Official ICC 2015 CWC thread

sand_man said:
What's the latest on Vern? Grade 1-2 tear could see him out for 2 to 4 weeks! That's basically the world cup! Wouldn't mind seeing Tsosobe getting a call up! We live in hope!! Hey outcast? The silver bullet the team so desperately needs?

Or alternatively Parnell or Abbott start every match here on in... :sick:
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I wanted Tsotsobe to go to the CWC, but not at Philander's expense.

Our situation is very serious because we have no strike bowler right now unless we use Parnell to open which Donald Duck & Scrooge Domingo don't seem keen on.

Philander was taking the wickets, so if he can't continue then selectors must think very carefully.

Abbott is already in the side, for control and pretense at swing. So I wouldn't be surprised if they send Marchant seeing as Morkel has been struggling too to be honest. I have a funny feeling they'll want to send Rabada ahead of Tsotsobe so in that case I prefer Marchant at this point.

The bowler I'm worried about is Steyn. He's been very ordinary. Even the likes of Hamilton Masakadza of Zimbabwe embarassed him, and even Sammy&Russell will fancy have a go at him.

If he doesn't come right in the next couple of games I have a feeling he'll retire from ODI&T20s. What's worse is Testwise I don't think he'll be the same force after the CWC either if he continues to be underwhelming. Such scars can harm a player. Mentally he's stronger than most if not all players, but I'm a bit worried. Something isn't right.

Have you guys seen him interact well with AB during matches? Amla&AB all under performing too.

The team performances getting bowled out for 150 odd and 170 odd against NZ&IND are worrying. Lethargic and unconvincing vs ZIM. This has NEVER happened to the Proteas.

In fact, the last time a South African team looked this strange was Jake White's Boks. The rot lasted a while. I'm not confident going into games vs PAK&WI.
 
ZCFOutkast said:
I'm not confident going into games vs PAK&WI.
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No question the team have been substandard so far but what often seems to happen with this Proteas team, they all fire or none fire. We'll bounce back. I'm confident we will knock over WI and Pakistan. It's the Irish I'm worried about...

If Vern is ruled out for the next 4 weeks I'm quite confident they'll send for a replacement. Either Albie Morkel, David Wiese or Lonwabo Tsosobe... I wouldn't be surprised if it's Tsosobe...
 
Interesting view:

SA can’t keep papering holes

Cape Town – Are we going to keep simply patching the weak spots with newspaper and tinfoil, or has the time come to seek a more profound, bravely alternative form of repair?

That is a question that should be very firmly on the minds of the Proteas squad’s strategists as they weigh up game three at the World Cup against West Indies at Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday (05:30 SA time).

It has become a vital, necessary bounce-back opportunity in Pool B after a so-so win against Zimbabwe and then thrashing from India ... remember that the Australasian adventure so far has also included a warm-up hiding from New Zealand, so there is a worrisome pattern of under-performance right now.

The time seems absolutely right for a pro-active response to mini-crisis, and I believe that may mean acknowledging that the attempt to manufacture an all-rounder in the troublesome No 7 berth is just not working.

They’ve dabbled with the likes of Farhaan Behardien, especially, and Wayne Parnell in the slot in recent weeks and months, and the results on all-important paper are sadly but glaringly unconvincing. (Harsher observers might prefer “lamentable”.)

You have to feel for both players, who must be acutely aware that the role is considered the team’s soft underbelly and the topic of endless, critical evaluation – the pressure certainly can’t help their quest to make it work, and every time they underwhelm must only increase doubt and vulnerability in their own minds.

In short, a spiral effect.

I have long been sympathetic to the selectors and management’s dilemma over No 7, as it is a key balancing position in the structure of the XI as presently constituted, and been particularly willing to subscribe to the hope that Behardien’s modest medium-pacers might actually aid variety in the attack.

But if he (and ditto Parnell, when preferred) is perpetually huffing and puffing with both and ball, and just not blowing any houses down, do you simply persevere with a relatively lame duck or do you accept that different thinking is needed?

Given that the Proteas really ought to beat West Indies regardless of how they assemble their side, Friday at the SCG seems as suitable an opportunity as any to take the plunge and decide: JP Duminy is going to be our lone, fifth bowler.

It would be a move not without certain perils, perhaps the most obvious one being that Australian tracks, in particular, don’t seem that tailor-made for a “three fast men, two spinners” formula for ODIs – you would normally want a bit more of a seam presence than that.

Then again, we all know it is increasingly a batsman’s game anyway, and some of the most gruesome analyses on high-scoring surfaces these days are recorded more by pace bowlers than exponents of slower fare.

Interestingly, former Australian batting trump card Mike Hussey, who has been doing some part-time CWC work with the Proteas, became just the latest personality – on TV commentary during the SA-India clash – to suggest that Duminy is well up to handling a full 10-over quota.

Between them, Duminy and specialist first-choice spinner Imran Tahir, who moves closer and closer to deserving the mantle of SA’s most dependable bowler these days, sent down 17 overs anyway against India, and their joint-concession rate of 5.2 runs to the over looks even more favourable than it was when you measure it against Parnell’s gory 9.44 as fourth pace element on the day.

The attractiveness of empowering Duminy with “maximum” overs is that the Proteas can then make room for current reserve batsman Rilee Rossouw in a seven-strong batting department, meaning that their tail (yes, unavoidably a pretty vulnerable one) will really begin around No 8 rather than the present, widely-perceived No 7.

