Go Protea's Go No1 is ours!!!

I'm no Harris fan, but I think you have to respect what he's done in this series so far. Only Steyn and Johnson have taken more wickets, and only Steyn, Johnson, Hussey :D and Duminy :D have better averages. He's not there for his batting, bat that has been more than respectable, too.

That said, I'd also go for Tahir. :)
 
My issue with Harris is that he is a liability in the field, is not a batsman and doesn't look likely to become one any time soon, and is a very average spin bowler. So he's merely there for his bowling. Now, if that is the case, and we already have an average spin bowler in JP Duminy, then why is his inclusion necessary? IMO it isn't, and we could do with dropping him and including a true all-rounder in the squad instead, or alternatively, Tahir...
 
I must say, the whole Tahir situation is novel. It's great for South African to be receiving players from other countries instead of donating them. :)
 
i never really liked harris but even i have to admit that he held his own during this series... his not the best but he is doing what is expected of him
 
I'm excited too that in Tahir we'll finally have a decent spinner (maybe not of the Warne class, but better than anything we've had before). Three more months until he plays :)

I think Harris does have a role in the team. His job is to tie up an end, and frustrate them into going for shots. Sure sometimes they may get away with it (like how he was pounded today) but that doesn't always happen. While Duminy may be able to bowl spinners, I haven't seen enough of him to compare the two. That wicket I think was a fluke.

The person that bores me to death when they bowl is Ntini - same crap over and over. He was whacked everywhere during the first session and Smith refused to pull him off. I think that irritated me more than Steyn not coming on for Harris. I'd like to see him replaced with Lonwabo Tsotsobe - that guy looked really good in the warm up matches and it's been a while since we had a left-arm quick. It would add more variety than Ntini does.
 
Harris: below average spinner with no other cricketing talent IMHO. The Aussies proved that he is easy to pick off. He won't win me over.

Ntini: a has-been. Glad he has his speed up a little but I've long been vocal about my disappointment in him.

Duminy: the few overs he bowled looked better than any Harris delivery. He had flight, loop, dip, spin and possibly just over-pitched a little. I reckon he needs more overs.
 
Harris has stepped up. He isnt the worlds best spinner but he sure does create some chances as well as dry the runs up most times.
 
DJK said:
Harris: below average spinner with no other cricketing talent IMHO. The Aussies proved that he is easy to pick off. He won't win me over.
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How so? He's taken 9 wickets at 2.8 rpo - neither average nor "easy to pick off" in this series. He's certainly the best option we have available at the moment, and a whole lot better than any spin the Aussies have chucked at us.

DJK said:
Duminy: the few overs he bowled looked better than any Harris delivery. He had flight, loop, dip, spin and possibly just over-pitched a little. I reckon he needs more overs.
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I am a big fan of the Duminator, but even I'll admit that passing the ball to him was a desperation move that paid off when Clarke was given a full toss and had a brain fart. "Possibly just over-pitched a little"? :) Spin is much more effective when the ball actually hits the ground somewhere in front of the batsman.

In the past I would have argued that it is pointless to play a spinner if we don't have someone who is good enough. Harris is more than good enough, even the Australian commentators have been impressed. Duminy's spin is a "nice to have" but let's give him a few more overs before getting rid of a spinner that has troubled the (formerly) best team in the world.
 
chiskop said:
How so? He's taken 9 wickets at 2.8 rpo - neither average nor "easy to pick off" in this series. He's certainly the best option we have available at the moment, and a whole lot better than any spin the Aussies have chucked at us.



I am a big fan of the Duminator, but even I'll admit that passing the ball to him was a desperation move that paid off when Clarke was given a full toss and had a brain fart. "Possibly just over-pitched a little"? :) Spin is much more effective when the ball actually hits the ground somewhere in front of the batsman.

