All-time SA XI

[SeamUp]

Obviously as an SA supporter I believe we have produced the most talent around. We've been playing test cricket since 1890's and had our moments in beating England and getting credible draws away from home in Australia but we only started to be really competitive in the in the 50's. We were the best team in the world after thrashing Australia back-to-back and beating England away in the late 60's. That side could have carried on for years. Even in the apartheid years a new generation was formed in th late 70's and 80's. Since we've been back in 1991 theres no doubt we have the 2nd best record behind Austalia in that time.

Therefore here is my list of possible options for each position and select your best SA XI.
matches played outside brackets ( batting averages in brackets ) then wickets taken @ average for bowling. Where its blank is due to missing out in apartheid fully.

OPENERS

Jackie McGlew 34 (42.06)
Barry Richards 4 (72.57)
Jimmy Cook
Kepler Wessels 40 (41.00)
Gary Kirsten 101 (45.27)
Herschelle Gibbs 90 (41.95)
Graeme Smith 77 (50.33)

MIDDLE ORDER (too early for JP Duminy)

Dudley Nourse 34 (53.81)
Colin Bland 21 (49.08)
Graeme Pollock 23 (60.97)
Lee Irvine 4 (50.42)
Peter Kirsten (debuted @37) 12 (31.30)
Ken McEwan
Daryll Cullinan 70 (44.21)
Hansie Cronje 68 (36.41)
Jonty Rhodes 52 (35.66)
Ashwell Prince 48 (47.29)
Hashim Amla 37 (40.33)
AB De Villiers 52 (43.93)

ALL-ROUNDERS (too early for Albie Morkel)

Eddie Barlow 30 (45.74) 40 wkts @ 34.05
Trevor Goddard 41 (34.46) 123 wkts @ 26.22
Mike Procter 7 (25.11) 41 wkts @ 15.02
Clive Rice
Brian McMillan 38 (39.36) 75 wkts @ 33.82
Lance Klusener 49 (32.86) 80 wkts @ 37.91
Shaun Pollock 108 (32.31) 421wkts @ 23.11
Jacques Kallis 131 (54.66) 258 wkts @ 31.08

WICKET-KEEPERS

John Waite 50 (30.44)
Denis Lindsay 19 (37.66)
Ray Jennings
Dave Richardson 42 (24.26)
Mark Boucher 126 (29.85)

SPINNERS (Boje and Symcox were good all-rounders but not pure quality spinner)

Hugh Tayfield 37 170 wkts @ 25.91
Atholl McKinnon 8 26 wkts @ 35.57
Denys Hobson
Alan Kourie
Paul Adams 45 134 wkts @ 32.87
Paul Harris 24 71 wkts @ 32.60

FAST-BOWLERS (too early for Morne Morkel)

Neil Adcock 26 104 wkts @ 21.10
Peter Heine 14 58 wkts @ 25.08
Peter Pollock 28 116 wkts @ 24.18
Vince van der Bijl
Garth LeRoux
Stephen Jefferies
Allan Donald 72 330 wkts @ 22.25
Fanie De Villiers 18 85 wkts @ 24.27
Brett Schultz 9 37wkts @ 20.24
Craig Matthews 18 52 wkts @ 28.88
Makhaya Ntini 99 388 wkts @ 28.37
Dale Steyn 33 170 wkts @ 23.70

 

[fredfertang]

Herb Taylor?

 

[SeamUp]

Yeah I could have added Herb Taylor, Aubrey Faulkner, Ernest Vogler, Bruce Mitchell and Eric Rowan but I decided to go with the more recent eras and more specifically post 2nd world war. In the 50's SA did also become a lot more competitive and so on.

Put it this way I doubt anybody on here saw Herby Taylor bat mate.

 

[fredfertang]

I see - apologies - I took all time at face value

 

[SeamUp]

Haha you're dead right there.

I guess I'm not going to put the best SA XI since the 50's at face value though.

I'm also a firm believer that cricket wasn't of a professional standard in the earlier years and I'm sure some will disagree with Bradman and the like being in the era mainly before WW2.

