South Africa team selection

[StephenZA]

For the amount of talent Duminy has; he has got to be one of the biggest underachievers ever.....

 

[SeamUp]

Ha ha, that was pretty good, Tom Eaton is pretty good when he writes on cricket.

I don't agree with him re: Hudders though, he was a great opener, and he was great to watch when he was playing well. His straight drives were poetry in motion.

First time I read something of his. Enjoyed it.

I agree. When he got in he could make it look effortless like he did on debut v Ambrose, Walsh and Patterson. Those back-foot punch shots through the off-side were glorious.

But like JP probably had flaws that just made their game not be consistent at the highest level.

 

[StephenZA]

If Morkel and Steyn are fit ?

Morkel arguably been our best quick on this tour.

I`m not convinced Morkel was our best bowler, think Philander was; he was more threatening more often even if he did not always take the wickets. Morkel bowled very well. My question is would he have done better than Olivier or Morris? and did he deserve to jump the queue with so little game time? Difficult choices. Morkel was not even making first choice once Rabada got in and was probably sitting behind Abbott. And for me you cannot compare Steyn to Morkel situation. Steyn is an atg... if you asked Olivier if he minded Steyn getting first dibs what would he say? And what would he honestly think about Morkel getting back in front.....

Additionally, I`m worried about Rabada`s pace, he needs a break big time, we are bowling him into the ground.

 

[SeamUp]

I`m not convinced Morkel was our best bowler, think Philander was; he was more threatening more often even if he did not always take the wickets. Morkel bowled very well. My question is would he have done better than Olivier or Morris? and did he deserve to jump the queue with so little game time? Difficult choices. Morkel was not even making first choice once Rabada got in and was probably sitting behind Abbott. And for me you cannot compare Steyn to Morkel situation. Steyn is an atg... if you asked Olivier if he minded Steyn getting first dibs what would he say? And what would he honestly think about Morkel getting back in front.....

Additionally, I`m worried about Rabada`s pace, he needs a break big time, we are bowling him into the ground.

Not convinced about Vern. He will never lose the skill and accuracy with his action but I don't think he was unlucky. It was coming - Kepler called it from match one and TT Boy before this test match. It is obvious. Our last tour to England when he won I definitely thought Vern was unlucky there though and could have bags more wickets. He had the zip to his bowling.

But right now I think Vern needs to get help with his injury because he rested for nearly 2 months after Australia and it still didn't help ? This is clearly effecting him.

I dunno I think Morne has run in with real purpose. Loved his spell with the wind at Wellington and arguably bowled the ball of the series to get Kane 2nd innings I felt. Loved his spell to Santner this morning and I don't know how he didn't get him out with short pitch stuff and then the full one's straightening but they were too good for him. Still gets to 140+

Agree on KG. **** me. The kid says he knows his own body but he is worth so much more than he realises and we want him bowling into his 30's. But now IPL is calling. Would have preferred he went for it next year. He played County last winter as well as our long season in all formats.

Dale and Duanne

I miss him

 

[Heboric]

Somebody asked on one of the threads if South Africa will be stronger if there were no quotas - I was undecided.

The huge issue imo is when players of colour arent performing and the potential replacement happens to be white.It really hurts the team when one has to do some serious musical chairs to keep the ****ing numbers.

Ag just send him to the Quarterdeck at GrandWest for the all you can eat buffet, that will put him in a good mood:

CSA to have 'Fikile ban' overturned? | Sport24

I miss him

Anyone here know how the rehab is coming along ?

 

[StephenZA]

Somebody asked on one of the threads if South Africa will be stronger if there weer no quotas - I was undecided.

The huge issue imo is when players of colour arent performing and the potential replacement happens to be white.It really hurts the team when one has to do some serious musical chairs to keep the ****ing numbers.

CSA to have 'Fikile ban' overturned? | Sport24

Anyone here know how the rehab is coming along ?

Steyn is on track I believe.... just crossing fingers for the best.

I find that comment by the CSA VC reassuring, cause he admits problems with transformation... but talks about school level fixes, and correct the mistakes of how they approached the rural and township areas previously. Hopefully CSA lives up to his statements.

