South Africa team selection

[StephenZA]

I look at the current test team lining up against England. It is so bad I don't give two ****s so won't be watching much.

I'm watching the U19... keeping an eye on Parsons. Looks good.

The national team is a load of selection bollocks, I can not believe how bad it actually is.

 

[TT Boy]

Next test engagement I believe is in the West Indies, where they will likely need Maharaj, but let’s treat him like **** in the meantime. The so called all rounder has bowled 4 ****ing overs so far. Bavuma could have done that.

 

[StephenZA]

Lets not be harsh... he is a great no.8 batsmen.

 

[SeamUp]

Next test engagement I believe is in the West Indies, where they will likely need Maharaj, but let’s treat him like **** in the meantime. The so called all rounder has bowled 4 ****ing overs so far. Bavuma could have done that.

Can understand no spinner at Wanderers. It is the one ground you could get away without one.

But why not play an extra batsman ? Not liking Faf's selection thinking for some time. Dwaine is a known favourite.

I also know this sounds out of here but I wonder if Vern could have done with s break in PE. He was basically toothless in the last 2 tests. The positive moving forward is we can look for more versatile quicks for all conditions.

 

[Bahseph]

It's been horrid selection. As soon as I saw the team I knew we were at a handicap. Rassie has limited technique so sending him at 3 was just asking for trouble. You have to feel that the decision was made because Faf wanted Dwaine around instead of giving Hamza one more Test and just batting Temba at 6.

Paterson and Hendricks bowled trash at the end there. Really looked rattled. The only positive for me has been Nortje. What a find for us.

 

[Rasimione]

Can understand no spinner at Wanderers. It is the one ground you could get away without one.

But why not play an extra batsman ? Not liking Faf's selection thinking for some time. Dwaine is a known favourite.

I also know this sounds out of here but I wonder if Vern could have done with s break in PE. He was basically toothless in the last 2 tests. The positive moving forward is we can look for more versatile quicks for all conditions.

Faf has lost his touch. The coach and selectors are making errors that don't make sense. We've been playing with a batter lite the whole series.

 

[Rasimione]

It's been horrid selection. As soon as I saw the team I knew we were at a handicap. Rassie has limited technique so sending him at 3 was just asking for trouble. You have to feel that the decision was made because Faf wanted Dwaine around instead of giving Hamza one more Test and just batting Temba at 6.

Paterson and Hendricks bowled trash at the end there. Really looked rattled. The only positive for me has been Nortje. What a find for us.

What's the fascination with Pretorius? I honestly don't get it.

 

[Groundking]

I really don't get why you're still persisting with 5 bowlers, you've not managed to get past 300 once this series, and have failed to get past 250 4 times already, surely this is the most obvious sign that you're too short on the batting? Is there really nobody in the first class system that would be better than Hamza at 3 allowing you to keep keep VDD at 5 and have Bavuma at 6 and QDK at 7 ?

 

[Dendarii]

The coach and selectors are making errors that don't make sense.

That's the problem. It's obvious that the selection decisions they've made haven't worked, but we're having a hard time understanding just why they made those decisions in the first place.

 

[SeamUp]

Steyn has retired and hopefully with Vernon's retirement there won't be any more stresses about fitness.

Make sure Ngidi, Rabada, Nortje are looked after. Get the spin bowler to do a lot of dirty work from one end. When Mulder is fit and available he can do it.

Build around 2 strike bowlers at 140+ in Dupavillon, Coetzee , 2 left-armers in Burger & Jansen & then young stock-bowlers who can hit back of a length with regularity in Sipamla/E.Bosch. Those are who I would be working with at every opportunity with SA A and preparing for test cricket.

 

[SeamUp]

The batting though guys

Get rid of the lot bar QdK

 

[StephenZA]

The batting though guys

Get rid of the lot bat QdK

But basically that is true... the selection of P. Malan, Rassie (even before WC), and Pretorius selections where pure journeyman cricketers with 'experience'. You can understand it from a point of view of trying to win the series against England, but it was never likely to reap rewards long term, and as it has turned out, short term. The dropping of Hamza after so few Tests I don't understand. Think if all the guys young guys with real talent that we could have seen get taste of international tests.


And Parsons and Hendricks as the extra bowlers? No, just no.

 

[SeamUp]

But basically that is true... the selection of P. Malan, Rassie (even before WC), and Pretorius selections where pure journeyman cricketers with 'experience'. You can understand it from a point of view of trying to win the series against England, but it was never likely to reap rewards long term, and as it has turned out, short term. The dropping of Hamza after so few Tests I don't understand. Think if all the guys young guys with real talent that we could have seen get taste of international tests.


And Parsons and Hendricks as the extra bowlers? No, just no.

Hamza probably needed to get out of the firing line. He looked overawed. Get out this series and plan ahead.

It is just unfortunate guys like Breetzke, Qeshile, Makwetu and even van Tonder weren't further along.

I have come to the realisation that because we have Verreynne and Makwetu then QdK may have to give up gloves if the other 2s keeping is good enough. Would then bat Mulder 6 and the keeper 7. De Kock at 5 but ideally 4.

