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South Africa team selection

Bahseph

State Captain
I do feel like the ODIs should be more youth orientated for now than the T20 team. We do have a WT20 to try and win. I do feel with the bowling attack that Ngidi and KG are definitely playing every game. And then it gets tricky. Nortje is the x-factor but Steyn has the experience and has been good for the most part. If Tahir is in the mix then he is playing. So the fourth bowler is either Steyn, Nortje or Shamsi imo.

Now with the allrounder issue; I like the idea of Phehlukwayo in ODIs. I think he needs a little time to get in, and his bowling in the middle/late periods in ODIs is handy,but I really feel Hulk or Morris is a better bet for the shorter game. No one is going to convince me that Phehlukwayo is a better T20 bat than Hulk right now. But Hulk could be cannon fodder, so that brings Morris into the equation. I really wish we had a batsman that could bowl an over or two, it would make life alot easier.
 

Dendarii

International Debutant
I really wish we had a batsman that could bowl an over or two, it would make life alot easier.
We do have Smuts, but he's yet to really deliver with the bat, and I don't think we can justify picking him just because he's able to turn his arm over.
 

MrPrez

International Debutant
I do feel like the ODIs should be more youth orientated for now than the T20 team. We do have a WT20 to try and win. I do feel with the bowling attack that Ngidi and KG are definitely playing every game. And then it gets tricky. Nortje is the x-factor but Steyn has the experience and has been good for the most part. If Tahir is in the mix then he is playing. So the fourth bowler is either Steyn, Nortje or Shamsi imo.

Now with the allrounder issue; I like the idea of Phehlukwayo in ODIs. I think he needs a little time to get in, and his bowling in the middle/late periods in ODIs is handy,but I really feel Hulk or Morris is a better bet for the shorter game. No one is going to convince me that Phehlukwayo is a better T20 bat than Hulk right now. But Hulk could be cannon fodder, so that brings Morris into the equation. I really wish we had a batsman that could bowl an over or two, it would make life alot easier.
I kind of wish we were worse at T20s so we could justify throwing Mulder into the mix for experience/development. But as it stands we're on the cusp of being a challenger, so it's almost certainly a no-go.

I think the Smuts test was precisely to see if he could bat well enough to make the team and offer a 6th bowling option. I love me some Smuts >.> but I just don't think that one is on the cards.

I reckon JP Duminy's value in LO cricket was massively underrated and we're seeing why now.
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
QdK
Bavuma
Faf
vd Dussen
de Villiers
Miller


Klaasen v van Biljon for reserve batsman ?
Has Markram just disappeared? It is great if we could get de Villers back but I`m still not convinced yet that he is coming back, everybody else but him seems to talk about it. Maybe after IPL?

But looking at that batting line-up it feels like deja vu, doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. QdK and ABdV are the only 2 batsmen that seem capable of winning us a game from batting point of view, which is what T20 is largely about. If you don`t bowl into Millers arc he struggles to hit the boundary ball. Bavuma, Faf and vd Dussen are limited in boundary scoring options as well and are similar type players in what they bring to the team. Feels like the safe batting lineup making sure we can bat 20 overs!?

Right now I look at the SA lineup and know that if you get QDK out early you are likely to end up with a below target total to chase. Even if you have to deal with a decent bowling attack.
 

SeamUp

International Coach
Has Markram just disappeared? It is great if we could get de Villers back but I`m still not convinced yet that he is coming back, everybody else but him seems to talk about it. Maybe after IPL?

But looking at that batting line-up it feels like deja vu, doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. QdK and ABdV are the only 2 batsmen that seem capable of winning us a game from batting point of view, which is what T20 is largely about. If you don`t bowl into Millers arc he struggles to hit the boundary ball. Bavuma, Faf and vd Dussen are limited in boundary scoring options as well and are similar type players in what they bring to the team. Feels like the safe batting lineup making sure we can bat 20 overs!?

