they may have other 'test quality batsmen' if we choose to be generous with that categorization, but the point is none are anywhere near as good as a guy who retired and was a difference maker to the team until not long ago and still had quite a bit left in the tank. If Amla can continue hanging on for years despite not having played an innings of substance for sometime then you really have to ask why not AB especially when the team and the batting especially is in a state of flux.No it's not. He's one player and it's not like South Africa don't have other test-quality batsman, even if they're not as good as AB.
But if you compare the batting averages two years ago with what they are now, it doesn't make for pretty reading.
Elgar 42.07 -> 38.77
Markam N/A -> 43.80
Amla 49.99 -> 46.64
Bavuma 30.00 -> 33.00
Du Plessis 43.68 -> 42.95
De Kock 51.04 -> 39.31
To be fair, Du Plessis and De Kock have been on a bit of an upward trend recently, but the problem is not the loss of AB. The problem is the general decline in South African batting performances, and any claims that it's difficult to bat in South Africa are simply ignoring the reality that there's an issue with the batting for whatever reason.
To be fair I think it depends on the mindset of the player. No doubt AB is absolute class and could go on but he chose to go out at the top and there will always be a situation that big shoes are very hard to fill ( same as us with Mahela and Sanga who could have also gone on as long as they wanted)they may have other 'test quality batsmen' if we choose to be generous with that categorization, but the point is none are anywhere near as good as a guy who retired and was a difference maker to the team until not long ago and still had quite a bit left in the tank. If Amla can continue hanging on for years despite not having played an innings of substance for sometime then you really have to ask why not AB especially when the team and the batting especially is in a state of flux.
Oh yeah forgot about them. I'm sorry. But they haven't played much tests, so can't rank them atm.Still treating AFG and IRE as associates, eh?
it certainly is the biggest series upset atleast in 30 years.Wow. This is unbelievable. Congratulations SL. I still can't wrap my head around this.
Quite possibly. I vaguely remember India drawing a series in Australia back in the early 2000s when Agarkar bowled them to victory in one of the tests, but this may well be the bigger shock. Going further back, India's 1971 win in England was a massive surprise. And going even further back, Pakistan drawing in England in the mid1950s was completely unexpected. But this may well be the biggest of the lot.it certainly is the biggest series upset atleast in 30 years.
I mean it was true before that lolThe "teams never win away in Test cricket anymore" hoodoo has finally been broken in style over the past few months.
You sir are a poet. If William Shakespeare were still alive I am sure he would have contacted you for some adviceAustralia 2 Sri Lanka 0
South Africa 0 Sri Lanka 2
Eat **** Faf.