***Official*** South Africa in England

[Swervy]

Nonsense.

yes it is, isn't it

 

[Uppercut]

Will respond fully to this later, but Kallis, Smith, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni, Sangakarra can all feel a bit hard done by, not to mention (potentially) a couple of others.

Hmm. As has been discussed before, when i talk of the top echelon, i mean a very very small proportion of players. How many of those mentioned would you rather have in your ODI side than Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey or Matthew Hayden? For me, none of them- although Smith, Tendulkar and Sangakarra do have a case, so i'll give you those.

 

[stumpski]

That is a load of crap mate. Australai have no consistant odi players what about Graeme Smith he is a gun at odis. And De villiers as well. Not to mention the indians and sri Lankans you're a muppet mate

Ooh, nice - we have an NWA - 'newbie with attitude.' They're always fun.

 

[Richard]

yes it is, isn't it

Indeed, so you needn't have bothered saying it.

 

[Richard]

Who cares about what's happened focus on the future like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel Mcgrath was over rated and when these 2 are in their peaks we will c that I think

Haha... umm... eh?

 

[Richard]

Hmm, when Gibbs was at his peak he could score runs very quickly against any attack in the world. I'm not going to check them but i think his stats may flatter him a bit due to that effect- but he has made some huge scores against excellent attacks, in fact he has an ODI century against every test-playing nation.

Yeah but not all Test-playing teams have excellent attacks. He's certainly played some good innings, I'm not saying he's a complete waste of space, but a large majority of his runs have come against wayward bowlers, and he's had more than the odd spell of downtime against better ones. I don't feel he could score quickly against any attack in The World, that's almost impossible for anyone, and in trying to do so he was often got out by good bowling.

I'm getting a bit unsure of Pietersen's potential to be a top-echelon ODI player because of his leg-side obsession.

Well it didn't hurt Vivian Richards.

 

[Richard]

I know it is just a warm up game, but does anyone find it odd that Botha was captaining the team?

This isn't even a warm-up game, it's a hit in the park.

They could easily have brought in Barry Richards to captain them and no-one would've raised too many eyebrows.

 

[Swervy]

Indeed, so you needn't have bothered saying it.

thanks for the guidence

 

[Richard]

It's a pleasure.

 

[grapedo]

Ooh, nice - we have an NWA - 'newbie with attitude.' They're always fun.

Yeah I might be a newb but I know more than you about cricket

 

[Furball]

I seem to remember him being in (relatively) poor form leading up to the World Cup too, but I'm not entirely sure. Two excellent centuries in that tournament though, one of the highlights IMO.

Still, I'd back him to score heavily in the upcoming series given his past ODI exploits against South Africa .

He played one game in the CB series, where he scored 70odd before having his rib broken by McGrath.

So I'm not sure how that qualifies as being "out of form".

 

[GIMH]

82* IIRC (which I might not)

 

[Richard]

I see the England selectors have once more demonstrated their stupidity by opening with Shah (zero pretensions as an opener) while batting Key (an opener and nothing but, especially in one-day cricket) at three. This in today's England A game.

The fact James Tredwell continues to play for England A, too, must be regarded as serious concern. I'd thought it was impossible for someone with less of a case than Darren Pattinson to be in with a shout of playing for England this season, but evidently not. Tredwell has to be about the worst fingerspinner in the last decade to play regular county cricket, never mind represent an England-rep team.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Ah there's the soon to be familiar again sight of Prior doing sweet FA when representing England in limited overs cricket.

 

[gettingbetter]

This isn't even a warm-up game, it's a hit in the park.

They could easily have brought in Barry Richards to captain them and no-one would've raised too many eyebrows.

I tend to think that these are senior ranking players though, and mainly future captains of their respective sides. I guess it is a fair way off for Botha as Smith, Kallis, Boucher and Prince (if the latter is in the ODI squad) aren't playing this game. In saying that though Gibbs, de Villiers and Ntini are in the team too.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I tend to think that these are senior ranking players though, and mainly future captains of their respective sides. I guess it is a fair way off for Botha as Smith, Kallis, Boucher and Prince (if the latter is in the ODI squad) aren't playing this game. In saying that though Gibbs, de Villiers and Ntini are in the team too.

Neither Gibbs nor Ntini strike me as the sort of characters who would relish the captaincy, and AB is busy with the keeping gloves.

 

[gettingbetter]

Neither Gibbs nor Ntini strike me as the sort of characters who would relish the captaincy, and AB is busy with the keeping gloves.

Likewise, but do you see anythnig in Botha?

I really don't think they toss the captain's armband like a boquet at a wedding.

 

[TT Boy]

Likewise, but do you see anythnig in Botha?

I really don't think they toss the captain's armband like a boquet at a wedding.

Botha captains the Warriors and is a regularly fixture in the one day side. It seems a pretty logical choice then to make him captain.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Likewise, but do you see anythnig in Botha?

I really don't think they toss the captain's armband like a boquet at a wedding.

See above - Warriors captain makes him logical to step in when the 'elders' are putting their feet up.

 

[Richard]

I'm honestly amazed anyone thinks the matter of captaincy against the might of PCA Masters' XI means so much as a thing.