Cricket......

[PietSw]

one of the best cricket articles I've ever read

 

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/965019.html

 

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/151400/151441.jpg

This is a  really good article and so sad that its true...

[Latent_Blue]

image.jpeg

Lets hope Rabada gets a yorker arm like that as well!

[PietSw]

So Finally we get a good test win. I'm really happy for the guys. I think that sometimes things just do not go your way and it all started going wrong with those cabbage patch wickets in India. But they stayed true to the #ProteaFire motto and fought until the bitter end, somewhat embarrassing England ion this final test. 

 

Now some may say its a little too late, it's a dead rubber. If that's your opinion you have clearly never taken to a sports field and you might be suffering from the Mediocrity disease yourself. No sportsmen play to loose and go ask Kagiso Rabada if this was a dead rubber for him. The other thing we have to remember is we now sit 2nd on the ICC test rankings, if we lost we would have dropped to 4th..

 

What a star we have in Kagiso Rabada, He is hitting the scene at exactly the right moment (when Dale Steyn is getting injuries). I really like him, his action is effortless and he should stay fairly injury free throughout his career. He is going to be a big one... and I hope the selectors and administration realize... If this is what transformation produces, no one has a problem with it.. this guy is a star and deserves his place Just like Ntini all those years back. Its not about colour, its about Merrit... Goolam Bodi vs Kevin Pietersen is probably the best example of this we will ever have.

 

Talking about Goolam Bodi.... Seriously, do I even have to comment...and Thami Tsolekile. You see, you can fool the SA public with transformation, making us think some players deserve to be there. They will have long, very mediocre careers but at least they will get payed for it right... The problem though is this... That same player feels that he is not earning enough in SA and wants a Kolpak deal in the UK or a Big Bash contract or even an IPL stint. These institutions pick purely on merit and these guys will not even feature in the list of candidates there. Maybe thats why they took the bribes?

 

AB as captain... I have said this many a time.. Was Francois Pienaar our best flanker in 1995, was Hansie our best Player in the 90's. You simply do not make the best player captain.. You make a leader captain.. AB has accepted the job because how do you say NO to captaining your country.. But i would not be surprised if come August and the Next Test Series, Dean Elgar might be given the Captaincy...

 

Anyways, Well done to the Poms, they made history. But we will be back to put them back in their place guaranteed.

['Dale]

Lekka thoughtful and sincere post there, Piet'

[Stretch]

 This is our 1 Big Problem... The Proteas almost never play domestic cricket which leaves the provincial players without the required experience. The problem is the exchange rate and the mediocre salaries our players get. If you get an offer for 4 x your salary for 6 weeks work wont you do it? 

 

agree - there is not one person who would not...that said...what happened to the days of getting that in county cricket...

 

I really enjoy the long form of the game...and its slowly being consumed by the short form and that is what really concerns me...and why I cant stand IPL

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

19 August 2016. That's when we're playing test match cricket again. WTF?

 

RIDICULOUS!!!!

[Joe Low]

agree - there is not one person who would not...that said...what happened to the days of getting that in county cricket...

 

I really enjoy the long form of the game...and its slowly being consumed by the short form and that is what really concerns me...and why I cant stand IPL

 

Effectively we've got (colourless) restrictions to keep you buggers out:

 

A player becomes eligible to sign for a county under the Kolpak deal only after he gives up his right to play for his country. According to rules, a Kolpak player must not have represented his country in the past 12 months and during the period of his contract with a county, he will not be eligible to represent his country. The Kolpak players will be eligible to play for England after plying their trade in the country for four years.

[Shebeen]

on the test captaincy issue - I really believed that # could do the job, so it's disappointing that maybe he got it at a time when we had a whole host of injuries/retirements etc affecting the team - and a batting slump. He already seems to have a spring back in his step since dropping it if the runs are anything to go by.

 

I've never been convinced of AB as a captain - for all the hocus/pocus of the philander/abbot selection/interference in the WC semi, people forget that he put himself on to bowl at the death. He even tried bowling bouncers (with the expected result). He is without a doubt one of the best cricket players on the planet, but he's no bowler and iffy as a captain.

 

Elgar could be a good long term prospect - I don't see any others really.

 

What it all comes back to, and I only really like to bring it up because he was so badly understood by our general public, is that we didn't realise how good Graeme Smith was. As a captain. As an opener - he leaves just as big a hole as Kallis does. 

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

on the test captaincy issue - I really believed that # could do the job, so it's disappointing that maybe he got it at a time when we had a whole host of injuries/retirements etc affecting the team - and a batting slump. He already seems to have a spring back in his step since dropping it if the runs are anything to go by.

 

I've never been convinced of AB as a captain - for all the hocus/pocus of the philander/abbot selection/interference in the WC semi, people forget that he put himself on to bowl at the death. He even tried bowling bouncers (with the expected result). He is without a doubt one of the best cricket players on the planet, but he's no bowler and iffy as a captain.

 

Elgar could be a good long term prospect - I don't see any others really.

 

What it all comes back to, and I only really like to bring it up because he was so badly understood by our general public, is that we didn't realise how good Graeme Smith was. As a captain. As an opener - he leaves just as big a hole as Kallis does. 

 

Amen, they say hindsight is 20/20.

Agree with you saying Elgar but I know Faf's name has also been doing the rounds. Duminy could also be a contender if his form was better.

Where does everybody stand with Quintin, vindicated his selection??

[Christie]

QdK reminds me a lot of AB's early career, loads of talent, but inconsistent due to soft dismissals. He has the potential to be an all time great, in the league of Gilchrist, if his game matures well. SA selectors took too long to but him back, he should have played in some of the tests vs India already.

The selectors also cept on with the improvised opener plan for too long.

 

Imo they should rotate JPD, Faf, Rilee and van Zyl for one spot in the middle order

[Christie]

On to the ODIs and T20s

They must rest Morkel and Rabada. Steyn and Philander still injured, Abbott out too. It will be a new look attack - some of Morris, De Lange, Parnell, Dala may get an opportunity. Tahir should be back.

['Dale]

1 Ind

2 Oz

3 SA

 

(Test rankings, after today)

[bertusras]

Really close at the top of the table:

 

India - 32M - 3535pts - 110.47

Aus - 40M - 4376pts - 109.40

RSA - 34M - 3703pts - 108.91

 

Too bad we're not playing enough cricket. That's probably why we held onto the No. 1 for so long.

Edited January 26, 2016 by bertusras

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

On to the ODIs and T20s

They must rest Morkel and Rabada. Steyn and Philander still injured, Abbott out too. It will be a new look attack - some of Morris, De Lange, Parnell, Dala may get an opportunity. Tahir should be back.

I heard Rabada is playing the ODI's??

[EmptyB]

Perhaps but if cycling took a harsher stance and gave lengthy bans like this it might deter dopers.

But thats off of the cricket topic.

Agreed...but if there's one thing that makes my blood boil big time it's farking Gulam Bodi and similar such stories in cricket!!

 

Anyway...super stoked for the Proteas and let's hope we take some good momentum into the rest of this tour.

['Dale]

I heard Rabada is playing the ODI's??

Heard on the news he's definitely out, alongside Steyn and Morkel