Cricket......

['Dale]

I agree, I would select any of those guys over Thami. But that wont score any political points with the government. I think Tsolikile will play as a quota player.

If I had to choose, I would go with AB at 4, Faf 5, JP 6, QdK at 7. JP to bowl more, with 4 frontline bowlers. The bowling selections must be done with more care, without a Kallis to bail us out if some bowlers are ineffective like Peterson and Philander were today.

 

I wrote before that Thami has been poorly managed by SA selectors.

Never given a good run.

Never been asked to stay home for this club or province.

Always been given the 'tag along' status.

 

Mixed messages.

 

I do think that there's a lot of unlocked talent there.

Player management = terrible by CSA.

[Christie]

QdK is the superstar in the making, a slot is now open, the most talented batsmen should get it. Either him in the lower order, or David Miller at 4.

['Dale]

QdK is the superstar in the making, a slot is now open, the most talented batsmen should get it. Either him in the lower order, or David Miller at 4.

 

It'll be interesting how they manage the WK position.

AB's ' keeping has been outstanding without limiting his batting form - he struggled initially when he had to adjust.

 

I reckon they'll work on another batting all-rounder and keep AB with gloves.

McLaren is a good fit.

Edited December 27, 2013 by ' Dale

[GLuvsMtb]

I liked our openers' attitude today. Often players have their eyes too firmly set on the end of a session and they let valuable time slip by. By being positive we preserved our wickets as Dohni had to stem the flow of runs instead of trying to take wickets early. If we can continue at the same rate tomorrow we could see Dohni under pressure for the first time in the series, apart from 90 minutes of the last session in the previous game. We have taken the shine off the new ball for tomorrow and it will take 10 overs or so before it may start to reverse, so if we get off to a flyer early on, we may find out how good Dohni is under pressure tomorrow. Our game plan would be to take the game forward quite quickly. A lead of 100 by close of play and with wickets in hand we can push hard on day 4 to give our bowlers a 250 run lead and 5 sessions to bowl india out in.

['Dale]

Kallis looking set for century 45?

 

Pity the weather is disrupting and moving the result to a likely draw.

[Christie]

SA scoring EXTREMELY slowly since AB got out. That is not going to help for a win. Defensive fields set by Doni, but I dont like how easily we got contained by an all rounder and a part timer. We need to score 250+ tomorrow, but them in before the close and bowl them out.

[GLuvsMtb]

SA scoring EXTREMELY slowly since AB got out. That is not going to help for a win. Defensive fields set by Doni, but I dont like how easily we got contained by an all rounder and a part timer. We need to score 250+ tomorrow, but them in before the close and bowl them out.

It was some absorbing play by both Dohni and our batsmen. He would have hoped to 'buy' a wicket with defensive tactics and our batsmen stuck it out beautifully. I expect our boys to start off slowly and accelerate once we have passed India's 1st in innings score. The pitch seems to slow down and there will be turn for Robbie P. Lets see ou boys get to 450 to 500 and put India in for 4 sessions.

['Dale]

 

It was some absorbing play by both Dohni and our batsmen. He would have hoped to 'buy' a wicket with defensive tactics and our batsmen stuck it out beautifully. I expect our boys to start off slowly and accelerate once we have passed India's 1st in innings score. The pitch seems to slow down and there will be turn for Robbie P. Lets see ou boys get to 450 to 500 and put India in for 4 sessions.

 

Disappointingly, the pitch is favouring the tourists with its subcontinent feel.

Slow bowling strategy with a lot of leg side attacking (bowling area patches) using a worn out cherry makes quick run-scoring tough.

 

Astute captaincy by Dhoni.

 

Cool arm wrestle between two competent teams.

 

 

 

 

[Garfield2010]

If we can declare or be all out by tea with a lead of 150 we will be well set. Indians will be tired after 2 days in the field.

 

However Durban has shown that wickets tend to fall during the first 20 overs each day so dont be surprised if we fobt get a big lead. All up to Kallis. But even if we are bowled out for the same score there is only one team that can win from here and that is us.

 

India can collapse. Of not they will only leave themselves 40 overs to bowl us out which is not enough

[Sniffie]

 

I guess the old debate of cricket lovers all over the world would flame up again over the next few weeks namely: Who is/was the best all rounder in test cricket of all time. Since I started following this great sport in the 1970's there have been some great names aspiring to this title. The 70's 80's and early 90's seems to have delivered a rich crop with names like Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Imran Kahn and Richard Hadlee springing to mind. More recently we have had names like Andrew Flintoff, Chris Cairns and even our own Shaun Pollock.

 

They were all great all rounders, and with the exception of one or two perhaps would have all made their national teams with either bat or ball... and yet they all pale in to insignificance when compared to Sir Garfield Sobers and King Kallis. Due to our political past we South Africans only had glimpses of the great Sobers in action. One thing that is obvious was how much he enjoyed what he was doing. Being West Indian from Barbados should explain a lot as this is how they live their lives in general. Another thing that is obvious is his pure talent that allowed him to play his calypso style cricket. One almost had the impression that even though he obviously enjoyed what he was doing on the field, and that he was very good at it, he would not allow cricket to dominate his social life. On the other hand Kallis has always been the ultimate professional, putting in the extra hours of training, visiting the gym and in general living the disciplined live of a modern professional sportsman.

 

So who was the greatest? So difficult to compare these two as their careers is 40 to 50 years apart. Looking at statistics one has to listen to your mind and say Sobers. Being proudly South African my vote goes for the King!

 

PS

I know it is difficult to pick the right moment to end such a magnificent career, but I would have loved to see him end it after the up coming series against the Aussies. I just wonder what the Aussie press would make of his decision to end his career at this moment... They like to hang that big C tag around our neck

[dev null]

I will probably earn the disapproval of this entire forum if I state my mind, and I have at times been accused of calling a spade a mechanised digger.

 

With regards to Kallis: I have lots of admiration for him and his mental strength, and he is my son's cricket hero, but I have sometimes felt that through his career that he was playing more for himself and his statistics than for the team. There was just a few occasions (50 over matches) where I felt that he put is into a tight spot with his batting.

 

That is my oppinion though.

['Dale]

I will probably earn the disapproval of this entire forum if I state my mind, and I have at times been accused of calling a spade a mechanised digger.

 

With regards to Kallis: I have lots of admiration for him and his mental strength, and he is my son's cricket hero, but I have sometimes felt that through his career that he was playing more for himself and his statistics than for the team. There was just a few occasions (50 over matches) where I felt that he put is into a tight spot with his batting.

 

That is my oppinion though.

 

You are correct to a degree.

Cricket is a sport where individual success and achievements are invariably necessary for the team's cause.

 

 

[dev null]

I don't know what drugs the SA team management is smoking. Time is of the essence and they send Morkel out to bat! What did they expect to achieve?

['Dale]

I don't know what drugs the SA team management is smoking. Time is of the essence and they send Morkel out to bat! What did they expect to achieve?

 

Back on?

 

Cool

[dev null]

Yes, but they just wasted 30 minutes for 4 runs on the board. Really man. They should have sent out India after that break.

['Dale]

Yes, but they just wasted 30 minutes for 4 runs on the board. Really man. They should have sent out India after that break.

 

Wtf

4 runs

 

Eish

Why not play T20 now