows that the game is all about executing the basics and building pressure.Responding to pressure is the South African weakpoint.

After finishing 2008 so superbly, the Proteas have wilted terribly. Of the 6 test matches in 2009, 5 of which were on home soil I might add, we’ve won 1 test match, which came in a dead rubber.

More worryingly, we’ve been outplayed quite convincingly in 4 of those matches, and have struggled to consistently take wickets. Was it any coincidence that the 1 victory came when we were playing without Graeme Smith?

Graeme Smith said “We haven’t played as much test cricket this year as we did in 2008, but 2009 hasn’t lived up the hype that we built up in 2008 and that’s disappointing. We reached a point and haven’t been able to move up to the next level and that’s something we need to look at – possibly with a leadership meeting.”

Leadership meetings aren’t needed. What is needed is some quality bowlers who can bowl wicket to wicket, attack the stumps, and bowl to fields that aren’t spread all over the ground. Morne Morkel and Makhaya Ntini don’t fit that bill.

The batting lineup needs players who are prepared to back themselves, take the attack to an average English pace line-up and bat for long periods of time.

The one saving grace that may help South Africa get back into this series is the fact we generally perform very well at Newlands and it has been a happy ground in recent times. If we don’t start well in the third test, 2010 could be a long year for us as well!

If the weather holds at Kingsmead on day 5, England will convincingly demolish South Africa in the second test.

Starting the day at 386/5, England produced numerous partnerships in scoring a massive 575/9. Ian Bell top scored with a magnificent 141 to give the tourists a 232 run lead after the first innings. In reply South Africa are in dire straits ending the 4th day on 76/6, still some 156 runs behind making England bat again, and with their engine room gone, I can’t see South Africa surviving until lunch let alone the 98 overs in the day.

During the England innings it was evident from the South African body language and demeanour they lack any enthusiasm or energy, were simply going through the motions and waiting for the declaration or the next stanza in play to happen. Representing South Africa you should never give up. That is not good enough.

England played superbly, sucking the life out of the South African bowling attack. It worked.

All we heard from the commentators was how good a batting strip it is. And it truly is. History shows it is easy to bat on days 3, 4 and 5.

South Africa couldn’t cash in on it however as both Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann claimed 3 wickets apiece to trigger a collapse where South Africa lost 6 wickets for just 23 runs.

Both bowlers are hardly the most dangerous in the world, and on a good batting wicket, it was the pressure that told. South African cricket simply doesn’t respond well to pressure situations. There are the odd exceptions such as the Melbourne test match against Australia last year, but in general we either choke or succumb way to easily when someone has to stand up and fight.

England should go 1-0 up heading to Cape Town. With only 2 tests remaining South Africa would have to win them both. Based on how things normally unfold I’d suspect an England victory again with South Africa claiming a dead rubber in the last test. I don’t wish to be the eternal pessimist, but we’ve down this road to many times before.

I’ll be praying for rain for day 5 at Kingsmead!

After 3 days, England ended at 386/5 in reply to South Africa’s 343, gaining a handy lead of 43.

Resuming on 103/1, the early loss of Jonathon Trott was negated by some impressive batting partnerships in the face of some wayward bowling from South Africa.

Alistair Cook toughed out an impressive century given his recent form of only 32 runs in his past 8 test innings. His first 37 deliveries of the morning only produced 1 run, but he showed the value of hanging in there, and being able to cash in once the bowlers tired.

Cook managed to overturn an LBW dismissal with the help of the tv replay, and prospered after that. He was aided by Kevin Pietersen first, followed by Paul Collingwood in partnerships of 51 and 142.

Whilst the pitch is definitely easier to bat on compared to the first day, and historically often is, the South African bowling attack looks devoid of an threats. The Proteas are discovering that it is one thing to get to the top, it is definitely harder to stay there. Since achieving the number 1 ICC world rankings in both tests and ODI’s, they’ve slipped back, in my view because they’ve become complacent and defensive.

England have shown a willingness to attack with the bat, the Proteas haven’t shown the same urgency or belief in their ability to stamp their authority over the England attack.

The South African bowling attack lacks penetration, but more importantly a plan. At this stage it looks like it is harder to get out of the side than to get into it. Morkel is a back of a length bowler who can trouble batsmen with his bounce, but is hardly likely to bowl a side out. Ntini has lost pace, accuracy and is just a gentle medium pacer who tries hard, but has lot his edge. Dale Steyn is still a fantastic bowler, but bowling wide of off stump will blunt his edge. He can bowl fantastic yorkers, and shape the ball away from the right hander. He needs to bowl straighter and attack the stumps. What is the captain telling him to do?

