Something to cheer up all protea supporters

[stefan9]

The A side manage to win the triangular final against west indies a, other side in the comp was bangladesh. The side also won the tests vs bangladesh a. Good achievement by the lads considering most of them had never played on the subcontinent before.

Batting looks really good for the future. Not going to say much about the bowlers since that is really worrying.

Rossouw stars in South Africa A's title triumph

Cricinfo staff

May 14, 2010
Text size: A | A

South Africa A 328 for 7 (Rossouw 80, van Zyl 62) beat West Indies A 323 for 6 (Smith 115, Bravo 69, Walton 64) by five runs
Scorecard

The victorious South Africa A team, South Africa A v West Indies A, Bangladesh A team tri-series final, Mirpur, May 14, 2010
The triumphant South Africa A team © Bangladesh Cricket Board
Related Links
Players/Officials: Darren Bravo | Devon Smith | Stiaan van Zyl | Chadwick Walton
Matches: South Africa A v West Indies A at Dhaka
Series/Tournaments: Bangladesh A Team Tri-Series | West Indies A tour of Bangladesh | South Africa A tour of Bangladesh
Teams: South Africa | West Indies

South Africa A prevailed by five runs in a high-scoring final against West Indies A in Mirpur, and ended their opponents' run of four consecutive victories in the tournament.

In the battle of the bats, opener Devon Smith smashed 115 to overcome the loss of two early wickets in West Indies' chase and set up a potentially successful run-chase, adding 156 for the third wicket with Darren Bravo, who added yet another 50-plus score to his tally this tournament.

Bravo, Smith and Imran Khan fell within a space of 41 runs in 41 balls but Chadwick Walton, the wicketkeeper, threatened to take the game away from South Africa with a brutal 64 off 29. He struck six fours and three sixes in his knock but South Africa held their nerve to dismiss him off the penultimate ball of the match, bowled by Lonwabo Tsotsobe. West Indies had required 7 off 2 balls but Walton's dismissal erased their hopes.

South Africa's batting effort was a combined one with each of the batsmen who walked out to the middle getting to double-figures. Stiaan van Zyl and Riley Rossouw were the top performers for their team, but the others too chipped in to build important stands that took South Africa to a score they just about managed to defend. Morne van Wyk supported van Zyl in an opening stand of 55, and Colin Ingram combined with van Zyl to stretch the score to 138.

Rossouw, whose 80 comprised nine fours and a six, was assisted by Ryan Bailey and David Miller, with whom he added 71 and 70 respectively. A quick cameo of 21 by Dean Elgar helped South Africa go past the 300 mark and give their bowlers a total they could be confident of protecting.

Darren Bravo, for his prolific run in the tournament, was Man of the Series.

http://www.cricinfo.com/bangladesh/content/story/459662.html

 

[nano]

I bet the A-side will win the proteas.

 

[cr@zydude]

I bet the A-side will win the proteas.

I doubt that they will "win" the Proteas, but it is nice to see the young guys getting a chance to play internationally.

 

[Lament]

i tend to disagree, i am 90% sure they will beat the has-been washed-up worthless protea team

 

[Bizkit87]

i hate to admit it, but i think the proteas need to do wholesale changes, start building again, and these guys in the "A" team, is the future of proteas cricket, and the future is looking good

 

[Shred]

I really hope we can get another captain, I am tired of Smith and his attitude.

Smith to become Top Billing presenter!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JK8]

Heard last night its not the right time to make changes as the next WC is less than a year away...
So what now? Lose the next WC as well??

 

[Bizkit87]

Heard last night its not the right time to make changes as the next WC is less than a year away...
So what now? Lose the next WC as well??

/off topic

why do you care mr.i-support-half-of-test-playing-nations ?

 

[stefan9]

Heard last night its not the right time to make changes as the next WC is less than a year away...
So what now? Lose the next WC as well??

If you bring in all these young guys and they fail at wc 2011 you can scare them for their career.

You need to give them time to get used to international cricket. You can bring in some but wholesale changes need to be made after wc 2011.

Winning wc 2011 is unrealistic imho.

 

[JK8]

If you bring in all these young guys and they fail at wc 2011 you can scare them for their career.

You need to give them time to get used to international cricket. You can bring in some but wholesale changes need to be made after wc 2011.