In the past I would have argued that it is pointless to play a spinner if we don't have someone who is good enough. Harris is more than good enough, even the Australian commentators have been impressed. Duminy's spin is a "nice to have" but let's give him a few more overs before getting rid of a spinner that has troubled the (formerly) best team in the world.
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+1 Very well said... on both accounts. Just think, instead of Harris we could have had Robin Pieterson (12th man) who the english commentators once described as having a "surprise" ball... the one that actually spins :D
 
Harris has done a good job in the role he is assigned in this team. I certainly would drop him now, not untill tahir is available.

I certainly don't see JP as anything more than someone who can help out with the spin bowling, similar role that michael clarke plays for aus. He is a batsmen and should stay with that.
 
chiskop said:
How so? He's taken 9 wickets at 2.8 rpo - neither average nor "easy to pick off" in this series. He's certainly the best option we have available at the moment, and a whole lot better than any spin the Aussies have chucked at us.
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His stats are OK but the wickets I've seen him take is more a batsman getting himself out than anything else. One can argue that it's due to him putting on pressure by drying up the runs but I don't see this when he bowls either. I have seen the Aussies playing very tentatively due to the situations their have sometimes found themselves in though, but yesterday's Clarke/Johnson partnership proved how easy he is to pick off.

I won't be convinced on Harris. I find his duck-waddle-fielding technique embarrassing, his batting to be atrocious, and his bowling to be average, if that. Hence why I don't understand his inclusion. He has bowled OK - no better IMO than what a decent schoolboy bowls though. He doesn't change his pace much at all, he hardly spins the ball, gets very little dip, has no variation (arm ball, or at least I haven't seen it) and merely bowls a slow left arm in an occasionally dangerous spot. That's my take on watching the man bowl spin. I like to think we have a pretty strong squad, however he is IMO the "least strong" of the lot, for lack of a better phrase. I don't believe he is a decent enough bowler to be playing at test level for what is currently the top team in the world.

chiskop said:
I am a big fan of the Duminator, but even I'll admit that passing the ball to him was a desperation move that paid off when Clarke was given a full toss and had a brain fart. "Possibly just over-pitched a little"? :) Spin is much more effective when the ball actually hits the ground somewhere in front of the batsman.
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That was most certainly a lucky wicket. What wasn't all that lucky was the fact that the ball dipped on Clarke which forced him to stretch out and pop up the catch, a skill that Harris doesn't possess. What I found promising about Duminy was not altogether his performance/figures/Clarke wicket - it was more his action, the spin he gets, the dip he creates and the line he bowls. He needs to work a bit on his length, but that's a case of practice makes perfect. He needs an opportunity to bowl more as I see more potential in an all-rounder spinner in Duminy, than an average spin bowler in Harris.

chiskop said:
In the past I would have argued that it is pointless to play a spinner if we don't have someone who is good enough. Harris is more than good enough, even the Australian commentators have been impressed. Duminy's spin is a "nice to have" but let's give him a few more overs before getting rid of a spinner that has troubled the (formerly) best team in the world.
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Personally, I'd gladly get rid of Harris for a debutant chess player - that's how much/little I think of him. But then again, I'm not a selector. (Luckily so, you'll probably say...:D )
 
Why are there harris haters out there, he has done really well if you ask me.

Ntini is still good and could not think of someone better. Funny how when players do well everyone supports but when they have a bad spell people turn on them in an instant.
 
killadoob said:
Why are there harris haters out there, he has done really well if you ask me.

Ntini is still good and could not think of someone better. Funny how when players do well everyone supports but when they have a bad spell people turn on them in an instant.
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It aint something new for me. I've always been a Harris hater and have been pretty vocal on this forum regarding how I feel about Ntini...
 
Pitbull said:
One full day to bat and we need just over 300 runs.

I think they will pull through np :)
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I think it depends on the first session. If we can bat that out and lose at most 1 wicket we have a great chance. That's the key.
 
guess not :) well at least until the return leg ....
 
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