Thursday, February 4, 2010
“The contest within the contest involves Zaheer and Steyn. Both are masters of swing, and on abrasive Indian pitches, the ability to get the ball to reverse as soon as possible is priceless. After a slow start against England, Steyn ended the series looking like the best bowler in the world, while Zaheer, who’s now played five Tests in three months, insists that his rhythm improves the more he bowls” – Dileep Premachandran analyses the upcoming India-South Africa contest for The Guardian’s sports blog.
“It was a moment too perfect. The sun had just come out, the openers waded purposefully to the crease and the Barmy Army had just timed the climax of an unusually tuneful rendition of Jerusalem with expert precision. I love that moment in a Test match – the fielders getting into position, the confident rehearsal of strokes – whatever the state of the pitch – by the batsmen, the brief unity they enjoy as teammates, before splitting off and undergoing one of the greatest individual tests of character in sport. Then Dale Steyn shattered everything with the first ball of the match” – Rich Abbott writes from Johannesburg for The Corridor blog about the first few moments of a particularly horrible day for England at the Wanderers.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
“Nothing Bell endured came close to matching the insane intensity of the confrontation between Steyn and Collingwood. It was a duel every bit as breathtaking to watch as Allan Donald’s against Michael Atherton at Trent Bridge, or Michael Holding’s over to Geoffrey Boycott at Bridgetown in 1981, only not nearly so mismatched. After that encounter Boycott, the most meticulous and scientific of batsmen, was left studying the video footage of the spell, rewinding it over and again to watching it through in frame by frame. He eventually concluded that he was innocent, and that Holding had simply been too fast” – The Spin’s Andy Bull celebrates the return of dangerous fast bowling.
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