SA tour of India - 2015

[Electric]

The only elephant in the room.

There's an elephant in our team or just in the room?

 

[Creag]

The only elephant in the room.

Okay - I am also curious.

 

[Creag]

There's an elephant in our team or just in the room?

Perhaps in TK. They allow the strangest things inthere!

 

[MickeyD]

The only elephant in the room.

The opening batsmen?

Who would you bring in?

 

[Creag]

The opening batsmen?

Who would you bring in?

Fully endorse this ^ and am too extremely curious to know what (if any) solutions are out there. God alone knows we need all the help needed to foment a strong top order.

 

[Drifter]

Pay Biff to come back, beg him if you have to.

 

[Noob-Noob]

Pay Biff to come back, beg him if you have to.

+1

O wait, Outcast is back, he is going to tell us how great Reeza Hendricks is, its his cousins girlfriend or something.

 

[MickeyD]

+1

O wait, Outcast is back, he is going to tell us how great Reeza Hendricks is, its his cousins girlfriend or something.

I'm the Reeza fan... and Rudi Second.

They will get their turn in the future.

 

[Noob-Noob]

I'm the Reeza fan... and Rudi Second.

They will get their turn in the future.

Nothing wrong with Second, but he is a wicket Keeper, Even though i would agree lets drop Vila's for Seconds, what happens to QDK?, Would you rather play Second in place of QDK?. Its a tough call to be honest. Limited overs QDK has proven himself, he failed at test level but only had a brief chance, Seconds has not been given a chance yet....

Reeza on the otherhand, he still has a long long way to go before being considered for the Proteas, Heck, Dane Vilas stats loos better than Reeza's.

 

[MyBBOutkast]

Very close Mickey

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers! That's it.

1. Does he keep wicket. If yes great extra batsman; if not
2. He must open the batting.

You only need to imagine what would've happened if AB had walked out with Elgar in all the innings that Elgar resisted the Indian spinners to appreciate that the Proteas would have gone into this Test match at 1-1.

Between both teams' batsmen, AB de Villiers is the leading run scorer in this Series. In the greater scheme of things, all those 215 runs have been worth absolutely nothing from that low in the order. Now we wait for someone to say how valuable he is as security lower down the order.

Sir Alex Ferguson converted Christiano a winger, into a central striker and won everything. Wenger did the same with Henry and scaled great heights. Arthur, Kirsten & Domingo left AB where he was. Today he can't even make it into an ICC Text XI, and the Proteas are being bowled out for 79 with Stiaan opening the batting and Vilas keeping, while Tahir bats 1st drop (twice in one day), with more than 10 overs to the close.

Two of those coaches are considered "great coaches"...poor Buchanan no better than Clarke's dog. What of the former who had Smith, Kallis, Ntini, Polly, AB, Amla&Steyn all in one XI?

The sooner people embrace the problem(&solution) the better.

 

[Creag]

I'm the Reeza fan... and Rudi Second.

They will get their turn in the future.

I had to look up Rudi Second - http://www.espncricinfo.com/southafrica/content/player/321757.html - and he has a solid enough average in FC.

 

[Creag]

Very close Mickey

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers! That's it.

1. Does he keep wicket. If yes great extra batsman; if not
2. He must open the batting.

You only need to imagine what would've happened if AB had walked out with Elgar in all the innings that Elgar resisted the Indian spinners to appreciate that the Proteas would have gone into this Test match at 1-1.

Between both teams' batsmen, AB de Villiers is the leading run scorer in this Series. In the greater scheme of things, all those 215 runs have been worth absolutely nothing from that low in the order. Now we wait for someone to say how valuable he is as security lower down the order.

Sir Alex Ferguson converted Christiano a winger, into a central striker and won everything. Wenger did the same with Henry and scaled great heights. Arthur, Kirsten & Domingo left AB where he was. Today he can't even make it into an ICC Text XI, and the Proteas are being bowled out for 79 with Stiaan opening the batting and Vilas keeping, while Tahir bats 1st drop (twice in one day), with more than 10 overs to the close.

Two of those coaches are considered "great coaches"...poor Buchanan no better than Clarke's dog. What of the former who had Smith, Kallis, Ntini, Polly, AB, Amla&Steyn all in one XI?

