*** Official *** South African Domestic Season 2018/19

[GRAB]

TIL, Davy Jacobs is playing cricket again and is the captain of Canada??? How did I not notice that happening...

 

[SeamUp]

The Gentleman's game.

Pretty disgusting.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/provincial-cricketer-cleared-to-play-after-gun-ban-20190111

https://www.sacricketmag.com/wps-adams-banned-after-oudtshoorn-gun-pointing-incident/

 

[SeamUp]

Dean Elgar re-joins Surrey for the 3rd time ? County cap with them and Somerset already.

https://www.kiaoval.com/main-news/dean-elgar-rejoins-for-2019-summer/

 

[StephenZA]

The Gentleman's game.

Pretty disgusting.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/provincial-cricketer-cleared-to-play-after-gun-ban-20190111

https://www.sacricketmag.com/wps-adams-banned-after-oudtshoorn-gun-pointing-incident/

What a country.... I know I would have pressed charges!

 

[TT Boy]

Adams got in trouble when he represented South Africa A a few years back. Seems a bit unhinged and looks in good nick as well.

 

[Dendarii]

I work with someone who knows Adams reasonably well and he has always maintained that Adams got a bit unfairly treated by the Cobras. But given that story, you have to wonder whether there was more to it.

 

[SeamUp]

Qaasim Adams was part of one of the poorest WP/Cobras team in quite some time. I felt whilst he wasn't really poor they made the best decision they could ever have made and that is to back young players from their own system like Hamza, Smith, Verreynne, Bedingham. I think you have to go back to van Zyl/Levi when we last did that in the batting.

At the Titans he performed well but I also believe something happened off the field then and Qaasim was quickly booted out. Think it was Bouchers first season.

 

[Dendarii]

The poor treatment my coworker was referring to was when Adams first started out and couldn't establish himself with the Cobras, which led to him joining the Titans. It tended to be a bit of a rant about the setup being an old boys' club, but I didn't give it a great deal of credence having only heard that side of things.

 

[StephenZA]

The poor treatment my coworker was referring to was when Adams first started out and couldn't establish himself with the Cobras, which led to him joining the Titans. It tended to be a bit of a rant about the setup being an old boys' club, but I didn't give it a great deal of credence having only heard that side of things.

I can believe that... it is not uncommon in many sports clubs/teams around the world (See Aus selection thread!). Listening to my one friend talk about the backhands/club nepotism in SA soccer clubs is unbelievable.


PS: This does not mean he is innocent of being a stupid idiotic fool.

 

[SeamUp]

The poor treatment my coworker was referring to was when Adams first started out and couldn't establish himself with the Cobras, which led to him joining the Titans. It tended to be a bit of a rant about the setup being an old boys' club, but I didn't give it a great deal of credence having only heard that side of things.

Thats fair enough. I also think many people tend to have gripes if things don't go well and look for anybody and everybody to blame. It seems like he hasn't made the most of opportunities he has got elsewhere and who is to say he was better than players ahead of him then. I think its important you take the rough with the smooth.

A good example for me and he is growing in my estimation is Keegan Petersen. For example , he may feel because he was from the Boland (forgetting Ontong/Van Zyl) they favoured Hamza/Smith because they were WP boys but he has gone to Knights and is performing and taking his opportunities which I respect. Someone who took the same route was Henry Davids to Titans and has he forged a good career for himself there.

 

[GRAB]

The difference is when a lot of white players feel that way, they move to NZ or England... (Kevin Pietersen being kept out of that ridiculous late 90s Natal top 6, after Hudson and Rhodes had come back, and competing against Mall and the two Amlas as a case in point...)

Obus Pienaar is making heaps of runs for SWD. I wonder how easy it is to get into the Cobras side (since it was realigned) from there... I know Agathangelou managed it, but has now moved to Titans. When SWD was aligned with Warriors, Rabie and Ackermann came over, and Stuurman is now playing for them too...

