3rd ODI

Three games, three loses. New Zealand has put up stiff resistance in each match, but has somehow let its grip go at the death. Last night's match has some particularly worrying features. Astle and Marshall are still clearly lacking form and Shane Bond went for 73 off his 9.2 overs.

If anything the New Zealand side is moving backwards. While new problems are mounting and luck is running against them (Fleming was run-out off a freak deflection last night), the South Africans are enjoying the toss of the coin and discovering new talents. Don't be too surprised if the series ends up 5-0.

A second loss

I had to wait awhile before writing this. Watching the game left me fuming - the result of tiredness, poor umpiring, crowing South Africans and a chance of victory gone begging.

Still, if I try to put all that out of my mind, there were some things to cheer us about the game. Lou Vincent was magnificent (until cramp struck in the 80s) and the New Zealanders put in an excellent effort in the field. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the media coverage which follows this game will look at how poor the pitch was - it was almost of the standard you would expect to see in New Zealand in the spring.

To distract me from my annoyance, Cricinfo has kindly published a piece on slow-bowlers - and on Dan Vettori in particular.

2nd ODI preview

Okay. We have a whole range of options for you. What do you need to know? If you want to see what Dan Vettori thinks, click here. If you want to know what Jacques Kallis thinks, click here. If you want to know what Makhaya Ntini thinks, click here. The New Zealand Herald tells us that the pitch is likely to be batsman friendly here. And Weather Underground is picking that it will be a fine and sunny day in Cape Town - albiet one with a cool southerly. There, I think that has things covered nicely.

Shoaib, Shoaib, Shoaib

When will you ever learn?

Boock on ratings

Blimmin' heck. Richard Boock is such a bloody pessimist. His latest article wails that the New Zealand side is in an "ICC ratings free fall", weeps that history is against them winning in South Africa, whimpers that Scott Styris and Jacob Oram have injury worries and blubbers that Hamish Marshall, Lou Vincent and Nathan Astle are out of form. For heaven's sake - grow a spine man! A quick look at the New Zealand Cricket website will show you how optimism is done.

Preview of the 2nd one-dayer

Reading Neil Manthorp's paranoid ramblings made me wonder if he is alone in his thoughts, or whether the rest of the South African press corps has the same warped view of the world. So I headed over the the website of daily paper the Cape Times. And what do I find? A preview of the second one-dayer which talks about how great Scott Styris is. All my worst fears for the mental wellbeing of South African cricket writers have just been confirmed.

Also of interest in the Cape Times is this article about the form slump being experienced by Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs. I won't say "long may it continue", but I will cross my fingers and hope that the big scores don't come until after New Zealand has left South Africa's shores.

Hansie Cronje

Hansie Cronje's brother has revealed that a film is being made about the dead cheat. Given that the movie is to be based on an "authorised" biography, which apparently spends most of its length eulogising Cronje's Christian beliefs and Afrikaner roots, and that the family seem to approve - I don't think we can expect it to reveal anything new.

South Africans on New Zealanders

I mentioned the other day that I thought Graeme Smith was a dick. It also seems he is completely paranoid - and he is not the only one in South Africa. Here is the full Neil Manthorp article that Stuff paraphrased for us last weekend. To use Smith's own phrase - what a slimy piece.

Longley vs Boock

Yesterday Richard Boock was predicting the downfall of Hamish Marshall, today Geoff Longley is predicting Marshall will return to form but Lou Vincent is in for the chop.

Why is no-one suggesting that both Vincent and Marshall will hang around and that Scott Styris will be the one to miss out?

The Cape Town pitch

According to Graeme Smith the Cape Town pitch for Friday's second one-dayer is going to be a pacier surface than the one at Bloemfontain. And does anyone else think Graeme Smith is a bit of a dick?

Sticking the boot in

Poor old Shoaib Akhtar. Dumped from the Pakistan team. Shouted at by John Wright after smiling during a World XI team meeting. Dumped from the World XI after some rubbish performances. Called overweight by the coach of the Pakistan team. And now, just to rub it in a little more, the Worcestershire chairman John Elliot has claimed that Shoaib Akhtar's presence at the club last season was disastrous for team spirit ... "Players like that are no good to our club," he said. "In fact, Shoaib has been no good for any club he's been at..."

