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South Africa team selection

91Jmay

International Coach
Good bowling coach, very well liked. No way I can gauge his effectiveness as a head coach but I am delighted for him if true
 

SeamUp

International Coach
He has a lot of experience, is he the best? I don`t know but I am surprised they picked somebody that is not from SA.
Remember his days with Griqualand West and even Gauteng in our domestic comp.

Front line coach has to be very much questionable. Especially coming into a new system like ours with its issues. Especially as a fast bowling coach. Was his time in charge of the Windies a success ?

The reason they picked him ? They clearly want a black person in a position of power to be a role model and they know Toyana certainly isn't good enough at this stage.
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
Remember his days with Griqualand West and even Gauteng in our domestic comp.

Front line coach has to be very much questionable. Especially coming into a new system like ours with its issues. Especially as a fast bowling coach. Was his time in charge of the Windies a success ?

The reason they picked him ? They clearly want a black person in a position of power to be a role model and they know Toyana certainly isn't good enough at this stage.
I`m not saying you are wrong... but I don`t know enough to assume that he is not good enough as a head coach, and at this stage I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I hope that him being black was secondary and not primary consideration.
 

SeamUp

International Coach
I`m not saying you are wrong... but I don`t know enough to assume that he is not good enough as a head coach, and at this stage I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I hope that him being black was secondary and not primary consideration.
Of course like any coach.

At the end of the day it is about the cricketers on the field for me and their actions.
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
Of course like any coach.

At the end of the day it is about the cricketers on the field for me and their actions.
Agree... In my mind head coach is no longer a coaching role nowadays at international level. It is more man management, team strategy and selection. Actual technical coaching is down normally to the batting and bowling coaches.
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
SA 'A' team announcement. Noticeable absence is Mulder. Also the fact Kuhn not picked but Cook in.
https://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-a-team/news/170805/Markram_to_lead_SA_A_against_India_A
Quick turnaround for Markram with A-team captaincy - ESPN Cricinfo

I realized one of my biggest concerns with continuing to pick Cook or Kuhn and not just moving onto the Markram, is that Cook and Kuhn have huge technique problems to sort, and at 32+ years of age do not have the time. Markram may also struggle but he has time to fix any issues and also has a much higher potential, so the experience he gets now helps SA in long run.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
This thumping in England might just help ABD play tests again though. RSA board would probably bend over backwards and give him the schedule he wants as they obviously need him in the test side asap.
 

SeamUp

International Coach
SA 'A' team announcement. Noticeable absence is Mulder. Also the fact Kuhn not picked but Cook in.
https://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-a-team/news/170805/Markram_to_lead_SA_A_against_India_A
Quick turnaround for Markram with A-team captaincy - ESPN Cricinfo

I realized one of my biggest concerns with continuing to pick Cook or Kuhn and not just moving onto the Markram, is that Cook and Kuhn have huge technique problems to sort, and at 32+ years of age do not have the time. Markram may also struggle but he has time to fix any issues and also has a much higher potential, so the experience he gets now helps SA in long run.
Yes, but the difficulty is picking Markram who has hardly scored runs against decent sustained attacks before. Due to quotas he also only got his franchise chance later than he should have. Let him go through a few 'A' games to build him. A challenging first tour away in England could put him back a season or two.

Cook & Kuhn at least played when our domestic game was as strong as any other and have scored runs for years. Technique clearly means little if you have the right aptitude too.

I can't blame the selectors for their selections.

Ideally Markram scores some nice runs v India A and then starts the Sunfoil Series with a few good knocks.
 
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StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
Yes, but the difficulty is picking Markram who has hardly scored runs against decent sustained attacks before. Due to quotas he also only got his franchise chance later than he should have. Let him go through a few 'A' games to build him. A challenging first tour away in England could put him back a season or two.

Cook & Kuhn at least played when our domestic game was as strong as any other and have scored runs for years. Technique clearly means little if you have the right aptitude too.

I can't blame the selectors for their selections.