 

[Dendarii]

Thats fair enough. I also think many people tend to have gripes if things don't go well and look for anybody and everybody to blame. It seems like he hasn't made the most of opportunities he has got elsewhere and who is to say he was better than players ahead of him then. I think its important you take the rough with the smooth.

It's been a while since it's come up in conversation, so I'm a little hazy on the details, but from what I remember there may have be a coaching change at some point and Adams was promised one thing by the old coach but the new coach didn't honour that promise. And even though the new guy was under no obligation to do so, there was some resentment there.

But I don't really remember, and my initial comment was really a remark that sometimes there might be more than there initially seems i.e. Adams' supposed poor treatment may have been down to him being viewed as a loose cannon/too disruptive, which even though it's complete speculation is entirely possible if he's the sort of person to pull a gun on someone.

 

[SeamUp]

It's been a while since it's come up in conversation, so I'm a little hazy on the details, but from what I remember there may have be a coaching change at some point and Adams was promised one thing by the old coach but the new coach didn't honour that promise. And even though the new guy was under no obligation to do so, there was some resentment there.

But I don't really remember, and my initial comment was really a remark that sometimes there might be more than there initially seems i.e. Adams' supposed poor treatment may have been down to him being viewed as a loose cannon/too disruptive, which even though it's complete speculation is entirely possible if he's the sort of person to pull a gun on someone.

No I'm glad you said what you had to say. Just small things like some of the twitter exchanges he had a few years ago gave me the feeling he had a lot of resentment with the Cobras. He then got his chance moving back to prove a few people wrong and unfortunately for him didn't take it.

Talking about WP cricket. Because so many young players were pushed through the system to the Cobras there isn't exactly a lot in thecsemi-professional teams at the moment. Galiem gone backwards, Cohen with that injury and his wild action found it tough coming back. Not sure Ntini has grabbed the imagination either. The major excitement this season for 2 WP is a 100 by a 17 year old.

 

[SeamUp]

The difference is when a lot of white players feel that way, they move to NZ or England... (Kevin Pietersen being kept out of that ridiculous late 90s Natal top 6, after Hudson and Rhodes had come back, and competing against Mall and the two Amlas as a case in point...)

Obus Pienaar is making heaps of runs for SWD. I wonder how easy it is to get into the Cobras side (since it was realigned) from there... I know Agathangelou managed it, but has now moved to Titans. When SWD was aligned with Warriors, Rabie and Ackermann came over, and Stuurman is now playing for them too...

At the end of the day KP and others were in demand with more money and less certainty here. I don't think we can blame them. Pretty cool team we have in County Cricket. Maybe should form a Saffer team only

A nice modern example is David Bedingham. High School prodigy that may have even under achieved. Got WP chances out of school (maybe 2/3 games) and quickly ditched.

Starts studying a few years later at Stellies after a couple of winters in England playing cricket. Scored 4 3-day & 2 1-day 100s for Boland last season and now has 2 100s in 6 games for Cobras. All this after missing a season due to a serious car accident. Maybe says something about his character.

 

[SeamUp]

8th Round of 4-day cricket starts tomorrow.

Talking about the Titans earlier. A couple of players who have disappointed is Tony de Zorzi (averaging about 15 in 15 games and as he is playing for Northerns today is dropped by Titans again) and Rivaldo Moonsamy (who whilst started well in FC career has always been a limited overs player at best). The reason I mention them is like they took de Zorzi from Lions they got Wandile Makwetu. Makwetu isn't playing at all for Northerns but is contracted by Titans. What I find odd is the amount of time he spends in Cape Town for someone studying at Tuks.

Looks like there was a shoot-off in the 3-day game and Aganthangelou got a 100 to keep his spot over Neil Brand and Leus du Plooy.

Titans will get Elgar, Markram & de Bruyn back after this test. Massive artillery but their 4-day season is over so it will be mainly for the 50-over Comp.

