Review of SA-England test series

So the dust has settled and the test series between South Africa and England has concluded. In one of my earlier blogs, I wrote about how the teams compared going into the series and at that stage I could not separate the sides. And so its proved! The series ending one all may not have been a fair reflection for some but I feel both teams showed qualities deserving of not losing the series. South Africa showed a lot of dominance while England never gave up and fought back from almost impossible situations. That to me meant one all is a fair reflection.

What I'll do now though, is do a review of my comparison of the teams and see how things actually turned out.

Openers: Both sides struggled a bit with building a good opening partnership but in the end it was England who won this duel as South Africa could not build an opening stand of higher than 36 in the entire series. Ashwell Prince was in poor form throughout so that mainly contributed to Engalnd doing better, however Andrew Strauss should be disappointed with a series average of under 25. Its some how ironic that Graeme Smith ended up the leading run scorer though despite the poor opening stands SA had.

No. 3: Hashim Amla vs Jonathan Trott. Trott promoted to number three for this series ended on the losing end of this battle. Amla was in sparkling form however, with scores of 100, 95 and 75 showing the consistent performer that he has become. Trott only managed one 50 in the series and serious thought should go into whether number three is the best spot for him.

No. 4: Jacques Kallis vs Kevin Pietersen. This duel promised to be the best of the series but it was easily won by Kallis in the end. Ending up as the 2nd leading run scorer in the series, Kallis showed his class and KP could just not match him. Only one innings of note, and its been a nightmare tour for the SA born superstar. Form is temporary though and so I'm sure his class too will shine through in the series to come for England.

No. 5: AB De Villiers vs Paul Collingwood. Despite both players getting three fifties in the series its Collingwood who wins this one. A match saving innings in Cape Town, a match winning innings in Durban and a free scoring innings in Jo'burg, the Durham man has showed why he is the respected cricketer he is, with sheer quality and ability to adapt to the different situations.

No. 6: JP Duminy vs Ian Bell: Despie Duminy starting the series with a fifty, and Bell having a poor first test, Bell won this duel with his superb century in Durban and a match saving innings in Cape Town, which I saw live. Bell seemed to thrive under pressure while Duminy showed weakness when faced with pressure. His off spin may help him keep his place in the team though as he took one or two key wickets through the series.

No.7: Mark Boucher vs Matt Prior. To my surprise this duel ended up not the way I expected. Boucher winning the man of the series and being key behind the stumps shows that his experience should not be overlooked. Prior however just failed when in tough situations with the bat. Boucher answered his critics, me included and full credit to him.

No. 8: Morne Morkel vs Stuart Broad. To me this ended up all square. Both helped their team win a test with fantastic spells in Jo'burg and Durban respectively, while they showed their worth to the respective teams. Both have had the reputations enhanced with this series.

No.9: Paul Harris vs Graeme Swann. This contest is where SA lost the chance of winning the series. Harris failed to to get enough wickets while Swann ended up with a joint man of the series award. Contributing with both the bat and ball, Swann has made the test spot his own while it was no surprise to see that SA won a test when Harris was not in the side.

No.10: Dale Steyn vs James Anderson. This battle also ended up all square for me. Anderson took one wicket more but Styen played one game less and both showed reasons why they are regarded the best bowlers for their respective countries.

No.11: Makhaya Ntini vs Graham Onions. It was somehow surprising to see Onions not selected for the last test match but his contribution to this series will be remebered for many years to come. Twice helping England draw the the test match, he also took 8 wickets, although he deserved more wickets than he actually got. Ntini on the other hand was poor, and one wonders whether he will ever play another test again.

All in all, its been a thrilling series. A series which shows what makes test cricket so special. Ups and downs, a win a piece for each team with two fantastic drawn tests which went down to the last ball. Special praise to Graeme Smith, Paul Collingwood, Mark Boucher, Graeme Swann, Morne Morkel, Ian Bell and Dale Steyn for their parts in a series that could have been so different had they not contributed be it with bat or ball while I feel a star of test cricket could have been born in Wayne Parnell. Lastly, well done to SA for retaining the Basil D'Oliveira trophy!

Here are some more pics of the Newlands test match:

Newcastle United team of the Noughties

With the so called Noughties having just passed, it came to my mind to come up with a team of the decade. Of course being a massive Newcastle United supporter, I've chosen to do one with a team of the decade for Newcastle United. So here goes:

Goalkeeper: Shay Given
I don't think Newcastle have ever had a more consistent goalkeeper than Shay Given. Capable of making outrageous saves, saving penalties and the ultimate professional he deserves every honour that comes his way! Some may call him a traitor, but to me, we have never had better, not in my time at least.

Right Back: Habib Beye
He may not have been at the club for as long as Given, but he managed to become a toon favourite almost instantly. The passion, commitment and class he possessed when playing for the club was clearly visible so he gets the right back slot for me.

Centre Backs: Steven Taylor & Jonathan Woodgate
During the decade centre back was never really our strongest position, but in Woodgate we had a player who was simply outstanding. He unfortunately had many injuries but when he played, he was amongst the very best. It came as no surprise when Real Madrid came knocking on the door, but for me he was an easy pick for this team. I've chosen Steven Taylor as his partner, I may be forgetting some players but no one else really stood out. Taylor has always played for the shirt and many see him an England international in the future so he just about makes it into my team.

Left Back: Aaron Hughes
I struggled finding an appropriate left back, so instead I've gone for the versatility of Aaron Hughes. Always willing to play in different positions when needed and many supporters only realised his value when he left the club. Consistent and a very good professional I feel he deserves to be in the team ahead of players such as Bernard and Enrique who may have been natural left sided players but lacked the consistency to excel in the premier league.

Right Midfield: Nolberto Solano
The Peruvian was very much a fans favourite in his two spells at the clubs. Scoring something like 47 goals in 315 appearances all in all shows that he was capable on finding the net fairly regularly, while also he provided many assists with his quality set piece delivery.

Centre Midfield: Gary Speed and Kieron Dyer
It was difficult to find two players for this position, but in the end I went for the consistency of Gary Speed and the controversial but talented Kieron Dyer. Speed was very much an unsung hero in getting us 5th, 3rd and 4th finishes in consecutive premier league seasons. He also chipped in with crucial goals otherwise did an outstanding job in midfield. Dyer on the other hand, had an injury plagued career with Newcastle but he still managed some 251 appearances and 36 goals so his contribution should not be overlooked.

Left Midfield: Laurent Robert
The Frenchman claims the left midfield slot simply for his ability to do something out of the ordinary. He scored some absolute crackers in his time at Newcastle and his set pieces were also note worthy. Perhaps not the most hard working of players but few could deny his talent.

Strikers: Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy
Shearer picks himself. Goals, passion, commitment and strong leadership are only some of the many qualities he possessed. Arguably the greatest striker to pull on the black and white shirt but his selection in this team no one can argue with. I've chosen Craig Bellamy as his partner, simply for his pace, skill and ability to combine excellently with Shearer. He was instrumental in getting us into the champions league and few fans will ever forget his last minute winner against Feyenoord. Another controversial selection some may say but another whose talent can not go unnoticed.

Its a pretty easy choice to make the late Sir Bobby Robson our manager of the decade. His service to the club will never be forgotten and so its only fair that he makes it as the manager of the decade and that's without even looking at what a great job he did in getting us champions league football.

So there you go, that's my team Newcastle United team of the Noughties. Be sure to comment and add your own team if you can. Here's to hoping for a better decade with more success than decades past!