Cricket......

[Garfield2010]

I think it is also about balance.

 

Choose a team like this Gibbs, Warner, de Kock, Gayle etc and you will win every 4th game by a massive margin but lose the rest.

 

We have enough stroke makers in the team. It is more important to ensure they do not face the new ball in my opinion.

 

De Villiers, Amla, Duminy, Du Plessis are all attacking minded batsmen and our strike rate will be high enough. We rather need a guy making 30 off 100 balls every test as an opener rather than 4 failures and then one double hundred in test number 5.

[JGR]

One of the best ODI openers who later became a test opener was Virender Sewag who started his career down the order. I think at 6.

Gilchrest is another obvious that played down the order most of his career.

 

You have to remember he WILL be keeper and you cannot expect him to be both opener and keeper it is just not realistic.

By starting him down the order you give him freedom in test, if he is with one of the main batsman he can form a partnership. If he is with the tail he can have a go, same roll Gilchrest filled, same as Dhoni tries although he is not a good test batsman.

 

By starting him at 7 and not keeping he can focus on batting and when ready he can take the gloves.

AB has already said he wants to play at 4.

Sewhag made his test debut within months of his ODI debut (he was dropped for some times) - by his 5th innings (tests) he was opening.

Gilcrest was a lower order batsmen who was promoted later in his career not an open bat made to play down the order

Batting down the order is not a freedom position - it is normally the person who has to get you out of the poo more often than coming in with freedom. If a number 7 comes in with freedom you would have over 450 on the board - he wouldn't even get to bat for 2 hours. The situation of a collapse is where I feel we need a solid Dhoni/Boucher type player at 7 who can work with the tail enders

 

. He can learn the role he will hopefully fulfill for the next 10 years.

He will be a keeper and batman so will not fill the opener roll in his career in test

Why not?

 

2. We need an opening bat (Smith 32/Alviro 31)

They have 4 years left in them hopefully

Petersen will be lucky to have a season in him. Smith is not fit enough to last another 4 years.

 

3. He is proven upfront and unproven against spin (that quality spin - not the rubbish he faces in the sunfoil series)

He is not proven in test

same applies to the 7 role in test. At least he has had success as an opener and no experience (even domestic level) at 7

 

4. The pressure situation of being 5 or 6 down with 180 on the board if far greater than the freedom when no wickets are down

The pressure of opening is far greater especially if you not making runs.

We can agree to disagree. He is at least used to the pressures of opening and has no experience (even school level at 7)

 

5. He might get discouraged

Same point as above

 

6. Amla might have to open, thus exposing him to the new ball

Amla has opened in tests a few times and done fairly well

Go on tell me about how great he was in his first spell in the test team

 

7. You shuffle the whole order to bat an open later? Its like playing Jean de Villiers on the wing

Like I said I would drop Faf therefore no shuffle.

You just spoke about Amla opening? I did say on the assumption that Petersen loses his place. If Faf goes he can bat 3

[Shebeen]

 

Based on what evidence? The evidence so far say he does pretty well against the new ball.

He opening the batting very regularly.

If he bats 7 then Amla and AB come in earlier

QDK has been around more than this season and has a best score of 194 in first class

 

First-class 18 31 4 1504 194 55.70 1755 85.69 4 8 177 31 70 5 List A 50 48 0 1724 135 35.91 1881 91.65 5 5 176 28 58 6

 

 

Would you consider Warner (leading runs scorer in the Ashes) defensive? Dilshan - defensive?

 

For what it's worth he wasn't keeping in that game, and puttick also got an identical 194 as opener!

http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-domestic-2012/engine/match/575095.html

 

It's simple, is qdk a prospect as Test keeper? Yes.

Is he good enough as a Test batsman? Maybe, not yet

 

The second question will be better answered by him playing sunfoil series than carrying drinks (or even playing) for the proteas.

[JGR]

All this talk of qdk waltzing into the Test team(as an opener nogal) is far too premature. No one is doubting his one day skills, but this is a different ball game. He could end up breaking all of bouch's records, but he needs to learn how to protect his wicket first.

