Stretch Posted February 22, 2019 Posted February 22, 2019 Wondering whether it's only the pitches - very few test matches anywhere going to five days of late... I reckon the bowlers are becoming more aggressive / getting more used to shorter formats, and that the batsmen are also much more in the shorter version mindset... Should be all over by lunchtime tomorrow...Snap
'Dale Posted February 23, 2019 Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) First ever team from the Asian region to win a Test series in Souf Effrika No fluke 2-0 That’s what I love about sport What a fantastic milestone And the Windies towered over England too Edited February 23, 2019 by 'Dale gemmerbal 1
Stretch Posted February 23, 2019 Posted February 23, 2019 First ever team from the Asian region to win a Test series in Souf Effrika No fluke 2-0 That’s what I love about sport What a fantastic milestone And the Wmdies towered over England tooWasn't even close
'Dale Posted February 23, 2019 Posted February 23, 2019 "...mentally off the boil..." Faf, Proteas captain, stunned The ODI series will be very juicy
babse Posted February 23, 2019 Posted February 23, 2019 What a piss poor performance from saff africa... Well done SL! WhuYu and Capricorn 2
Capricorn Posted February 23, 2019 Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) What a piss poor performance from saff africa... Well done SL!fully agreed. This team at the moment, has mentally imploded. But hey, since it's a world cup year, i can almost ignore the test results as long as they clean up in the one dayers. but we'll see. it's abhorable for a so-called tier 1 team to not perform in all formats of the game, especially when the core of the team is the same.Maybe time to bench Amla. The team needs a wake up call. The mighty Hash's stats indicate a step change of performance into negative terrority. Edited February 23, 2019 by Capricorn
Baldrick Posted February 23, 2019 Posted February 23, 2019 A great result for cricket. We need a serious rethink. Some senior players will be looking over their shoulders now. 'Dale and Vetplant 2
Shebeen Posted February 24, 2019 Posted February 24, 2019 I'm always interested to learn more of the intricacies of cricket, so could you maybe shed some light on why you say its not that simple? What are the things they will be looking at and considering in a situation like that?The contest between bat and ball is much like chess. See that Indian guy in the changing room wearing the sa kit permanently behind the laptop? That's Prasanna, the stats analyst. They run models on everything, every team, every player, ever pitch. Plans are prepared for batsmen, who do the same on the bowlers. So to answer, duanne bowls a lot of short because that's the strategy. So far it is working for him. A guy I find interesting is Vern. He exploded onto the test scene after 6/7 years of decent domestic returns. Why were the best test batsmen finding him unplayable?I reckon many domestic batsmen were just playing and missing when he was moving it around.
babse Posted February 24, 2019 Posted February 24, 2019 The contest between bat and ball is much like chess. See that Indian guy in the changing room wearing the sa kit permanently behind the laptop? That's Prasanna, the stats analyst. They run models on everything, every team, every player, ever pitch. Plans are prepared for batsmen, who do the same on the bowlers. So to answer, duanne bowls a lot of short because that's the strategy. So far it is working for him..I fully get this... What's a national team without a genius analysis.And yes I'm sure it's never as straight forward as it looks for me sitting on the couch.At the back end of that innings, still think we failed to cope with the situation. Duanne kept on with the short stuff and they were coping easily with it.That's why I said, a no.9 and 10 don't need to be "worked out". 5 short balls and 1 on the wicket VS 6 balls on the wicket?Anyway we got klapped. I think our bowling unit is fine. We have some serious issues with the bat. What's your take on Dale benkenstein? Is he good enough for position? gemmerbal 1
Warthog Posted February 24, 2019 Posted February 24, 2019 We have a couple of problems in my humble opinion: 1. Serious batting problems, which I think stem from the amount of white ball cricket the boys are playing...Neither of the Durban/PE pitches were bad in any sense, slow yes, but not bad... SL's bowling were quite good, but not extraordinary or outstanding. (I think our bowling were at best good- they kept us in both games, apart for the last day in PE)Except for 2/3 dismissals, our top order got themselves out... 1.Elgar has always been seriously susceptible to out swingers early on, and they've worked him out.2.Markram is getting there, but he seems to loose concentration sometimes.3.Amla - well, he's is class, but obviously so out of sorts at the moment that his technique seems to change from game to game.4. Bavuma - he was very unlucky twice in four innings, but he has the balls and technique to stay there. 