After the unexpected draw in the first test match of this four test match series,
both England and South Africa will be looking forward to the second
match. The second test match between these two seemingly bitter rivals will
begin on the 18th of July at 10:00 GMT. The teams have been in good form off
late and are expected to go hard at each other. The first test match was high
on excitement and left the audience spell bound. Both the teams looked set out
on a mission and were playing top quality cricket.
Click for Live Score Card of England vs South Africa
The first match saw some brilliant performances by the England team. Ian Bell
in particular was phenomenal. His exceptional batting ability along with his
penchant for runs saw him score 199 runs of just 336 balls. His entire inning
was brilliant and almost equaled the entire total of the South African team.
Kevin Pieterson gave Ian Bell great support at the crease and
scored in excess of 150 runs for himself. Both these players made sure that
the 1st innings total of the England Cricket team was huge. Opener AN Cook and
bowler Stuart Broad also chipped in with half centuries. In terms of the bowling,
the England team had a good match. They displayed great acumen while bowling
and made sure that South Africa was bowled out for a little less than 250.
The bowlers however failed to repeat the feat as a result of which, the South
African team saved the match. The over all performance of the England team was
excellent and a repeat in the second test match would virtually guarantee them
a victory.
The South African cricket team on the other hand had a below average match.
A team that has produced some of the best bowlers in the world including Alan
Donald looked out of sorts. The bowlers went for plenty and were thrashed to
almost all parts of the ground. The fact that two England batsmen scored more
than 150 runs stands testimony to the fact. Milne Morkel was the most
successful bowler and picked up 4 extremely precious wickets. PL Harris picked
up 3 wickets while Dale Steyn got one. The fans and supporters of the
team were also greatly disappointed by the poor and substandard batting display
of the team. On a pitch where anything less than 400 is considered to be a bad
test match score, the South African team could manage a total of 247 runs in
the first inning. The batting performance of the team however improved in the
2nd innings and the first three batsmen scored a century each. Captain Graeme
Smith along with Neil Mckenzie made 204 runs for the first wicket. Hashim
Amla also scored a brilliant century.
The fate of South Africa in the second test match depends completely on the
bowlers of the team. The batsmen of the team have regained form and are likely
to give a tough time to the England bowlers. The England team on the other hands
needs to just carry forward the great form that they are in. If the results
and events of the first test match are any indicator, then the upcoming second
test match of the 4 test match series must be the much awaited cricketing extravaganza
that the fans have been waiting for.
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