Oh no, optimism in tatters.

Can’t get my head around Mo coming in as 8, he’s too good for that, but agree Ballance has to drop down if he is to succeed. Maybe Root has to go back to 3 but he doesn’t seem to want to.

In a side packed with all rounders we probably need to get over the idea that anybody is too good to bat at 8, and think of it as a luxury to have a proper batsman coming in at 8. It’s hard to see why we need more than 5 bowlers.

chef gone the fat lady is walking to the podium

Ballance has to go – I’m not sure he’s been worked out at Test level so much as he just doesn’t have the technique full-stop. He’s also not the best in the field.

Despite bowling too short in the first innings and poor use of the review system, the single big reason England are going to lose this game is that shambles of a first innings. Also made worse by the fact that SA are missing Steyn and Rabada – I doubt Olivier is causing any test players to quake in their boots.

You can’t score runs in the shed.

Oh dear, put the mockers on Mo didn’t I.

the single big reason England are going to lose this game is that shambles of a first innings.

It’s not looking exactly tip top in the 2nd. It’s not pretty cricket but they could have just tried their best to bat as long as they could in this innings. I remember that innings by Botham back in the day trying bat out the 5th day stubbornly playing a totally different game to his normal to do a job. No illusions that this match was winnable but fading this badly is a bit sad.

Abject

I feel sorry for anyone who had a ticket for today, or the last three days of it thinking about it.

Urgh.

England chasing targets of more than 125 since July 2015

What odds on Olivier ending his test career with an unfinished hat-trick?

Rabada will be straight back in next match.

Cracking stumping by Sarah Taylor, not wearing pads, SA going quite now well though.

EDIT: Good bowling change.

I was just going to post the same – 11:35 on the text commentary,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/cricket/40035492

although I’m not entirely convinced she had the ball in her glove. But as an ex-stumper myself, great movement.

She does wear pads, just under her trousers – but they are smaller hockey style ones.

She does wear pads, just under her trousers – but they are smaller hockey style ones.

So shinpads. like short legs wear?

She does wear pads, just under her trousers – but they are smaller hockey style ones.

Does she do that all the time or just when stood up? What’s the reasoning do you know and would it transfer to the men’s game?

What’s the reasoning do you know and would it transfer to the men’s game?

Quite common in pub cricket, but that is for lack of fitting kit!

her reasoning is they are smaller and make her more agile. And maybe with the pace being slower if she does get hit it’s painful rather than bone breaking…. speculation.

Prior has kept without pads before (in SL, heat) and McCullum did a stint while the keeper was off indisposed without his pads because they were at the hotel or something and he didn’t think he’d need them. I also think on a good test pitch, standing back, there’s a lower chance of getting an absolute grubber compared to playing for the Dog and Duck 2’s at Prospect Park on a Weds night.

And a few in the early days used to put trousers over the top because they preferred their white pads to a new pair of coloured ones in the one day arena, fairly sure i remember Jack Russell doing that

That was a bit tighter than necessary!

Yup, and makes the claim of a sell-out final at Lord’s more believable. Well done, Ladies!

That was a bit tighter than necessary!

I thought it was bit meh, tbh 😯

Shaping up nicely……. if Raut has any sense of history she might just turn to Sarah Taylor and tell her she just dropped the world cup 😉

Aye – good game and a tight contest!

Getting interesting 🙂

Now getting very interesting

Yep…… of course it’s women’s sport though so not as good as men’s 😉

In fact – in this case it’s better because they don’t quite have the power to just whack and mishit it out of the park.

Cripes — that was a frame from being out.

8 down!

Not the one we could have done with though…

tense stuff!

I can see another run out in this 😯

or something….

should have taken that single.

9!

…and it is the one we needed to get!

Yes!

😀 😀 😀

Top job ladies, great tournament, great final to cap it off.

…it doesn’t matter who was out that time!!!

The WOM shortlist is very short after that

I picked the wrong time to stop listening

Thought it was indias easily before the collapse i never saw coming

Chapeau

India lost 6-40 odd at the end…. obvs pleased for England but gutted for India too.

Wowsers! What a finish! Watched it with my 12 yo daughter after her girls cricket match this afternoon.

India must be devastated after that – Shrubsole nicked it off them when they must have already been planning the celebrations.