We need a new pace attack. Friedel de Wet looked good at Centurion. Wayne Parnell is a wicket taker, Lowabo Tsotsobe can move the ball and offers variation. Attack more, back the bowlers. Set more attacking fields. Putting Harris on to tie up one end with a long on, deep mid wicket and deep square leg is negative. You can’t build up pressure when you allow 3-4 easy singles each over.

Proteas coach Mickey Arthur said it had been a hard day for South Africa, but he was pleased with the way the team had stuck to its task. “If we can restrict them to a lead of 150, we’ll be very happy,” he said.

The morning session will be crucial in determining whether the Proteas can earn a draw or allow England to get away and dictate conditions on the last day.

Day 2 at Kingsmead ended with England seizing the advantage to finish at 103/1 in reply to South Africa’s 343

South Africa had produced a good rearguard action to total 343 after having started the day at 175/5.

AB de Villiers and Mark Boucher combined well to lift the scoring rate and produce a valuable 63 run partnership. England were hoping to wrap up the tail quickly, especially with the aid of the second new ball, especially when de Villiers was out on 269.

However resistance in the form of Morne Morkel, followed by Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini allowed South Africa to post a score they were more than happy with.

Steyn and Ntini batted beautifully in putting on 58 for the last wicket. Steyn showing that you can be positive without slogging every delivery. In fact he chose his deliveries to attack exceptionally well, and Makhaya Ntini supported him admirably.

It also demonstrated to the South African top order that you just need to see off the new ball and you can cash in as the bowling attack gets tired and loses its edge with the older, softer ball.

Andrew Strauss is a defensive captain, and his decision to persist with Graeme Swann puzzled me. Swann has been England’s leading wicket taker, and he is a decent bowler who gets a bit of turn and is fairly accurate. However he is no Muralitharan or Saqlain Mushtaq, and Dale Steyn showed how ordinary he can look when the attack is taken to him.

The Proteas would have been more than satisfied in reaching 343, but most of the good work was undone with wildly erratic bowling. Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntiniwasted the new ball, bowling too short, too wide and lacking the pace and fizz one would expect from a new ball attack.

Graeme Smith had to turn to Morne Morkel and an ineffectual Jacque Kallis who is still not 100%.

It has also highlighted to me how much more positive Andrew Strauss and the English side are compared to the Proteas. They scored at 3.91 runs per over compared to 3.16 from South Africa (which was boosted considerably from Dale Steyn and Mark Boucher).

Clearly the English are looking to dominate and seize the initiative. They have achieved this and enter the third day in pole position. South Africa will need Steyn and Ntini to fire and grab early wickets because I can’t see Morkel ever ripping through a batting order. With good overhead conditions and still something in the wicket, it’s up to whoever is prepared the put in the effort to reap the rewards.

The second test between South Africa and England at Kingsmead sits evenly poised after the first day with South Africa 175/5.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Graeme Smith would have been hoping to see off the new ball and cash in after the morning session. However 2 wickets in the first half hour, and a run rate  of only 1 an over put the Proteas under tremendous pressure.  With all the pre-test talk about which side would have the momentum after the first test, it showed you simply have to focus on the next delivery.

South Africa’s 2 premium batsmen Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis played really well to see off the new ball, accumulate runs and place England under pressure. A 150 run partnership left South Africa firmly in the drivers seat and looking very comfortable.

However an innocuous arm ball from Graeme Swann that went straight on found the edge of Kallis’ bat and that triggered a mini-collapse that saw the Proteas lose 3 wickets for 10 runs and makes the game evenly balanced at 175/5. South Africa will be hoping for 300-350, whilst England will want to wrap up the inings quickly on the second morning for under 250.

I thought Kallis and Smith played patiently but it is still a concern how defensive the mindset is. Sure it was difficult to bat in the morning session with the ball moving around, and steep bounce. However having a slow run rate allows the bowlers to bowl with little pressure, and work on plans for each batsmen. By playing more aggressively, hiting through the line of the ball (I’d like to see more driving through the covers and down the ground) you spread the field, get quick runs and place the pressure back on the bowler who is likely to try more (giving you more loose deliveries to put away)

A good example of this was Graeme Swann and Jonathon Trott. At Centurion Kallis took the attack to Swan, at Durban he was more circumspect. The English placed their field more strategically, but Kallis’ defensive mindset I believe got him out as he prodded at a ball.

I thought Andrew Strauss was quite negative bowling his spinner so much on the opening day of a test match, but we allowed him to play the holding role by not going after him.

