Is this it for Gibbs

Smith is a weak captain but still a very proficient opening batsman... I would retain him but not as captain. Boucher too, is not suited to the 20/20 format so I would move AB to keeper and drop Mark. I don't think we should bother with a 2nd spinner seeing as our 1st choice spinner is barely good enough. If we feel the need for more spin then let JP bowl or even Smith but our quicks, when they bowling properly, are the best in the world. I would keep both Morkel brothers in the starting 11...

Gibbs vs Loots debate is an interesting one. Gibbs is dynamite in the field. Fielding is a fundamental component of the game in particular in 20/20 and I would be inclined to persist with Gibbs especially if the next best fields man is now playing wicket keeper (AB).

Would be interesting to see Hashim get a start too. He is massively talented.

There still huge question marks regarding the coaching staff and I can't help but feel had Jennings been in charge the fortune of this team would have been very different.

EDIT: I would make Kallis captain and AB vice-captain...
 
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Stephen said:
Saying Smith must go is pretty extreme, I think he still has things to offer. Maybe the guy was just out of form, like so many were
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I am not talking about his batting but rather his mistakes as captain. Bowler rotation mess ups, etc. In the India, Eng and Pak games, he did nothing towards breaking threatening partnerships. What ever happened to calling everyone together to get them fired up? We had 3 missed chances in the Eng game early on. Everyone should have been huddled together in a group after the first one to refocus. He seemed more intent of getting the 20 overs done in time then breaking the partnership. His whole ploy of chopping and changing bowlers in the beginning of the matches backfired badly against Eng and India. He even completely screwed up Kleinveld but bowling him for two overs at the death. He had a run rate of 4 before that. How can you take a debutant and give them death bowling straight off? Kallis has been filling that role in the IPL for the past year and would have been a better choice.

On his batting, if he is battling for form, then send someone else up the order and bat at number 5/6. But to keep persisting was madness.
 
I don't have all the answers for the whole team but Gibbs has been over the hill for far too long now. Seriously, he needs to go to some English county and play there for a few years to wrap up his career and make some retirement cash.
 
All the calls for Botha to be captain? Is it because of the success the team had in Australia in the 08/09 season?
 
clickme said:
Must just remember that when Botha took us to a ODI series win over Australia, he had probably one of the best cricketing brains in South Africa imho with him in the team in Neil Mckenzie.
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Was Neil Mckenzie involved with the ODI squad that time, I cant remember
 
clickme said:
My suggestion for captain would be Hashim Amla. I think he captained South Africa Under 19.
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No he didn't. He was vice captain, Imraan khan captained that team. Hashim captained the dolphins for one season but didn't enjoy it.
 
stefan9 said:
No he didn't. He was vice captain, Imraan khan captained that team. Hashim captained the dolphins for one season but didn't enjoy it.
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Not sure if he did not like it, but that was the season finished top of the Supersport series and why he was labelled as the next captain. And we know what happended to the Doliphins after that.
 
superskully said:
Not sure if he did not like it, but that was the season finished top of the Supersport series and why he was labelled as the next captain. And we know what happended to the Doliphins after that.
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According to most website he Captained the Under 19 side to the 2002 World Cup.
 
Smith captained the ICC Test team, because most observers (not the fickle ones) acknowledged that he was the best captain around.

Much is made of Botha's captaincy in one ODI series, yet Smith captained the test team to the best team of year in 2008 ( last year they played very little Tests), then despite what was made of Duminy's innings, the comebacks etc, Smith was the architect in the test series in 2008/09, especially the second Aus innings where they went under 250.
This was acknowledged by most knowledgeable commentators at the time.

The last test may well have been saved if Smith wasn't injured, and if he played ODI's then we wouldn't be talking about Botha/McKenzie because the outcome would have been the same.

For some reason the south africans refuse to accept that Botha is not an international standard spinner, Harris barely is and you have a problem with real spinners who actually can dictate the game. Your spinners are either defensive or only good as fillers. Give Botha a long stint in a test game, and a few matches so batters get used to him and he will be ripped apart.

There are batsman (part time spinners) who bowl better than him.

This push for Botha is really strange.
 
OzzieCapie said:
Smith captained the ICC Test team, because most observers (not the fickle ones) acknowledged that he was the best captain around.

Much is made of Botha's captaincy in one ODI series, yet Smith captained the test team to the best team of year in 2008 ( last year they played very little Tests), then despite what was made of Duminy's innings, the comebacks etc, Smith was the architect in the test series in 2008/09, especially the second Aus innings where they went under 250.
This was acknowledged by most knowledgeable commentators at the time.

The last test may well have been saved if Smith wasn't injured, and if he played ODI's then we wouldn't be talking about Botha/McKenzie because the outcome would have been the same.

For some reason the south africans refuse to accept that Botha is not an international standard spinner, Harris barely is and you have a problem with real spinners who actually can dictate the game. Your spinners are either defensive or only good as fillers. Give Botha a long stint in a test game, and a few matches so batters get used to him and he will be ripped apart.

There are batsman (part time spinners) who bowl better than him.

This push for Botha is really strange.
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No mention is made here about tests. Its T20 and ODi's. We do have the best test team - but also becos our players are world class in that area. But even in tests Smith is not the best captain, buts its the type of game where predicability is not so relevant. And again we have world class players in that area.
If you defend Smith in T20's and ODI's, then there is something wrong with you. The shorter versions, he has been found wanting while the recent WC was shocking.
 
OzzieCapie said:
Smith captained the ICC Test team, because most observers (not the fickle ones) acknowledged that he was the best captain around.

Much is made of Botha's captaincy in one ODI series, yet Smith captained the test team to the best team of year in 2008 ( last year they played very little Tests), then despite what was made of Duminy's innings, the comebacks etc, Smith was the architect in the test series in 2008/09, especially the second Aus innings where they went under 250.
This was acknowledged by most knowledgeable commentators at the time.

The last test may well have been saved if Smith wasn't injured, and if he played ODI's then we wouldn't be talking about Botha/McKenzie because the outcome would have been the same.

For some reason the south africans refuse to accept that Botha is not an international standard spinner, Harris barely is and you have a problem with real spinners who actually can dictate the game. Your spinners are either defensive or only good as fillers. Give Botha a long stint in a test game, and a few matches so batters get used to him and he will be ripped apart.

There are batsman (part time spinners) who bowl better than him.

This push for Botha is really strange.
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Since Botha ****ra was banned, he is not a certainty for selection in ODI or T20's. And that is what makes it difficult to select him as Captain
 
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