 

[Heboric]

I find that comment by the CSA VC reassuring, cause he admits problems with transformation... but talks about school level fixes, and correct the mistakes of how they approached the rural and township areas previously. Hopefully CSA lives up to his statements.

Yeah, lets hope they do

 

[Marius]

Somebody asked on one of the threads if South Africa will be stronger if there were no quotas - I was undecided.

Yeah, I don't think our cricket would be stronger without quotas, although I'm still against them. I think they weaken our franchise stuff, but not necessarily our national side (for now).

But I agree, the issue is when someone falls out of form, but you can't replace a Bavuma or a Duminy with a De Bruyn or a Markram, because they're white.

This is also why KG's career is going to be about five years shorter than it should be, because we have to play the poor kid in every flippen game the Proteas play to keep the numbers up.

 

[Marius]

Steyn is on track I believe.... just crossing fingers for the best.

I find that comment by the CSA VC reassuring, cause he admits problems with transformation... but talks about school level fixes, and correct the mistakes of how they approached the rural and township areas previously. Hopefully CSA lives up to his statements.

Anyone with half a brain knows that's where you have to start. You could say that the entire XI has to be black, that's not going to lead to kids in Soweto getting cricket nets, or youngsters in Mdanstane suddenly being granted batting techniques which allow them to handle international bowlers.

 

[TT Boy]

I get what you guys are saying, but I reckon we should give Cook a go against England. Markram is still pretty young and one more season of domestic stuff and SA A games would be good for him I think.

It's not like we have no openers whatsoever and are desperate - we can afford to be patient.

That said Markram should probably be in the squad to the UK. I'm not sure what his off-season deal is, and unless he's playing for a strong English club, it would do him the world of good to tour with the Proteas when we go to the UK.

Khaya Zondo should also be there or thereabouts, and I don't think Bavuma's place is as secure as it could be. Zondo had a good season, and he deserves a call-up, especially after the fiasco in India, with his previous national call-up.

Cook is playing early season for Durham, as is Elgar for Somerset, so caveat from the selectors should be to Cook that if he scores heavy runs, he will have the 1st test.
I like the idea of moving Amla down to 4 with de Bruyn at 3. I think Hash is on the way out but coming in lower down the order may prolong that. Though Faf on current form probably needs a promotion to 4. After de Kock, he is South Africa's best batsman currently.

 

[TT Boy]

Not sure if a rest is necessarily a good thing for Philander. Looks like he needs cricket to stay fit. Got a gig with Sussex for the early part of the season and selectors should be following those games closely and getting feedback, as if he hasn't got the "zip", he shouldn't be in the eleven. Morne and Rabada shouldn’t have bowled more overs than him this test but I think Faf was compelled to. Rabada's pace was all over the place this test and during the series but I think he bowls within himself a lot. Pace was markedly up after taking the two wickets at the end of day three and whenever Satner was on strike but he seemed to be going through the motions when Raval and Williamson were set.

 

[StephenZA]

Lady Luck late guest ? but party, Proteas! | Sport24

Nice little optimistic read.

 

[Heboric]

Lady Luck late guest ? but party, Proteas! | Sport24

Nice little optimistic read.

Yeah Rob Houwing is a bit more level headed than some...

 

[SeamUp]

Lady Luck late guest ? but party, Proteas! | Sport24

Nice little optimistic read.

I know but I guess as a cricket supporter supporting a team who has had relative dominant success for 25 years since re-admission you just know the current team is far from good enough for potentially tougher tests that lie ahead.

A crazy stat from NZL. NZL's top 6 averaged 38 per wicket whilst ours averaged 28 per wicket. That just highlights Qdk excellence and honestly I don't want to burden him like AB was and Rabada is even now.

All and all you got to doff your cap to Rob though.

 

[SeamUp]

So Russell Domingo saying he isn't sure if he will stay on or not ? He says he isn't too sure of the process either. Rather odd.

Geoffrey Toyana the favourite to take over post England if Domingo doesn't carry on.

