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Greatest ever South African XI

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Always wished I knew for sure how good Vince van der Bijl was. To date, know nothing bar a simplistic career bowling-average (which admittedly at least gives some clue, but not THAT much).
Read some stuff about his 1 season in County cricket. He was at the tail end of his career but a different class to everyone. He dropped in and pretty much destroyed everyone then went away again.

He left his (brief) mark as a genius in English cricket. People were amazed by him.
 

JBH001

International Regular
Dont know too much about South African cricket - to my shame - but here is my XI.

1. B Mitchell
2. G Kirsten
3. G Pollock (captain)
4. A Nourse
5. J Kallis
6. G Faulkner
7. J Cameron (wk)
8. S Pollock
9. H Tayfield
10. N Adcock
11. A Donald
 

Beleg

International Regular
To quote Ian Chappell, in the comparison of McGrath to Lillee & Lindwall.

Procter, Adcock, P Pollock, Le Roux had all of S Pollocks skills plus a extra 10ks in pace.
ian chappell is a huge tool. his opinion and analysis is about as incisive as susudear. (mebbe less)
 

Indipper

State Regular
Something like this, I guess:

Barry Richards
Eddie Barlow*
Jacques Kallis
Graeme Pollock
Dudley Nourse
Aubrey Faulkner
Mark Boucher
Shaun Pollock
Mike Proctor
Bert Vogler
Allan Donald

Still room for a wonderful second XI.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
My effort.

I can understand people not agreeing with one of my choices of opener. On another day I may not have picked him. However, in a team of stars and genius he would provide the toughness and stability. Proof you dont need more than 3 shots to be a good Test cricketer.

I found it have difficult to leave out some of the early googly bowlers, Tayfield, Rice, Peter Kirsten, Vince vB and Barlow.

1. Wessels
2. B. Richards
3. Kallis
4. G. Pollock
5. Jimmy Cook
6. Faulkner
7. Lindsay
8. Proctor
9. S. Pollock
10. P. Pollock
11. Donald

Amazing depth in batting. 4 top quality fast bowlers, a very good seam bowling allrounder and a quality wrist spin option.

What more could you want?
 

sanga1337

U19 Captain
Barry Richards
Graeme Smith (c)
Dudley Nourse
Jacques Kallis
Graeme Pollock
Aubrey Faulknar
Irvine / Lindsay (w)
Mike Proctor
Shaun Pollock
Hugh Tayfield
Allan Donald
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Shaun Pollock was lightning-quick in his younger days y'know. It's easy to think of him as the brilliant line-and-length merchant he was just before he retired, but he wasn't always that way.
Shaun Pollock was only lightening-quick for perhaps a year, maybe 18 months. He had a serious ankle injury in 1997 and thereafter was only ever early\mid-80s with the occasional ball up at 90, which he retained the ability to bowl until about 2002, 2003 or so (though even at 85mph he could still bounce people out occasionally because of his awkward angle).

Michael Atherton always talks of him being probably almost as quick as Donald (and, unlike Donald, someone he never felt he should try to play the pull and hook strokes to, because of the angle I mention above) in that first series in 1995/96. However, by 1998, when reliable speedguns were first used, Donald outpaced everyone on both sides comfortably, even at the age of 32.

BTW, don't get the idea that Pollock wasn't a superb line-and-length merchant even while he was also very quick. Like Curtley Ambrose and the Glenn McGrath of his first 5-6 years, Pollock had that exceptionally rare ability to hit a dinnerplate-sized spot on the pitch again and again and bowl genuinely fast. And, unlike McGrath and Ambrose, to regularly swing the ball. He was precious little less accurate early in his career than late.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Dont know too much about South African cricket - to my shame - but here is my XI.

1. B Mitchell
2. G Kirsten
3. G Pollock (captain)
4. A Nourse
5. J Kallis
6. G Faulkner
7. J Cameron (wk)
8. S Pollock
9. H Tayfield
10. N Adcock
11. A Donald
Old Man Dave, rather than Dudley, Nourse? And no Barry Richards? :blink:
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Richards
Smith
G Pollock
Kallis
Nourse
Barlow
Proctor
S Pollock
Jennings
P Pollock
Donald
 

JBH001

International Regular
What TS said. I meant A "Dudley" Nourse.

Also, wrt B Richards, I understand all the plaudits and his deeds in FC cricket in both England and Australia and in Packers World Series - but on a personal level I cant pick a player who only played 4 tests for an all-time Test XI. Its great that Richards averaged 70 (iirc) in that series, but the best bowlers he faced (on some good wickets too) was an old Garth McKenzie - finally exhaused after having carried the Australian attack for a good part of the 60s - and a young Ashley Mallett.

BR is a could have been or a might have been, but I cant pick purely on FC cricket despite all the plaudits.
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
What TS said. I meant A "Dudley" Nourse.

Also, wrt B Richards, I understand all the plaudits and his deeds in FC cricket in both England and Australia and in Packers World Series - but on a personal level I cant pick a player who only played 4 tests for an all-time Test XI. Its great that Richards averaged 70 (iirc) in that series, but the best bowlers he faced (on some good wickets too) was an old Garth McKenzie - finally exhaused after having carried the Australian attack for a good part of the 60s - and a young Ashley Mallett.

BR is a could have been or a might have been, but I cant pick purely on FC cricket despite all the plaudits.
It doesn't stipulate that it's a Test XI, maybe if aussie can remember back as far as three years he could clarify.:)
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Well yea it is a test XI.

I don't think we need to condemn ourselves to ideological hypotetical constraint, when picking SA ATXI just because the likes of Richards, Procter, Rice, Le Roux didn't play enough test cricket.

Its obvious SA case is unique & these players where clearly one of the best produced by them. So just pick them..
 

Krishna_j

U19 12th Man
How does one compare or rate Vincent Van Der Bijl - given the tremendous season he had with Middlesex in 1980 as his only overseas cricket - his record in domestic cricket and in the "rebel" series against England and WI were all played in South Africa

I remember Bob Willis writing in "The Cricket Revolution " that Vince in his opinion was the best fast bowler never to have played test cricket - does he qualify in the post-war XI ?
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
How does one compare or rate Vincent Van Der Bijl - given the tremendous season he had with Middlesex in 1980 as his only overseas cricket - his record in domestic cricket and in the "rebel" series against England and WI were all played in South Africa

I remember Bob Willis writing in "The Cricket Revolution " that Vince in his opinion was the best fast bowler never to have played test cricket - does he qualify in the post-war XI ?
Its tough to say. His season at Middlesex was at the tail end of his career, but the guys from the County were amazed by the control he had. Was viewed as a bowler on a completely different level.

Should he be selected? I dont know, the competition is pretty strong. He should certainly be discussed.
 

Krishna_j

U19 12th Man
Mid 1975 onwards my South African XI would be :

Barry Richards
Graeme Smith
Clive Rice
Graeme Pollock
Jac Kallis
Eddie Barlow
Mike Proctor
Mark Boucher
Denys Hobson
Alllan Donald
Vince Van Der Bijl


reserves : Shaun Pollock , Peter Kirsten and Brian Mc Millan


The dark horse is the Western Province leggie Denys Hobson - not sure how good he actually was ?
 

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