TT Boy
Hall of Fame Member
Decent chance he won't play.Kallis will be important for T20 but he will not be as important as Duminy, De Villiers etc. for SA
Smith, Gibbs, AB, JP, Bouch, Albie, van der Merwe, Botha, Parnell, Steyn, Abdulla/Morne.
Decent chance he won't play.Kallis will be important for T20 but he will not be as important as Duminy, De Villiers etc. for SA
I am still unconvinced. Had he been averaging 50+, I can understand his utility as a anchor player. (Considering only non minnows). But his average which has been inflated to some extent due to not outs does not justify that Strike rate. He is no great, just good.75 is pretty good considering his role in the side and his average is superb. Not a problem when Smith, Gibbs, AB and JP all strike close/over 80 and then you have Albie, Bouch, van der Merwe et cetera.
Abdulla/Morne are not ripe for international T20 WC and I dont think they are the best choices in the playing XIDecent chance he won't play.
Smith, Gibbs, AB, JP, Bouch, Albie, van der Merwe, Botha, Parnell, Steyn, Abdulla/Morne.
Albie averages over 40 in first class cricket, he can bat. And Botha, who would come in at 7, has opened in first class cricket. That line-up has enough in the tank with the bat.Abdulla/Morne are not ripe for international T20 WC and I dont think they are the best choices in the playing XI
And I believe 6 proper batsmen are necessary at least for T20 format
Abdulla was expensive in the IPL but also took a lot of wickets and has one of the lowest career T20 economy rates in the game.He was getting hit for runs and it is fine for a domestic tournament like IPL but in a T20 WC you would expect a bowler to be economical .. I dont think Abdulla is the best choice for T20 team like SA
Albie and Botha are no doubt good but they are not proper batsmen .. they are ok but they are options and not proper batsmen ... I would go for 6 proper batsmen at least in a T20 WC.. I am not comparing but if you just check the Indian side then there are 9 batting options and 9 bowling options.. you have to have a lot of options but still I think 6 proper batsmen are necessary in T20 as wickets can crumble all of a sudden in T20sAlbie averages over 40 in first class cricket, he can bat. And Botha, who would come in at 7, has opened in first class cricket. That line-up has enough in the tank with the bat.
Bowling would also be very strong with that line-up, so many options with the ball (7).
I think Langevelt is a better choice though I am not sure if he is in the team or not.. Langevelt has got better pace and a better lineAbdulla was expensive in the IPL but also took a lot of wickets and has one of the lowest career T20 economy rates in the game.
He has retired and is injured (for the whole county season) anyhow.I think Langevelt is a better choice though I am not sure if he is in the team or not.. Langevelt has got better pace and a better line
I did not know he is retired... he looked completely fit when he played in the IPL match this year ... he took three crucial wickets there too .. has he played for SA in international matches BTWHe has retired and is injured (for the whole county season) anyhow.
SA would love to have him though.
He retired (internationally) after the very public Norman Arendse Mickey Arthur affair. Still plays domestically.I did not know he is retired... he looked completely fit when he played in the IPL match this year ... he took three crucial wickets there too .. has he played for SA in international matches BTW
Albie Morkel averages over 40 in his FC career, I'd class that as being the average of a "proper" batsman.Albie and Botha are no doubt good but they are not proper batsmen .. they are ok but they are options and not proper batsmen ... I would go for 6 proper batsmen at least in a T20 WC.. I am not comparing but if you just check the Indian side then there are 9 batting options and 9 bowling options.. you have to have a lot of options but still I think 6 proper batsmen are necessary in T20 as wickets can crumble all of a sudden in T20s
There isn't any doubt.I believe the term young has no different connotation when it comes to Tendulkar. Because from 1994 through 1996 (3 years), he averaged nothing less than 49.12 (Age - 21 to 23).
And from 1998 through 2003 (6 years), he averaged a staggering 52.70 (Age 25 to 30).
Had Tendulkar debuted at 25, and retired at 30, there would have been no doubt whatsoever as to who the best ever ODI player was.
In the period 2003-2007, the period you picked out as Dravid's peak, 10 batsmen who played more than 50 ODIs averaged more than Dravid, and- this is the clincher- every single one of them scored at a better strike rate. If that doesn't change your mind, i'm afraid I'll have to accept your mind is set.I think Dravid in 2006 was a top 10 ODI batsmen in the world
Really interesting post. I'd never looked at the stats before but I'd always assumed Dravid to be a better ODI bat than that. You learn something new every day!In the period 2003-2007, the period you picked out as Dravid's peak, 10 batsmen who played more than 50 ODIs averaged more than Dravid, and- this is the clincher- every single one of them scored at a better strike rate. If that doesn't change your mind, i'm afraid I'll have to accept your mind is set.
In case you're interested, those batsmen are:
Mike Hussey, Jacques Kallis, MS Dhoni, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Inzamam Ul-Haq, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Those averaging under five runs less, but with a much superior strike rate, include Graeme Smith, Chris Gayle, Marcus Trescothick, Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya and- perhaps most surprisingly- Andrew Flintoff. There's not a player on that list that I wouldn't prefer in my ODI team to Dravid.
Source.
Small point: Kallis has a lower S/R than Dravid during that period. But Kallis, Sangakarra, Hayden and Dravid are all too close and the S/R differences are not significant.In the period 2003-2007, the period you picked out as Dravid's peak, 10 batsmen who played more than 50 ODIs averaged more than Dravid, and- this is the clincher- every single one of them scored at a better strike rate. If that doesn't change your mind, i'm afraid I'll have to accept your mind is set.
In case you're interested, those batsmen are:
Mike Hussey, Jacques Kallis, MS Dhoni, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Inzamam Ul-Haq, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Those averaging under five runs less, but with a much superior strike rate, include Graeme Smith, Chris Gayle, Marcus Trescothick, Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya and- perhaps most surprisingly- Andrew Flintoff. There's not a player on that list that I wouldn't prefer in my ODI team to Dravid.
Source.
Ah yeah, so he does. My mistake. Hayden's strike rate, even over his career, is surprisingly low.Small point: Kallis has a lower S/R than Dravid during that period. But Kallis, Sangakarra, Hayden and Dravid are all too close and the S/R differences are not significant.
Yes I agree.. but check the stats for International matches.. FC and international matches are not the sameAlbie Morkel averages over 40 in his FC career, I'd class that as being the average of a "proper" batsman.
Down to the role he plays though.Yes I agree.. but check the stats for International matches.. FC and international matches are not the same
Albie has an average of 26 in T20 Internationals and an average of 22 in ODI .. this cannot be told to be a batman's average .. if you even compare a half decent player like Irfan Pathan's average then it is 30 in T20 Internationals and 23 in ODI.. but would you call Irfan Pathan a proper batsman .. I think 6 proper batsmen are needed in T20 and the rest 5 can be filled up with proper bowlers or bowlers with batting ability