Telford Vice's Blog

October 16, 2025

Why bother playing a match that’s decided at the toss?

“It felt like there were moments where, if we got on top and ran with a bit of momentum, the result could have been different.” – Aiden Markram

Telford Vice / Cape Town

IT will be no comfort to South Africa that their total in Lahore on Wednesday is bigger than the highest successful fourth innings at the Gaddafi. They lost. That’s what will matter to them.

Even so, it’s worth remembering that in November 1984, Pakistan — chasing 178 to beat New Zealand — made 181/4. On Wednesday, the...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 16, 2025 00:16

October 14, 2025

Trust South Africa must

“On a surface like this, you just have to trust. You can’t be doubtful.” – Tony de Zorzi

Telford Vice / Cape Town

YOU’RE part of a team who won their previous 10 Tests, a national record. One of your bowlers took 11 wickets in the current match. One of your batters scored a century in the first innings, and will be back at the crease when play resumes on the fourth day. You have eight wickets to score 226 runs and clinch an 11th consecutive victory.

You’re on top, surely. Or at least ...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 14, 2025 23:28

De Zorzi on the edge of Zen

“It’s about bouncing back and finding some resilience.” – Senuran Muthusamy

Telford Vice / Cape Town

TONY de Zorzi lives on the edge. Make that on the edges. At least, that’s what he did at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Monday, when the ball seemed to find the middle of his bat far more rarely than it did the splintery perimeters.

Unsurprisingly, De Zorzi walked a tightrope. With the bowlers, with his batting partners, with the umpires, with the overall drama of the second day of the f...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 14, 2025 00:19

October 13, 2025

South Africa, spin, and the subcontinent

“We created chances, we didn’t go away.” – Simon Harmer

Telford Vice / Cape Town

IT isn’t often South Africa deploy a spinner in the first 10 overs of a Test. Spin from both ends is even more unusual, and rarer still in the opening hour of the match.

But there Prenelan Subrayen stood at the top of his run, ready to bowl the sixth over. And there, at the other end before the 11th, stood Simon Harmer.

The XI also include s Senuran Muthusamy , and Keshav Maharaj would surely also have...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 13, 2025 00:28

October 12, 2025

De Kock misfires on famous day for Namibia

Quinton de Kock took guard having spent the previous 468 days in the international wilderness.

Telford Vice / Cape Town

AND just like that in Windhoek on Saturday, Quinton de Kock had some idea how Donald Bradman must have felt more than 77 years ago at The Oval.

Bradman took guard in what became his final Test innings, in August 1948, needing four runs to become the first — and to date the only — player to retire with an average of 100. The world was watching, or would have been had ...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 12, 2025 01:34

October 11, 2025

South Africa’s party ends

“We’re champions now, so there’s a new sort of pressure.” — Kyle Verreynne

Telford Vice / Cape Town

“You can’t have fun all your life.” It was an odd way for Vernon Philander to respond to being congratulated on his recent engagement to be married. In his defence, he had other matters on his mind.

Philander was about to begin a press conference at Lord’s on August 20, 2012 in the giddy afterglow of his 5/30 — which sealed South Africa’s series victory over England and secured the ICC ...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 11, 2025 01:32

De Kock returns to help Namibia celebrate

“It’s an honour to be here, to be part of an iconic moment of history for cricket in Namibia.” — Donovan Ferreira

Telford Vice / Cape Town

A one off men’s T20I between a full-member country and bona fide minnows? Who cares? But there are reasons to pay attention to Namibia’s game against South Africa in Windhoek on Saturday.

One is that it will be the first match played at the newly completed Namibia Cricket Ground — the sound of construction bled through the audio from the players’ p...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 11, 2025 01:10

October 10, 2025

De Klerk delivers fight for South Africa to take flight

“I do like being under pressure.” – Nadine de Klerk

Telford Vice / Cape Town

DEEPTI Sharma unwisely dabbed at an offering from Marizanne Kapp that, left alone, might have been a legside wide. Instead, as revealed by Ultra Edge, bat scratched ball.

Sinalo Jafta moved to her right with silky swiftness to take the catch, reducing India to 102/6 after 26 overs — the turning point of the home side’s World Cup match against South Africa in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

As in the moment when...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 10, 2025 00:16

Maphaka hamstrung despite initial clearance

“He had a scan during the first innings which came back clear.” – Jono Leaf-Wright, Lions chief executive

Telford Vice / Cape Town

KWENA Maphaka walked a few steps to the crease and bowled. Then he jogged to the crease and bowled. Then he loped. Then he chugged. Then he ran hard. And bowled each time.

This happened on a practice pitch at Newlands during lunch on Saturday, the third day of Western Province’s first-class match against the Lions. 

Maphaka had bowled only 5.5 of the 45...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 10, 2025 00:01

October 7, 2025

Brits blast brings South Africa back

“I’m glad we could pull this one through. We definitely needed that after the last game.” – Tazmin Brits

Telford Vice / Cape Town

IT needed something special for South Africa to climb out of the deep, dark hole they disappeared into against England in Guwahati on Friday. And something special is what Tazmin Brits delivered in Indore on Monday to put her team’s World Cup campaign back on track.

Brits scored 101 off 89, launching almost two-thirds of her runs in 15 fours and a solitary ...

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 07, 2025 00:22

Telford Vice's Blog

Telford Vice
Telford Vice isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.
Follow Telford Vice's blog with rss.