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

[91Jmay]

The injury to qdk allowed them to get special compensation. My understanding is whenever they want to select less then 4 they need approval from the ceo.

How would the injury to a white player meaning they brought in another white player have impacted that? Or is qdk not white?

 

[Marius]

They should pick a team that meets the quota without even considering the quota, because it is their best team.

Quite, but we don't live in a perfect world. Right now the best XI has four POCs but that may not always be the case.

 

[Furball]

Why are people still acting like this is a rule that they must follow? They didn't follow it in the match that just finished.

Literally the last match.

Because if South Africa regularly start picking 3 players of colour then there will be noises made. It's not a selection policy they can get away with (for lack of a better phrase) long term.

 

[Blanco]

How would the injury to a white player meaning they brought in another white player have impacted that? Or is qdk not white?

Think De Kock might have been in line to open so JP( a player of colour) could fit in the lineup.

 

[91Jmay]

Think De Kock might have been in line to open so JP( a player of colour) could fit in the lineup.

Well QDK is having a fitness test to play next test and Cook is in squad. So they must have changed their mind without JP playing or QDK getting chance to open!

 

[Oduodu]

What furball said. Stick with the quota of 4 else noises will be made.

 

[Stefan9]

Rather stark contrast to ab's comments, now if only he could get fit and stay fit.

I'm not going anywhere - Steyn
by Neil Manthorp 20 January 2016, 09:28

Dale Steyn is angry. Not just because injuries have ruled him out of any meaningful participation in the test series against India and England, but because he is being repeatedly written off as either “past it” or on the verge of retirement.

“It’s absolute rubbish,” Steyn said in Cape Town. “I played 48 tests in a row, didn’t miss a single one, and now suddenly I’m an injury liability at the age of 32? It’s ridiculous. Injuries can happen to anybody but I’m still one of the fittest players in the squad and I have many, many overs left in me.”

Talk of retirement may have started with the speculation that AB de Villiers was considering his future and looking for ways to “manage his workload” but it has baffled the great fast bowler.

“The test team is going through some huge changes and I want to help lead the way as one of the senior players. This is no time to turn your back and walk away, that’s the last thing on my mind. I have many ambitions left in the game and I’m as excited about playing international cricket now as I was when I started over a decade ago.

“I would love to play 100 tests, hopefully more, and take many more wickets. But mostly I want to start winning test matches with the Proteas once again and get back to where we were for so long,” Steyn said.

And it is not just the test arena in which Steyn wishes to remain: “I would like to play all three formats. I’d love to be involved in the ODI series against England but I’m not going to rush back from injury, like I did in India, and make it worse. I’m desperately keen to be fit and play in the T20 World Cup in India in March. It might be my last World Cup so I’d like to help win the bloody thing!”

Ironically, Steyn believes that the groin and shoulder injuries which have ruined his season were caused by not playing enough cricket rather than too much. “Managing my workload doesn’t always mean resting,” he said ruefully. “I need to make sure I have enough overs in my legs and body before I start a test match at 100 miles an hour.”

Match-fixing, a series loss and a spectacular crash down the world rankings. These are tough times for SA cricket. Thankfully, Steyn is the perfect antidote to all the bad news.

I'm not going anywhere - Steyn - SuperSport - Cricket

 

[Daemon]

Gotta love the dude. Everything a fast bowler should be.

 

[Oduodu]

So steyn was overbowled. That's what I thought

 

[vcs]

Love Steyn, those words are manna from heaven.

 

[91Jmay]

Yeah a fit Steyn will help SA rebound very quickly as long as they get mediocre batting (which they should do). They've had a bad 12 months, but I'd imagine within the next 6 they will be back competing again with the rest.

 

[Marius]

Gotta love the dude. Everything a fast bowler should be.

He also seems like a genuinely good guy, just going by what I've picked up in interviews and so on.

 

[Garson007]

Yeah a fit Steyn will help SA rebound very quickly as long as they get mediocre batting (which they should do). They've had a bad 12 months, but I'd imagine within the next 6 they will be back competing again with the rest.

No test cricket in the next 6, iirc.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I hope Steyn's right but so many injuries in such a short time arent good. I'm glad he called BS on AB retiring due to bring overworked though. SA have barely played international cricket in the last year.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

No test cricket in the next 6, iirc.

May help. get the bowlers fit and the players unsure over carrying on will have a break to see if they still have the hunger. I am sure that the AB thing was a comment after being ground down by the constant defeats of late and being at a low ebb.

 

[Oduodu]

Steyn seems to be the only one who has that hunger left in him. Rabada said he wants to play for his country. That's sounds like he has that hunger too.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Rather stark contrast to ab's comments, now if only he could get fit and stay fit.




I'm not going anywhere - Steyn - SuperSport - Cricket

I'm starting to get excited about the NZ tour. Kane Williamson on his first test assignment as captain against Steyn. Mouthwatering.

 

[Stefan9]

Here is a suggestion to the proteas, play better and win some games and you won't get criticized. What do these guys expect after being bowled out for their 2 lowest scores since readmission in their last 2 test series...

Proteas fed up with critics
2016-01-21 08:30 SHARE THIS




Cape Town - The Proteas players feel the negative press they have received in the last while was uncalled for.

The team will lose its No 1 status in Test cricket after the conclusion of the current series against England, who boast an unassailable 2-0 series lead heading into Thursday’s final Test in Centurion.

Before the England series, the South Africans also lost a Test series 3-0 in India and they have copped heavy criticism for their performances.

But opener Dean Elgar feels some of the criticism is unfair.

Elgar responded to comments made by former captain Graeme Smith, who hit out at the team’s efforts after last weekend’s Test at the Wanderers.

“It hurts when it’s coming from people who were part of the set-up and knows what it’s all about,” Elgar told Netwerk24.

“I think our team management deserves to be held in higher regard, and not cop as much criticism as they are currently receiving. I think they, the team management, did everything that was expected of them.”

Smith’s comments came after England won the Wanderers Test by 7 wickets, courtesy of bowling South Africa out for a meagre 83 in their second innings.

"The players have to take responsibility for their performances, there's no doubt about that, but the management do too," Smith said after the game.

"They haven't quite come into the equation of late. At the end the day the performances of the test team for the last year haven't been good enough, so you have to ask questions of everybody.

"How is management getting the best out of them, how are they preparing them, are they directed in the right way, do they need to be firmer, do they need to be softer? I don't know.

"These are all questions that need to come out of the environment. When you are not performing well, people are going to ask questions and you've got to live with it."

In an unprecedented step, current national selector Ashwell Prince also hit out at skipper AB de Villiers.

“It’s never nice to hear such criticism,” Elgar continued. “Many players say they don’t read what’s written in the newspapers, but I’m someone that does read it. I can honestly say we’re still a tight unit. I think it’s best not to let the criticism bother you, but it’s not so easy.”

Proteas fed up with critics | Sport24

 

[StephenZA]

I'm starting to get excited about the NZ tour. Kane Williamson on his first test assignment as captain against Steyn. Mouthwatering.

What is up with that Test series 2 Tests and nothing else... thought that they could have done more than that. Hoping SA have sorted there problems out by then....

 

[Marius]

There's a guy commenting on Cricinfo who says Ramela and Ethy Mbhalati should be picked. He also says Cook is too old to be picked even though Cook is more than a year younger than Mbhalati.