South African Domestic Season 2008/9

[Prince EWS]

Yeah the standard is poor and the only equilibrium in playing on 3 day result wickets is that batsman playing amateur cricket very rarely have insane batting averages. Richard Levi of the Cobras franchise did have a 90 average for Western Province a while back but he was too good and promptly made the step up. The downside to that of course is you can get guys averaging 15 with the ball in first class cricket who will never play professional cricket.

Why does that level still have First Class and List A status? Just a mixture of the tradition established before franchise cricket existed and the stubborness of the old provinces?

 

[TT Boy]

Why does that level still have First Class and List A status? Just a mixture of the tradition established before franchise cricket existed and the stubborness of the old provinces?

Yeah those are two reasons.

The creation of the franchise system meant that whilst it included every geographical region in the country, some of the most economically viable regions in South Africa had to accept that they could only have one professional franchise. The retention of First Class and List A status was proposed to keep the affiliates of then the UCBSA (such as Gauteng, Easterns, Western Province) onside and for the affiliates and associates to agree to the franchise system. Additionally, the franchises have no second XI cricket, so the CSA affiliates, the provincial sides are the feeders who provide the cricketers to the franchises.

 

[TT Boy]

What do you think the SA A team should be?

Not what they eventually had to select under the guise of a Presidential XI.

I would have gone with something like this...

Neil Mac, Elgar, Prince, Duminy, van Jaarsveld, Albie Morkel, Smit, Parnell, CJ de Villiers, Tahir, Tsotsobe.

 

[TT Boy]

Warriors 103/0 (Robbie P 49*) beat the Eagles 101 (Elgar 24, Rusty Theron 3/16, Robbie P 3/24) by 10 wickets.

Tough on the Eagles, they would have surely beaten the Warriors if not for the rain on Sunday. So Wednesday's game is now on and the winner goes to the Champions League and will face either the Cobras or Dolphins on Friday - or if the Eagles win, then it will be on Sunday due to the Stormers Reds Super14 game, which also takes place at Newlands on Friday evening.

 

[popepouri]

Warriors 103/0 (Robbie P 49*) beat the Eagles 101 (Elgar 24, Rusty Theron 3/16, Robbie P 3/24) by 10 wickets.

Tough on the Eagles, they would have surely beaten the Warriors if not for the rain on Sunday. So Wednesday's game is now on and the winner goes to the Champions League and will face either the Cobras or Dolphins on Friday - or if the Eagles win, then it will be on Sunday due to the Stormers Reds Super14 game, which also takes place at Newlands on Friday evening.

Warriors bowled well in that game. Eagles looked at one point to accelerate but Robbie P and Botha tied them down nicely. Rusty finished them off.

 

[TT Boy]

Warriors 97 (Prince 24, CJ de Villiers 5/12, Coetzee 3/19) - Innings break

Best bowling figures (in terms of wickets) from a South African in 20/20. Great stuff from CJ and fair effort from Griquas all-rounder, Jandre Coetzee, who came in for Ryan McLaren.

Cobras 148/4 (JP 53*, Ontong 44, Alfonso Thomas 2/14) - Innings break

First for me in watching cricket as right-hander, Justin Ontong, took stance as a left-hander.

 

[popepouri]

LOL. A tie. Are they going to replay this one too?

What a game!

 

[TT Boy]

Eagles 97/6 (Elgar 24*, Theron 2/15, Parnell 2/22) tied with the Warriors 97 (Prince 24, CJ de Villiers 5/12, Coetzee 3/19)

Goes to a tiebreaker...

 

[TT Boy]

Utter confusion in P.E., they don't know if it is going to be a bowl-out or power over (the most runs you can get in an over).

 

[popepouri]

Based on cricinfo, it's a bowl out.

 

[TT Boy]

Based on cricinfo, it's a bowl out.

Watching on SuperSport and it is a power over according to them...

 

[popepouri]

Watching on SuperSport and it is a power over according to them...

Yeah I'm watching both. I see that.

 

[TT Boy]

Ok, the Eagles have 6 balls, 3 batsmen to score as many runs as they can get. Theron will bowl for the Warriors. Bailey, du Preez and van Wyk will bat for the Eagles.

Six first ball for Bailey.

 

[TT Boy]

13 of 3...

 

[TT Boy]

Tie at Kingsmead.

 

[TT Boy]

The Dolphins needed 7 off 1 ball so Vernon Philander has done something very ****ing stupid.

 

[popepouri]

Reckon Warriors should have gone with a spinner.

 

[TT Boy]

Warriors need 16.

 

[TT Boy]

Reckon Warriors should have gone with a spinner.

Parnell looked upset about something, maybe he wanted the gig. It was a real poor over for Rusty, went for more in 6 balls then he did in 4 overs.

 

[Manee]

Yeah the standard is poor and the only equilibrium in playing on 3 day result wickets is that batsman playing amateur cricket very rarely have insane batting averages. Richard Levi of the Cobras franchise did have a 90 average for Western Province a while back but he was too good and promptly made the step up. The downside to that of course is you can get guys averaging 15 with the ball in first class cricket who will never play professional cricket.

Reminds me of when I was netting at the Oval with a few friends and some guy came up to us saying that he was Western Province U19s (but he was only 17, as he kept reiterating) and whether he could have a bowl. I thought "wow, youth first class cricketer, must be good" and then he runs in and bowls a ball which could not have been any quicker than 65mph. It did bowl my friend and he walked off looking smug, but it has always stuck in my mind as a distinctly unimpressive impression on SA domestic cricket.