South Africa team selection

[SeamUp]

Big breakthrough year for Aiden and Lungi

Aiden Markram and Lungi Ngidi, two of South Africa’s most exciting young talents, are among the five Cricketers of the Year named in the 2018 South African Cricket Annual published on Thursday.

Markram scored 1 000 runs at an average of 55.55 in his first season of Test cricket, while fast bowler Ngidi made a sensational start to his Test career by taking six for 39 on debut against India at Centurion.

Unlike the official Cricket South Africa awards, a player can only be honoured once as a South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year.

The other three players named in the 2018 annual are Titans fast bowler Junior Dala, Warriors captain and all-rounder Jon-Jon Smuts and Lions batsman Rassie van der Dussen.

The annual, edited by veteran journalist Colin Bryden, is widely regarded as one of the best publications of its type, a local equivalent of England’s famed Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

The 2018 edition consists of 680 pages, packed with feature articles, reports, photographs, scores and statistics.

It covers one of the most eventful periods in South Africa’s cricketing history, with a home season which featured ten Test matches, including series wins against India and Australia.

All South Africa’s international men’s and women’s international matches, up to and including the tour of Sri Lanka in August, are covered in detail.

Feature articles include an examination of the state of pitches in South Africa and a full account of the controversies which marked the series against Australia.

There are also tributes to AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel to mark their retirements from international cricket, with the article on De Villiers tracing his career highlights from the age of 12, when he first shone in a national under-13 Week.

Dedicated cricket followers will be particularly fascinated by the detailed statistical sections, compiled by Andrew Samson, Cricket South Africa’s world-renowned official statistician.

A comprehensive Obituaries section recalls the lives of a range of cricketing personalities, who died during the past year, including Test stars Colin Bland and Clive van Ryneveld and the all-rounder Sulaiman ‘Dik’ Abed, who left apartheid South Africa and became a legend in England’s Lancashire League.

Note: The South African Cricket Annual will be available at selected bookstores or specialist publishers’ representatives, Blue Weaver, info@blueweaver.co.za at a recommended retail price of R250

 

[SeamUp]

Temba's got a county gig.

Temba Bavuma joins Northamptonshire for 2019 Championship campaign - ESPNcricinfo

 

[SeamUp]

Lets hope so but I'm not sure we must be expecting too much of Hash.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Proteas/amlas-shock-treatment-may-benefit-sa-20181203

 

[SeamUp]

Not exactly ideal these injuries.

https://www.iol.co.za/sport/cricket...uyn-ruled-out-of-mzansi-super-league-18380081

 

[StephenZA]

Not exactly ideal these injuries.

https://www.iol.co.za/sport/cricket...uyn-ruled-out-of-mzansi-super-league-18380081

Missed de Bruyn was injured... not good for him or SA. Hopefully he does recover in time.

Nice to see Hamza get selected, deserves the opportunity, hopefully does the job when given the chance. If picked (i.e. de Bruyn is injured). Where would you slot him in, at 3? Or lower down the order at 5/6?

The CSA selection policy has been pretty good overall, given the people a chance, mostly , that deserve it. Very predictable selection policy is always good.

 

[SeamUp]

Missed de Bruyn was injured... not good for him or SA. Hopefully he does recover in time.

Nice to see Hamza get selected, deserves the opportunity, hopefully does the job when given the chance. If picked (i.e. de Bruyn is injured). Where would you slot him in, at 3? Or lower down the order at 5/6?

The CSA selection policy has been pretty good overall, given the people a chance, mostly , that deserve it. Very predictable selection policy is always good.

Not even sure what the extent of de Bruyns injury is but supposedly hoping to play round of 4-day series before Xmas.

Its a tough one. Definitely bat Theunis 3 , Amla 4, Faf 5 as the ideal order until the older 2 go. Definitely think Hamza suited to 3/4 so I would put him 3 as Amla isn't around for forever.

I see lots of moans and groans about the selection and people saying who is Hamza on twitter. People looking at the current 4-day leading run-scorers and saying they wonder why we have Kolpaks. Guys in question like P.Malan, vs Dussen, Second, van Biljon, van Jaarsveld

Thing is whilst I haven't seen a lot of Hamza I certainly have seen enough of the above to know they arent pulling up trees. Then whilst Hamza only has 1 season of performance he showed progression in backing it up with SA A performance.

