***Official*** England in South Africa 2015/16

[Black_Warrior]

"Some of the decision-making around the space looks a bit worrisome for me. The team seems a bit flat. Some of the messages coming out in the press conferences don't seem positive and it's coming from senior players," he said. "You're in a big series and there is a lot of negativity among your senior players. It looks like someone needs to grab the bull by the horns and say, 'listen guys, let's wake up and let's pull our finger out and let's go and play some Test cricket

'."

'Have to ask questions of everybody' - Graeme Smith | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

De Villiers said 'All hope is lost" I have never heard cricketers speak like that even after a devastating loss, at least not in public. AB is a guy who is always energetic and raring to win. This is just puzzling to say the least.

 

[cnerd123]

Graeme Smith to make a comeback IMO.

 

[Furball]

There's something rotten in South African cricket at the moment.

 

[Pothas]

Hope they go with Footit, he's getting on a bit now, if we don't give him a chance now it maybe too late. He's the quickest of the lot, not a like-for-like replacement, but none of them are. Plunkers would be, but we haven't picked him for some reason. Joverton would be cool if they flew him in, he said in an utterly unbiased way.

Footit would have a bit of a Boyd Rankin/Amjad Khan feel about it but I do sort of agree. Would probably just go Woakes though.

 

[grecian]

Footit would have a bit of a Boyd Rankin/Amjad Khan feel about it but I do sort of agree. Would probably just go Woakes though.

Well, maybe Rankin, but the Amjad Khan one was just odd, hadn't really been around the set-up, didn't have a great domestic record (a bit like Rankin), again Footit has been around awhile now, give him a shot or get rid.

 

[FBU]

20/21 is that magic age when bowlers have a Test future. All of Finn, Broad and Anderson made their Test debut at 20. So I would pick Tom Curran (20) or Reese Topley (21). England will go for their pecking order of bowlers out there Woakes (26), Jordan (27) and Footitt (30). So out of the three might as well give Footitt a go just to see how the left armer does. He is unlikely to be picked again with Wood coming back to fitness. It's now or never.

 

[Howe_zat]

2-0 is a good result. Pick Samit Patel and bat him at 8 #NufanTheory

 

[kykweer.proteas]

I think Vernon Philander would have been a handful on this pitch, so losing him was maybe even worse for us than losing Dale Steyn.

Regardless, our team seems mentally weak for test cricket and seriously lacks in confidence. How can we go from winning an ODI series in India (nearly making 450) to basically just "make up the numbers" in the following two test series?

If some of these guys found it hard to enojy test cricket then, then they must really dislike it now. I do not see South African test cricket surviving this...

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Gosh we already find it tough getting "african black" players to fill the team, then this happens.

___

The international future of Proteas spinner Aaron Phangiso appears to be hanging in the balance after he was barred from a flight in an intoxicated state.

According to Afrikaans newspaper, Rapport, the incident occurred when Phangiso and a few of his team-mates were travelling from India to South Africa on October 26 last year following South Africa’s ODI series win in the subcontinent.

Phangiso and his team-mates were travelling from Mumbai - via Dubai - to Johannesburg when the slow-armer behaved badly on the flight.

Phangiso, fully clad in Proteas kit, allegedly offended flight personnel and fellow passengers.

When the touring party arrived in Dubai, the Emirates Airline personnel refused to allow Phangiso on the next flight to Johannesburg, insisting he take a later flight to sober up.

According to the newspaper, Phangiso was almost arrested at the Dubai airport before Cricket South Africa stepped in and pleaded for him to be allowed on a later flight.

Phangiso, 31, was recently axed from the Proteas’ ODI squad for the series against England.

He has played 16 ODIs and nine T20I matched for South Africa.

This is reportedly not the first time the Highveld Lions spinner has been involved in an alcohol-related incident. He was arrested for allegedly drunk driving in Soshanguve in April last year.

Drunk Protea wreaks havoc on flight | Sport24

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Graeme Smith to make a comeback IMO.

Graeme retired to spend time with the family, then his wife left him... so this is not entirely out of the question.

 

[Oduodu]

Alviro Petersen said on tv that taking people from franchise matches directly to test isn't right. They must first play sa a side cricket to prove themselves. I am guessing the quota thing is also there.

If franchise cricket cannot prepare players for test cricket the standard is to low. Plain and simple. See no way of fixing it. I guess odi and T20 will now be the staple diet of sa cricketers. It where the money is I guess.

There is a lot of hard work to be done especially for the batting side. What really concerns is the batting. Doesn't sa batsmen know how to play on a wanderers green top ??

This tells me that franchise cricket is not where its supposed to be.

