Enye vavanyo, England sibanye nil-phantsi. Hee Pakistan
Ukurhoxa iSri Lanka ecaleni kweNgilani kuphakathi kovavanyo olunamandla oluqinileyo ngokuchasene nePakistan ye-Pakistan. Kwaye ke iindwendwe ekwenzile nabanye abaninzi baye basilela mvanje, i.e. ukubonisa ubuthathaka eNgilani.
Mhlawumbi ubuthathaka obuphambili eNgilani kukusilela kwesipinatshi somgangatho ophezulu. U-Moeen Ali uluncedo kwii-overs ezimbalwa ezilungileyo kwaye ujwayele ukumangaliswa amalulwane amaninzi kwaye abaqhathe ukuba babe nolwazi olungeyonyani lokhuseleko.. Ngu, kunjalo, ispinatshi sesibini. Ukuba uthe akaba bat wayeza kuba ecaleni? akuthandeki. Yena enokukhethwa ukhuphelo, ungakhokeleli kwinto yohlaselo. Njani kwaye kutheni i-England ikhethe ukungamnaki u-Adil Rashid uyandimangalisa. Kumashumi eminyaka abakhethiweyo besiNgesi babonakalise ukungathandabuzi kwi-pig leg-spinners kwaye uRashid ubonwa njengoyena mntu unokufumana iimbaleki ezimbalwa - kodwa uqinisekisile kwii-ODI nakwi-T20s ukuba uyakwazi ukuyigcina iqinile. Ngombulelo baye babonisa ukuba bazimisele ukubeka eli lungelo ngokuthi bamnike igama 13 umntu squad ngenxa lwesibini uvavanyo. Bamele bamkhethe-ngakumbi njengo-Old Trafford bathambekele ekukhuthazeni abo babini. I-England banento yokwenza nengxaki ezandleni zabo - ndiyakrokrela ukuba u-Ben Stokes kunye no-Moeen bayayilwela indawo enye..
Ubuthathaka obubini kukuxhomekeka kweNgilane kuJimmy Anderson kwaye banokuphulukana kangakanani nenkwenkwe yaseBurnley xa ekugqibeleni exhoma iibhutsi zakhe. Jake ibhola zakutshanje ukuba ayinike iphele. Uvavanyo olunye kwaye lincinci ngaphambi kokuba lenze izibhengezo ezichazayo kodwa wabonakala enento ngaye. Kunyanzelekile nangona uStuart Broad ejinga eminye iminyaka embalwa kwaye uJimmy ubhabhayisa.
Ngelishwa ngokuchasene nenkcaso ephezulu efana nePakistan eNgilani ifuna wonke umntu adubule kuzo zonke iisilinda. Omnye umntu ongekho ngokuqinisekileyo nguSteven Finn. Wenze isitya ngcono kakhulu kwii-innings zesibini-kwaye ungcono kunokuba amanani akhe ebonisa - kwaye yeyona nto imgcinileyo kwiqela kuvavanyo lwesibini. Ngaphandle nangesantya kanye ukuba nangona ngokuqinisekileyo uya kwenza indlela xa XII wokugqibela ogama.
Umntu onwabele isiziba esimfusa, kunjalo, yi Chris Woakes. Ngokuqinisekileyo ugqithile kulindelo lwam kutsha nje kwaye uza kubonakala engowale nqanaba. Inkwenkwe nayo iyakwazi ukubetha-ukubaleka okuxabisekileyo kulungelelwano olusezantsi olunikiweyo kubanzi kubonakala ngathi alunakubuyisa uhlobo lwaso lwamva.
Ijaji isaphumile kuJames Vince-ibaleka eziluncedo kwii-innings zesibini-okt. xa eyayibalulekile (kodwa akwanelanga) ubale kuye kodwa angakwazi ukwenza ngokunkqonkqoza ngokufanelekileyo ukuze aqinisekise ukuba abakhethiweyo bakweli nqanaba.
Kwaye ekugqibeleni - i-wicket egcina i-conundrum. I-Bairstow ingena kwicala njenge-batsman kwaye kufanelekile kuloo ndawo. Ixesha liya kuxela kuphela ukuba iNgilane ithathe isigqibo sokukhetha umgcini ongcono (Jos Buttler is the next in line but is only marginally better at the glovework).
“Ibhola epinki ibonakala ingwevu / luhlaza ngombala obomvu / oluhlaza, kuxhomekeke kubukhali bayo. Ndenze ulinganiso ngobumfama bombala…”