´óÏó´«Ã½

SA to win the toss and bowl; both teams' first innings to be low scores as the quicks run riot. Swanny to win the match on day 5 as the pitch unexpectedly takes spin.
You read it here first...
or not.

Tom, no mention of your last day heroics at Cape Town on Live Text?

Tom, need a new vetting system on live text. If on the fifth day England are hanging on for the win then you must be the man in the chair and no one else.

However

If England are batting well and looking to put on a big score you must be banned from all Live text activities!!

And when I say hanging on for the win I meant draw!

I'm afraid it's all set in stone guys: Tom the first two days, Ben the second two days, and Mark Mitchener bringing us the finale (if it lasts that long).

'Onions in particular will be licking lips and polishing cherries with relish.'

This sounds like a bit of a dietary nightmare. Can't imagine ever putting Onions, cherries and relish together.

Still, you know best...

Right who's decision was that?! Tom the 1st two days... are you crazy? You can't promote Ian Bell to open just because he had one good test match!!

Does anyone else expect a big pieterson performance? Regardless of form it just seems unlikely his ego will allow him to go a complete series in SA without a big 100

Oliver, that solves the 'what if we win the toss' question!
Put South Africa into bat, Cant have Tom scuppering our first innings score!!

I don't disagree with any of this. The fact is England could be 2-1 down but for some luck and a little resilience at the end. You could argue that England are on top because South Africa have under-performed. Will we miss a five-man bowling attack? England's attack is not that thrilling. South Africa's has been worse.

Oliver Brett: I'm afraid it's all set in stone guys: Tom the first two days, Ben the second two days, and Mark Mitchener bringing us the finale (if it lasts that long).

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You mean we're going to be hanging on for the draw on the first two days? Have you not thought this through? Is this what we pay our licence fee for? This is a disgrace and I'm writing to my MP.

If the pitch is going to be a bit of a grass top and the conditions as stormy as predicted does anybody else think England might need to be brave and select Sidebottom? I'm not sure how you could really squeeze him in, but I think he's the closest we have to a Matthew Hoggard type swinger.

I know Strauss and Flower aren't big on making short term changes, and perhaps they are best sticking with what they know, but if I were captain, I think I'd like to have Sidebottom in for Broad or even Swann if the pitch isn't spin friendly. Probably not popular, but I think Sidebottom offers a bit more control than Broad, he swings the ball alot, and the South Africans haven't seen him (or any left armer) yet this series. Not a permanent change, just a horses for courses selection?

I love this espression:

"Even though you look for a grassy wicket it won't be a major green mamba out there," believes Arthur.

So! No green mamba, huh? - What then? Am hoping the England bowlers can turn it into a gaboon viper as far as Smith & co are concerned. Or maybe a spitting cobra!

At any rate, if we win the toss, it would sem to me we won't want to be batting last.

Tom Fordyce first two days - not very good for a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Supported Site!

Can't wait for this tomorrow, however. Makes the days at work go so much faster. KP to make the headlines one-way or another. Come on England!

Tom, Tom, Tom. You did also manage to sneak a ticket to the rugby World Cup final and what happened? We lost. Did you apologise to us all in the Frog and Princess? No you didn't. Now, had we chased down the small matter of 470-odd in Port Elizabeth, I would be the first to exalt you to the highest reaches of England cricketing legends, but you didn't. I fear the selectors must be worried at your inconsistent form.

Not harsh Tom. You should see it as a compliment that we want you there on the last day..indeed, from what the groundsman says, we may well get our wish as the last day could be day 2.

Now you have cemented your place, will there be a new KP like flamboyance to your innings, with superstition going out the window? Or will you still be waiting til drinks every time you need the loo? I know which one i'll be doing...

Given the bad blood over the ball-tampering issue, surely polishing the cherries with relish would unnecessarily re-ignite claims of cheating, with little benefit to the swing bowlers...not to mention the logistical difficulties of getting the relish on to the field of play in the first place.

Mr Fordyce, I thought you made of tougher stuff!! Take the unwarranted abuse like a man!!

In terms of the test this week has taken ages to pass and cant wait for tomorrow morning! If our top and bottom order fire (in their specialist departments that is!) then we should win this. If Strauss and cook can play out the new ball (Which cook is excelling at at the mo, and the old ball, and the new ball again!) And Jimmy and onions use the new ball well we can win this test.

Just realised that I have written the basics of cricket but its what we need to do!!

