JGR

Tahir can go for 4 as he picks up wickets ..... For Robbie P to go for 4 in tests is a crime. JP can bowl those couple of over to give the 4 main bowlers a break. Faf is also a useful bowler for a couple of overs and JK is a known partnership breaker

Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc open and Siddle and Harris come after unless one is injured. It is also why I put Siddle and Him. Change bowling is not limited to quicks .... many change bowlers have been medium, off break and all types of different bowling. Broad bowls change when Finn plays and they opt for 4 quicks Morkel also opens sometimes but you are considering him a change as I am with others. We are also talking at who does it well and I am of the belief that there are more bowlers out there than Morkel who are good.

You mentioned a holding bowler - in test they should be going for less than 3 and more like 2.5 otherwise they are just getting milked.

Siddle/Harris (both currently ahead of Morkel) - Morkel - Broad (When Finn plays), Ajmal, ... there are a couple. Also like to have a spinner in but this game is going to be at the Wanderers and they will have a green top for sure. Also 4 an over is not holding an end up imo

Better have the guns on the day else you might have to crush the hub again to get rid of these comments

Well Macca is a bit of a prickly fella himself

Make this happen!!!!!!!!!!!!

Winner will be determined by the amount of beers consumed at the after party! neh

Therein lies the point - both rely on slight movement up front. Disagree about being a good change bowler - that why they bowl him through in T20 and he bowls the bulk of his upfront in ODI's and often doesn't finish all 10. I think it has to be one or the other. Lobsy for 1 Day and Vern for Tests.

Yes - they have them at all races

We agree on this one Garf - Thami is to old and missed his chance due to Boucher and AB. That's cricket. Peterson's had better success with the bat than ball these days and Kleinveld ... nay! McLaren/Marchant De Lange, Kyle Abbot even Wayne Parnell should be there ahead of him .....

Sehwag - Tests 104 180 6 8,586 319 49.34 82.23 23 32 1233 - 91 Seems like he came off more often than not - also if you have an opener that can score runs quickly upfront you take the game away from the team on day 1. How long would you give Elgar? I would say playing him out of position would be detrimental - How are you going to blossom as an opening bat playing at 7? I wouldn't say he has his one day game sorted out as I think every cricketer has to work on it - what he has shown (where I feel others like Elgar, Ingram et al haven't) is his ability to learn quickly and work at his game. I think he is showing maturity beyond his years as well as BMT. What has Elgar done to deserve a spot ahead of De Kock? Besides a 100 where Smith could wait until he got it to declare as the game was long over.

Nice team although Lobsy isn't a very good change up bowler and with Vern being number 2 - I don't see him opening

Take away the 103 no (dead rubber against NZ) That's 112 from 8 innings - avg of 14.

His record in tests - take away the 100 no and it would be dismal. He got a pair on debut in the the test that SA scored hundreds of runs. Test Career Batting and Fielding (2012/13-2013/14) M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 SRate Ct South Africa 7 9 2 215 103* 30.71 1 0 47.67 6

Before this series their opens were the form batsmen in world cricket .... Gibbs was a stroke maker, there are many stroke players opening the innings. Before them was Sewag and Gambir (Both stroke makers) Exactly the point I made earlier - let him open against them at his own ground. Surely there is no better occasion. From recent reports no one is working harder at his game that this lad. To say he doesn't have the technique for test cricket is a little silly when all and sundry are think of the best way to get him in there. He perhaps needs to learn the application and mental fortitude but that can only be done by getting him in there. Anyways let the selectors do there thing .... great team with or without him

Our last successful open partnership was Gibbs/Smith. Gibbs was a stroke maker Both Indian openers are stroke makers - I don't think Elgar is at international player. I would stick with Alviro before choosing Elgar. I would even have Ingram there before Elgar

Keen!

His form has been a bit sketchy recently http://www.cricketweb.net/statsspider/player/285992-testbattinganalysis.php

I wasn't suggesting he do both but if he plays he should open the batting - it would be unfair to put him in a position where he would have to come in at say 120/5 chasing 450 facing Ashwin. Let AB keep and open with QDK My test team for the Wanderers QDK Biff Amla Kallis AB JP Faf /Mc Claren if you want more bowling cover Phillander Steyn Morkel Tahir / De Lange

AB de Villiers He made his test debut as a 20-year-old on 16 December 2004 against England at Port Elizabeth. He made an impression opening the batting, but was dropped down the order for the second test and also handed the wicket-keeping gloves. In this match, he made a match saving half century from number seven. However, he found himself at the top of the order again for the final test of the series and has played the majority of his tests there.

I hear what you are all saying but ...... Would you say he is a bigger talent than Smith? Smith made his Test debut for South Africa in 2002 in Cape Town against Australia, batting at number three and scoring 68 in the second innings.[23] Promoted to open the batting with Herschelle Gibbs against Bangladesh in his third Test match, Smith scored 200.[24] In the following home series against Pakistan, Smith (who scored 151) and Gibbs (228) shared a first-wicket stand of 368,[25] a national record until bettered by Smith and Neil McKenzie's 415, and at the time the fourth highest opening partnership in Test history.[26] Following the 2003 Cricket World Cup and Shaun Pollock's subsequent resignation, Smith was selected as captain for South Africa's next Test. The decision was criticised as it was felt that he had shown 'few leadership credentials':[27] He had played only eight Test matches and 22 ODIs before being given the captaincy.[28] Graeme Smith was only 22 years and 82 days old when he captained his first match against Bangladesh, the youngest ever South African captain Good enough - Old enough If Frans Steyn can play in the RWC final at 20 I think QDK can open the batting on his home turf against India who do not have the best opening bowlers rather than have him facing spinners in the middle when the team are 5 wickets down. At the top of the order he wont have the baggage and can play his natural game I think there are more examples of new players playing in their correct roles than not. We don't want another Jacques Rudolph do we?

Peterson played well up until the last few series and it handy but in the bigger picture he is in his 30's already - they need to bleed QDK at the top now while they have Biff there. I don't think they should chip and changed his spot in the order. Let him develop and make mistakes in the opening role. Maybe they could share the keeping? Changing every session or two. Or AB takes over the gloves when they are 7 down to give QDK a rest before batting? I know it is something that hasn't been done but why not?

Medals have different meanings for different people and as 99% of us wont get a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place medal I do think they are a sign of achievement or at the very least a reminder of the race - kinda like a photo. Remember the Argus of 2009 - that was a windy one .... and so on and so forth. Must say the medal from gun run this year was better than all the cycling ones I have collected

Indian batting totally exposed for what they are - flat track bullies No wonder they wanted a shorter test series and opted to play more games against NZ. Santa can I please have a couple of green tops for xmas!!!!!!!! De Kock to replace Petersen top of the test order?