Right now I look at the SA lineup and know that if you get QDK out early you are likely to end up with a below target total to chase. Even if you have to deal with a decent bowling attack.
Not sure Markram is the best for T20 ? He strikes me as the sort of player who when he unnaturally looks to force things it leads to his downfall. I want him focusing on the other 2 formats and becoming a world force there.

I suppose there is a big difference between 50-overs and T20. Can understand that batting line-up at this stage for T20.

Miller, Klaasen and van Biljon are our most consistent middle order big-hitters.

Bavuma has surprised but he had a good domestic T20 last season and Rassie is there and there abouts. Janneman Malan or Ryan Rickelton though would be a potential opener for Bavuma. Think they good in the format. Guys like Snyman, Potgieter, Lubbe and Marais look like T20 is up their street but have they done enough ?

If this was 50-over cricket I would definitely look to get the youth involved. Guys like Hamza, Verreynne, Breetzke, Qeshile, Roelofsen, Ackerman, Van Tonder, Makwetu, Richards, Mulder, de Bruyn, de Zorzi look more suited to 50-over and or FC cricket at the moment. Even guys like Smith/Galiem are in this category but there is a potential for them to be playing T20 cricket successfully but they not even getting signed in the MSL.

Older guys (I would say they don't have the records of Hamza/de Bruyn for example)

FC/Test : P.Malan/Moore/Petersen/Second
Limited overs : R.Hendricks/Smuts
A level below for both : Cloete/Vallie/Erwee/Zondo/vd Bergh/Thomson (never international standard)
 
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SeamUp

International Coach
If Lungi can become more ruthless and offer less 4-balls he could be some bowler.

With the constant injuries I wonder if it has stopped him to be consistently quick and or get quicker. If I remember correctly, when he came into the team v India he was getting up to mid 140s at times. Not anymore.
 

SeamUp

International Coach
The answer is unfortunately ALWAYS Morris.
Such a confusing cricketer.

His best formats in order have probably been First-class then T20 then List A but he goes to the World cup when people write him off and is our best seam bowler.

Bahseph brings up an interesting discussion re: Phehlukwayo, Hulk and Morris but I just cannot see them leaving Phehlukwayo out if they take 2 and whilst Hulk frustrates me again T20 is probably his best format and he has been reliable and solid at various points again.

But Morris is an x-factor player capable of winning games.
 
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StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
Not sure Markram is the best for T20 ? He strikes me as the sort of player who when he unnaturally looks to force things it leads to his downfall. I want him focusing on the other 2 formats and becoming a world force there.)
I agree that he will be better at Test and ODIs, but class works in every format. When I see Markram play freely I see a man who has just about every shot in the book) If you bowl a good ball to him he is more than capable of playing a decent cricket shot and get a boundary all around the ground. But he stopped trusting himself and playing freely because of the pressure on the team (antithesis of QDK). His slump was all about his mind particularly when playing for the LO team because he was one of the few batsmen who was capable of more than everybody else and demanded more from himself. Markram has lots to learn, but if you asked me who is most capable of scoring a 120 off 60 balls between Markram, Faf, Bavuma and Rassie... there really is only one answer for me.

And we need to be picking the most talented players and telling them to go play and have fun, only one of them has to come off in a T20 innings. Give them confidence, build a team again. Stop playing safe.

Miller, Klaasen and van Biljon are our most consistent middle order big-hitters.
I think that is partly an indictment of the domestic situation and partly that the best batsmen all play in the top 4.

