gemmerbal

Watched a bit of the cricket this morning, and what grabbed my attention was the chat after play was suspended. Eric Simons is such a knowledgable chap. He was basically saying that we shouldnt be in this “transitional” phase in the first place, as its not like we didnt know that at some point we would have to replace the likes of ABD, Kallis, Hash, Steyn and so on. And that guys should be hardened at domestic level and shouldnt be coming into the national side to learn their game. Hash also contributed in saying that the administrators should have been aware of this and that it reflects on our domestic circuit. And then of course Makhaya contributes with totally irrelevant remarks about tecnical skills or whatever. I had to privilege to be around Eric on occasion. Years ago he was the guest speaker at our annual awards and the one thing he said that has always stuck with me (funny enough it was a comment about a certain Mr Ntini) was about our bowlers being able to hit the top of off stump at least 4 out of 6 deliveries. His opinion was that that was their job and that there were guys in the national side when he coached that couldnt even do it 2 out of 6. And he said imagine you being at work and only achieving a 33% success rate at what you were employed to do, if that would he acceptable. That comment really stuck with me ever since. How often we see our bowlers nowadays straying down leg or being unable to bowl 4 good balls in the same spot? Anyways. The team for this game looks very inexperienced. Im curious to see if they will he opening the batting with QdK. Not sure that will work. Read an article about Quinnie’s success batting at 7 compared to when he bats at 6 or 5 and i still believe he should stay in that Gilchrist role. We simply have to find 6 batters ahead of him that are capable of providing some sort of base for him to attack off of. The pressure of coming in at 100/5 week in week out is not ideal at all. Hamza looks like a talented player. Stick him at 3 and give him an extended run. Dont piss him around in the batting order like they did with Stiaan van Zyl. Will also be interesting to see how Lungi goes in this test. He looks like a talented player, he’s shown glimpses and i hope he goes well. Big strong lad, good attributes to have, he must just get his physical conditioning sorted out. Nice sporty wicket supplied by the Indians. We cannot complain about the conditions like we did 3/4 years ago. Come on boys, show some heart, thats all we really want to see! ????????

Jacob Zupta appeals more than an Indian Spinner... jirrrrrrrrrrrr !@#$%^&*(^%$#

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Proteas/moroe-urges-fans-to-have-patience-with-the-proteas-20191014 Thabang already starting to make excuses, probably also trying to save their sponsorship deals.

local boy'tjie George Linde replacing Maharaj in the side for the last test, that is funny in so many ways... haha

so what was the point of ICC's 3month ban of Zim?

Amazing but not surprising

Disgraceful.

Haha, punny fun [emoji12] I often wonder why so many people took issue with Biff. I guess he’s brass nature put alot of people off, but in my view he could back up his bark more often than not. And i rate his captaincy and his tenacity. Based on statistics he is one of the most successful captains of all time. And as captain of SA he achieved a lot more success than any of his predecessors and ill go as far as to say his successors. Maybe they should adopt the batt toss like in the Big Bash. Haha... As ive tried to illustrate in one of my previous posts, the value of the toss can be negated to a degree by having a very well balanced side. And therein lies the conundrum perhaps. From memory Biff’s side won a hellava lot of games batting 4th. And if you look at the great sides from history, Aussies under Taylor, Waugh, Ponting, they could win a game from almost anywhere, winning or losing the toss. So i guess my point is if you have a decent side, the toss should almost not be a factor. It is difficult watching our current side yes. Markram, so much potential but he seems to lack the mental approach of test cricket. Same can be said of Kudu de Bruyn. Im not sure Enoch’s prodigal son Bavuma will become a solid test cricketer, he hasnt stamped his authority on the game yet, not in the way you expect from a middle order batsman. Nortje looks like a decent bowler, he showed glimpses of potential in his first spell yesterday. But i fear we will loose him to Kolpak as well, just a feeling. Which brings us to why we are where we are. And i say to you, go watch a domestic 4day game and then you will see why. Even better, go watch premier league cricket down at your local club, and it becomes even more apparent. Strength at the top comes from the bottom up. And while we have corrupt officials running the game that are unwilling to develop the game properly from grassroot level up, our strength as a national side will never be what it was. Its easier to force the numbers to please politicians than it is to lay the foundations for development to happen naturally. (Sorry for the politics).