Ideally Markram scores some nice runs v India A and then starts the Sunfoil Series with a few good knocks.
I don`t blame the selectors for why or what they have done, I can understand. It is just I don`t see the purpose any longer of putting in Kuhn and Cook at this stage except to protect Markram, because that is the only reason I can see for continuing to pick Kuhn and Cook. I don`t mind if he averages 25 for the next 18 months as long as he improves and gets the experience.

Anyway we shall just have to see what happens, like you say lets hope he scores big runs for SA 'A' and stays within the SA setup.
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
I`m sorry, but after having watched an experienced in-form Kuhn play that poorly, I would rather go back to Cook... feel sorry for the bloke, but this is just one of those decisions that needs to be cut.
 

Marius

International Debutant
I agree with Seam Up here, recall Cook and let Markram have another season of franchise stuff.

I see in the Cricinfo article on the S.A. A side selection Ramela was referred to as a Cobra. I tweeted Moonda to let her know that he's gone to the Lions with a link, and she blocked me.

:/
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
I see in the Cricinfo article on the S.A. A side selection Ramela was referred to as a Cobra. I tweeted Moonda to let her know that he's gone to the Lions with a link, and she blocked me.

:/
Has the article been corrected at least .... :)
 

Heboric

International Debutant
I agree with Seam Up here, recall Cook and let Markram have another season of franchise stuff.

I see in the Cricinfo article on the S.A. A side selection Ramela was referred to as a Cobra. I tweeted Moonda to let her know that he's gone to the Lions with a link, and she blocked me.

:/
Tweet her after the Proteas who most probably will lose this game. THen she will be in a good mood.
 

SeamUp

International Coach
Just a little worrying Davids and Cook are being selected for SA A at their age.

The easy answer is the lack of exposure to top level cricket for enough of our young players.
 

SeamUp

International Coach
I agree with Seam Up here, recall Cook and let Markram have another season of franchise stuff.

I see in the Cricinfo article on the S.A. A side selection Ramela was referred to as a Cobra. I tweeted Moonda to let her know that he's gone to the Lions with a link, and she blocked me.

:/
:laugh:

You could have got a lot more off your chest to earn a block.
 

Rasimione

U19 Captain
I would play markram. Enough with the Stop gaps that go nowhere.
I still don't understand what we trying to accomplish by hiding Makram. This stop gap policy of selecting Kuhn and Cook hasn't worked and with their ages I fear they'll never improve. De Kock, Rabada and De Villiers were backed in their youth why not Makram?
 

StephenZA

Hall of Fame Member
I still don't understand what we trying to accomplish by hiding Makram. This stop gap policy of selecting Kuhn and Cook hasn't worked and with their ages I fear they'll never improve. De Kock, Rabada and De Villiers were backed in their youth why not Makram?
Playing devils advocate, because I think they should be playing Markram.
I think the argument is he has not had enough exposure at FC in decent competition. ABdV in particular, but even QDK and Rabada played for a full season or two at FC and SA 'A' level first, in what was a more competitive environment. With the current restrictions at FC level it took Markram a year or 2 longer to get a consistent place at FC level and the competition is not as good, so he may not quite be ready and he may need an extra year. Obviously every opportunity is being given to him to get that experience.
He is playing the SA 'A' tours and we play Bangladesh in a few months so that might be a good time to blood him, we shall have to see what the new coach decides?
 

Dendarii

International Debutant
He is playing the SA 'A' tours and we play Bangladesh in a few months so that might be a good time to blood him, we shall have to see what the new coach decides?
I don't think picking Cook and Kuhn ahead of Markram were bad decisions. I don't know if he was even playing franchise cricket regularly when Cook was picked, but I suspect not, and Kuhn did outscore him on the South Africa A tour, so they went for the man in form, which is reasonable. But since Kuhn didn't pan out I definitely think we should be playing Markram against Bangladesh, as harsh as it may be on Kuhn.

And I suppose there's also the question of whether we blood any other new players against Bangladesh or do we let the other newcomers to the test side (De Bruyn, Olivier, and Morris) have a few more matches? The problem has been that none of the players who came into the team have really produced the goods, so while showing faith in them isn't a bad thing, it's always about how much faith should be shown in them. The selection of all them was justified by their performances at lower levels, but not every player is able to make the step up to tests, so maybe unfortunately they happen to be players who can't.
 

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