Effectively I look at this SA team and I don't see it winning a T20 WC (truthfully I don't see it winning much of anything else either), the batting is to limited. And if we going to fail to win a T20 WC I would rather fail picking talented youngsters who can learn and experience and possible pull off a miracle, because they are capable of that special innings. Right now SA are playing safe in the hope that doing the same thing again will suddenly work after failing so many times!?
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
sport24.co.za/Cricket/AustraliaTourSA/maharaj-called-up-to-sa-odi-squad-as-faf-rassie-rested-20200226

Proteas ODI squad:
Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma (Lions), David Miller (Dolphins), Kagiso Rabada (Lions), Andile Phehlukwayo (Dolphins), Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Beuran Hendricks (Lions), Heinrich Klaasen (Titans), Janneman Malan (Cape Cobras), Jon-Jon Smuts (Warriors), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Lutho Sipamla (Warriors), Keshav Maharaj (Dolphins), Kyle Verreynne (Cape Cobras).
Maharaj, J. Malan and Verreynne selected.

The selectors have opted to give further rest to Faf du Plessis and other senior players such as Rassie van der Dussen and Dwaine Pretorius, while giving themselves an opportunity to see what some of the country’s up and coming talents have to offer.
Don't think Faf will be in the ODI side anymore?


And in other news Markram selected for Titans squad this coming domestic 1-day.
 

Dendarii

International Debutant
Has Pretorius really been so overworked that he needs rest? Or does rest in his case actually mean no longer an ODI player? (and I'm inclined to agree that it could mean that for Faf).
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
Has Pretorius really been so overworked that he needs rest? Or does rest in his case actually mean no longer an ODI player? (and I'm inclined to agree that it could mean that for Faf).
They know what they have with Pretorius, giving others an opportunity to showcase their skill is a more likely reason for his and Rassies exclusion.
 

Dendarii

International Debutant
They know what they have with Pretorius, giving others an opportunity to showcase their skill is a more likely reason for his and Rassies exclusion.
I get that for Rassie, but Phehlukwayo's the only alternative for Pretorius and it's not like they don't know what they've got with him. Unless they're regarding Maharaj has a potential allrounder, which would be overestimating his batting.
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
I get that for Rassie, but Phehlukwayo's the only alternative for Pretorius and it's not like they don't know what they've got with him. Unless they're regarding Maharaj has a potential all-rounder, which would be overestimating his batting.
It might be a case of since neither is good enough at 7 you try find an alternate i.e. smuts. Also not necessarily a direct competition for s specific spot. Play Malan, Smuts and Verreynne all 3 games. I don't care whether we win or not but seeing what they can do, even if Smuts and Bavuma end up bowling 10 overs between them for now. All SA should be doing is looking at players and see how they perform under pressure regardless of immediate results.
 

Bahseph

State Captain
The more I watch Shamsi, the more I'm buying into the idea of him and Tahir both playing at the WT20. Seriously stepped up his game recently.
 

SeamUp

International Coach
The great thing playing this Australian attack is it highlights just how far away the current batting options are as a group. Because obviously Australia's attack is far superior to England's.
 

SeamUp

International Coach

Bahseph

State Captain
Other than Smuts and Hendricks I'm not against the other selections. Potentially a big series for Klaasen, Malan and Verreynne with the bat. I like the look of Sipamla. Could be a handy 50 over bowler for us. I do love me some Keshav, but I'd still pick Linde over him for the big hitting.
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
So what we looking at for the ODIs

de Kock
Bavuma/J.Malan
Smuts/J.Malan
Klaasen
Miller
Verreynne
Phehlukwayo
Rabada
Nortje/B.Hendricks
Ngidi/Sipamla
Shamsi/Maharaj
I would leave Andile out for now, play all the batsmen. Malan opening, Bavuma at 3. Try to get 10 overs out of Smuts.

SA need to seriously look at playing both Maharaj and Shamsi.
 

SeamUp

International Coach
I would leave Andile out for now, play all the batsmen. Malan opening, Bavuma at 3. Try to get 10 overs out of Smuts.

SA need to seriously look at playing both Maharaj and Shamsi.
Agree with your options.

Would definitely not be shy to occasionally play both spinners now and again in SA especially with the next 50-over WC in India.
 

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