 

Kuhn, Smit and Vilas are all pushing valid claims over multiple seasons for a place in the test squad. Qdk did get a massive hundred last year, but not as a keeper.

 

The next opener in line would probably be stiaan Van zyl(currently scoring buckets at three).

Ill bet you 5 cents (your monthly budget) he gets into the test team before that lot. If you bothered to reach we were talking about him as just a batsmen at this stage with AB still keeping the gloves

 

Graeme Smith opened the batting at 21 with less first class experience behind him but I guess that was a dof move to - neh?

 

The experience probably made him one of the toughest batsmen in the game today

Edited December 19, 2013 by JGR

['Dale]

All this talk of qdk waltzing into the Test team(as an opener nogal) is far too premature. No one is doubting his one day skills, but this is a different ball game. He could end up breaking all of bouch's records, but he needs to learn how to protect his wicket first.

 

Kuhn, Smit and Vilas are all pushing valid claims over multiple seasons for a place in the test squad. Qdk did get a massive hundred last year, but not as a keeper.

 

The next opener in line would probably be stiaan Van zyl(currently scoring buckets at three).

 

de Kock is looking good in the 4 day format

[JGR]

For what it's worth he wasn't keeping in that game, and puttick also got an identical 194 as opener!

http://www.espncrici...tch/575095.html

 

It's simple, is qdk a prospect as Test keeper? Yes.

Is he good enough as a Test batsman? Maybe, not yet

 

The second question will be better answered by him playing sunfoil series than carrying drinks (or even playing) for the proteas.

For what it is worth ..... read the discussion before commenting.

 

Yes Puttick is a great player but he is not 21 and doesn't have 15 years ahead of him.

 

and btw he is not good enough to be a test keeper yet

Edited December 19, 2013 by JGR

[Garfield2010]

I think India is going to have trouble this match. If it is 30 degrees+ tomorrow it could get really ugly really quickly. They needed at least 3 quick wickets...........

[JGR]

I think India is going to have trouble this match. If it is 30 degrees+ tomorrow it could get really ugly really quickly. They needed at least 3 quick wickets...........

SA looking very solid at the moment (via text scoring)

 

I had some concerns the wicket might have been doing a lot after we got 5 wickets so quickly. Must have been a mix of bad batting and good bowling

['Dale]

So many edges missed after lunch...

But they're still there...

 

Runs are flowing now...

[JGR]

Off to client now - hopefully these two still in when I get back! Go Proteas!

[Shebeen]

Great discussion. Great problem we have actually,a lot of guys putting their hands up to get in the test squad. Agree that the bigger issue is finding backup openers, plenty of quality keepers with decent batting averages in our system.

 

 

For what it is worth ..... read the discussion before commenting.

 

Yes Puttick is a great player but he is not 21 and doesn't have 15 years ahead of him.

 

and btw he is not good enough to be a test keeper yet

chill bru, I'm watching the cricket at the same time, nursing a beer and a smart phone, so there's posts coming in whilst i'm typing.

[JGR]

Great discussion. Great problem we have actually,a lot of guys putting their hands up to get in the test squad. Agree that the bigger issue is finding backup openers, plenty of quality keepers with decent batting averages in our system.

 

chill bru, I'm watching the cricket at the same time, nursing a beer and a smart phone, so there's posts coming in whilst i'm typing.

Yip - rich people problems with the talent we have. QDK could play as a specialist batter imo

 

I saw some comments earlier from Indian fans saying things like - why can they have our second string - Tsotsobe, de Lange, Abbot et al.

[Shebeen]

For what it's worth I'm not falling for any personal bait on this discussion. That's just not cricket.

 

50 up for biff with a drive over the top, things looking good here.(glances out the window at the ocean, swell too small for surfing, wind too light for wind surfing. Heads to the bar fridge)

[Shebeen]

Final session started.proteas in the driving seat for now going nicely at 3.4 an over. Lots still to do. I'd like to think they can knuckle down and get at least 350(400 would be better) sometime late day 3. Don't want to chase to much batting last.

 

Test cricket really is the best(helps when your team is #1)

['Dale]

2 wickets

2 balls

 

Game on!

['Dale]

Smith to anchor

Hopefully the big guy can carry his bat