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Daniel Henry's avatar

Thank you for the wonderful behind the scenes information and insights. Who drops out when de Kock and Miller return? We are blessed with some wonderful batsmen. It is going to be a juggling act to fit them all in. I hope the man in the canoe made it to market and was well rewarded for his efforts. Sri Lanka sounds like a country to add to the bucket list of countries to watch cricket in. Once again thank you for the lovely reports - short and informative.

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Neil Manthorp's avatar

Many thanks, Dan - much appreciated. I'm pleased somebody is reading and enjoying... :)

De Kock obviously opens when he's back - hard to imagine it's not with Malan after his start. Markram drops to three or four (depending on Bavuma's fitness) and Miller, presumably, comes in for Reeza Hendricks?

The man in the canoe certainly did make it to market. He's no stranger to monsoons storms...!

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Ayush Sinha's avatar

Sri Lanka is the only cricket nation where I can sit with faith, knowing that the groundmen won't let rain have an effect. Sadly, it comes with daily wage living for them.

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Neil Manthorp's avatar

Dear Ayush, the groundstaff are well respected and well looked after. They have accomodation and food taken care of during a tour, they take their jobs seriously and are proud of their responsibility to keep the cricket moving... :)

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Hugo Rademeyer's avatar

Aidan we are immensely proud of your contribution. We play our best when our backs are against a wall. Well done and keep up the excellent work boet!!

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Neil Manthorp's avatar

I'll pass on the message - if the bubble allows me to!

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Justine-Paula Robilliard's avatar

Hi Neil..only too right, decades ago I worked covering soccer, it had rained for 3 or 4 days leading up to the Friday night Chatsworth Manning Rangers home game, arrived at the pool, sorry ground, deep underwater, it stopped raining around 6pm... We kicked off at 8:30... What pool? Nothing...

Sri Lanka is legend in the rain game, a pity cricket was not invented here, they would have solved the rain rules decades ago... So glad to hear you on DSTV 212. Looks like a lot of fun is being had by all...

Snort 20 yr olds.. hahahaha..Love it... never a day from birth without a mobile phone and a twitter account... I can barely get my smart phone working... Confuses me...

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Neil Manthorp's avatar

Ha! Ha! Agree with everything you say except the bit about having 'fun' over here. It's fun to be at the cricket and watch an important series, but otherwise - without remotely wishing to complain - it's not fun. The bio-secure environment is pretty miserable and we can't 'go' anywhere. Just a hotel room, a bus-ride and a commentary box. And all the protocols and testing... as I wrote in previous columns, I totally understand why some players are saying 'enough'...

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