Cometh the hour cometh the man.....

the time has come for the Proteas to force the plan. There are no excuses for the Proteas when they face the The Lions  tomorrow. Aside from a disappointing result in the series against the English it's fair to say they've had the best preparation ever going into a major championship. The only concern is the hamstring problems of Tahir and David Miller but that aside it's hammer time. To further enhance their chances of an emphatic win is the benefit of having had a resounding win against the home nation at The Oval where they'll be playing.
Go the Proteas!

 Tamil Tigers!!??

Everything is in place for the Proteas to do well. They have a very balanced team, a long batting line-up and good recent form. The only big question mark is their mental toughness. However, I do get the sense that there has been a shift in attitude with the team. I can't quite put my finger on why that is, but they seem to have a little more self belief. Maybe its just me. 

 The game being played as we speak should be interesting.....Ozzies have the best attack.....but.....

Protea Fire!!

Denny what do you make of the process to hire the new coach? Happy with Domingo to continue or anyone else out there catching your eye?

The simple answer is "If it ain't broke why bother fixing it."
I've had an eye on it for quite some time, firstly Domingo's contract is about to end but he has not served notice that he'll be stepping down, secondly he's done a terrific job so why have they not approached him with an extension of his contract? There's something afoot here, I'm not sure what it is but I certainly don't trust Haroon Lorgat.

Hope you watched the game, it's a classic case of how swing more than pace is effective in English conditions....Hazelwood took 6 wickets! If only we had a fit and younger Philander type in our attack(sigh).
Plum
Not sure where I got onto "Tamil Tigers"....correction has been made, ta.

 Sies Denny
It's like calling the Proteas MK soldiers.
Haha
I second your opinion on Domingo btw.

 Those pesky Tigers are strangling us a bit.

 Better now.

 I think another 30 runs would have sealed the deal but if our guys bowl well 290 will be competitive.The key is early wickets......I fancy Rabada to do the business.
Hats off to Duminy, he was simply outstanding...so too was Amla.

Not the most convincing batting performance.....Amla looked comfortable. The rest were scratchy.....Quinty was saved from an early exit by the Umpire's call, du Plessis was badly dropped and Miller wasn't good enough to get an outside edge against Pradeep. Duminy produced a useful cameo. .. AB played a totally self indulgent shot.....I would hope he shows some discipline as the opposition ratchets up. .. But congrats to Amla who gets another century and becomes by far the fastest to 25 ODI centuries.

 Tahir swung things.

 Quinnie was uncharacteristically subdued....mmm wonder if he was playing under instructions.Thought AB took a stunning catch but then the run-out he brought about in that same over was brilliant. The fall of those two wickets was the turning point in the game. Parnell was his usual useless self and Rabada went MIA.  Our attack looks pretty damn ordinary when Rabada loses his mojo.Don't you just love the way Tahir celebrates a wicket....hell half the team has to hold onto his shirt to stop him from doing a victory lap outside of the stadium.
I'm off to zzz land, I know it's cricket but I expect to wake up with the boys having a resounding win.
Interesting Q&A with AB on SS where he talks about the wickets in England.

 Latest Denny

 SL is 192/8

 For 9

 My MOM is Tahir, but Amla will probably get the honors. 

 Takes the last wicket.

Brilliant fielding by AB and Morris, Parnell was the goat in the bowling attack. Good to see Morris doing well in all 3 facets. Tahir and Amla share the honours, but Sri Lanka blew it.

I think it showed good bottle to not fall apart when Sri Lanka seemed to be steaming ahead.

How's the Cricket coverage over there Moz?

We have excellent coverage on a cable channel called Willow...started to serve the large Indian community in the States. The only time you can't see the matches is when they conflict with an Indian game.

 Mission accomplished, not their best game but a win is a win no matter how it happens.Faf played an outstanding innings, came in with the run rate at a snail's pace and really set the innings on fire, thought AB unlucky, Amla, solid as the rock of Gibralter and Duminy added much needed impetus to an innings that was merely steady.Once again we saw Quinnie and Miller struggle on a spongy wicket, these guys only seem to excel when the ball comes onto the bat.Parnell is dreadful, I hope the quota is not the reason for the Protea exit from the tournament. Morris handled the slowness of the wicket and looks the frontrunner of the three allrounders, Tahir was brilliant, he breathed life into a popgun attack....luv the way he celebrates a wicket.
The Proteas are as yet to play their best game and are being brilliantly led by AB who singlehandedly changed the direction of the game, I believe there is much to look forward to from a team starting to establish itself as a real challenge to win the Championship.

 
Impressive stuff ...

Hope they keep their nerve.

CC, are the Bokke the only SA sports team labelled 'Goats' that you want to see getting their arses kicked ? Cricket seems to be getting your blessings .

One more question ........... along with Rooinek you rejoiced after the Stormers not so merry month of May's trip downunder, now, do you wish that ALL our teams crash & burn, or is it only the Bokke & Stormers ?

 CC, ek vra jou net soo nice .

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXmk8dbFv_o

This comment rings true: . 'Cricket has a wicked sense of humour, and it was one of those so-called part-timers, Imad Wasim, who accounted for De Villiers first ball, a forgettable first for South Africa’s captain derelict. It wasn’t just De Villiers, mind, but his shot made the least sense in the circumstances, in the tournament and in the very moment that he and the team have spoken so often about. It was an horrific batting display....'

Every time the Proteas beat up some team like Sri Lanka at the Wanderers I ask myself whether it's real or memorex, just another do loop in time bound to crash when the stakes get high,,,,today was such a day.

 
Yeah ... the wheels fell off ... once again.

I guess they just don't have what it takes.

Thumped by the pathetic Pakistanis. Must say I never saw that coming.

Silly me ... the Proteas are losers ... should have known they'd disappoint ... again.

 Faf should be C.

Agreed 100% with that....AB is a great cricketer, but about as tough minded as a marshmallow.