One thing I know is I rather look for a potential star on the upgrade than mediocre averageness. They have to be putting up outrageous numbers like Rudolph/McKenzie did to get back in or Cook did to be picked.

 

[StephenZA]

I see lots of moans and groans about the selection and people saying who is Hamza on twitter.

This is why I don't bother with twitter.... it is very aptly named in my opinion.

Hamza has been watched and talked about since a school boy, has had his ups and downs but he clearly shown improvement over time. I have not seen a lot of him, but what see and I did like was his grit... you know how I like grit over aesthetics.

 

[GRAB]

Thing is, people are including Pieter Malan's vast 2nd team runs as a major factor in his selection, which it shouldn't be. There were those calling for his selection when his first team average was still 20 (which was basically just over a year ago...) People complained that Bavuma didn't have the domestic numbers either, and it was equally bollocks then. People also complained about Hashim, and Ashwell, and Ontong (who never got a fair test shake), basically, every non-white batsmen is guilty of not being good enough until proven innocent...

 

[Dendarii]

Thing is, people are including Pieter Malan's vast 2nd team runs as a major factor in his selection, which it shouldn't be.

The problem is that those figures are included in the first-class stats. So people are getting an inaccurate picture when they look at his career figures, and it's not unreasonable to see a player who's averaging in the mid 40s after more than 100 matches and suggest that he should be picked.

But Hamza's make good reading too, and the only thing Malan really has in his favour is current form, and it's a little short sighted to pick a player purely on the basis of that. Not that people are going to see it that way, especially if it doesn't fit their preferred narrative of quotas ruining South African cricket.

 

[Ahmad Zahir]

I thought Reeza was gonna selected as well.

 

[Dendarii]

I thought Reeza was gonna selected as well.

Why? With a first class average of 33 there was no way he was making it into the test squad.

 

[SeamUp]

For those interested in some stats.

 

[StephenZA]

The most interesting part of that for me was that 4 of the 5 top bowlers are spinners?

 

[StephenZA]

Bokako is apperntly going to be spending time with the SA team while the Pak series is ongoing? Why? He does not have a real chance does he? Simpala makes more sense right?

 

[SeamUp]

The most interesting part of that for me was that 4 of the 5 top bowlers are spinners?

I did wonder if that was due to that season where the wickets were flat as hell and then our batsmen's ability playing spin. Because you would think those quicks played more or less the same amount of games as the spinners more less.

Bokako is apperntly going to be spending time with the SA team while the Pak series is ongoing? Why? He does not have a real chance does he? Simpala makes more sense right?

Definitely. Simple as.

I also noticed they mentioned they did with Rabada , Mulder & Breetzke in the past in the press release. They seem pleased with the process and opportunity they give here CSA.

 

[StephenZA]

Process makes complete sense, give young talent a chance to see the Test team work and gain some knowledge; been doing a good job too. Bokako though makes no sense.

 

[StephenZA]

Based on current form, Shamsi or Tahir?

 

[Stefan9]

Tahir hasn't been bad tbf. Been econonical, just not had the wickets he probably deserve.

 

[SeamUp]

We so badly want Shamsi to do more as well to say he is ready to take on Imrans responsibility over the years in ODIs.

 

[GRAB]

Fabulous stats!

It's not just the last two years, for a good while spinners have been taking a lot of wickets in domestic comptetion (look at some of Tahir and Maharaj's franchise seasons!). Often though, it is at high average - Harmer and Piedt the classic examples (as seen in the infographic).

Bokako in 13 franchise games has 46 wickets @ 25,9 S/R 43. No 5-ers, but consistently collecting wickets. Has been frequently bowling in low to mid 140's in Mzansi league. Difficult to correlate, but been quite straight up and down for the most part there, maybe more seam movement with red ball?

I'd imagine the replacement seamer pecking order for tests, is more or less: Olivier then Morris, B Hendricks, Mulder, Nortje, then Bokako.