Winning wc 2011 is unrealistic imho.

Unrealistic? Why?

Theres about 3 tours before the WC? Pakis, Windies, India... why not introduce some new blood?
Get them some game time before the WC. Pressure is part of the game, if you cant handle the pressure then you not fit for the team, actually none of the current squad can handle pressure anyways.

 

[Lament]

we should get an independant external cricket selector board, and overseas coach, and pick players on form, not a flippen team that has shown us time and again thay suck, and im sorry to say this, but they suck, they really really suck, we have a better chance in the WC with out A Team, and this i am sure off

 

[Lament]

if i was the coach, i would drop every single player, i will hold a 12 match tournament, with all the internationals and with the domestic stars, after the tournament, i will take the 5 best batsmen, the 4 leading bowlers, the wicketkeeper with the highest batting average and the best all-rounder, easy as that, problems solved

 

[Sting]

if i was the coach, i would drop every single player, i will hold a 12 match tournament, with all the internationals and with the domestic stars, after the tournament, i will take the 5 best batsmen, the 4 leading bowlers, the wicketkeeper with the highest batting average and the best all-rounder, easy as that, problems solved

That's called the SuperSport Series, MTN40 and Standard Bank Pro20 .....

 

[Lament]

what is the use if Kallis, smith, AB, Boucher, Duminy, Prince get selected whatever there form is?

 

[Wall]

Rossouw should get a look in for the protea's! he looks like a great player!

 

[hawker]

what is the use if Kallis, smith, AB, Boucher, Duminy, Prince get selected whatever there form is?

+1

Doesn't work like that in AUS/England if you are not performing you get dropped and they give someone else a go. It should be based on merit, and performace and you must play out of your skin to keep your place. Max 2 or 3 games of poor performance before you get dropped.

 

[stefan9]

+1

Doesn't work like that in AUS/England if you are not performing you get dropped and they give someone else a go. It should be based on merit, and performace and you must play out of your skin to keep your place. Max 2 or 3 games of poor performance before you get dropped.

BS. KP went 3 tours before finally rediscovering his touch. Hussey went a whole year with them sticking with him and same goes for mark taylor.

 

[Lament]

BS. KP went 3 tours before finally rediscovering his touch. Hussey went a whole year with them sticking with him and same goes for mark taylor.

yeah, that's why we are in the position that we are in now, coz our national selectors and coaches think like you, not all players can be compared to KP, and when we have 4 or 5 players are out of form you cant keep them for 3 tours, dude really, i cant believe jy raak sulke k@k kweit nie, "keep him in the squad until he preforms one day........" that's just plain idiotic, you can put Justin Ontong in the protea team as a opener, chances are after 3 tours he wil get a good nick somewhere along the line

 

[hawker]

BS. KP went 3 tours before finally rediscovering his touch. Hussey went a whole year with them sticking with him and same goes for mark taylor.

Ok, fair enough but thats 3 players from 2 different teams. With the Proteas it is a fair number of the players all the time. Some common sense also applies, geez.

 

[Creag]

i hate to admit it, but i think the proteas need to do wholesale changes, start building again, and these guys in the "A" team, is the future of proteas cricket, and the future is looking good

I do agree that there needs to be comprehensive review of all players in the current side. For too long certain players have been tollerated in the side without so much as stinging 2 good games together. The problem is that we are approaching the 2011 WC and if we continue chopping and changing players, we will never be ready for 2011.

That said, maybe the better way to do it would be to consider dropping non-performers such as Duminy and drafting Tsotsobe into the squad?

I am pleased to see that the A-side did so well against a strong team from the WI. Nice! And it was a comprehensive performance in the final.

So here's my final 2c on the subject (for 2nite ), has there been any consideration to pull together a team of specialists - such as Pollock, Donald, Jennings, Rhodes, Wessels (?) and others - who will be brought together to work with promising youngsters from high schools and universities, talented younger players from the franchises and struggling senior players and run an intensive academy twice a year? It need not be the same people each and every time coaching and mentoring in the academies. But if it were 2 to 3 weeks at a shot, but must be intensive.

We need to be constantly grooming new and talented players who could step up to national duty. And if they don't get to national duty, well then the franchises will be stronger and local cricket will become an exciting place to be again.

It's worth a shot, I think.