*Official* South Africa in India

[silentstriker]

63 ret hurt off 58 balls for everyone's favourite boring batsman.

I think very few people who like Test cricket call him boring. His criticism is often that he is selfish. I am not saying I agree with it, but that's been what people say - he plays for himself, not the team, despite clearly having the ability play at multiple gears.

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah, I hear that a lot too. But also that he's boring.

 

[G.I.Joe]

I'm going to teabag bagapath when he's asleep.

 

[Shri]

I don't care if I sound stupid but Pandey should replace Yuvraj in tests when the time comes.

 

[popepouri]

The gave Botha a bat instead of Harris which was interesting.

 

[silentstriker]

I don't care if I sound stupid but Pandey should replace Yuvraj in tests when the time comes.

Bradrinath!

 

[TT Boy]

The gave Botha a bat instead of Harris which was interesting.

Going by what Kepler said, Botha will play. JP has been practising the doosra, so we may see that at some point during the series and things are so bleak Graeme Smith has took up bowling again.

 

[silentstriker]

Just play four seamers FFS! I will never know why teams constantly and consistantly handicap themselves in India. They play a spinner, and he invariably does worse than the seamers.

 

[Furball]

Just play four seamers FFS! I will never know why teams constantly and consistantly handicap themselves in India. They play a spinner, and he invariably does worse than the seamers.

But it's India, we must play spinners!

"Logic" which flies in the face of all evidence regarding touring teams in India over the past 30-40 years. If you're going to win series, it's your quicks who are going to do it.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Who's coaching SA currently? Or does Smith have free run now?

 

[Sir Alex]

Who's coaching SA currently? Or does Smith have free run now?

Kepler Wessels who is known to be a disciplinarian. No, Smith does not enjoy the freedom he used to under Arthut.

 

[Uppercut]

Just play four seamers FFS! I will never know why teams constantly and consistantly handicap themselves in India. They play a spinner, and he invariably does worse than the seamers.

I went off on a tangent about this whenever Australia last toured. Then Krejza got a game and took about 43 wickets (albeit for 833 runs).

Currently I'm not really a fan of going in with no spinner. It's kind of exploitable, especially if word gets out to the groundsman in advance, and it saves your quicks from slowly killing themselves in the very first match when the obligatory road is served up. But the importance of spin to the away team in India is indeed horribly overstated.

 

[silentstriker]

43 wickets for 833 are exceptional returns .

But yea, it makes no sense. I wonder when the last time a tourist spinner was the best bowler on his team in India. That's why they pick them, right? To knock out the Indian top and middle order on tracks they grew up playing on using the type of bowling they are most familiar with? Read that again for a second for the full ludicrousness of that to go through. Let's not pick the 6'3 guy bowling at 150kph who bowls a type of ball that the new Indian batsman might never have seen before, but let's pick the guy that exists 5x in every Ranji team. Makes no sense.

 

[social]

I went off on a tangent about this whenever Australia last toured. Then Krejza got a game and took about 43 wickets (albeit for 833 runs).

Currently I'm not really a fan of going in with no spinner. It's kind of exploitable, especially if word gets out to the groundsman in advance, and it saves your quicks from slowly killing themselves in the very first match when the obligatory road is served up. But the importance of spin to the away team in India is indeed horribly overstated.

TBF, Oz hardly had a decent seamer

SA has several

 

[silentstriker]

TBF, Oz hardly had a decent seamer

SA has several

I'd guarantee Oz had a better bowler than the crap that passed for a spinner...

 

[Uppercut]

TBF, Oz hardly had a decent seamer

SA has several

No renowned reverse-swing specialists in South Africa though. I expect Morkel to be a handful given his form and Steyn's just always awesome but not being able to reverse it is a big gap in India.

 

[aussie]

No renowned reverse-swing specialists in South Africa though. I expect Morkel to be a handful given his form and Steyn's just always awesome but not being able to reverse it is a big gap in India.

Yea thats the key point. Although its pace that wins you games in India, SA have a slight problem in that none of these cats expect MAYBE Steyn can potential reverse it. So they are walking a fine balancing in deciding whether to go with an all-pace attack or include a spinner.

I think SA missed a trick by no not picking Rusty Theron on this tour..

 

[Manee]

I thought you didn't rate the chances of 75mph merchants (which is what I have heard that Theron is) making the step up to Test level.

 

[aussie]

I thought you didn't rate the chances of 75mph merchants (which is what I have heard that Theron is) making the step up to Test level.

Haa No way man. Theron is much quicker than that based on what i've read of him. Here is what two SA posters said of him on this site:

SeamUp:

Theron broke on to the scene about 3 to 4 seasons ago in the one-day comp where he broke Eric Simons' record in taking 33 wickets in the season. Theron has a very ugly action is how our would describe it 'Aussie' but not illegal. Not sure why he was tested tbh. He has a short run up and falls away alot and by now surely should have had a serious back injury but hasn't. Also with his action you would think he would be inconsistent but he as anything but that. What I love is that he will run in all day for his skipper and bowls bouncers, in-swinging yorkers and so on. He bowls at about 138-142 k's and bowls a heavy ball.

He bowls that reverse swinging yorker at will that crushes the batsmans toes. I don't know how he does it!

TT Boy:

Rusty = The Paul Adams of fast bowlers. Seriously strange action and what is surprising with Rusty is that despite that, he is an excellent death bowler. Must have some sort of psychic ability because there is no way he knows what the batsman is doing.

All this talk about SA needing a bowler who can reverse swing the ball in IND, Theron seems like he fits all the bases..

 

[popepouri]

No renowned reverse-swing specialists in South Africa though. I expect Morkel to be a handful given his form and Steyn's just always awesome but not being able to reverse it is a big gap in India.

Parnell was reversing it in the warmup.

Haa No way man. Theron is much quicker than that based on what i've read of him

He's a tall bloke, around 6"4 but some of that height is removed when he falls away in his delivery stride