Maharaj hurt his shoulder trying to stop a ball off his own bowling. In my time playing club cricket ive seen many okes pull hammies, injuring shoulders and so on when they’re being carted all over the park [emoji23] Theres a rumor that theres some internal friction. On two occasions i saw KG and Fluff exchange a few glares. I must admit, our field placing has been suspect. When they were smashing us all over the place we still had 2 close catchers in, makes no sense. Kohli and Jadeja was hitting us for boundaries at will. At one stage we conceded 90 odd runs in 10 overs. Thats when Maharaj pulled up. What ive seen so far, our spinners arent getting their lengths right, not enough overspin like the indians, meaning the spin they do get is slow turn. And Maharaj and Muntasamy’s lines were poor as well. Yes this is a very sporty wicket and we were in with a chance but ive said it many times, VDP shouldnt tour to India. Nortjie also came on for a spell where they tried to bounce the indians out, which didnt work but they just persisted with that tactic. A proper swing bowler would have had a field day on this wicket. Steyn for example. And the most basic bowling principle of all when it comes to line and lenght is to hit the top of off stump. That we cannot achieve and it annoys me no end.

so basically you are also in favour for the toss to remain as it is currently. which I can also agree with. the toss is like a nightwatchman, you either like it or not, but its one of a host of nuisances that make this game so unique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQGTXhqVmCQ Aussies won the toss, batted first and scored big, India followed on and WON the game. What happened there then? haha... what a game of cricket that was!

Cool, I’ll try and explain my reasoning, some might say I need medication or that I need to crawl out from underneath my rock, but that’s ok, I don’t mind being unpopular From the dawn of time, the toss has been part of almost every single sporting code. I believe it is an integral part of any contest as it adds to the drama and challenge and makes the victory so much sweeter. (Who remembers and easy victory? You attach a lot more merit to the hard-fought battle, against the odds…) The major reason stated by the law makers on why the visiting team should have the option to bat or bowl first doesn't make sense in my view, as tailoring a pitch to suit YOUR team is as much a gamble as winning the toss itself? Take the current series in India for instance: you really think the BCCI is going to alter the pitch preparation because SA will have first dibs on whether to bat or bowl first? I don’t think so. And why should they? Such is the challenge of playing India in India, and winning a series there SHOULD be hard. India will always have turning wickets, such is the nature of their country's climate, you cannot change or manipulate that, and that is why they generate great spin bowlers and force their pace men to learn skills like reverse swing etc. Thus, imagine if wickets all over the world were the same? Would Pakistan have produced the likes of Khan, Wasim, Waqar, Akhtar and so on, or Australia the likes of Lillee and Thompson. Let me not even start about the Windies: Roberts, Holding, Big Bird, Ambrose, Walsh. Look at what happened to Windies Cricket when their wickets started going to the dogs (yes I know there’s a lot more things contributing to their demise, but the poor wickets in my view doesn’t help in promoting the art of fast bowling in this instance) The toss also has an influence on team selection and by that token team selection also becomes more intriguing in that you have to select your best side to cater for any eventuality. Having a well-balanced side like we did during Graeme Smith's reign was the reason WHY we were the no1 test team at that time. And to India's credit (and I NEVER give them any credit), they have the best balanced side when touring abroad, that’s why they are nr1 at the moment. These are the things affected by the toss. Or at least that’s the way I see it. And to add some facts to my fairy-tale, as per Wikipedia, if you win the toss, your chance of winning the match is only 3% improved. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toss_(cricket)) I hope I made some sense. Your thoughts?

I like your idea. Some are saying the toss should be done away with altogether and the option should go to the visiting side. I dont agree with that. Your suggestion of alternating the "advantage of choice" prior to the commencement of each game makes it still relevant in that you can still choose wrong. But at least you had a chance to choose. I like that idea.

haha, ja i rememeber that one. Steyn Remover, veins pumping and those bloodshot eyes, I would also be scared haha. But nothing beats that clip of Donald/Boucher at Trent Bridge, where Bouchie dropped Athers and AD let go of some excess energy. That was one of THE most hostile bowling spells I've ever seen. That spell from AD at the Wanderers against Steve Waugh was also pretty intense.