 

[StephenZA]

I think that it is not just about opportunity, sometimes players just mature at different ages. Parental pressures, post school studies, different ambitions etc. Nobody is the same.

 

[SeamUp]

I think that it is not just about opportunity, sometimes players just mature at different ages. Parental pressures, post school studies, different ambitions etc. Nobody is the same.

What I'm talking about is dealing with the rough when you face it. There are hardships and there will be hardships. Standard life.

He may have felt he deserved a longer run and more trust with WP. Being left in the wilderness like that could have stopped him playing the game. He definitely is an above average talent.

 

[Dendarii]

What I'm talking about is dealing with the rough when you face it. There are hardships and there will be hardships. Standard life.

Especially if you're trying to make a career in professional sport, which can be a very fickle thing.

 

[SeamUp]

After 7th Round of 4-day series

COBRAS 140.04
LIONS 120.62
WARRIORS 94.60
KNIGHTS 91.56
TITANS 90.72
DOLPHINS 71.72

Fixtures

14 Jan : COB v WAR (Cape Town) , DOL v KNI (Pmb) , TIT v LIO (Benoni)
21 Jan : COB v TIT (Oudtshoorn) , WAR v DOL (East London) , KNI v LIO (Bloem)
28 Jan : DOL v COB (Pmb), LIO v WAR (Potch) , TIT v KNI (Benoni)

Leading run-scorers

COBRAS

P.Malan 629 @ 52.41
J.Malan 564 @ 51.27
Verreynne 391 @ 43.44
Bedingham 382 @ 42.44
Hamza 329 @ 36.55
Smith 270 @ 54.00

WARRIORS

Moore 724 @ 60.33
Cloete 490 @ 44.54
Vallie 434 @ 36.16
Ackermann 394 @ 39.40
Qeshile 379 @ 37.90
Smuts 336 @ 30.54

DOLPHINS

van Jaarsveld 474 @ 39.50
Makhanya 443 @ 34.07
Chetty 369 @ 26.35
Erwee 368 @ 30.66
Zondo 233 @ 23.30
Vilas 222 @ 27.75

KNIGHTS

Petersen 765 @ 63.75
Van Biljon 712 @ 59.33
Gous 448 @ 56.00
Mokoena 442 @ 31.57
Second 309 @ 30.90
McLaren 286 @ 28.60

LIONS

Cook 559 @ 43.00
van der Dussen 496 @ 55.11
van den Bergh 437 @ 43.70
Lubbe 422 @ 52.75
Bavuma 241 @ 40.16
R.Hendricks 169 @ 33.80

TITANS

Vandiar 413 @ 51.62
de Bruyn 409 @ 68.16
von Berg 304 @ 43.42
Elgar 198 @ 28.28
Davids 192 @ 27.42
Klaasen 187 @ 46.75


Leading wicket-takers

COBRAS

Piedt 34 @ 30.11
Paterson 33 @ 22.75
Bokako 21 @ 28.52

WARRIORS

Nortje 24 @ 21.04
Harmer 18 @ 50.38
Sipamla 13 @ 36.46

DOLPHINS

Muthusamy 19 @ 21.68
E.Bosch 18 @ 24.11
Maharaj 17 @ 34.41

KNIGHTS

Olivier 27 @ 18.88
McLaren 22 @ 28.36
Baartman 17 @ 22.76

LIONS

B.Hendricks 30 @ 20.06
Phangiso 15 @ 29.86
D.Pretorius 14 @ 20.50

TITANS

Mothoa 20 @ 29.45
von berg 17 @ 46.70
Morris 16 @ 17.75

Some coaches thoughts ahead of the 8th Round of fixtures.

Cobras v Warriors

The hosts are in pole position for the first-class title after five wins from their first seven games of the season, and with just three matches remaining in 2018-19 they lead the pack by nearly 20 points.