The second morning and new ball just before lunch will be crucial. Much rests on Ab de Villiers to get South Africa over 300 and at least place some pressure on the English batsmen. I just hope we attack rather than hang around and eventually get out.

The first Cricket test between South Africa and England at Centurion ended in a draw.

South Africa 418 and 301 for 6 dec ; England 356 and 228/9

Match result: Draw

England made 228/9 in their final innings as the last pair held on for 20 deliveries, whilst South Africa pressed for the last wicket.

The celebrations from England at the conclusion of the game were a little over the top in my opinion, but highlight just how important it was for them not to go down early in the series. South Africa were happy enough to have put themselves in a position to go for the win, but perhaps didn’t risk enough to get the victory they sought.

It was a dramatic test, with plenty of momentum shifts during the game. England were generally always behind, and fought tenaciously.

Looking back, I thought the game was lost by South Africa rather than England saving the game.

After a decent first innings, South Africa applied good pressure to have England at 242/8, and looking at a lead of about 150. As we’ve seen over the last 18 months however, the Proteas are unable to wrap up the tail effectively. The partnership between Graeme Swann and James Anderson may well have been the saving of the game for England.

With only a small lead, South Africa had to score quickly and put England under pressure. It didn’t go to plan with some poor batting, and at 46/4, it could have swung England’s way. However a good partnership between AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla sound pulled the momentum back South Africa’s way. At this stage it was important for South Africa to attack and try to up the scoring rate. There was a lack of urgency from some players, Amla in particular that simply did not leave enough time to have a fair crack at England on the 4th evening.

Whilst I understand Graeme Smith did not want to give England a chance at victory, sometimes you have to be prepared to lose in order to win. If you truly believe you are the best side in the world, I believe you need to play as if you are the best side in the world.

I hope the batting shows greater urgency in Durban, and as AB de Villiers showed, you don’t have to do anything silly to score at a decent rate. Amla and Prince in particular get bogged down and stifle the innings. Perhaps it comes from the fact that technically they don’t get forward enough and struggle against the fuller delivery.

However it is the bowling attack that I feel is the biggest problem. Many are saying that the “Mdingi Express”, Makhaya Ntini is the weak link. He was certainly below his best and didn’t get much reward but he usually gets better as a series goes on. He also hasn’t had much cricket recently and I probably be prepared to give him another chance in Durban. Had de Villiers held on to the chance in the first over, who knows what Makhaya would have produced!

I thought Friedel de Wet bowled better as the match went on, and the weak link was in fact Morne Morkel. It surprises me how many people say Morkel has so much talent and is a good bowler. In my view he can only bowl 1 type of delivery, short of a length. He seems incapable of bowling it fuller and getting the batsmen to drive, and often ends up bowling to wide. In my opinion it is why we struggle to wrap up the tail.

Waqar Younis got about 60% of Batsmen 8, 9, 10 1nd 11 out either LBW or bowled. That’s because he bowled full and attacked the stumps. Our bowlers bowl too wide and do not attack the stumps enough. In the first innings when Swann and Anderson were going, Smith put the field back and gave away too many easy runs, and the England players had no pressure placed on them. I’ve always believed you can’t set a field for bad bowling. Rather bowl stump to stump, have the field up and force the batsmen into an error.

We certainly missed Jacques Kallis in the bowling department, but I’d like to see a bowler who either bowls wicket to wicket and/or can bowl fuller eg Wayne Parnell or Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Morkel is hardly likely to get more than 2-3 wickets at best. When did he last take 5 wickets in an innings?

With 1 or 2 changes we showed we should beat England if we play to our potential. Let’s see what Durban brings us!

The South African squads for the upcoming One-day Internationals and Pro-20 matches against Zimbabwe and England have been named.

Whilst selections have historically been fairly conservative, the selectors at last appear to be making some brave decisions and learning from past failures such as the recent ICC Champions trophy.

The biggest bombshells were the omission of Herschelle Gibbs and Makhaya Ntini.

Convenor of selectors Mike Proctor, had this to say about Gibbs, “We have lost patience with his inconsistency and I had a chat with him this morning and we agreed that he has been inconsistent. We have to keep 2011 [the World Cup] in mind and we need to spread our wings a bit. But the door is not closed for Herschelle, although it will be tough for him. He is 35 … but he is fit and he is a huge talent and if he makes a mountain of runs and is batting consistently then things change.”

This is a great move, as many go on about the talent of Gibbs, but other than the “438″ game, how many match winning innings has he played for South Africa? Sure he has a good record, but how many of those were meaningful innings? He has been inconsistent for the last 7-8 years, and I’d have dropped him long ago.

