Mismatch?

By Grockles
August 3 2003

It ought to have been a mismatch but our side doesn't look that bad against those that have been playing up to now...and the South Africans have been conservative as well. Not as many big stars - and the tourists have kept a few back also!

v SOUTH AFRICA (3 DAY) @ Taunton 15 July 2003

Well what a strange game this is.  We are out on our feet in terms of first team players and we face the tourists who need to blood as many of their four day squad as possible because they've just got off the plane and have a Test in 10 days time.  You'd expect it to be a real mis-match wouldn't you?

The first thing to say is that neither side looks at full strength.  It's not surprising in Somerset's case because we'd probably have to trawl the hospital wards to find most of our real first team but the Sout Africans don't seem to have gone the whole hog either.  Then again they have lost some of their old stars so some of the new names are unfamiliar. The bowling line-up of Adams, Pretorius, Willoughby and Zondeki doesn't stand up too badly to ours of Durston, Andrew (welcome back and where the hell have you been?), Gilder and Jones.  Wood and Bryant open for us and we rest, Cox, Bowler (injured), Turner, Dutch and McLean.  Mike Parsons would have probably played in this one but is out through injury - well done for your U19 call-up though Mr P!   It is a shame that Edwards didn't get a spot - they seem to be trying Bryant as first in - let's hope it works, for him and for the county.

The tourists won the toss and go in for a bit of a bat.   Jonah strikes almost immediatly and gives Herschelle Gibbs and early shower by cleaning him up - now that will give the welshman a boost.  He has been coming back and I hope this is the start of a better second half of the season for him.  Not the breakthrough we wanted though because captain Smith and Gary Kirsten then add 163 before the slow bowling of Ian Blackwell does for Kirsten for 66.  It doesn't stop Smith though - you know how ponderous he looked in the one day series?  Well he doesn't look ponderous today.  Dippenaar helps him to three figures by staying around for a 40 run partnership and he adds another 99 with McKenzie before he finally goes for 152.   At 326 for 4 the South Africans call it a day and pout us in to try our luck.   Wonder if we'lll have any?

These games are usually well known for their unlikely hundreds.   Maybe it is James Bryant's time.  He opened with Wood to face the last 14 overs of the day's truncated play (92 overs).  They kept pace with each other and ended the day on 38.  I do hope it is Bryant's day tomorrow - there aren't that many left for him to find his form and we need all the form we can get in phase two of the 2003 season.  Scorching hot again tomorrow so a full day's play in prospect. 

But it petered out into a draw and nothing was really decided on the final day...another tourist game another year! Ho Hum!