The Cobras are on 140,04 points compared to the 120,62 of the second-placed Highveld Lions. The margin is even greater with the rest of the pack, their round eight opponents the Warriors next on the list, but more than 45 points behind the Cobras (94,60). However, Prince is not prepared to put the cart before the horse.

‘A win is 16 points, a loss is 10 points, so the 19.5-point lead we have can be turned around pretty quickly if things don’t go the right way. It’s one game at a time,’ said Prince.

‘We have to approach every game the same way, starting from 0-0 and build our way into the game, whether it’s batting or bowling, and in time, wrestle our way into a position of advantage in a game. That’s going to be the same for all three games.’

The Lions did gain some ground on the Cobras in the previous round when they won their game, and the Cobras were held to their first draw of the season away at the VKB Knights.

Prince was satisfied with the way they played in Bloemfontein, and his approach for the Warriors remains taking it ‘one day at a time’ in the Mother City. He may again have to go about proceedings without opening batsman Janneman Malan, with Zubayr Hamza also not available due to Test commitments with the Proteas.

Warriors coach Rivash Gobind, meanwhile, has confirmed that Sisanda Magala and Lutho Sipamla are in contention again after their recent injuries. For the Port Elizabeth-based team, victory is essential against the log leaders if they want to keep their ultra-slim title hopes alive.

‘We’re just trying to win each game now,’ said Gobind. ‘The Cobras are quite some way out at the front, so it’s out of our hands as to where we finish. But our goal remains to try and win as many of the remaining three games as possible.’

The two met in the last game of 2018 when the Warriors ran their Cape rivals close in PE, and the coach is looking for an improvement on that game.

‘We’ve had the same chat with the players as we had before the last game against them at the end of the year,’ he added. ‘We saw what happened there, the guys ran them pretty close, even though we didn’t play very well.

‘We are pretty confident that if we rock up in Cape Town and execute our skills over the four days like we did this past weekend, we should be able to get into a position to force a result.’

Titans v Lions

Titans coach Mark Boucher is expecting another tough battle against the Highveld Lions and says their focus will be on trying to improve their performance at Willowmoore Park in Benoni.

The champions have not enjoyed the best of title defences thus far, winning just once in seven matches to sit second bottom on the table. They have also lost the most games compared to everyone else and were on the wrong end of results four times already this term.

‘We can look for excuses as much as we want, but quite simply, we haven’t played good cricket in all departments,’ lamented Boucher. ‘It’s been frustrating. We’ve had to use a lot of players as well, 25 I think it is, so that doesn’t help, it’s tested our depth a bit. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board and see how we can improve going forward.’

Their opponents, the Lions, are the closest challengers to the log-leading Cape Cobras, and currently trail by just under 20 points. The Johannesburg-based side will be looking to attack in their bid to win the game, but Boucher says they too may look to go out and take the game to the visitors.

‘The Lions have been playing good cricket and they’ve done it throughout the season,’ he said. ‘I think the reason they’re second is because the Cobras have just been that more consistent, but I’m not worried about them, I’m looking at improving our processes.

‘We’ll be looking to go out there and win, there’s no point playing for any other result.’

Boucher, whose side were beaten by the Warriors in the last game, also feels that the Cobras should win the title this year, but says there is still plenty for the other sides to play for.

‘If you look at the Cobras, they are streets ahead of everyone else, and if they play half decent cricket then they should walk away with the title,’ he added. ‘It’s going to be difficult for anyone to catch them.’

Lions coach Enoch Nkwe, meanwhile, saw his players bounce back from a defeat to the Dolphins at the end of last year with a crushing victory over the same opponents last weekend.

It left him pleased with their progress, and now he is seeking to keep the pressure on the Cobras at the summit, with their last win keeping his side ‘in the mix’.

‘It was a good display from the guys. We had some changes with guys like Wiaan Mulder and Kagiso Rapulana coming in and they added a lot of value with their contributions. It was a good all-round performance from the guys after what happened in the previous game. But we did put that to bed and the biggest focus was to start the year well, which we did.’