In the absence of Gibbs, a new opening partner for Graeme Smith will be needed. Proctor, said that, “Team management were looking to Kallis to move into the opening batsman’s slot from number three. “Mickey [Arthur] and Graeme [Smith] want Jacques to open and AB [de Villiers] will then move up to three and JP Duminy to four,” Procter explained.

It’s a good move, as Kallis is a great batsmen who needs time to get going. Opening the innings he can allow himself to get in and set his own pace.

Moving de Villiers and especially Duminy up the order is also a great move, as both also need time to get in, and they can then control the middle of the innings.

Alviro Petersen of the Highveld Lions is recalled and will bat at five, whilst Albie Morkel will move up to number 6. Proctor said “We’re also looking to take pressure off Albie Morkel in terms of his bowling. We’d like to take the responsibility of bowling ten overs off his shoulders and he can make up for it with the bat. We’d like to play him at six and use him as more of a pure batsman.”

Whilst I like the idea of Morkel coming in earlier, where he can play himself in before trying to launch an assault, I am not sure he can make the side as a specialist bastmen. His bowling also needs to be developed. I don’t see the point of only bowling him for a few overs.

In the bowling arena, the dropping of Makhaya Ntini was a surprise. It seems such a  shame for a dedicated workhorse. He hasn’t bowled that well lately however, and that is the price one pays for losing form.

Whilst I have no problem with that, why is Mark Boucher always spared from the same fate? He is closer to the inner circle, and I think that is all the saves him. I prefer to see a younger keeper, but someone who is more consistent and a greater danger with the bat.

The addition of both Ryan McLaren (26) and Charl Langeveldt (34) to the squad will bolster the bowling resources, although Langeveldt may only be around for another 1-2 seasons.

I loo forward to seeing what the Proteas can do. They’ve signalled their intentions with their squad but the proof will come on the field. I’d like to see them become more adaptable, play more attacking cricket, and sum up the situation better when under pressure.

Anything less will need to bring even greater changes to the squad to ensure we get back to the number 1 spot!

Proteas’ ODI squad:

Graeme Smith (capt)
Hashim Amla
Johan Botha
Mark Boucher
AB de Villiers
JP Duminy
Jacques Kallis
Charl Langeveldt
Ryan McLaren
Albie Morkel
Wayne Parnell
Alviro Petersen
Dale Steyn
Lonwabo Tsotsobe
Roelof van der Merwe

Pro20 squad:

Graeme Smith (capt)
Yusuf Abdulla
Loots Bosman
Johan Botha
Mark Boucher
AB de Villiers
JP Duminy
Jacques Kallis
Heino Kuhn
Charl Langeveldt
Ryan McLaren
Albie Morkel
Wayne Parnell
Dale Steyn
Roelof van der Merwe

Once again another ICC tournament has ended in heartache for the Proteas. Aside from the personal disappointment for the side and its supporters, there has been yet again another financial disappointment for a cricketing showpiece in South Africa.

It’s the third time a major ICC tournament has been hosted in South Africa (along with the 2003 World Cup, the 2007 World Twenty20) and the hosts have failed to progress past the first round. It’s a woeful record for a proud sporting nation, especially in their own backyard.

CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said “There are some hard questions to be answered. At no stage did the team look anything like a team that is the world No 1 in both Tests and one-day internationals. They certainly were way off where they should be at this stage, and I will be speaking to Mickey and the team management to find out what went wrong.”

Majola also said there were no plans at this stage to fire either the captain or the coach. “That’s not going to happen, but we definitely want answers. The team’s performance in this tournament was just not good enough. I don’t want to pick out individuals, but there were problems with the bowling and the batting, and the team’s body language was not that of the world’s best team.”

Will there be any repercussions for this side, or will Graeme Smith and Mickey Arthur continue to run the side as they like? The Proteas record needs addressing. For a side that consistently produces results outside of ICC tournaments, it’s record in the important games can no longer be tolerated.

We’ve now failed to make the semi-finals at the majority of ICC tournaments since 1999 (we did make the semis in the 2007 World Cup and the 2009 Twenty20) which is not a record deserving of a top 3 side.

Mickey Arthur had this to say after the latest disappointment “The wicket in Centurion was tailor-made for the sub-continent, and we’ve seen what happened to Sri Lanka at the Wanderers, with balls that have bounced above stump height. If I could have picked, I would have preferred to play them at the Wanderers, but it was not to be.”

I’d suggest Arthur is looking in the wrong places. Rather than blame external factors, they must look within. The Proteas have shown they are good enough outside of ICC Tournaments. Why do we struggle under pressure. It has to be mental. A mindset issue.