 

[Oduodu]

I mean do they get similar green top pitches in franchise cricket ?? At the wandered I mean ?? If not how woll batsmen ever learn to play on it ??

 

[kykweer.proteas]

I mean do they get similar green top pitches in franchise cricket ?? At the wandered I mean ?? If not how woll batsmen ever learn to play on it ??

I dont think many proteas play franchise cricket, of the players that play franchise cricket Stephen Cook could have been best suited at Wanderers.

I do not think it is the pitch though, this all started in that 1st test in Mohali, our batsmen look like deer in headlights on pitches not remotely flat, the demons are not in the pitch, it is in their heads (especially in the first innings), the second innings is more difficult to judge, Stu Broad is never going to bowl a more perfect spell like that and with those conditions, he could have destroyed any line up.

 

[Oduodu]

Sa hasn't played 2 consecutive tests series with both consisting of 4 tests in how many years ?? Over the same period where played 29 tests aus and eng played 40 tests . Of those 29 tests how many were against quality sides like eng and aus ?? Our batsmen simply doesn't know how to deal with the pressure over 4 test matches. There's no jacques kallis to come and eat the pressure like their always was. Captaincy and wicket keeping are specialist positions for a reason. Captaincy requires a very strong person with leadership skills that binds the team. There is no one that comes to mind I'm the sa squad that I think can do that. The basics are not being done . Over 1 and 2 match test series you might get away with that but not 4 , especially not 2 consecutive ones.

 

[GIMH]

England's best bowler missed a Test and is struggling for fitness. It happens.

Broad has played all three?

 

[Niall]

Sa hasn't played 2 consecutive tests series with both consisting of 4 tests in how many years ?? Over the same period where played 29 tests aus and eng played 40 tests . Of those 29 tests how many were against quality sides like eng and aus ?? Our batsmen simply doesn't know how to deal with the pressure over 4 test matches. There's no jacques kallis to come and eat the pressure like their always was. Captaincy and wicket keeping are specialist positions for a reason. Captaincy requires a very strong person with leadership skills that binds the team. There is no one that comes to mind I'm the sa squad that I think can do that. The basics are not being done . Over 1 and 2 match test series you might get away with that but not 4 , especially not 2 consecutive ones.

Yep, I think this and the Indian debacle really highlighted how missed Smith is as a captain. Amla and ABDV are nowhere close to him when it comes to leadership.

I dunno about bringing him back as a player, but could do a lot worse then getting him back full time behind the scenes.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Broad has played all three?

And he is the best in the world.

 

[cnerd123]

Graeme retired to spend time with the family, then his wife left him... so this is not entirely out of the question.

Wait what, seriously?

Oh no

 

[Stefan9]

Gosh we already find it tough getting "african black" players to fill the team, then this happens.

___

The international future of Proteas spinner Aaron Phangiso appears to be hanging in the balance after he was barred from a flight in an intoxicated state.

According to Afrikaans newspaper, Rapport, the incident occurred when Phangiso and a few of his team-mates were travelling from India to South Africa on October 26 last year following South Africa’s ODI series win in the subcontinent.

Phangiso and his team-mates were travelling from Mumbai - via Dubai - to Johannesburg when the slow-armer behaved badly on the flight.

Phangiso, fully clad in Proteas kit, allegedly offended flight personnel and fellow passengers.

When the touring party arrived in Dubai, the Emirates Airline personnel refused to allow Phangiso on the next flight to Johannesburg, insisting he take a later flight to sober up.

According to the newspaper, Phangiso was almost arrested at the Dubai airport before Cricket South Africa stepped in and pleaded for him to be allowed on a later flight.

Phangiso, 31, was recently axed from the Proteas’ ODI squad for the series against England.

He has played 16 ODIs and nine T20I matched for South Africa.

This is reportedly not the first time the Highveld Lions spinner has been involved in an alcohol-related incident. He was arrested for allegedly drunk driving in Soshanguve in April last year.

Drunk Protea wreaks havoc on flight | Sport24

Well atleast this explains his surprising omission from the odi/t20 squads.

This team currently lacks real leaders/chracters who will stand when its tough. Previous teams had the likes of kallis,boucher and smith. The only one in this current squad that I see in that mold is Dale and he is missing injured.

AB,faf and hash are too soft for test captaincy. Sadly don't see many other options around.

 

[Captain_Cook]

Footit would have a bit of a Boyd Rankin/Amjad Khan feel about it but I do sort of agree. Would probably just go Woakes though.

Bayliss says he wants England to win 3-0 so it's definitely going to be Woakes. Does anybody else think CW just has something missing? Obviously he's had very little luck but despite gaining a yard of pace, he doesn't threaten.