*** Official*** South Africa in England 2017

[StephenZA]

Bavuma needs to start converting more starts, and fast. Averaging 30-odd and grinding out the occasional half-century when SA are 4 down for FA won't save him for long.

It worked for Duminy..... and we all know why he was be given every chance. But another reality is we don`t have that much in the cupboard to replace him right now. Some youngsters but nobody else knocking the door down.

 

[StephenZA]

How many runs do we have to take off Elgar for clanging so many catches?

That`s another big loss that Kallis and Smith retirements brought about... sigh. Markram also had a big impact on the series, having not got into the team but dropping Root on the boundary in the first test!

 

[flibbertyjibber]

That`s another big loss that Kallis and Smith retirements brought about... sigh. Markram also had a big impact on the series, having not got into the team but dropping Root on the boundary in the first test!

Yeah we took years to replace Collingwood and Strauss properly, something you take for granted and then realise how important they were.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I sense Mo's stature has just shot up in world cricketing terms. He has to be considered one of the best genuine all-rounders now as opposed to an elegant batsman being shunted up-and-down the order, who also just happens to bowl a bit of part time.

 

[wpdavid]

He (Moeen) was poor last summer with the ball and in the winter was outbowled by Rashid but this summer he has been a revelation. Guess we have to take the rough with the smooth and accept he is a fine all round cricketer who does a great job for the team.

I'm choosing to believe that Saqlain's mentoring is making a long term difference to Moeen's bowling. I am struggling to think of anyone more qualified to do the job, and there was unquestionably an improvement this summer, even allowing for the fact that SA don't play spin as well as India and Pakistan.

 

[Niall]

Yeah, some of them seem weird. I'd say he's a bit too generous all round, as if they all get marked up because they look relatively better than they might if their colleagues hadn't underperformed.



Thing is, he didn't, and you probably should get your facts straight before using them to mark a player up.



Don't see how that's relevant to player ratings

Still trying to figure out how on earth you can justify giving JP a 5 for a majestic batting average of 8.

 

[Bijed]

Still trying to figure out how on earth you can justify giving JP a 5 for a majestic batting average of 8.

Yeah, that one was especially ridiculous. Tbf it's pretty much the same logic the SA selectors appear to have been using throughout his career.

 

[mr_mister]

Bavuma played well IMO

 

[Moonsorrow999]

One good series doesn't turn a player into world class, I've always liked Moeen and I think he should bat at 5 but it wasn't too long ago I think during last summer he was top on people's list of who to drop. One naff series against Australia and he'll be right there again, people in England seem very fickle when it comes to sports, I guess it comes from their awful football team I don't know.

 

[Groundking]

One good series doesn't turn a player into world class, I've always liked Moeen and I think he should bat at 5 but it wasn't too long ago I think during last summer he was top on people's list of who to drop. One naff series against Australia and he'll be right there again, people in England seem very fickle when it comes to sports, I guess it comes from their awful football team I don't know.

??? Who were asking for him to be dropped? Dude was arguably our 3rd best bat last summer.

 

[Moonsorrow999]

I thought it was madness too but he was mentioned a lot, my point is that fans are fickle. Anderson needs only two bad games in a row before people think he's finished.

 

[Bijed]

??? Who were asking for him to be dropped? Dude was arguably our 3rd best bat last summer.

As of the the first Pakistan test that summer, since starting the tour of the UAE, until his 155* (and he hadn't done anything good since then), he had one half century from 12 or so innings, with nearly all his other scores in that time being sub-30. Apart from one innings in SA (and the first test against SL where he bowled just one over), his bowling had been generally ineffective and often something of a liability. He was looking mentally out of it, had started getting out in some really bad ways, and it was totally fair to say he was on notice imo.

Of course, he's done really well since then (though not so much with the ball before this series) so keeping him turned out to be the right thing, but if he'd been dropped I don't think too many people would have been saying he'd been harshly done by

 

[Bijed]

Its called Gambhiring.

Wait until the Ashes this winter, then I'll show you what Gambhiring really means

 

[JRC67]

As of the the first Pakistan test that summer, since starting the tour of the UAE, until his 155* (and he hadn't done anything good since then), he had one half century from 12 or so innings, with nearly all his other scores in that time being sub-30. Apart from one innings in SA (and the first test against SL where he bowled just one over), his bowling had been generally ineffective and often something of a liability. He was looking mentally out of it, had started getting out in some really bad ways, and it was totally fair to say he was on notice imo.

Of course, he's done really well since then (though not so much with the ball before this series) so keeping him turned out to be the right thing, but if he'd been dropped I don't think too many people would have been saying he'd been harshly done by

He was probably 2 games from being dropped prior to the Sri Lanka century. He bowled well in Bangladesh, leading English wicket taker with Stokes.

 

[Gnske]

Still trying to figure out how on earth you can justify giving JP a 5 for a majestic batting average of 8.

Because no one wants to offend, I was watching closely this series and I think I can judge

Cook - 5 = Put on appearances
Jennings - 0 = Bats like Helen Keller had cerebral palsy and a prosthetic leg
Ballance - 0 = Bats like Helen Keller had cerebral palsy and cowardice
Westley - 1 = Bats like Malala Yousafzai trying to fend off bullets from terrorists
Malan - 0 = Did he even bat?
Root - 7 = Did things, still disappointed
Stokes - 5 = Who cares
Dawson - 0 = Legspin deserves to die
Moeen - 10 = Literally the Allah of all-rounders
Bairstow - 5 = Did things
Wood - 0 = Useful as a paraplegic trying to take the stand on trial
Broad - 6 = Did his job
Anderson - 8 = The world's 72nd best fast bowler ever did his work well
Roland-Jones - 8 = Did well for someone with a hyphenated name.

Elgar - 6.5 = Dropped many, failed and then succeeded.
Kuhn - 0 = Kuhnt bat
Amla - 5.5 = Waning by the day
de Kock - 4.5 = Did alright behind the stumps, pity about the front
du Plessis - 3 = Was he even there?
de Bruyn - 0 = Bruynless batting
Bavuma - 5 = Like having the most foreskin at Hannukah, was overrated among the ruins of the series in addition to being already overrated just because he can occasionally run someone out when he isn't trying to duck short of a length balls and getting bowled.
Duminy - 10 = Exceeded expectations
Morris - 4 = Did his part, what little there was
Rabada - 4 = Occasional good delivery in between bowling trash and abusing people unjustly.
Olivier - 3 = His part this series will surely be remembered by someone.
Morkel - 0 = He was the best for South Africa, but the fact after 10 years he still hasn't learned to bowl full means he deserves nothing. Just retire already, you hack.
Philander - 0 = If only test cricket was a Big Mac and a diet coke.
Maharaj - 2 = Gets points for being there.

 

[DriveClub]

Jeez I'm not even sure the point of this gnske guys existence, not sure which is worse his posts or him thinking they're funny, my fault for viewing his post despite having him on ignore

 

[cnerd123]

I want Gnske to have his own Cricket With Balls kind of blog

 

[honestbharani]

Only if he critiques Kimber. I would love to see Gnske's rating of cricket correspondents, tbh.

 

[Gnske]

Jeez I'm not even sure the point of this gnske guys existence, not sure which is worse his posts or him thinking they're funny, my fault for viewing his post despite having him on ignore

Mods he commented on my posting, ban him!

 

[OverratedSanity]

Jeez I'm not even sure the point of this gnske guys existence, not sure which is worse his posts or him thinking they're funny, my fault for viewing his post despite having him on ignore

You're just mad you didn't think of this masterful pun:

Kuhn - 0 = Kuhnt bat