 

[SeamUp]

Here is my team

1. Barry Richards
2. Eddie Barlow
3. Dudley Nourse
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Jacques Kallis
6. Colin Bland
7.Denis Lindsay (w-k)
8. Mike Procter
9. Hugh Tayfield
10. Allan Donald
11.Neil Adcock

Some tough ones there...the likes of no Smith, G & P Kirsten, Goddard, Rice, Cullinan, S. Pollock, Ntini, Le Roux and so on.

 

[kingkallis]

Though I havent seen much of the legends in the action but yeah I have read a lot about Pollocks and Barlows and Goddards and Lindsays...I still prefer to select a team on the basis of what I've witnessed!

My all time best SA XI :

Barry Richards
Greame Smith
Dudley Nourse
Greame Pollock
Jacques Kallis
Denis Lindsay [ w/k ]
Mike Procter
Shaun Pollock
Hugh Tayfield
Allan Donald
Dale Steyn

I have included Dale Steyn cause he has bowled on the roads, bowling with venom in the era of batsmen!

 

[SeamUp]

I think the reason why its so hard to pick the SA all-time XI is due the class all-rounders like Barlow, Goddard, Procter, Rice, McMillan, Klusener, S. Pollock and Kallis and its so hard to make the balance right.

You can see KingKallis and I have left out Clive Rice and thats hard to do most times.

 

[bagapath]

Graeme Smith (C)
Gary Kirsten
Dudley Nourse
Graeme Pollock
Jacques Kallis
Colin Bland
John Waite (WK)
Shaun Pollock
Neil Adcock
Hugh Tayfield
Allan Donald

 

[BoyBrumby]

Can of worms here, obv, but chaps like D'Oliveira, A Greig, R Smith & Pietersen have all had significant test careers, albeit under another flag.

KP & Tahnny would at least be worthy of serious consideration for an SA XI.

 

[SeamUp]

Also Allan Lamby...Western Province boy and boy did he get thirsty if you know what I mean.

But being honest all those players are and were class but would not get in our best XI. There is potential that KP would(obviously plays for England but taking Brumby's point) if his career carries on the way it has.

 

[SeamUp]

I don't know if anybody saw Brett Schultz in the mid 90's. Only played 9 tests due to injury problems.

But potentially could have got into our all-time XI if injury didn't get in his way.

He was a left-armer who hurled 155 kmph balls of violence with skill and swing and many sand-shoe crushers.

Schultz and Donald opened the bowling together and it was scary stuff.

 

[kingkallis]

I did see Brett, had so so so much hopes from him.

Bowled an amazing spell against the Lankans......injuries ruined his career!

But I didnt even hear about him after that initial injury.

 

[SeamUp]

KingKallis

It was injury after injury.

The one that took the cake and ended his career was in Pakistan in 1997 where he through the ball in from the boundrary and dislocated his shoulder.

Pure class but vicious at the same time.

 

[kingkallis]

Possessed amazing bowling action as well.......

 

[Migara]

I don't know if anybody saw Brett Schultz in the mid 90's. Only played 9 tests due to injury problems.

But potentially could have got into our all-time XI if injury didn't get in his way.

He was a left-armer who hurled 155 kmph balls of violence with skill and swing and many sand-shoe crushers.

Schultz and Donald opened the bowling together and it was scary stuff.

155k is OT I think. At best 150k may be. But boy he was certainly scary. He shell shocked SL batsmen in 93/94 tour on slowish pitches. Except for De Silva, Ranatunga and Jayasuriya all other batsmen were ****ting in their pants against Donald and Schultz. Only de Silva and Jayasuriya once was good enough to hit Donald and Schultz out of the attack. He possessed great bounce and movement off the seam as well.

 

[SeamUp]

Schultz's zone was 145k to 155k and he could definitely get up to 155k regularly if he wanted.

For example, Brett Lee's zone is 148k to 158k to me. If Lee wants to bowl 158k regulalry then he could.

 

[aussie]

Mitchell
Richards
Kallis
G Pollock
Nourse
Rice (c)
Lindsay +
Procter
Tayfield
P Pollock
Donald