Karl on ... a strange declaration

In the first semifinal of the ICC Intercontinental Cup Kenya are playing Bermuda. Hitesh Modi, a 34 year old Kenyan who has been a mainstay of their middle order since the early 1990s, must have thought his day had finally come on the first day of the match. Just after his captain Steve Tikolo had scored 220, Modi looked to be getting his maiden first-class century. Then the captain declares, at 403/6, with about 15 overs to play in the day and with Modi on 98. There's no commentary on the game, so I don't know what Modi did to annoy his captain so much!

Boock on Marshall

Richard Boock has a few things to say about Hamish Marshall in this morning's New Zealand Herald. Probably with good reason given his recent form.

New Zealand 'A' tour averages

Here are the averages for the first-class series against Sri Lanka 'A':

Batting
Matthew Sinclair - 192 runs at 48
Peter Fulton - 192 runs at 48
Gareth Hopkins - 142 runs at 47.33
Jesse Ryder - 86 runs at 43
Chris Harris - 163 at 40.75
Jamie How - 75 runs at 25
Michael Papps - 65 runs at 13

Bowling
Graeme Aldridge - 4 wickets at 7.25
Chris Martin - 16 wickets at 10.56
Bruce Martin - 10 wickets at 25.30
Paul Wiseman - 5 wickets at 27.6
Ian O'Brien - 2 wickets at 68

A first-up loss

I feel ripped off. There is no worse place in the world to watch cricket from New Zealand than South Africa. And a night with too little sleep was all in vain as South Africa snuck to victory in the first one-dayer. New Zealand actually seemed to be on top for much of the game, but a rapid 73 from Justin Kemp took the match away from them at the end.

New Zealand's top order is still a bit of a weakness. Astle, Vincent and Marshall all went cheaply. Fleming looked in glorious touch, but went to a loose stroke after getting a good start. The top score came from McMillan who mostly nurdled sensibly with good assistance from Oram and McCullum. Andre Adams added 30 not out in a late flurry to take the side to 249/8.

Coming into the match New Zealand's bowling was meant to be its weakness. Bond and Vettori might be world class was the thinking, but the rest lag far behind. Bond was very rusty to start with, but started to bowl faster and straighter as he went on. Vettori was miserly while both Mills and Adams put in tight and accurate spells.

After the game Fleming admitted his side did not hold its chances, while grumpy Graeme Smith grumbled about the state of the wicket.

New Zealand 'A' take series

Another rain shortened day meant that the already doomed third "test" between New Zealand 'A' and Sri Lanka 'A' ended in a draw. Graeme Aldridge was the star of the day, taking 4-29 as the Sri Lankan's struggled to 160/7 in their only innings. The result means New Zealand 'A' win the series 1-0 to cap a very succesful tour.

Preview of the first one-dayer

Cricinfo tells us that Dan Vettori will play and that, although the pitch will look hard and fast, it will likely take spin. Meanwhile Stuff tells us South Africa are "going back to basics". The same source also has a much more exciting story which quotes Graeme Smith calling John Bracewell "slimy" and has South African journalist Neil Manthorp call New Zealanders "timid travellers" and the cricket team "paranoid". A number of South Africans also have some advice for Brendon McCullum.

Dan dishes no dirt

The title of this article in the Press ("Vettori dishes the dirt on rivals") is MUCH more exciting than the story itself.

Series preview

Richard Boock provides us with another series preview in the New Zealand Herald. And he seems a little paranoid about injuries.

Twenty20 result

New Zealand drew first blood on their short tour of South Africa with a five wicket win in the Twenty20 match. Jeetan Patel (3-20) and Nathan Astle (3-20) starred with the ball as South Africa were restricted to 133 and Fleming (31), Styris (24), Oram (23 not out) and McCullum (17 not out) saw New Zealand home with two overs remaining.