**Official** South Africa in India Thread

[Neil Pickup]

Well... interesting's one way you could put it. Downright weird with possible ZCU-like quotas or blurring the lines between colour and ability is another.

Mark Boucher has been dropped, and the one wicketkeepers on the plane will be Thami Tsolekile. Hashim Amla is in line to become the first man of Asian descent to represent South Africa, whilst Justin Ontong and Andy Hall return to the Test arena.

Lance Klusener is once again on the outside, as are Robbie Peterson and Paul Adams - so vice-captain Nicky Bojé appears to be the only spinner in the fourteen. Medium pace all rounders Zander de Bruyn and Alfonso Thomas also get their first calls.

SA cricket has a lot to prove over the next few months.

*Graeme Smith
Nicky Boje
Hashim Amla
Zander de Bruyn
Boeta Dippenaar
Andrew Hall
Jacques Kallis
Makhaya Ntini
Justin Ontong
Shaun Pollock
Jacques Rudolph
+Thami Tsolekile
Alfonso Thomas
Martin van Jaarsveld

[Scaly piscine]

This should be on SJS's "Strange, Funny, Bizzare !!" thread...

If they pick a similar squad against England they're gonna get trounced (they might anyway)... I won't be complaining tho.

[Samuel_Vimes]

Boucher dropped?! Tsolekile doesn't look like he can provide much more with the bat, that seems very strange. "Attitude problems," seems like a very conveninet excuse...de Bruyn and Thomas were probably called up because they can bat (I think de Bruyn was involved in a double ton partnership for SA A earlier this autumn)...but haven't SA got enough allrounders already? Ontong has been sort of hovering around the squad all the time despite no brilliant stats...I guess they just see potential in that bloke. Amla probably wouldn't too far away either, but it's interesting to see that Puttick and Duminy have been dumped behind after being allowed to bat at 8 in Sri Lanka...

They must be thinking it's an "A" tour or something, that's a fairly crazy squad!

[BoyBrumby]

Slightly surprised to see Boje in there too. Though he was somehow implicated in the whole Gibbs debacle?

Or has that now been resolved for him at least?

[Slow Love™]

No Cullinan? I guess Jennings lost that battle. It has sounded like the writing was on the wall in regards to Boucher for a while now, though.

The high number of black players is interesting, particularly in the light of this:

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2004/oct/09sacricket.htm

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by Slow Love™

No Cullinan? I guess Jennings lost that battle. It has sounded like the writing was on the wall in regards to Boucher for a while now, though.

why??!!boucher hasnt exactly been doing anything wrong with the bat or gloves off late that suggests that he should be dropped.

[marc71178]

1 spinner for a tour of India

It just makes it all the worse for England if they are going to win down there, because I can see this one ending up 2-0 India.

[Dar]

Looks a pretty weak squad on paper, and only having one spinner won't help. Peterson is one of the worst bowlers ever but it might have been worth taking Adams or another spinner. I was surprised that Boucher was dropped. And its ridiculous if they are choosing skin colour over ability (i'm not saying they are)

[Slow Love™]

Originally Posted by tooextracool

why??!!boucher hasnt exactly been doing anything wrong with the bat or gloves off late that suggests that he should be dropped.

I haven't noticed anything of late either, although he's been reported as "being out of form" in a number of articles over the last month or so. But it's been broadcast pretty openly by Jennings (even back when he was the SAF "A" coach) that he was interested in up and coming keepers and didn't think Boucher had much of a part to play in South Africa's future. Boucher's dropping for this tour has been anticipated for weeks now in the South African press.

(And I'm kinda curious whether the "negative influence" and "attitude problems" Boucher is described as having is related to the link I posted - only because it's such an odd comment to make.)

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by Slow Love™

I haven't noticed anything of late either, although he's been reported as "being out of form" in a number of articles over the last month or so. But it's been broadcast pretty openly by Jennings (even back when he was the SAF "A" coach) that he was interested in up and coming keepers and didn't think Boucher had much of a part to play in South Africa's future. Boucher's dropping for this tour has been anticipated for weeks now in the South African press.

hes only 28 and he averages over 30(34 this year), i'll never understand how people believe that hes not going to be a part of the future, and then of course they pick people like zander de bruyn, who are older than boucher.

[Samuel_Vimes]

Might be because Jennings was impressed by de Bruyn when NZ "A" played SA "A"...but Fulton, Canning, Sinclair and whoever else is in the New Zealand "A" batting line-up is nothing to the Indian batting line-up.

[shaka]

It will be weird not to see Boucher in the team, he has been there for a while, I was shocked when the suggestion and non selection flared up. Jennings has never liked him though, as he preferred Nicky Pothas. Maybe India should recruit him, hehe

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

How can you not take Klusener on a subcontinental tour? I'd have thought his type of bowling ideal to the conditions. Credit to the powers that be in South Africa for trying to shake things up in search for success, but some sense is required too. No Boucher? Oh dear...

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by Mr Mxyzptlk

How can you not take Klusener on a subcontinental tour? I'd have thought his type of bowling ideal to the conditions.

err no its not, his bowling has been dismal everywhere in the world after that injury

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Originally Posted by tooextracool

err no its not, his bowling has been dismal everywhere in the world after that injury

His quick offbreaks can be quite effective on a slow pitch.