But it must be you Tom, otherwise it was me, and that simply can't be true...oh dear. I was at the Oval you know, and there's no truth to me clutching at straws here.

So are we going to see a KP special this time around? I have a feeling this is when he will step to the fore. Last test of a series where we need a draw and all that.

Big things are expected of our Kev in this Test. Was watching Spinal Tap t'other day, the bit where they are explaining what happened to all their drummers. I really wouldn't put it past KP to spontaneously combust after reaching a match winning ton.

P.s. No other sport in the world can give you the feeling of absolute horror of knowledge that it was you, and only, that caused defeat by pressing f5 too many times. I love it.

Oliver's revelation at least means i don't have to try and be witty for the first 4 days, no matter how good the e-mail, Tom and Ben never publish me!!! Mark Mitchener all the way!!!!

As for the wicket, unless Steyn is awesome, SA are clinging at straws getting a seamers paradise, on paper, even if Jimmy fails, Onions and Broady can do the damage and seam/swing potential will get Broad bowling a better length than his back of a length rubbish, Chuck it up there at high 80's and you can get wickets if you can swing it, England 3-1 South Africa.

As for dropping Swann, be crazy, his gungho batting is a great strength at 9 and you know he will get wickets!

If England beat South Africa 3-1 I'll buy you a pint Exiledportfan - how's that?

Drop KP for the match. move Bell to 4 and bring in sidebottom. you know it makes sense. or not. comments?

by the way dropping KP is not completely about this important match, but about his future attitude, whether it's about the team or his ego. he needs to take a drop and then come back to his best.

Its gonna be a ripper-South Africa to win it in style Steyn and Parnell especially to do the damage. I dont feel England have players capable of a hundred in poor batting conditions like Kallis' hundred in the first innings in the 3rd test.

Love to be proved wrong come Sunday/Monday

not sure how I said that twice. sigh

Tom, I am pleased to see that you recognise your responsibilities and understand that millions of ex-pats like me will be looking for you to do your stuff with bat and ball. England expects and all that...

This series and the just have completely re-defined what "nervewracking" means for me. Fortunately I missed the Headingley catastrophe, apart from seeing a scoreflash while having lunch in an Inverness pub. The 7 Tests that I have followed ball-by-ball in these series though have put years on me. Thank heavens that the next series is in Bangladesh and should be a little more relaxing, although the 2003/04 series there was not exactly for the nervous, even before that cobra got loose among the spectators. I have been following England for something over 40 years, including some thick and rather a lot of thin and cannot remember so many Tests when England have done things the hard way (if you think back to the Carribean, how many heart-stopping finales have we had in so few Tests over the last 12 months?)

One request Tom. Most of us can't see what is happening. We can't hear the commentary. We are desperate to know what the heck is going on and get a clear and neutral account of incidents to build pictures in our minds. Speak (or write) to us as if you were describing the match to blind people and add the atmosphere to the action, instead of adding the action to the atmosphere (some of your colleagues are inclined to do the latter).

Oh and yes, we do genuinely believe in the commentator's curse. Don't let us down! :-)

Bumble seems to think England are going in with Sidebottom instead of Onions! I want to see Sidey get another chance, but if Onions is fit I think he has to play. After his last few batting performances I consider him the new Flintoff!

As for dropping KP, I think that might be a bad idea. On paper he's out of touch and maybe a candidate to sit this one out, but like a lot of people have said, there is always a feeling that a big score is round the corner with KP, and I think mentally he is strong enough to be unaffected by his poor run.

Some players on a bad run look like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders (take a bow Ian Bell!) but KP, for better or worse, seems to just want to go out and play his usual way.

Lancashire, it would be a very bold move to play Sidewinder for Onions. For one thing it seems this would be the first time for more than a century that England have fielded the same side for a full series; continuity has been part of the recipe for success. For another, Sidewinder has been apallingly out of sorts for almost two years, in part through playing while injured; Onions has done little wrong apart from being unlucky, would Sidewinder be a better bet. And finally, because he has barely bowled for the last 4 months: can we risk putting in a bowler who played very little last season and has had just one meaningful bowl, albeit a successful one, on this tour?

Couldn't agree more in regards to him replacing Onions. I think Onions has done a fine job. I'd like to see Siders in the team, especially if he is the bowler he was a couple of years ago, but whichever way I shuffle the teamsheet it seems to have 12 players on it!