Im sure Qdk is old enough to bath himself

Haha, ja i know you were being a bit silly, I couldn't help returning the favor I'm a reluctant spectator, as i have lost my #Proteafire, sadly. There is hardly anything in this side to get excited about except of course for KG, and we saw how the Indians have neutralized our strength by preparing dust bowls - which I suppose they are entitled to do, but then they must not complain when the shoe is on the other foot, and we know by now how unwilling CSA is to take a stand against the BCCI by preparing OUR wickets to suit OUR strengths when India tour here. Ho do I rate our chances? Zero. Not slim, zero. Sadly i don't think we have the personnel to compete against India in India. We didn't have it 4 years ago, and we don't have it now. Yes we have talented youngsters but they are not battle hardened as a result of a tough domestic competition. We are making the same mistake we did a couple of seasons ago by trying to bat QDK at 6 and VDP at 7 - trying to compensate for lack of quality by selecting quantity in our bowling department, which then means QDK has to bat at 6. A move I don't agree with. He must bat 7. VDP is not a good enough allrounder to bat at 7. He chips in now and then with 30/40, but we need an allrounder that can chip in with 80/90/100. It will change the entire dynamic of our team. I also dont know why we select him to go to India. Select horses for courses. My Bru, I am really saddened by the state of our national side. Our cricket in general actually. Its a long wait to the next Ashes... On a sidenote, looking forward to hosting my mates from the UK during Jan/Feb when the Poms will be touring here. Hopefully we can be competitive.

there, i corrected it for you my old mate

some of the divorce stories you hear kind of makes you think this would be appropriate... i have a family member dealing with some of the worst sh!t imaginable from their new partners ex - kids being used in the process and the legal system just somehow entertains all of the ex's bs - false accusations of abuse etc etc. its absolutely crazy to what lengths narcissistic people will go to try and achieve whatever it is they are trying to achieve. had me a couple of crazies after my divorce and i can honestly say i am VERY happy being single, 4 years and going strong I havent had a complaint at home since 2015... haha https://www.businessinsider.co.za/man-accused-of-trying-to-airstrike-girlfriends-house-with-drone-2019-9

Im sure his old buddy Christian Horner would love to have him back, not so sure Verstappen will be happy, not that I care about Tanneman Verstappen.

you wont be alone

They can sign anyone as long as its not Max Colgate-Smile Verstappen or Lewis i-want-tougher-races-but-dont-challenge-me Hamilton.

Yes, i too enjoyed LH’s participation in the slalom. He thinks if he shows you a wheel that you should make way. I dont like this guy and what irks me even more is his so-called love of Ayrton Senna. He is nowhere near the man Senna was yet Sky love comparing them.

How big a hypocrite is Hamilton??? He asks for tougher races and when someone finally sticks it to him he complains. Not the first time this season either. What a **nt. As for Vettel, he is turning into a huge embarrassment. Almost as bad as Hamilton, only difference is Hamilton is actually winning trophies (sadly). Leclerc is the shining light and winning at the “home” of Ferrari will make him a cult hero. I like.

Haha, it got quite tense at the end there but it was always asking a lot of the tail to survive for that long. Lyon was struggling, apparently he has a cut on his spinning finger. Starc was average and as usual it was Cummins and Hazelwood that got the job done. Cummins is turning into quite a bowler, if you consider he has been the only shining light for the Aussies since the Sandpaper debacle. I like his relentlessness. (Can you tell i used to be a bowler?) I must admit, not a huge Stokes fan (for various reasons) but walking when you knicked it was pretty damn admirable considering what was on the line. Reminds me of that box Broad knicking one to first slip a couple of years ago and standing his ground. That was a joke. Still one of the worst guys to walk when he is out and always referring, just adding more reason why i dislike him in particular. I was at Newlands when Stokes and Bairstow tore our bowling attack apart a few years back. We started drinking and subsequently i didnt see much, i couldnt stand our attack being taken apart like that. Still was quite a special knock from Stokes. I reckon he is a better allrounder than Flintoff and Botham. But he’s still a pom haha. Labooshane probably the find of the tour for the Aussies. His Aussie accent needs a bit of work though, boytjie from Klerksdorp and all. One of many ex Saffas to have made a mark for a country other than the one they were born in. But kudos to him for making his mark.

Nah buddy. We love the game that makes us equal. Good days cricket all in all i reckon. Hazlewood for me is probably their best bowler thus far in the series. Tall lanky chap, good pace and he bowls proper line and length, that to me is quality. He doesnt get involved in the short stuff too much. I like him. Cummins also good determination, maybe not as consistent although having said that is he not currently the nr1 test bowler? Starc in form and the poms will have almost no chance. Like i said earlier, if this English side wins the Ashes they would have burgled it. If enforcing the follow on becomes an option, would you make them bat again? I always like the idea because you are more in control of the game. But this wicket will be tough to chase on if theres a 150 target on the board. Also depends on the overs spent in the field i reckon. But the poms cant bat defensively, so i would probably enforce it if it comes down to it.