 

[SeamUp]

Lots of talk about Markram's future in press in recent weeks & months for that matter going back to his big Sunfoil Series hundreds and radio shows he has been invited to, twitter etc

JOHANNESBURG - Aiden Markram admits that talk about him slotting into the Proteas side is frightening.

“I struggled with it at the start,” Markram said at SuperSport Park on Wednesday after the Titans’ lengthy training session ahead of Friday's Momentum One-Day Cup final against the Warriors.

“You might have a couple of good games and your name gets mentioned (as a candidate to play for the Proteas) and you don’t know how to deal with it. It’s quite scary.”

As daunting as all the chatter is, Markram’s gradually growing accustomed to it all. It helps having the likes of Mark Boucher, the Titans coach, Albie Morkel and in recent weeks, AB de Villiers, around.

“If you play for the Proteas and you come back to franchise cricket, then there’s a level of expectation if you channel it properly it can motivate you to do well, because you want to maintain that benchmark, but if you take it the wrong way, put pressure on yourself... it can also lead to your downfall.

“I did that, I put too much pressure on myself when I first saw my name mentioned, but the senior players, they’ve said ‘See it from the perspective that you’ve set the benchmark for yourself and now try and improve it’,” said Markram.

There had been plenty of talk about Markram playing for the Proteas even before he led the SA Under-19s to the world title in 2014. The volume of that chatter has increased this season, the first the 22-year-old has had at senior professional level. With Stephen Cook not establishing himself at the top of the order in the Test team, the attention on Markram has grown. Many will tune in on Friday to watch De Villiers in the final, but there will be almost as many interested in how Markram plays.

“The Proteas is the end goal,” said Markram. “You never know how close you are, you could be thinking you’re miles off and two weeks later, you get a phone call, like what happened with Lungi (Ngidi) - he didn’t expect that phone call. In the same way you may think you’re very close and then there’s actually two guys better.”

If that phone call is to come from the national selectors, Markram would prefer if it arrives soon. “The earlier you get involved in that environment it can only make you better,” he said.

Markram admits that if the goal of becoming an international player is not realised within five years, there’s only one person who can be blamed. “It will have nothing to do with anyone else, it would be (disappointment) with myself.”

Markram’s had a solid season, scoring over 500 runs in the Sunfoil Series, while in the One-Day Cup he set a national record when he made 183 against the Lions. “I don’t set my goals by numbers, for me it’s been a mental thing,” Markram said.

“Because I’m still pretty young, I’m focused on learning. There’s so much knowledge in our change-room, you can almost fast-track your career if you rub shoulders with those guys. Next season might be different, I might be playing more of a role in the side, opening the batting. But this season has been a good one.”

Having access to Boucher, De Villiers and Morkel among others, has been beneficial. “It’s unbelievable, you try and ‘sponge’ off them as much as you can,” said Markram.

Besides the 183, one of the highlights of the season was sharing some time at the crease with De Villiers, when the Titans beat the Warriors in Benoni two weeks ago. “Every ball I was out there batting with him, I had goosebumps. There wasn’t a big crowd, but the welcome he got was loud. It was really cool,” Markram said.

“It’s been a long season, but the guys are up for this game, like no other,” Markram said. “The Warriors love to scrap, that victory over the Knights showed that and we are expecting that,” Markram said.

 

[CapeTown Guy]

Expecting a lot of good things from this chap, possible future captaincy candidate also

 

[SeamUp]

Expecting a lot of good things from this chap, possible future captaincy candidate also

I think he is a fast learner so he may have one or two struggles initially if we pick him possibly a year early but he will come through them. Seems a strong character like Biff was. But in style he has more aesthetics (cover-drive & particularly the mid-wicket drive) but yet a brutality as well in the cut and pull.

The Cape Times today

 

[SeamUp]

Some positivity 8 series wins out of 8 (Image : Faf du Plessis)

 

[Dendarii]

Some positivity 8 series wins out of 8 (Image : Faf du Plessis)

It's 8 out 8 if you don't count the T20 series against Sri Lanka, but Faf didn't play in that one.