Dolphins v Knights

Dolphins coach Grant Morgan says his side’s focus for the remaining three 4-Day Domestic Series games of the season remain on winning each match and also backing their young players to perform ahead of facing the Knights in Pietermaritzburg from Monday.

The KwaZulu-Natal franchise saw their outside hopes of challenging for the title fade away completely when they were beaten heavily by the Highveld Lions in the last game. The result left them bottom of the table on 71,72 points, remarkably almost half the tally of log-leaders the Cape Cobras (140,04).

Now they must regroup and try to improve at the City Oval against a visiting side that held the leaders to a draw in their previous game. The Central Franchise have a new coach in Alan Kruger, and Morgan believes this has buoyed them, warning that his Dolphins side will have to be on their toes for the round eight clash.

‘They’re a fighting unit, and always when there’s a new coach you see some change,’ he said. ‘You’ll see a resilience factor, a lot of those guys, their good players, so we’re expecting nothing less than a tough contest.’

As for his own side, Morgan says he wants to see further improvement from the last game where they were made to follow on against the Lions. He also revealed that they were looking to giving opportunities to new faces to stake a claim in the first-class set-up.

‘We’ve already started to look towards the future, and as you see, we’re starting to give a lot of the younger players a chance with an eye to the future,’ Morgan added. ‘I think if you look from the fifth game onwards, players like (Grant) Roelofsen and the like have had opportunities.

‘Names like (Keith) Dudgeon, (Ethan) Bosch and (Sibonelo) Makhanya are coming into the mix, and you’re seeing less of the older players like (Robbie) Frylinck, who hasn’t retired, but we’re looking at breeding younger players now.

‘The average age of our side for that last game was probably around 24, which is quite exciting.’

Knights coach Kruger, meanwhile, has predicted a tough battle for his team in the KZN Midlands.

‘We had a good performance against the Cobras and we’re just looking to continue in that positive way,’ he pointed out. ‘As I said last week, our aim is just to try and end up as high as possible on the table. We’re currently fourth with three others around us, so it will be a good mini-battle between now and the end of the season.

‘I’m sure it will be same for the Dolphins. They will also be eager to turn around their results against us in Kimberley a few rounds earlier, so it will be a tough battle.’

 

[GRAB]

Titans and Cobras have ex-Proteas, and the other four teams all have ex-provincial players of much less renown as coaches - Gobind, Kruger, Morgan and Nkwe (barring 5 wickets and and a 100 on debut) all had pretty unassuming careers.

Managed to find some squads:
Multiply Titans squad to face the bizhub Highveld Lions (from): Jonathan Vandiar (c), Andrea Agathangelou, Farhaan Behardien, Corbin Bosch, Henry Davids, Eldred Hawken, Heino Kuhn, Bafana Mahlangu, Wandile Makwetu, Tshepo Moreki, Chris Morris, Itumeleng Moseki, Shaun von Berg.

Not sure what happened to last game's captain Klaasen or Mothoa? Morris and Kuhn back though...

Hollywoodbets Dolphins v VKB Knights Squad:
Sarel Erwee, Marques Ackerman, Cody Chetty, Khaya Zondo(c), Sibonelo Makhanya, Senuran Muthusamy, Grant Roelofsen (wk), Eathan Bosch, Prenelan Subrayen, Keith Dudgeon, Kerwin Mungroo, Thamsanqa Khumalo.
Phehlukwayo out? Resting before ODI's? Khumalo is a new name from SA under-19; hasn't been one to stand out in the last few matches for them

The 13-man [Cobras] squad is: Dane Piedt (capt), Matthew Kleinveldt, Pieter Malan, Aviwe Mgijima, Simon Khomari, David Bedingham, Dayyaan Galiem, Rory Kleinveldt, George Linde, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, Mthiwekhaya Nabe.

Galiem has been quiet for awhile after a fair bit of hype as an all-rounder. No Jason Smith. Paterson also presumably preparing for ODI's...