dhwani: hey...u guyz did a gud job...congrats on ur 50!!!hashim amla n kallis were awesome...plz congratul8 em from ma side...well hope dat ure enjoyin ur stay here in india..hope u guyz allow da indian batsmen 2 overtake ur score;)....anyway...tc...luv u loadz!!!have a gr8 game n have a blast!MUAH!!!!XOXO!!!<3    Preet shah: Hi! Ab.I am Preet from of India And I am a huge fan of your's.Probably the biggest on this earth.whenever i see you perform on the field i just go mad. i truly admire you.May you have a superb cricket carrer and life ahead and may you make everyone on the earth enjoy with the bat and on the field.Good luck ahead in your carrer and i wish that you are away from injuries.    Melody:Hey Ab, congrats to Hashim on his double century! And you too on your 50! Okay babe, the batting has been brilliant I should say and now it's time for the bowling. I'm sure are guys will get more success then the Indian bowlers and hopefully, we wouldn't need to play a second innings =P Carry on like this!    bhavna: Hey AB, congratulation on your 53 in 1st test againt india. love bhavna stay sharp.....    madi: YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo ! no, im not promoting the website but YAY ! wat a gr8 performance by the whole team ..ur 50 was really a special one..congrats to jakes n hash ! n bouch too ! woohoo im gonna celebrate B.I.G. time when u guys win ( god willing ) ! P.S. theres a World war 3 goin on at home ( ind v/s/ SA ) lol !    madi: saw u on tv today! ur sooo filled with positive energy n the team too ..sooo nice to hear the boys speaking so confidently.... gud luck my man ...every ones behind u all the way !    Melody: Hey Ab, okay babe, tomorrow's the day. You guys have got to win this series and get that No.1 spot back! Have to admit, India have got a strong batting line up but our bowlers aren't a piece of cake either! You gotta be as bashing as you're dashing! I have full faith in you guys! Best of Luck    dhwani:hey!!!hope dat u're havin a gud tym in india...i was watchin ur press conference...i'm happy dat ure satisfied wid da security in nagpur... well hope dat u guyz have a blast n enjoy ur stay here....all da best!!!! luv u loadz!!!!tc!!!MUAH!!!!!XOXO...<3 p.s:u'll be playin in da ipl rite????:)    rahila n hafsa: ABD a huge n warm welcome in india.best of luck 4 the series.v wish u guyz rox the series .love u lot.tc.stay sharp.keep smiling nbsp;  Alta: heyyyy AB......welcum to INDIA!!!!.....gud luck for the series ahead....tc..GOD BLESS.. regards    Mel: Heya AB, Hope you're having a great time in India!! Well, Good Luck to you and the rest of the team. I will be cheering you guys on 100% God Bless. Loads of love your No.1 Fan!    madiha: take extra baby ...gud luck for the series n train hard !!! expecting alot form u in this tour tht india being a batters paradise !    spoorthy: Helo AB!!!!!Welcome to INDIA!!!!!You really played a wonderful cricket with England & hope you'll play against India also.All the best & see you guys with a Bang!!!!!!!With love    suhail bhatt, kashmir: Hi AB . WELCOME TO INDIA. WAITING TO SEE U AS THE NO. 1 RANKED BATSMAN IN THE WORLD.....BEST OF LUCK...    sanjana: hey ab, Welcome to India..just hope you & the entire team have a wonderful series out here..best wishes & i really hope you'll win this series & also win back the no.1 position which you'll deserve..also hope that you score loads of runs & climb up in both test & odi rankings...take care.. with lots of love    dhwani: hey ab...sad 2 know dat mickey arthur quit...he was a gr8 coach...i'm sure u guyz will be able 2 bounce bak as a team...remember these kind of circumstances will keep u guyz more united...btw WELCOME 2 INDIA!!!!well i hope u play well but dont try 2 win too many matches...dude i'm an indian :)!!! well i hope u guyz have a blast n i'll definitely b watchin u!!!luv u!!!neva give up!!!XOXO!!!!!!!!!    spoorthy: HHi AB!!!!!!!!!, How are you??Are you fully prepared for the match against India .I'm waiting for your arrival. All the best & cheers. Your die hard fan    patrick: hey ab i really admire good luck in your tour of india and i hope that you continue to play well for south africa because yourone of the best in world cricket    Marcy: Mr AB Well played against England, all the best for the tour of India!    Mel: Hey AB, I'm a huge fan and love watching you and the Proteas perform. I live in Sri Lanka and it's real hard to get a SA cricket shirt here but thanks to one of my dad's friends, I managed to get one down from South Africa!! ... Good luck with your cricket and God Bless.    wel: jys 'n briljante krieketer en weet sommer net soos jou droom is sal jy defnitief die beste krieketer wees in die wereld, jys defnitief al klaar die beste en well done vi rjou wat nogsteed so nederig bly, en love jou cd, kani wag vir die cd met al die liedjies op nie. Hoop om jou eendag te ontmoet dit sal great wees ek dink jys stunning. Hoop om van jou te hoor en sterkte met jou toer na india, wees positief gee jou beste.xxx    samantha: hey ab! I wish you and the team all the best on the upcoming tour to Indian. You are a role model and I have always looked up to you. I love watching you bat and you are an unbelieveable fielder. I hope you achieve all your goals that you have set out for yourself. You are my hero!!!    Niresh: Hey AB.I am Niresh and i live in Sri Lanka,Your my favourite cricketer.... Good Luck in the Future    sunny nagar: HI AB.HOW R U ? I M SUNNY FROM INDIA AND I M A VERY HUGE FAN OF U AND SOUTH AFRICA TEAM.U AND HERSCHELLE GIBBS ARE MY FAVOURITE..I LOVE BOTH OF U AND THE WAY U BOTH FIELD IS GREAT.I THINK U AND GIBBS ARE GOD OF OFFSIDE AND GREATEST PLAYERS OF OFFSIDE ALL TIMES.ALSO SAY HI TO GIBBS FROM My SIDE.AB MY QUESTION IS THIS THAT I THINK IF 200 WILL BE SCORE IN ODI SO THAT WILL BE DEFINAITLY SMASH BY U SO WHEN WILL U SCORE DOUBLE CENTURY IN ODI ? I HOPE IT WILL COME TRUE IN in feb 2010 in india....BEST OF LUCK FOR this series..I LOVE U AB..TAKE CARE BYEEE   

