Amazing atmosphere in the stadium, with 20k people, of which 97% must have been Pakistan supporters, v many with flags.
Steyn did some light warm-ups, but, was never going to play, and its dubious if we shall see him, sometime soon. A great shame.
The contest was billed as the side who can't bowl (S.Africa),v the sideshow can't bat (Pakistan), which is a trifle unfair on S.Africa,but spot -on, re Pakistan.
S.Africa won the toss, and De Villiers decided to bat. It's interesting his, alleged fitness, doesnt seem a worry.
Eng scored a pedestrian 270 on the same ground 2 days ago, and a similar score should be enough for S.Africa to win the game.
Pakistan bowled well, with a couple of chances missed, and finally got to 238, which made it an even game, and gave the home supporters, much to shout about.
Unfortunately, the Pakistan reply was v pedestrian .. Something like 50 off the first 20 overs, 135 off 40, and with a mounting run-rate, lost more wickets, and the game.
Chris Morris is a fun player to watch. (Bowler for SA). I watched a few of his games in the T20 Champions trophy, and he was clearly v nervous, with many wides .. A feature he hasn't as yet, managed to totally eradicate. He got a surprising $650k contract for the IPL, and he is quickly maturing. It was fun to watch his 1st ball called a wide, but equally fun, to see wkts cart-wheeling out the ground, when he hits them. If S.Africa have injury worries with their fast bowlers, he's a v decent alternative.
There are many players you could point the finger at.
Pak now have no pints from 2 games, and its highly unlikely they can progress out of the group.The game at the same stadium on Saturday, v India will have a great atmosphere, whatever .. But, maybe will have a little less intensity for Pakistan, if that's possible.
The tournament as a whole is going fairly well. I do like quick tournaments, thou the travelling between venues, can be tedious. Crowds have been generally v good, and the Crickekeers .. Volunteer helpers, v friendly. Prices are not cheap, especially for food etc at the ground, but tickets are fairly well priced, at about £40 for a decent seat.
Most games involving Pak/India/England are full, and the website selling the tickets, works well, which is a pleasant change. I have seen touts outside grounds, but, it's v hard to police.
The ICC seem overly strict on people using tablets in the ground, with all being asked to put them away, fairly quickly. Anyone who thinks about using a laptop, soon changes his mind, which is fair enough .. It's too busy.
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