 

[SeamUp]

The number 3 position intrigues me most.

Petersen technically fits the bill.

Van Tonder has a compact technique with maybe more talent. Versatile enough to bat 4/5

Then there is Hamza.

 

[SeamUp]

Here is a theory I have had.

They have gone for experienced cricketers because they trying to balance saving the system.

They need these experienced guys to have the carrot dangled so they can still keep striving to set good examples for the younger cricketers in our system. Because there isn't a lot of quality seasoned professionals in our system left beyond the one's they using now and a lot of them have never been international standard.

Pretty convinced about this. It's **** and where we find ourselves. Looks like we will have to take more body blows if the case.

 

[StephenZA]

Hamza probably needed to get out of the firing line. He looked overawed. Get out this series and plan ahead.

This I can understand. He looked under a great deal of pressure because of the pressure on the batting unit. Which is why you normally bat the youngsters 5/6 initially. However what is a bit more of concern is what was said to him to make him feel that way?

It is just unfortunate guys like Breetzke, Qeshile, Makwetu and even van Tonder weren't further along.

I have come to the realisation that because we have Verreynne and Makwetu then QdK may have to give up gloves if the other 2s keeping is good enough. Would then bat Mulder 6 and the keeper 7. De Kock at 5 but ideally 4.

If QDK becomes captain then maybe he loses the gloves. I don't like it though. I think his temperament is perfectly suited to bat 6/7 in a Test team, he plays to many injudicious shots to play in the top 4/5.

I still think Markram is a perfect number 4 for SA. And with van Tonder, Eddie Moore, de Zorzi and J. Malan around think we can afford to drop him down. I don't think Makwetu or Qeshile are ready, would prefer the selection of guys like Keegan Petersen, Bedingham. And if we cant get Mulder into the team because injury really think Smith needs his shot.

But whatever way we go the current players selected are not in anyway the answer.

 

[StephenZA]

Here is a theory I have had.

They have gone for experienced cricketers because they trying to balance saving the system.

They need these experienced guys to have the carrot dangled so they can still keep striving to set good examples for the younger cricketers in our system. Because there isn't a lot of quality seasoned professionals in our system left beyond the one's they using now and a lot of them have never been international standard.

Pretty convinced about this. It's **** and where we find ourselves. Looks like we will have to take more body blows if the case.

These guys will not save the system. The entire system needs to be over-hauled it is rotten at its core. The only way to keep these guys is to fix the underlying problems quickly. Part of that is also money, we will always lose players to overseas for many different reasons. But if good quality players believe they can still make a living at FC level here in SA, greater chance of staying. And money comes from sponsorship and that comes from having a good international team.

 

[Dendarii]

Here is a theory I have had.

They have gone for experienced cricketers because they trying to balance saving the system.

They need these experienced guys to have the carrot dangled so they can still keep striving to set good examples for the younger cricketers in our system. Because there isn't a lot of quality seasoned professionals in our system left beyond the one's they using now and a lot of them have never been international standard.

Pretty convinced about this. It's **** and where we find ourselves. Looks like we will have to take more body blows if the case.

I was thinking something similar. With Kolpak potentially coming to an end soon, they might be afraid that the players on the fringes of selection who they've got their eyes on might be lured away by the promise of big bucks. So by picking the players with a lot of first-class experience they're sending out the message that if you may end up being rewarded if you stick around and put in the hard yards.

The problem is that there's a reason that the players weren't picked when they were younger, and no amount of experience is going to make up for not being good enough.

 

[Dendarii]

But basically that is true... the selection of P. Malan, Rassie (even before WC), and Pretorius selections where pure journeyman cricketers with 'experience'. You can understand it from a point of view of trying to win the series against England, but it was never likely to reap rewards long term, and as it has turned out, short term.

I'm willing to give them a bit of a pass on the selection of Van der Dussen and Pretorius. Not that I think those two were the best guys for the job, but they've already tasted international cricket as a result of being part of the ODI and T20 setups, and given the short space of time there was to assemble a team there was some sort of logic behind bringing them into the team

However, that doesn't excuse the selection of Malan, Paterson, or Hendricks as there had been more time to identify the players who will be taking the team forward and go for them rather than players who just aren't up to the task. I know it's east to look back in hindsight and declare a selection to be a bad one, but if we were questioning those selections before they'd taken the field then why weren't the people who are getting paid to select the team also doing so?

 

[Rasimione]

Steyn has retired and hopefully with Vernon's retirement there won't be any more stresses about fitness.

Make sure Ngidi, Rabada, Nortje are looked after. Get the spin bowler to do a lot of dirty work from one end. When Mulder is fit and available he can do it.

Build around 2 strike bowlers at 140+ in Dupavillon, Coetzee , 2 left-armers in Burger & Jansen & then young stock-bowlers who can hit back of a length with regularity in Sipamla/E.Bosch. Those are who I would be working with at every opportunity with SA A and preparing for test cricket.

Thing is I'm not too concerned with our bowling. It's the batting that worries me. Except for Makram, none of the recent batting additions have looked like they belong. As things stand, our best batsman is a wicket keeper. That's not a good sign.