Stolen from Ashes subbie - player you can't go without for each team?

[Coronis]

What do you mean even today?

 

[morgieb]

What do you mean even today?

I mean in general, right now.

I say that as he's been playing international cricket for 20 years and his son has played FC cricket.

 

[MrPrez]

Smith isn't even close. Over the past two years, Smith has averaged 43. Petersen has averaged 42. Smith has batted in 33 innings and scored 1296 runs. Petersen has batted in 26 innings and scored 1017 runs.

There really hasn't been much of a difference between Smith and Petersen over the past few years.

Sure, our opening stocks aren't flash. But Smith hasn't been all-dominant either. He's certainly not been a regular match-winner.

I'd give up a bit of solidity at the top of the order for a bowler who wins matches single-handedly and regularly, every single time. Especially given we have Amla, de Villiers, Kallis and co to back up a weakened opening batsman spot.

 

[BeeGee]

Smith isn't even close. Over the past two years, Smith has averaged 43. Petersen has averaged 42. Smith has batted in 33 innings and scored 1296 runs. Petersen has batted in 26 innings and scored 1017 runs.

There really hasn't been much of a difference between Smith and Petersen over the past few years.

Sure, our opening stocks aren't flash. But Smith hasn't been all-dominant either. He's certainly not been a regular match-winner.

I'd give up a bit of solidity at the top of the order for a bowler who wins matches single-handedly and regularly, every single time. Especially given we have Amla, de Villiers, Kallis and co to back up a weakened opening batsman spot.

IMO, SA don't have a single player they can't be without. Which is why they're the best team in the world.

 

[MrPrez]

IMO, SA don't have a single player they can't be without. Which is why they're the best team in the world.

I'd agree. Any batsman goes, all but one of Kallis/Amla/deVilliers/Smith etc are still there.

A pacer goes, and all but one of Steyn/Morkel/Philander are still there, and we have guys like Abbott and de Lange waiting on the wings.

ABDV might actually be a fair shout for our most valuable player. Given he's a great batsman, but more importantly he affords us the luxury of someone like Duminy at 7. Him being keeper gives us huge depth.

If he got injured, we'd have to call up Kuhn/van Wyk/Tsolekile/de Kock. All but de Kock are good but not Test level batsmen. As in, they aren't good enough to play Test cricket purely as a batsman.

de Kock has the talent, but losing the wealth of experience of AB for a youngster like Quinton would be huge.

 

[hendrix]

playing someone the calibre of JP Duminy at 7 is absolutely outrageous. He would be batting in the top 4 for most other teams.

Getting De Lange in for Morkel or in the spinner's spot would be seriously ***eh

 

[Cabinet96]

Australia - Clarke
Bangladesh - Shakib
England - Anderson
India - Yadav
New Zealand - Taylor
Pakistan - Misbah
South Africa - Kallis
Sri Lanka - Herath
West Indies - Chanderpaul
Zimbabwe - Taylor

Kallis for balance issues only really. Yadav is perhaps a bit controversial given they beat Australia 4-0 without him, but he's easily their best pacer, and unlike with Pujara, there aren't a heap of world class players to replace him. Just look at how India's series against England plummeted after he got injured.

 

[Maximas]

India - Yadav

Kallis for balance issues only really. Yadav is perhaps a bit controversial given they beat Australia 4-0 without him, but he's easily their best pacer, and unlike with Pujara, there aren't a heap of world class players to replace him. Just look at how India's series against England plummeted after he got injured.

I think the rise of Bhuvi Kumar has made Yadav a little less important. I still don't see how he is their most valuable player though, consider the Australia tour when he played all four tests and was outbowled by Zaheer Khan. Also, I don't know of many world class players that could replace Pujara either, Rahane looked pretty **** in his debut. While Yadav is important to the team, he isn't good enough yet to be considered more important to the team than Pujara IMO.

 

[Maximas]

I was just thinking about Bangladesh, people keep putting in Shakib, but the best player isn't always the most important, I think Tamin is extremely important to get them off to the right start, Mushfiqur was my choice, because he is their only batsmen who is consistently able to bat for long periods. But Robiul Islam has stormed into contention recently as well, he is by far their best fast bowler, the equivalent of Brenden Taylor to Zim's batting, I think it warrants more thought than simply putting Shakib in.

 

[marc71178]

playing someone the calibre of JP Duminy at 7 is absolutely outrageous. He would be batting in the top 4 for most other teams.

I strongly doubt that.