So what? He took wickets, the pace he took them at does not matter. Effectiveness not speed is what needs to be considered.

Joe Root scores a century and England won the test. While it certainly is more complicated than that the fact Root stood up as captain and scored a century certainly helped. 

The Pommies have a habit of winning dead rubbers. Where was Root when the series was there to be won?

Seems the ruthlessness we showed the Lankans has woken them from their lethargy over in Saffer land. The locals were humbled by their second string attack  and only for a late order counter attack by De Kock they would  not have made much more than 150. In replay the Lankans were travelling nicely at 1-49 at stumps.

South Africa are now well on top and favourites to win the test.

South Africa 170 ahead with 6 wickets in hand on a bowlers pitch, huge surprise if South Africa do not win from here.

Sri Lanka have a new young spinner, Ambuldeniya, who has taken two wickets in the second innings, might be the key to any slim hope Sri Lanka have of winning the match.

Ambuldeniya finished with 5 wickets, very good debut for the young spinner, but Sri Lanka is just losing this test match. They are 3/83 chasing 304 and have no chance.

SL win - 78 needed for the final wicket - Perera does it. Just wow.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18645/scorecard/1144164/south-africa-vs-sri-lanka-1st-test-sl-in-sa-2018-19

That is a massive surprise. Well done to Kusal Perera, probably one of the best innings ever.

 Was our complete annihilation of them the catalyst for this? Hats off to Perera for defying the very professional Saffer attack. To be brutally honest I doubted Perera would last very long at all. He does not have the neatest technique. Surprised me.

I chuckled when I read how rising quick Jhye Richardson keeps himself motivated during a game.. He scribbles messages on his shoes. 
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/unique-shoe-messages-jhye-richardson-kiss-ruthless-australia-india-odi-series/2019-02-16. Could the skilful right armer also be a KISS fan?

His BBL figures were bettered but some in the know are talking about Josh Philippe as their bolter for the WC. The kid is still inconsistent but his two knocks in the finals for the Sixers proved he has the temperament for the big time. I love his precociousness, the confidence with which he takes on good pace bowling and spin. His lofted drives off the spinners reminds me of a younger more brash Steve Smith. So people dont be surprised if Philippe's name is called out when they name the WC squad. 

Huge congrats to the pair of young Lankan batsmen Mendis and Fernando on their under pressure partnership that has sealed their country a rare away series victory over Sth Africa. Perhaps there is a not as big a gap between us and the Saffers as the rankings suggest. Remember we hammered the same young Lanka team. 

Thanks to SL beating SA, NZ is now #2 on the test rankins. Lol.

New Zealand have gone with Tastle as the test spinner at home. I approve of this. He's a leggie with control and some batting at 8. Sommerville would be my number 2. He is accurate but lacks batting, and bowls quite flat for unresponsive test wickets. Then Santer 3 (not enough wickets) and Ajaz 4 (not enough wickets nor batting). Sodhi at 5 (needs to learn to land a leg break 5/6 in an over).

In the future I suspect with Rachin plays as an opening batsman for NZ, NZ will discard having a frontline spinner altogether, and just play 4 genuine quicks, with a batting option at 8 in the form of someone like Kuggeliejn.

What a win for SL!

Fair play to them beating SA 2-0.

Wow. Just wow.

Duanne Olivier has quit intl cricket at 26 to sign a Kolpak deal.

https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/106871/south-africa-duanne-olivier-quits-international-cricket-yorkshire-kolpak-deal

10 tests, 48 wickets at 19 and the next big thing to replace Dale Steyn, and rather preferred to go off an join MMorkel, Abbott and Roussow in County Cricket...

I wonder if he will ever turn up in an England shirt...



It's scary to think what depth SA would have right now, without 14 players in England, the same in NZL plus the likes of ABDV and Ingram plus many more on the global t20 circuit. How do they produce so many brilliant cricketers?

Duane Olivier is not a cricketer at heart he is a traitorous money sucking grub.

Lol. Cricket is not his hobby, its his livelihood. Good on him for making some dosh. He doesn't want to retire into living week to week - which he may well still do so. County cricket pays less than Aussie domestic, so I don't think he is quite driving a Lamborghini or a Ferrari like an intl Australian cricketer just yet.

The real issue is what is the Big 3 going to do about keeping SA, NZ, WI, PAK, SL and Bang in test cricket? Because if the value these teams bring to the Indian, Australian and English cricket markets is not more fairly valued and compensated for in the future, there will not be a supply of these countries playing test cricket anymore. If even ODI and t20i cricket.

Who is really being greedy here, AbDV, MMorkel, K Abbott, or CA, BCCI and EWCB? Because this is the problem: domestic cricketers in Eng, Ind and Aus earn more than intl cricketers elsewhere. That is the cause, the very root of the issue. Domestic cricket is outpaying intls... how is this possible? There is clearly not enough intl cricket for countries like Pak, NZ and SA, and it's intl cricketers are not paid enough.

I think its more the Big 3's greed. Now I get their argument (our hosting, our markets), but I think its high time that billateral series were more equitably split between the teams. The big 3 make a fortune out of paying SA, NZ, WI, Pak, SL and Bang, and pay next to nothing for that privilege. Take the intl stars out of the IPL - what do you have? Just another domestic comp, not even as exciting as the NatWestBlast. The IPL doesn't make  Gayles, Russells, Williamsons,  McCullums, Tahirs, Fafs, de Kocks, Mustafizurs, Shakibs, Sangakarras...but there is nothing going back to the Boards that did help make them to make more of them.