5.Faf - I think the captaincy influences his batting. He's a real fighter and gritter, and I suspect that statistics might tell a different story, but I think the pressures are not good for him.6. De Kock - back on form.7. This is a real problem at the moment.... If the above six do what they're supposed to, this will be easy. Batter who can bowl some (Kallis) Vern is the man in tests, but for me he together with Amla are beyond their best- he is a killer with the shiny new ball, but beyond that? And he is becoming increasingly injury prone. (Question: Why don't they play him in ODI's? He is devastating with a new ball and can use a bat.) The bowlers in Tests are sorted. Quicks we have good options - Steyn/Rabada/Ngidi/Olivier and others plus a spinner on the right pitches. 2. Captain. I don't think (and I'm waiting to be keel-hauled..) that Faf is a good Test captain. It's as though he can make good decisions in the shorter versions, but the moment he has to think beyond two innings something goes missing... there was just absolutely no other plan on the last day yesterday - when whatever they planned didn't work out, there was just nothing else... 3. We're missing real gritters - what we have is a bunch of "stars", but we need a Brian MacMillan, a Fanie de Villiers, a Gary Kirsten. None of them were superstars, but they kept games together. M2cw. bertusras, babse and gemmerbal 3
bertusras Posted February 24, 2019 Posted February 24, 2019 It's time for Hamza to become a permanent fixture in the test team. I have to agree about Faf as captain, the team seemed clueless and we were well and truly embarrassed. Throw the hat to Markram and see what he's made of in my opinion. Also not sold on Bavuma to be frank. He always manages to save his butt with one good knock after a dry spell. And why is he batting at 4 with a FC average of 37? You've got guys like Rassie van der Dussen making their ODI debut at nearly 30 years of age, but are sitting on 43 FC averages without getting a shot at the test team? It's time for new blood, and guys like Hamza, Mulder and Janneman Malan must be frothing at the mouth for a proper chance. Send the stalwarts back to first class cricket to regain their form and give the young guns a shot. Oh, but wait, no it's just World Cup fever at the moment. We won't play another test for the next, well ****, who even knows as we have no fixtures past the World Cup. There was a long discussion during the Pakistan tour on one of the lunch break talks about getting countries to get their players to want to play Test Cricket, and not to run away chasing $$$ all over the world. But at the moment money trumps respect and glory. Capricorn and gemmerbal 2
Shebeen Posted February 26, 2019 Posted February 26, 2019 Markram as captain? Well he did win the u19 World Cup as captain, but has been given the reins already.Last year, against india he was the ODI captain when Faf got injured. We lost 5-1, and he was deer in headlights. I don't think he wants the mantle just yet, (and isn't in the ODI team currently either). For now that puts Faf (or Elgar) as the only viable Test captains. Anyway Test cricket is done for now, and we're not even looking to overtake India in the rankings but instead sit behind the kiwis! I'm still rather confused by the selections of the ODI squad, and while the core of the squad is chosen, the backups are all in the dark a bit.They gave morris, beuran and cloete a run in the T20s, but now not the ODIs. beuran hendricks took wicketsmorris scored runs and got wickets but now they are seemingly not in the ODI squad.confuses me.also, surely KG needs a break by now!
Warthog Posted February 26, 2019 Posted February 26, 2019 https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Proteas/shock-as-olivier-gives-up-proteas-career-for-english-move-20190226
babse Posted February 26, 2019 Posted February 26, 2019 wow... things must be very gloomy in the dressing to make that decision.
Shebeen Posted February 26, 2019 Posted February 26, 2019 https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Proteas/shock-as-olivier-gives-up-proteas-career-for-english-move-20190226holy moley!!! Granted he did come into the test team as Ngidi was injured, but he took his chance with both hands! And Vern and Steyn are both not going to be around forever either. There is a bit of a rush for kolpak contracts before brexit, but at 26 that is quite a decision to make.List of players who have recently signed kolpak deals within 12 months of playing test cricket for proteas - harmer, viljoen, van zyl, abbot, rossouw, olivier!It's never a core team player, but guys who could have stepped up maybe! now has a test average of 19.25, and was player of the series against pakistan.
EvanB Posted February 26, 2019 Posted February 26, 2019 He has a job outside SA, can't fault the bugger, doesn't have to deal with CSA Vetplant, gemmerbal and Dusty 3
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