It is true that the tall left-hander has been an enigmatic figure in his 14 ODI appearances for South Africa thus far – including five ducks, yet also two big centuries – but he has already demonstrated certain game-breaking type of qualities, which is more than can be said in recent times of either Parnell or Behardien.

The other issue to grapple with would be where exactly to station him, because as Kepler Wessels has rightly noted, he is best suited to a role among the top three.

It might have to mean wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, who is on a poor trot of three single-figure scores in as many ODIs and showing some technical glitches, shifting to more of a finishing responsibility at seven.

This is the sort of team, then, that should perhaps be unleashed on the Windies: Hashim Amla, Rilee Rossouw, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (capt), David Miller, JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander (if fully fit, otherwise Kyle Abbott), Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.

There are risks to the suggested change of tack, for sure. But I’d say risk is now a better approach than inertia.

The status quo is just too fragile, and it is costing South Africa.
 
An article dedicated to the lack of a world class no.7? That didn't cost us against India, nor did it cost us against NZ in the warm up match.

EDIT: If we had lost by 30-50 runs in either match then yes but the 2 hidings we got weren't as a result of an under performing no.7...
 
sand_man said:
An article dedicated to the lack of a world class no.7? That didn't cost us against India, nor did it cost us against NZ in the warm up match.

EDIT: If we had lost by 30-50 runs in either match then yes but the 2 hidings we got weren't as a result of an under performing no.7...
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It is still the most debated on point. Sure, if you are convinced about our batting lineup and bowling then number 7 is not that important. But neither makes one feel comfortable enough. If your 5th specialist bowler consistently does not perform then why not let your part timer bowl those overs and select another batsman? JP is more than just a part timer. A number 7 that is a good bat releases pressure on the top and middle order. Especially if you have a history of cracking under pressure in big tournaments.
 
Stefanmuller said:
It is still the most debated on point. Sure, if you are convinced about our batting lineup and bowling then number 7 is not that important. But neither makes one feel comfortable enough. If your 5th specialist bowler consistently does not perform then why not let your part timer bowl those overs and select another batsman? JP is more than just a part timer. A number 7 that is a good bat releases pressure on the top and middle order. Especially if you have a history of cracking under pressure in big tournaments.
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Yeah, I appreciate the dynamic/balance and I appreciate that we currently don't have it until we have the right player at 7, but the article mentions the 2 big losses, in the warm up and against India and all I'm saying is it doesn't matter who came in at 7 or who the 5th bowler on the day was, we had lost both those games long before the 7/5th bowler had an opportunity to make an impact.
 
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Even though a day has past, it's still depressing to even think about that dreadful Sunday.
 
Worrying about no 7 at this stage is silly when the whole team failed. Batting was pathetic compounded by the silly runouts and that too against India s fielding. Bowling was awful and the once solid fielding that Proteas are known for dropped catches.

Looks to me that Proteas cannot perform under pressure. Just look at Duminy s reverse sweep when there were shyteload of overs to go.

It was a miserable performance. Hope they learn from this.
 
Our fat McGrath is injured. What a bloody joke. Are we really prepared for this ****? I will become gay if we win the WC :sick:
 
Stefanmuller said:
This is the sort of team, then, that should perhaps be unleashed on the Windies: Hashim Amla, Rilee Rossouw, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (capt), David Miller, JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander (if fully fit, otherwise Kyle Abbott), Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.
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I wonder what Mr Rob Houwing is smoking. RR opening to cover up for a similarly shaky QdK?

Anyway, I know this is working from the resources of a selected squad of 15, but this proves a lot of what I said - other players simply don't/didn't have the privilege of being moved around to find form, e.g. Alviro&Amla. Both were dropped after failing in static positions with great resistance to accomodating them elsewhere when they lost form. Already AB, Rudolph, Elgar, Faf, QdK, Ingram, Miller and now RR have been shifted around to find form. People say I'm biased but the facts are there for all to see.

Reeza hasn't played much, but his 5 T20s have all been as an opener. Contrast that with RR whose 6 ODIs have seen him bat at 1,3&4. QdK's first six matches saw him bat at 4,7,3&2 (5 Tests - 3,6&7). SvZ has already batted at 6&7 in just three Tests). Not forgetting Elgar(1,2,3,6,7 in 15 Tests).

Alviro strictly opened thorughout his career, despite being a middle order batsman for his franchise or in County cricket 3-5. Bavuma has batted at six in two Tests and he should pray he's not shunted up the order or he'll be stuck there for the rest of his career. As for Reeza, he might as well forget a "reprieve" if he fails opening. He doesn't fit the 2nd chance "criteria".
 
WI 61/1 after 14. Gayle 33 (3x4, 1x6), Samuels 24 (3x4). Panyangara bowling tight 1/17 after 5 overs.

ZIM bowled well upfront, But to be expected with Gayle playing himself into form.

310+ is what I expect WI to get.
 
It carried. Poor fielding. But stupid to place one of the seamers who's a weaker fielder in that position. So stupid captaincy+poor fielding!
 
ZCFOutkast said:
WI 61/1 after 14. Gayle 33 (3x4, 1x6), Samuels 24 (3x4). Panyangara bowling tight 1/17 after 5 overs.

ZIM bowled well upfront, But to be expected with Gayle playing himself into form.

310+ is what I expect WI to get.
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At this rate and if Gaye gets into it we are looking at 340+
 
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