Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Shot selection

or lack of it - the bane of the Proteas thus far. Vide this

2.3 Bracken to Smith, OUT, Smith again walks down the pitch to meet the ball, shapes to hit over the top and a sniff of swing takes the ball past the bat and into the off stump

GC Smith b Bracken 2 (10m 5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40.00

South Africa 7/1 AB de Villiers 4* (10b 1x4) NW Bracken 1.3-0-5-1

5.3 McGrath to Kallis, OUT, Kallis again gives himself room and advances to meet the ball, but McGrath fires in a yorker which clatters into the off stump

JH Kallis b McGrath 5 (12m 9b 1x4 0x6) SR: 55.55

South Africa 12/2 AB de Villiers 4* (19b 1x4) GD McGrath 2.3-1-6-1

8.5 Tait to de Villiers, OUT, full, de Villiers drives with no foot movement, and a thick kick carries straight to Gilchrist. A fourth delivery over 90mph, a good mixture of length, and now South Africa are up against it

AB de Villiers c wicket-keeperGilchrist b Tait 15 (39m 34b 3x4 0x6) SR: 44.11

South Africa 26/3 HH Gibbs 3* (5b) SW Tait 0.5-0-4-1

9.4 McGrath to Prince, OUT, And that might be it ... about the worst ball McGrath has bowled, wide and angled away from the left-hander, but Prince slashes, gets a thin edge, and Gilchrist does the rest

AG Prince c wicket-keeperGilchrist b McGrath 0 (4m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

South Africa 27/4 HH Gibbs 4* (8b) GD McGrath 4.4-1-13-2

9.5 McGrath to Boucher, OUT, McGrath on a hat-trick ... much better ball, a stock McGrath delivery, Boucher plays a nothing prod and the ball is held low down by Matthew Hayden at first slip

MV Boucher c Hayden b McGrath 0 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

South Africa 27/5 HH Gibbs 4* (8b) GD McGrath 4.5-1-13-3

22.5 Tait to Gibbs, OUT, got him this time! A very, very thin edge - much thinner than the one which wasn't given earlier, also to Tait - looking for the short-pitched delivery. His feet were just rooted in the crease there as he chased the ball away from his body

HH Gibbs c wicket-keeperGilchrist b Tait 39 (77m 49b 6x4 0x6) SR: 79.59

As well as the Australians have bowled, the Proteas seem to be batting with some kind of a death wish.

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