Cricket: England tour of South Africa 2009/10

[battletoad]

Nothing more than we deserve.

We need to keep this test team together now. No more changes. Even prince can stay he will get back into form soon i hope .

Prince is a bladdy rock in the middle order! No matter what implosions during batting if he or kallis are at the crease i breathe easy. But ja hope the opening batsman thing takes off for him, he's perfectly capable of being a gary kirsten-type opener

 

[sox63]

Nothing more than we deserve.

We need to keep this test team together now. No more changes. Even prince can stay he will get back into form soon i hope .

How about dropping Duminy, until he works on his technique a bit more. The dude's class on the front foot is undisputed, however his backfoot play is SO clumsy that it gives the bowling side a sniff at his wicket. I would give Alviro Peterson a run as Smith's partner at the top, and give Prince back his original spot.

For the India tour, I would drop Mclaren and pick Tahir, depending on legal SA status.

My starting XI would be:

Smith
Peterson
Amla
Kallis
AB
Prince
Boucher
Morkel
Steyn
Parnell
Tahir

 

[killadoob]

I doubt tahir will be available.

 

[I am Penguin]

How about dropping Duminy, until he works on his technique a bit more.......

He got us two England wickets!

 

[LancelotSA]

How about dropping Duminy, until he works on his technique a bit more. The dude's class on the front foot is undisputed, however his backfoot play is SO clumsy that it gives the bowling side a sniff at his wicket.

You have thrown Tahir into the mix which is not a possibility at the moment. Duminy provides an invaluable spin bowling option as today's two wickets in 11 balls showed. Yes, he is in the team as a batsmen first and foremost but as a captain it is great knowing you have someone like him to throw the ball to.

 

[LancelotSA]

Don't you think it would've been a bit disappointing going to The Wanderers today?

I would love nothing better than going to a stadium to watch our team destroy the opposition! And by looking at the crowds over the last two days I don't think I am alone in that view!

 

[sox63]

You have thrown Tahir into the mix which is not a possibility at the moment. Duminy provides an invaluable spin bowling option as today's two wickets in 11 balls showed. Yes, he is in the team as a batsmen first and foremost but as a captain it is great knowing you have someone like him to throw the ball to.

I thought Tahir's papers would be ready for the tour to India? But as for Duminy, I would have rather preffered to take a front line spinner to India, EVEN if it has to be Harris.

 

[Morgoth]

I don't know, feels to me as if we don't have enough back up to just do a decent job once our star performers are out of tune, we are going to India now, meaning we need duminiy/harris to bowl very well, they will play a key.. I wouldn't drop Parnel he is always worth a wicket or 2, despite that on a off day he will cost you a lot of runs.

Steyn/Morkel is doing an ace job, probably one of the best combinations in the world at the moment, my concern is though, Kallis/boucher/ is pretty old already, how much longer will they be able to play as good as they are doing and not turn into a Ntini.

 

[I am Penguin]

......, Kallis/boucher/ is pretty old already, ........

Well so far I think we would have some time still for at least the India tour then the selectors can review the situation. Boucher can still go a long way. Kallis better hit some devastating form again.

 

[Morgoth]

Well so far I think we would have some time still for at least the India tour then the selectors can review the situation. Boucher can still go a long way. Kallis better hit some devastating form again.

they are both in form, kallis will lose a lot of pace, he already did, it is natural, but shouldn't we be building up to the WC already,? well they be able to be that good then, are there enough good all round youngsters to take his place in the country?... not so sure about that. There are a few good keepers though, maybe not at the boucher level yet, but they can get there.

 

[daveza]

Boucher 341 runs, 16 catches
Smith 427 runs, 7 catches
Kallis 363 runs, 5 catches

But some will still call for their heads.

 

[elL0L]

Did anyone know the gates were opened and that the cricket was free?

 

[Morgoth]

Boucher 341 runs, 16 catches
Smith 427 runs, 7 catches
Kallis 363 runs, 5 catches

But some will still call for their heads.

age is getting past a number!!!!

Smith = good player, not my best captain though, I see him as the Brain Lara type of player from the windies.

 

[LancelotSA]

Re Kallis getting old... I think that is the exact reason they will persevere with someone like Duminy (now don't get me wrong, I am not saying he is a Kallis, no one is!). Someone who can bat (yes he is having a bad patch) and can hold up an end bowling and nip out a wicket or two. The fact that he is a spinner adds to his positives as it means more variation to the attack.

And I'll add my voice again saying that I do not think there is anything wrong with Smith as captain. In tests most of the strategising takes place off the field anyway. The captain just carries this out on the field. I am almost certain that Smith takes/gets plenty input from Boucher, Kallis etc on the field too. In fact I think it is a known fact that Boucher plays a huge role on the field in terms of strategy.

 

[AirWolf]

+1 Well done SA . Great performance in this test match.

 

[phoneJunky]

Well done SA, was a really great show.

 

[Devill]

Re Kallis getting old... I think that is the exact reason they will persevere with someone like Duminy (now don't get me wrong, I am not saying he is a Kallis, no one is!). Someone who can bat (yes he is having a bad patch) and can hold up an end bowling and nip out a wicket or two. The fact that he is a spinner adds to his positives as it means more variation to the attack.

Also if parnell becomes a perma fixture in the team, duminy with his off spin will bopwl into parnell's footmarks... very very nice and 100% what you want if you can have the other team bat second(and forth).

 

[Morgoth]

well SA kinda has a thing for delivering good all rounders, we had Trevor Goddard, Mike Proctor, Clive Rice, Adrian Kuiper, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, each good in his own way, Kallis, Proctor and Rice probably stands out amongs the best, but we can bring a few new ones up!

 

[semiautomatix]

I would love nothing better than going to a stadium to watch our team destroy the opposition! And by looking at the crowds over the last two days I don't think I am alone in that view!

Just knowing the outcome already makes it less appealing for me...

 

[CHURCHILL]

For all those saying that England are lucky to get a draw, please explain.

If SA was that great, they would not have let England got so close, and would of taken Onions wicket each time.

There is a alot of if's and but's this tour for both teams, both had bad/good moments and both made some poor decisions.

What if Prince and JP had batted better, what if Strauss and KP had batter better,no one knows, all i know is that SA drew the T20's , lost the ODI's and drew the tests.