*Official* Second Test at the Adelaide Oval

[GIMH]

Got a feeling that if twatto gets a bowl, KP will destroy him

 

[Jacknife]

You have to be a team player. Anyway if he has that much talent, why does he look ordinary when the ball starts to swing and the conditions are tough? Surely a man with that amount of talent should be averaging way over fifty in an era of high scoring. It's to be expected that you'd look pretty good when you came in when the score was 2/2 million in extreme heat against a fatigued attack on a pancake flat pitch.

Apart from this year where he obviously has had his form slump, he doesn't have problems when the ball starts to swing, no more than other top batsman anyway.

 

[Jacknife]

You mean like the way he hit twin fifties on debut when McGrath was destroying the rest of the English top order?

Or when he rescued England from an almighty wobble with a ton in the deciding Test of that series?

Or when he slapped Murali all over England?

Or when he came in and hit a ton, rescuing England from 4/3 in a series decider against New Zealand?

Or how about scoring 2 tons, and a 90, striking at 70 against a South Africa attack which owned the English batting lineup in 2008?

Those sorts of innings?

Yes, that's what I was getting at.

 

[zaremba]

Dear God, if Ian Bell plays anything like he did against Aus A, there could be some real carnage today

Big "if" though - we're still capable of throwing this away

 

[social]

Crapola attempt by the fielder at mid-off there

and gully

Aside from the odd player, this reminds me of the mid-80s when we were comfortably the worst side in the world

Potentially seeing the end of Ponting's reign right here

Probably wont happen after this test but it must happen if the sort of decline we've seen lately doesnt stop

 

[four_or_six]

Can't bowl Watto today, I don't think. He needs to be fresh to bat, and he's bowled quite a lot this series already.

 

[Pizzorno]

Colly racing along with 0 from 12 balls. Superb stuff.

I don't know why but this made me laugh.

Leave the Durham nugget alone, he's gonna play a brilliant innings later in the series. I guarantee it.

 

[King Pietersen]

Made even better by him hitting 5 from the 2 deliveries that followed that post. Be brilliant if he made a ton as well, would just compound Chimpy and the rest of Australia's misery.

 

[Furball]

Hopefully Ponting cops a hefty fine. The Australian over-rates have been shocking, it's not like there's been a contant fall of wickets slowing things up.

 

[pasag]

This is torture.

 

[Furball]

Can't bowl Watto today, I don't think. He needs to be fresh to bat, and he's bowled quite a lot this series already.

The smart captain would bowl him into the ground.

 

[zaremba]

Colly's leave-alone shot is the ugliest leave-alone shot in world cricket. It just saps all those involved of the will to live, with the sole exception of Colly who seems quite happy with it.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Can see why Collingwood is ordinary around off-stump, especially early, it's almost a timid half-step towards the ball when it's in that area. Having said that, he'll probably get a hundred like everyone else.

 

[Briony]

You mean like the way he hit twin fifties on debut when McGrath was destroying the rest of the English top order?

Or when he rescued England from an almighty wobble with a ton in the deciding Test of that series?

Or when he slapped Murali all over England?

Or when he came in and hit a ton, rescuing England from 4/3 in a series decider against New Zealand?

Or how about scoring 2 tons, and a 90, striking at 70 against a South Africa attack which owned the English batting lineup in 2008?

Those sorts of innings?

Every career has its highlights. One of the tons in the 2008 series was in a draw on one of the flatest pitches at Lord's ever. England didn't even get a second innings. I recall three saffers also making tons and Bell just missing out on a double ton. The other ton in that series was scored in the dead rubber test when the saffers (by their own admission) were already celebrating.

He did indeed score a ton in the deciding test in 2005 but only after being dropped on 0 and 15 (the latter an absolute sitter) and then being dropped a couple of times thereafter and taking advantage of a tiring attack. He did start to dominate the attack but most will make runs after been given some crucial lives along the way.

KP is a very good batsman but his overall performance doesn't mark him out as the superstar some people think he is.

And if he's so good, why doesn't he bat at #3?

 

[Furball]

And if he's so good, why doesn't he bat at #3?

So that makes Tendulkar crap then?

edit: those weren't career highlights. They were examples of tough runs made by KP.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Colly's leave-alone shot is the ugliest leave-alone shot in world cricket. It just saps all those involved of the will to live, with the sole exception of Colly who seems quite happy with it.

Was the exact shot I saw when I wrote the post below yours.

 

[zaremba]

And if he's so good, why doesn't he bat at #3?

Tough one, but I'd imagine it's because he's a middle order batsman

 

[Jacknife]

Tough one, but I'd imagine it's because he's a middle order batsman

 

[King Pietersen]

More beautiful spin bowling from Doherty. Only averaging 111.50 now, what a player.

 

[Briony]

So that makes Tendulkar crap then?

edit: those weren't career highlights. They were examples of tough runs made by KP.

So what's so tough about making runs in a Lord's test when it's so flat they called the game off early? And Steyn and co. went into that game with very little preparation. They improved as the tour went on. In the middle tests when they bowled well KP didn't play any matchwinning innings.