2nd T20I: England v South Africa

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2nd T20I: England v South Africa at Old Trafford.

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30

This series will once again end up with one team either retaining or becoming the No1 ranked team. After being soundly beaten in the Tests and drawing the Odi's England will be hoping for victory against South Africa to give them a confidence boost before heading off to the World Cup later this month.

Other than a series winning confidence boost this is a big chance for a few players to stake their claim for a starting spot in the World Cup and also for one or two {Broads pace, Boparas batting} to try and regain some sort of form.

England need to bounce back to stay in the series after the shambles at Durham.



Squads

England; SCJ Broad {c}, JM Anderson, JM Bairstow, RS Bopara, TT Bresnan, DR Briggs, JC Buttler, JW Dernbach, ST Finn, AD Hales, C Kieswetter{w}, MJ Lumb, EJG Morgan, SR Patel, GP Swann, LJ Wright

South Africa; AB de Villiers{c,w}, HM Amla, F Behardien, J Botha, JP Duminy, F du Plessis, JH Kallis, RE Levi, JA Morkel, M Morkel, JL Ontong, WD Parnell, RJ Peterson, DW Steyn, LL Tsotsobe

Still an injury concern for Tim Bresnan though.


Good luck to both teams.

Christ Buttlers finaly living up to the hype

Buttler at last!! some over 32 from it

32 off the over! That's probably the game for England!

Keissweter needed that too

Only another six...

50 for Kieswetter.

50 off 31 for Kies, then bowled. Cracking knock.

Well this is proper T20 slap and tackle isnt it. Always think it helps the team batting second in these shorterned games

Team batting second are helped, but not when they are chasing about 120.

brilliant knocks from Buttler (at last!) and Kieswetter

big score on a pitch which is turning and gripping, Albie Morkel should prob have bowled both his overs to be honest. Expect lots of slower balls from England's seamers...

32 is the second most expensive over in T20 international history

Great stuff. I said lets see some 'fearless cricket' and they delivered.

I think SA messed things up though. This was a very slow pitch - giving the last two overs to Parnell and Morkel didn't make that much sense.

Botha again showed how good he is - I can't believe SA have let him choose South Australia over them after the World T20. I'm sure if they told him he was a key component of both the ODI and T20 teams he wouldn't have signed up for the other SA.

SA were very sloppy I thought, in the field, with the ball, poor choice of bowlers. End of a long-ish tour I guess...

Briggs opening the bowling. No pressure son.

But this could be his role if he wants to get in the team for the WC. Levi won't like it.

and straight away an interesting move by Broad, Briggs to open on debut

Plenty of spin for Briggs, who isn't a huge turner of the ball. Swann's overs will the key if SA want to get close to this.

Briggs ripping it square at 62mph. Play that!

9 off the over, but with only one bad ball. Not a bad effort under some serious pressure, bowling to Amla.

Levi bowled by Bres! Horrible shot from Levi, leg side mow. Surely has to be ABDV in at three.

Faf in. Unless ABDV is trying to get other players into form, I don't get it. He's probably the best player in the world in this form, get in as early as possible.

there you go, off-cutter from Bresnan clean bowls Levi (who I'm really not convinced about).

Me neither MFC. Has too many weaknesses against genuine good quick bowler, spin and through the off side. Might come off 1 in 10 at most.

Cracking over from Bresnan, only 4 off it. And good fielding by Lumb. Only saved one run but it sends a message and sets a tone.

agreed, great work by Lumb.

May be they should look to du Plessis and Amla to open the innings and Kallis at 3. AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Albie Morkel should constitute the rest of the top 6.

teams neck and neck after the PP, but England had an over for 32

gone this time, well deserved for Briggs, he's bowled nicely here

Thing is for all I slate Bopara and Wright its gratifying to seeSA feel the need to pick Du Plesis

Well bowled Briggs, great comeback after Amla hit the first ball for four.

If anyone can win it for South Africa, I believe its AB de Villiers, and I can't understand what he is doing out there, should have come in one down. Briggs gets du Plessis, and AB has at last come out.

Amla is so good. Beautiful reverse sweep off Swann.

msp83 wrote:If anyone can win it for South Africa, I believe its AB de Villiers, and I can't understand what he is doing out there, should have come in one down. Briggs gets du Plessis, and AB has at last come out.

I agree msp, in a full 20 over game he is probably better off at 4 where he can be there at the death but still with time to bat, like Morgan for England. But in this game he needs to be in as early as possible.

England would be wondering as to what they can do against Hashim Amla. Yet another walk in the park for Amla so far.

Hashim Amla need 27 more runs this innings to average over 100 in every form of the game this summer. He is in decent touch then...

JDizzle wrote:

msp83 wrote:If anyone can win it for South Africa, I believe its AB de Villiers, and I can't understand what he is doing out there, should have come in one down. Briggs gets du Plessis, and AB has at last come out.

I agree msp, in a full 20 over game he is probably better off at 4 where he can be there at the death but still with time to bat, like Morgan for England. But in this game he needs to be in as early as possible.

I don't have many a cherished moment from the IPL, but one thing I can't ever forget is AB's demolition of Dale Steyn to set up the win for his side, scoring 23 of Steyn and plenty more in the last over to score nearly 40 in the last couple of overs. Every ball in that steyn over were good ones, and de Villiers even reverse swept him!.

too many dots from Amla there, SA need to score off every ball...

I think that's it for South Africa, Swann gets AB!.

Amlas a god but surely even he cant rescue this.

and the pressure tells on De Villiers, top-edging straight to Bairstow on the boundary.

That was a special, special innings msp! Absolutely ridiculous hitting. But he is out to Swann, caught in the deep and that is probably the game... Touch wood.

Albie Morkel in now, but I think this one is gone as far as South Africa is concerned.

Finally! Someone has caught Amla! Caught Bairstow, bowled Swann again! That HAS to be it.

Amla goes now, Swann has finished last of SA's chances.

and that. is. that. Magnificent bowling from Swann, and England surely have this in the bag now

Its like SA arent even trying to win just avoid being bowledout

Do you give the mom to Kieswtter's 50 or the game changing 32 off 9 from Buttler.

3 balls from Dernbach and everything around the 140 mark!!. Could be a surprise indeed for the batsmen, they would have been expecting at least 2 of it to come down 30 kph slower!!. Here it is at last, and Ontong had no idea!.

lovely over from Dernbach, he's really come on this summer

I think Kallis should have come in ahead of the unproven Ontong, Big Jacques can really smoke it if he really put his mind into it, Remember him smashing Muralitharan to all parts of the ground during the first Champion's Trophy!. Way back in 1998 it was!!.

That is it for Ontong.

skyeman wrote:Do you give the mom to Kieswtter's 50 or the game changing 32 off 9 from Buttler.

Buttler. No doubts for me. Kieswetter played well, but Buttler changed and won this game.

Here comes Jacques! The man can do many things, but I doubt he can do this!

And here is the big lad at last, down at 7.