Cricket......

[leeubok]

100%! I really do not like JPD one bit, he has brief flashes of brilliance, but his spot should've been up for grabs yonks ago.

 

De Kock is our best batsman at the moment. Our approach to Test cricket is very outdated, it worked for us successfully many years ago, but teams and strategies move on, and we've been outclassed time and time again. 

 

We're too conservative, especially under AB. Faf has been a bit more attack minded at least. And ja JPD... Cook failed in 3 tests and got dropped. But JPD has been failing for years now, like you said, with a brief flash of brilliance once every 2 years just to keep him in the team. He doesn't even bowl much anymore so can't be classed as an allrounder. Jeepers that guy annoys me!!!!

 

Hope our young team with Faf back does a bit better tomorrow! 

['Dale]

Gotta sort out that opener slot and big Morkel's no-ballz

Faffa will bring that calm, feisty and stabile force

Get Root out early

A win will go a long way

[Shebeen]

I think the KP issue was very different to the current AB one. KP was a d*ck and very unpopular in the english team. Remember it all blew up when we were touring there and he was sms'in the SA players on how to get Strauss out. Also, KP and Flower (the then coach) hated each other.

 

AB, as far as everyone outside the team can see, gets on very well with everyone. He used to be everyones favourite player, even in India I think he is 2nd only to Kohli. AB's downfall, in my humble opinion, is that he is not a very good captain or tactician. Ever since he took over the captaincy people have questioned his tactics. And then he started picking Indian rupees over playing for SA.... I for one have lost a lot of respect for him. Yes he is one of the all time greats, but no-one is bigger than the game. If he wants to chase $$$$ all over the world in the T20 leagues like Gayle, then do so, but step down from the Proteas then. If he feels he can't play all 3 formats, fine, pick your format and stick with it. Don't pick and choose which series you want to play in.. It's very unfair on the batsman that will have to make way for him everytime AB feels like playing again.

Agree - KP is more like Lance, piss off enough people and eventually everyone turns on you.

 

 

Totally agree with AB being a star player but very average captain.  Faf was captain at school.

The 2015 WC semifinal loss is still being blamed on politics Abbot/Philander, but guess who AB brought on to bowl at the death? AB de Villiers - all of a sudden that season he decided he was going to be a bowler.

He hasn't bowled a ball in international cricket since (AFAIK)

[mecheng89]

We're too conservative, especially under AB. Faf has been a bit more attack minded at least. And ja JPD... Cook failed in 3 tests and got dropped. But JPD has been failing for years now, like you said, with a brief flash of brilliance once every 2 years just to keep him in the team. He doesn't even bowl much anymore so can't be classed as an allrounder. Jeepers that guy annoys me!!!!

 

Hope our young team with Faf back does a bit better tomorrow! 

Well our wishes have been granted, JPD out of 2nd test. NOW GO TO THE NETS AND BAT!

[Stretch]

Well our wishes have been granted, JPD out of 2nd test. NOW GO TO THE NETS AND BAT!

 

you spelt retire wrong

[pe3nguin]

you spelt retire wrong

Bit rude. You probably have *** days at the office. No one is asking you to retire.

[Stretch]

Bit rude. You probably have *** days at the office. No one is asking you to retire.

Look at his record...he has a history of breaking up mediocrity with a good innings which then keeps in the selectors mind. If you look at his batting graph there is zero consistency there throughout his career

 

[leeubok]

six 100's and only 8 fifties after 46 matches is shocking. If he was a true allrounder who bowled a lot and batted a bit you could forgive him, but he's seen as a proper batsman coming in at no4 now. That's just not good enough. And when last did he bowl (and take wickets)? As I've said, Stephen Cook failed in 3 tests then got dropped... Where's the consistency here?

[babse]

Nah not saying he must retire from life, just step down from international cricket as he unfortunately has not turned his talents into the great many thought he would become (THAT Australian series seems like eons ago). 

 

Also don't think a nets session will sort out he's problems! 

 

He's been very average over the last 2/3 years (to put in lightly) 

Edited July 14, 2017 by babse

[leeubok]

Who would you guys have in the team today, Morris or De Bruyn? I feel for De Bruyn but I would go with Morris. Without Dale Steyn, Kg and a suspiciously unfit Vern we're going to need that extra pace bowler

['Dale]

Russel Domingo's mama passed away in a MVA 

He went home

Edited July 14, 2017 by 'Dale

[Shebeen]

Well our wishes have been granted, JPD out of 2nd test. NOW GO TO THE NETS AND BAT!

I think JPD has played his last test, and it wasn't a good one.People have been saying for a long time that he's the luckiest guy in cricket - he was in the team mainly in the time of the unicorn that is Jacques Kallis - we could fit 12 players into the team effectively. Speculating here, but obviously being non white helped his cause, sometimes it feels like he just couldn't be dropped. And just like Alviro he was good enough to get the good performances, but just not the consistency. I'm speculating here, but you can just imagine what that must do to one's self confidence.

 

Let's look at his stats. Normally they won't tell a full story, but over ten years we've got lots of data.

Batting - 46 Matches, 74 innings, 2103 @ 32.85

Bowling - 46 Matches, 56 innings, 42 wickets @ 38.11

 

Now to be considered an all rounder, you really need your bowling average lower than your batting average (JK had 55 - 32, Pollock 32- 23, BigMac 39-33). JP was at best a batting allrounder, but as a batsmen first 32 is just not good enough. He was shifted around a bit, who knows if he would have fared better being at #4 instead of often batting with the tail. 

 

I think his career will be seen as potential that was never realised. His highest score remains the epic 166 he scored in only his second test in 2007 in Australia(fwiw Dale Steyn hasn't improved on the 76 he got that innings either). He was 23 at the time, and a lot more was expected from him. Stats won't always tell the full story, he is said to have a 'golden arm', because he often managed to break partnerships when nothing else was working. One must also remember that when he started bowling, it meant that we no longer had to see Biff bowling his pies any longer - you can't put a price on that!

 

BUT looking purely at stats again, we can compare him to Moeen Ali who is also a batting allrounder - 38 tests, 2021 runs @ 35, 108 wickets @ 39.35 (Ali sneaks him in batting, and has just bowled more to get more wickets). We can also look at Klusener, who was a bowling allrounder from a slightly different era - 39 Tests, 1906 runs @32.86, 80 wickets @37.91. Doesn't look so bad now, and Klusener also had a purple patch in his debut series but never repeated it.

 

I think we'll remember JPD as someone who became an important part of the balance in a very successful test team, but just never kicked on from what was an amazing start to his career. He'll surely stay relevant in the ODI team (he remains our top T20i batsmen in terms of runs).

[Shebeen]

we won the toss - bat first, let's go boys!

[leeubok]

Good 50 by #! Hope he converts the 50 to 300 good to see de kock bat a little earlier. Proteas doing well so far in swinging conditions

[Piston ZA]

50 up for de Kock. Good call from du Plessis sending him in at 4

[GLuvsMtb]

50 up for de Kock. Good call from du Plessis sending him in at 4

I liked this move. He can bat with freedom at 4, particularly if we bat first and is not in trouble at 30/3. A 100 from De Kock at a run a ball would have given SA a lot of momentum.

 

Bowling first I would still want to give him at least 1 session to recover from keeping.

 

 

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