We'll find out soon enough though. See how good David Lloyd's sources are. Perhaps Onions is carrying a niggle? Can't see the usually conservative Strauss making a wild card change without being forced.

If Onions were to miss out it would be a huge blow to have to replace him with someone who has done so little bowling recently and has been injured-plagued. I admit that I called for Sidewinder to get the nod initially and suspect that he would have done pretty well but, having missed so much cricket it is hard to see him getting what would probably be a last hurrah unless there is an injury.

It is hard to imagine that Sidewinder will go to Bangladesh (OK, they did take Martin Saggers in 2003, but that was because of an injury crisis and the need to have a reliable workhorse). Next summer he'll be well into his 33rd year and getting no younger. His role is most likely to be as a sort of Jon Lewis-like super-sub who can be brought in if someone goes lame half an hour before the start of a Test.

I agree with those who think we don't need to change the team; they've done very well so far in this series, weathering the SA bowling as well as a great deal of advice from our side of the boundary as to who should be playing and who should be dispatched forthwith to the gulags. Yes, I'm aware of the analysts who can demonstrate session by session who took the honours, but when all's said and done we're 1-0 up in a series we were not clear favourites to win!

They're the ones with the selection problems, not us! Let them stew overnight in the morasse of indecision: Prince or Amla to open with Smith? Harris in or out? Can Duminy take the spinner's role effectively? Steyn, Morkel & who?

We don't have those problems. Our lads will be sleeping soundly right now. They, hopefully, will be tossing and turning. In seven hours it will all begin to unfold. I think this team has a good chance of taking them. - We'll see.

Totally agree, FleetJack. Mind you, it will not assuage the revisionists who say that we lost the Ashes 3-2 (or 3-1) and that we have really lost this series. Funnily enough though, Wisden seems to believe that we actually won last summer.

Good night! I'm hoping for another thumping win and a 2-0 margin, which will put us breathing down the necks of Sri Lanka in the ICC Ranking Table.

grumpyspindoctor (#26&27) - great point. KP, our most consistent player over the past few years, has had a couple of bad games since coming back from injury so its hard to see how we can't drop him. On that note, Strauss has also been pretty dependable with the bat until this series so he needs to go as well. Thinking about it, Swann didn't get a five-fer in the last test so I'd quite like to see the back of him too.

I realise you made a serious comment and wanted a serious response but lets get real. Someone else made the point that in the same way that Bell hasn't become England's godsend because he's had a few good matches, KP hasn't become useless because he's been a bit below par. And please don't give me the nonsense about him being selfish and not playing for the team. Every player in that dressing room is selfish - to be a test cricketer you have to be. When it comes to the team factor, I don't think there are many players who'd like to see the back of him. His commitment to training and improving his game is massively well documented and, surprise surprise, over the course of his test career it has bought both him and England results.

It's official, Siders in for Onions and no mention of an injury. England going for swing over seam? Seems a bit harsh on Onions to me, especially as we might need his batting! Speaking of which, Strauss wins the toss and bats first. bit of a suprise as well.

I must admit that I'm amazed, but this is Strauss showing his ruthless streak and saying that even batting heroes are expendable when the series is at stake. I just hope that we see the Sidewinder of 2007, not the Sidewinder of 2008/09!

@first ball: - Oh blimey!

And a manic innings from Trott that ends a few balls later.

Are we in for an England disaster that will make Headingley look like a triumph? Did some damned Australian get at the fire alarms again? Oh for a fighting 250 from the ginger warrior.

The luck of the England team on this tour has been exceptional.

Look at the statistics on how frequently there is a draw with 9 wickets down.

How we did be beat Australia in the summer.

Why take Durham’s no 2 no 3 and no 4 bowlers but leave No 1 at home.

Thank goodness for Swann having a wonderful tour.

So we have all this luck and a genuine quick attack has shown what good quick bowling can do.

All we have is Anderson and Swann and on this wicket I am not clear how effective Swann will be but I hope his fortune continues.

I have no confidence in the selectors as highlighted by the presence of Sidebottom. I do not like criticising players as they are all good but we lost the series against the West Indies with him playing when Harmison should have played.

So this time we draw and do not loose but we could of won but will we ever be this lucky again?

I say this before the South Africa innings as the fact that we have no genuine quick will determine the outcome of this match.

Yet all the professionals like Agers say we are moving forward?

We need new selectors and a coach.

I don't see Strauss or England smiling...