My feeling is that the Proteas are too conservative. You can’t go into knockout tournaments and try not to lose. You’ve got to go out and play to win. Be aggressive, take chances, and back yourself.

Our mindset when chasing totals show, we try to keep up with the run-rate (as opposed to getting ahead of) and launch an attack at the end. On a good day it can work, but it’s a highly risky strategy.

Graeme Smith said there would be some soul-searching after yet another early departure from a major tournament. “We’ve got the World Twenty20 in the West Indies in 2010 and the World Cup in the sub-continent in 2011, and that’s got to be our goal – to play better and perform better in these tournaments.

Only time will tell how much things change, but I have the feeling we may have to get used to losing in the big moments if something drastically doesn’t change.

The ICC Cricket Awards for 2008/09 took place in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Johnson was named International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricketer of the Year.

ICC president David Morgan said: “Mitchell has worked extremely hard over the past year to be an integral part of Australia’s bowling lineup and his effective batting style has turned him into one of the top all-round cricketers.

India’s Gautam Gambhir was named Test player of the year

India captain MS Dhoni took the one-day international player of the year award.

Australian bowler Peter Siddle took the emerging player of the year award.

Pakistan’s Aleem Dar was named umpire of the year.

I have never rated Mitchell Johnson, and apart from 1 or 2 good spells I didn’t think he performed that brilliantly. Indeed the Ashes series showed he is an average performer. I thought Dale Steyn has been the World’s most consistent bowler.

Peter Siddle an emerging player of the year was very surprising. He has hardly set the world alight. What about JP Duminy? He virtually won the series for South Africa against Australia. And he backed it up with some other great performances.

Gambhir had a great year and broke all sorts of records, so he deserved his spot, and Dhoni was also a consistent performer.

However it was also surprisng not to see’s names mentioned as they have been extremely consistent for Australia. All in all I thought the awards were quite surprising, and I think next year we’ll definitely see some different names mentioned.

South Africa crashed out of the ICC Champions Trophy after losing to England in their final group match at Centurion.

England won the match by 22 runs after posting a superb score of 323/8. The target was always going to be extremely challenging and South Africa came up short in replying with 301/9. The loss means that South Africa in last place in their pool, are out of the Champions trophy.

England won the toss and once again South Africa were fielding first. As with their first game against Sri Lanka, an ill-disciplined bowling effort conceded too many runs. Steyn and Parnell set the tone so beautifully against New Zealand, but on this occasion their lengths too often strayed on the full or short side gifting England runs.

With early momentum, England batted well, and the third wicket partnership of 163 between Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood was match winning.

Chasing a score of 324 to win, South Africa once again started cautiously. Herschelle Gibbs once again failed to produce a substantial innings, and the loss of Kallis exposed the middle order prematurely.

De Villiers, Duminy and Boucher all got settled but couldn’t deliver under pressure, and wickets kept derailing South Africa’s bid to seriously launch at the England total. It meant the Proteas were always a step behind, and eventually they left it too late, with not enough wickets to seriously threaten England’s score.

After the match, Graeme Smith had this to say, “It’s hugely disappointing, I think it’s about giving your all, unfortunately we fell 22 runs short. Two of the games, we have given away over 300 runs, it’s difficult to chase that much regularly. You have to give credit to the way England batted, anything around 300 we would have cruised in but 320 was a step too far. I wish I had a remedy, we’ve got the potential, there is no point giving excuses (about crashing out of another ICC tournament).”

For the Proteas it represents another episode of choking in an ICC tournament. Many in South Africa will be reluctant to use that word, with different interpretations of what choking represents. To  me it means we once again failed to perform on the world stage, to the best of our ability. Pressure got to us and we indeed choked.

South Africa need to look at their strategy, game plan and mindset. The skills are there, of that there is no doubt. Why is it we perform in 2 team series but not tournaments. I believe it’s because we are one-dimensional and execute best when we can come up with one particular strategy for one side. In tournaments we have to be more adaptable, change game-plans, adjust to different grounds, play different situations.

We like to play one type of strategy. It’s evident by the fact the Proteas like to chase targets. We need to be able to bat first and put large scores on the board if conditions warrant it. Whilst we are good chasing, it’s often only if we have bowled well. The 438 achieved at the Wanderers against Australia was the exception.

Too often we time our run chases poorly, leaving too much to the end and coming up short. It’s a problem that was evident twice chasing large scores against Australia earlier this year. We need to be more aggressive and learn to score quickly, and get ahead of the required run rate. It requires a rethink of strategy, mental adjustment, and greater confidence in their own ability.

I know the skills are there, I just hope we have it between the ears for that’s where we need to look at ourselves if we ever want to win another ICC tournament.