DIARY

8 February 2010, 17h30

Ideal first day, ideal second day... and an ideal third day.

I predicted the bowlers would dig in and work their way through the Indian batting order, but these guys really excelled themselves. It’s still a pretty flat wicket in Nagpur, but every single one of them ran in, put the ball in the right place, gave very little away and did a fantastic job for their country.

Dale Steyn’s spell after tea was magnificent, epic... his grandchildren will hear about it. To take seven wickets in a place like this was a phenomenal effort. That’s why he is ranked as the number one bowler in the world, and that’s why I reckon he will be ranked as the number one bowler in the world for years to come.

It was a different kind of day for me. Mark Boucher was suffering from spasms in his back, so he went off and I took over behind the stumps. I haven’t kept wicket at all for a year or so, and I haven’t worn the gloves much in practice, but it was really enjoyable. It doesn’t get much tougher than keeping to Paul Harris bowling over the wicket into the rough, but I got by. Mark will have some physio tonight and, hopefully, he’ll be OK to take his place tomorrow. If not, I’ll be happy to stand in again.

We need a good start tomorrow. There’s still eight wickets to take, and they won’t come easy.

Stay sharp,

AB

diary archive...

Ask AB

Below are AB's answers to your questions.
Have a burning question? Why not Ask AB?

December 26, 2009
Q: Hi AB
I want your opinion on this please? Im in the Ekurleni area so I will go to Easters cricket but I've been for trials 5 times but I've never made the team And Ive scored 4 centuries and 5 fifties in the past 2 seasons.Next year is my last year of primary school and my mom wants me to get into Pretoria boys High for 2 reasons, one is possibly i will get a fair chance to make provincial cricket.and two is where i need your opinion please? If i go to Pretoria Boys High will it benefit my cricket and make me a better player and give me a chance to get to the titans cricket(its my dream to play for them)IM YOUR BIGGEST FAN BY THE WAY!!!!!thanks good luck for the rest of the tests
Josh Chisholm

AB: Josh, you just need to keep practising, keep working – that way you will maximise your talent. Pretoria Boys High is a great cricket school, with excellent coaching and facilities. You have every chance. Just believe in yourself.

December 30 2009
Q: hello, AB
I am neville from india i am a very big fan of yours ,I like the attitude that you carry on the field, I am sure there would be very few people in the world that will disagree to the fact that you would be the nxt captain of SA ,i would love to see you in that role ..just wanted to ask you that i am a Bk point fielder myself,during my macthes i hate to wear that full sleves T Shirts can you pls suggest me any other things that can be usefull to avoid the scrathes on the elbow i use the flexi band but that doesnot help.........
Neville J Rajnaigam

AB: Neville,
thanks for the message. You probably have to wear the skins garment – they give you good protection, and they’re quite comfortable to wear. I’m sure you can buy them in India.

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