The sooner people embrace the problem(&solution) the better.

Food for thought. Just wonder though if AB would consider opening again this far into his career at 4.

 

[Noob-Noob]

Very close Mickey

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers! That's it.

1. Does he keep wicket. If yes great extra batsman; if not
2. He must open the batting.

You only need to imagine what would've happened if AB had walked out with Elgar in all the innings that Elgar resisted the Indian spinners to appreciate that the Proteas would have gone into this Test match at 1-1.

Between both teams' batsmen, AB de Villiers is the leading run scorer in this Series. In the greater scheme of things, all those 215 runs have been worth absolutely nothing from that low in the order. Now we wait for someone to say how valuable he is as security lower down the order.

Sir Alex Ferguson converted Christiano a winger, into a central striker and won everything. Wenger did the same with Henry and scaled great heights. Arthur, Kirsten & Domingo left AB where he was. Today he can't even make it into an ICC Text XI, and the Proteas are being bowled out for 79 with Stiaan opening the batting and Vilas keeping, while Tahir bats 1st drop (twice in one day), with more than 10 overs to the close.

Two of those coaches are considered "great coaches"...poor Buchanan no better than Clarke's dog. What of the former who had Smith, Kallis, Ntini, Polly, AB, Amla&Steyn all in one XI?

The sooner people embrace the problem(&solution) the better.

You do realize that the reason there is no SA Player in the World XI is because we played only 5 tests in the required time frame, of which 2 or 3 matches was rained out?

 

[WaxLyrical]

I am afraid that we may see Amla step down as captain. The pressure must be immense. Their performance in the tests will almost certainly have crushed the team both in morale and mentally.



Really didn't need to give the Poms any kind of hope before they land. This performance is going gee them up no end.

Sorry but we're running out of captains. You need a hard ass captain in test cricket to be successful not a humble, sweet personality like Amla and Ab.

Think Border, Waugh, Ponting, Strauss. Who in SA has these credentials?

 

[MickeyD]

Very close Mickey

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers! That's it.

1. Does he keep wicket. If yes great extra batsman; if not
2. He must open the batting.

I made a similar remark last week. (although I initially mixed up Hash and AB )

It was that or get Alviro out of retirement.

And Reeza is for the future... must still make his bones.

 

[Noob-Noob]

Sorry but we're running out of captains. You need a hard ass captain in test cricket to be successful not a humble, sweet personality like Amla and Ab.

Think Border, Waugh, Ponting, Strauss. Who in SA has these credentials?

Non. Not a single player stands out as a true leader.

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

Sorry but we're running out of captains. You need a hard ass captain in test cricket to be successful not a humble, sweet personality like Amla and Ab.

Think Border, Waugh, Ponting, Strauss. Who in SA has these credentials?

Biff. I'm sure he's over his divorce now so he needs to come back

 

[MyBBOutkast]

You do realize that the reason there is no SA Player in the World XI is because we played only 5 tests in the required time frame, of which 2 or 3 matches was rained out?

I'm fully aware of the voting period 18 Septmber 2014 to 13 September 2015 - http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...4;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting. But that wasn't the gist of my point.

 

[Noob-Noob]

I'm fully aware of the voting period 18 Septmber 2014 to 13 September 2015 - http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...4;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting. But that wasn't the gist of my point.

Then why mention it if it has no bearing?
You know full well it was impossible for any SA player to get in the test XI, no matter what they did.

 

[MyBBOutkast]

It was that or get Alviro out of retirement.

You do remember me saying people would regret forcing Alviro to boom or bust as an opener, and he retired. Again AB not going up the order to create room, meant SA lost one of its best batsmen. He was Lancshire&Lions' gain.

And Reeza is for the future... must still make his bones.

Why isn't the same reasoning applied to QdK then? He really only does well against India, or sides with no great quicks. England quicks felled Australia in Australia.

With Philander probably out injuredI can't see Steyn&Morkel outbowling Jimmy&Anderson who are strictly Test bowlers now. Once England are done QdK, we'll be back to square one - "give Tsolekile a chance"...except he'll be a few weeks older.

If Tsolekile doesn't get picked instead then AB must keep (just like in this series vs India, the innigs will be short). Otherwise I forsee QdK being dropped for Second, Mosehle or whoever else.