Unfortunately - I just don't see EWCB, BCCI or CA prepared to share. They like the situation of have's and have nots, and this will continue until they kill the goose with the golden egg. And then we just have 3 tri seasons of franchise cricket. :-)

People want to think Smith or Kohli are patriotic, and ignore that they earns millions and millions, then millions and millions more playing for Australia and India. And then call Olivier a cash hungry grub for wanting to earn a secure 200k or so for 3 years. When the intl pay gap is so vast, between Indian, Australian and English millionaires to the rest of the world, that even Indian, Australian and English domestic players earn more than foreign intl stars, the game has a huge problem if it wants to remain global, and not a tri-parte sport.

It's all about perception, if you look at the money made by all the top 10 teams combined, and divide it equally, all cricketers everywhere do very very nicely. BCCI India may not be building a new stadium every week, though. But if its where the money is generated, and EWCB, CA and BCCI do not wish to share, the game ultimately collapses into a 3 team setup with some cheeky minnows.

None of that changes the fact that Duane Olivier has betrayed his national team because of his greed. 200k for 3 years is a lot of money, only greedy people need that much.

So does everyone who migrates for better work opportunities betray their country?

You're an Australian, if you're not aboriginal, how did you come to be in Australia, the convicts were allowed to return... did they betray England (or wherever they're from) by staying in Australia? I mean presumably someone in your past moved to Australia for better opportunities.

Olivier didn't betray his country, he didn't commit treason or sedition. He took a job overseas. The same job he had in SA. Playing cricket. Except this is more secure and better paid.

Your socialistic arguments are starting to entertain me, komrad. I'm glad a good Aussie like you would never leave to earn 200k or 500k or millions elsewhere. You wouldn't betray your country like that for financial opportunity.

I trust you loathe every Australian first class cricketer, they're all earning much more than that. And your intl players earning millions, wow, they almost give reason to fuel a revolution don't they?

600k won't even buy him a home in England. LOL @ Greedy...

You really do not have a clue about right or wrong.

Of course I would not move overseas to make millions, I can live on what I earn, why should I want more?

Actually the bad thing is I have too much, I should have less, but I am weak, I fail.

oh so you know about the cost of living in SA now - right...

you money grubbing country treacherous pro cricket fan... selling out your country to watch better cricket...you traitorous money gabbing grub...

Look I am a piece of shit, worthless and pointless, there is nothing good about me. Your words are not going to hurt me, they are not true because they are not harsh enough.

However you are advocating things which are wrong. Duane Olivier with his decision is embodying things which are wrong. 

Nothing wrong with what Olivier has done. But I do have questions for the systems of CA, BCCI and EWCB that have made this situation occur so frequently. Either the Big 3 start sharing their riches generated by intl cricket, or the quality of intl cricket suffers.

Wow. Just wow.
Duanne Olivier has quit intl cricket at 26 to sign a Kolpak deal. 
https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/106871/south-africa-duanne-olivier-quits-international-cricket-yorkshire-kolpak-deal
10 tests, 48 wickets at 19 and the next big thing to replace Dale Steyn, and rather preferred to go off an join MMorkel, Abbott and Roussow in County Cricket...
I wonder if he will ever turn up in an England shirt...

Just read this and am I am thinking another fine Test class bowler lost to the game. You can throw up all the cricticism  for his actions you like.. but as I see it .. the quota system in SA forced him out. The same as it forced out Abbott and others. This is an unforgivable situation that SA cricket has gotten itself into. Within 10 years.. perhaps sooner.. 5.. the Saffer team will be made up soley of Cape Coloureds and pure African players. So where do the white Saffers go?  How do they retain any incentive to pursue cricket when their masters are clearly closing the door on them?  Without anything to aspire to these white kids will choose other sports.

There are two constants here.. re the "defectors" one is their love of the game and their need to make a living from it. If their own country is not supplying that then they have no other choice but to go elsewhere. btw just what does domestic cricket in SA pay.. any idea? Obviously it is not sufficient to keep them in their own country. My only question is why are they all heading to England.. when our domestic cricketers are payed more? We could use an influx of world class cricketers to boost the standard of our domestic competition. A bloke like Duane Olivier would be a great asset to any of our state teams. Is there a limit on overseas imports here. What is the situation?

Maxwell is smashing em in T20. I have him in my T20 WC next year but please dont confuse limited overs runs with red ball cricket. Maxie needs red ball runs. He cant get them because he has painted himself into a hole with his reputation as being a white ball master. He has to get red ball runs on either the A tour or in county cricket prior to the squad being chosen to have any chance of an Ashes spot.

Nothing to do with quotas. Olivier was offered a 2 year deal by SAC to stay. Abbott was begged to stay as well.  Quotas makes the young guys leave to play intl cricket elsewhere - like Pieterson and Wagner... not the established stars like AbDV and MMorkel... They're leaving for money and financial security. Further, by not playing in SA, they may play in CPL, BBL, BPL and PSL as well as county, and England and county players are allowed in the IPL now too. There's just not much money in RSA intl cricket.

Don't think Aus FC allows imports anymore. You used to. Andy Flower and Imran Khan jump to mind. Think they can only play grade cricket and BBL now. I could be wrong.

NZC needs to approve it for NZ, we used to get the likes of Hick and Mallender here, but that has all stopped in recent times and now NZC must approve any import. But we have tonnes of those squeezed out by the quota, and 2 on a timer countdown may play per team in any game. They just need to sign a letter of intent to play for NZ - then the countdown timer begins. Devon Conway will be int he Black Caps in about 1.5 years, Foxcroft and Nodal qualify in nearly 3 years... Money in NZ domestic is not well paid, but, they back themselves to be intl cricketers one day...