*Official* Australia vs South Africa -2022/3

[morgieb]

Saw some Sack Elgar type posts on previous pages. Who would captain them instead? Rabada?

Bavuma?

 

[halba]

Agar getting deserved treatment

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Bavuma?

Pretty much has to be one would think, maybe at a stretch an argument could be made for Maharaj, but Bavuma seems more likely. Not exactly inspiring stuff, but Elgar's leadership really has been miles off all series.

Would still retain him as a player definitely, out of necessity as much as anything else. Most South African posters here seem to believe there is some massive glut of untapped talent at domestic level, but I remain entirely unconvinced of that myself.

Obvoiusly there should be a bit more of a push to get a couple of the promising younger players around the setup, but wholesale change is not, has never been, and likely will never be a recipe for success in selectorial terms

 

[Prince EWS]

Pretty much has to be one would think, maybe at a stretch an argument could be made for Maharaj

No, surely not that ****ing moron.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

No, surely not that ****ing moron.

****, get the sense I will be copping that one for a while

Well played, ****

 

[Prince EWS]

Pretty much has to be one would think, maybe at a stretch an argument could be made for Maharaj, but Bavuma seems more likely. Not exactly inspiring stuff, but Elgar's leadership really has been miles off all series.

Would still retain him as a player definitely, out of necessity as much as anything else. Most South African posters here seem to believe there is some massive glut of untapped talent at domestic level, but I remain entirely unconvinced of that myself.

Obvoiusly there should be a bit more of a push to get a couple of the promising younger players around the setup, but wholesale change is not, has never been, and likely will never be a recipe for success in selectorial terms

Seriously though I agree.

1 Elgar
2
3
4
5 Bavuma (c)
6 Verreyene (wk)
7 Mulder
8 Jansen
9 Maharaj
10 Rabada
11 Nortje

That should be the guts of the team. Ngidi first in if one the quicks is injured/needs resting, Hamer in for Jansen (or maybe in for Mulder, but ehh long tail) in Asia.

They need new blood in the top order. This much is very clear.

I've never been a Bavuma fan at all - tbh I reckon he should have played zero Tests so far in his career - but he's been their best bat for the last couple of years despite not getting big scores, and sacking an entire batting lineup at once is silly.

If all this means they have to play Zondo and Lucky for a bunch of JAMODIs and JAMT20Is to make up some averages then so be it, really.

 

[Aritro]

Bavuma?

I just wasn't sure whether he'll actually reliably keep getting picked?

 

[Shady Slim]

Seriously though I agree.

1 Elgar
2
3
4
5 Bavuma (c)
6 Verreyene (wk)
7 Mulder
8 Jansen
9 Maharaj
10 Rabada
11 Nortje

That should be the guts of the team. Ngidi first in if one the quicks is injured/needs resting, Hamer in for Jansen (or maybe in for Mulder, but ehh long tail) in Asia.

They need new blood in the top order. This much is very clear.

I've never been a Bavuma fan at all - tbh I reckon he should have played zero Tests so far in his career - but he's been their best bat for the last couple of years despite not getting big scores, and sacking an entirely batting lineup at once is silly.

If all this means they have to play Zondo and Lucky for a bunch of JAMODIs and JAMT20Is to make up some averages then so be it, really.

@StephenZA @Bahseph and others, from what they've said, i imagine would have de zorzi opening, rickelton one of the remaining bat spots and who else as the other?

agree with all that you as well as GAS said, might as well have elgar stick around so you don't have an entirely new top four

 

[Prince EWS]

I just wasn't sure whether he'll actually reliably keep getting picked?

Unless they're sacking *literally everyone* - which hey maybe they should - he deserves his place.

 

[Aritro]

Unless they're sacking *literally everyone* - which hey maybe they should - he deserves his place.

View attachment 34185

Ah fair, didn't realise he'd started making runs. Last time I took note, he was pretty hapless in tests

 

[Nintendo]

Yeah bavuma's been good recently, just failing to convert his starts. Alot of the SA fans on here seem to be all in on the youth policy thing, or at least getting new blood in the pipeline, and keeping a 33 YO who averages 34 with 1 hundred in a 55 match career to date is basically the antethesis of that.

 

[Prince EWS]

Ah fair, didn't realise he'd started making runs. Last time I took note, he was pretty hapless in tests

He never makes big runs (literally 0 hundreds in that lot lol) but in the past two years he's just consistently not failed. Arresting collapses is a good quality to have in a 5/6, especially given how bad the SA top order is.

As I said I'm not a fan, but he absolutely deserves his place now and I think makes sense as captain.

 

[Aritro]

Did they have any worthwhile Kolpak batting talent who've come back into the fold?

I suppose a fair few of them ended up being there long enough to get British citizenship.

 

[Dendarii]

@StephenZA @Bahseph and others, from what they've said, i imagine would have de zorzi opening, rickelton one of the remaining bat spots and who else as the other?

Keegan Petersen hasn't set the world alight, but he's been solid enough that he probably deserves be retained in the short-term. Raynard van Tonder is another candidate, as well as possible recalls for Aiden Markram and Zubayr Hamza.

 

[Starfighter]

Yeah I know it's hardly been used, but this pitch is more like a classic Adelaide pitch than an eighties Sydney pitch.

 

[Dendarii]

Did they have any worthwhile Kolpak batting talent who've come back into the fold?

I suppose a fair few of them ended up being there long enough to get British citizenship.

Kolpaks tended to be bowlers. Rilee Rossouw is the only batsman I can think of off the top of my head. But the problem with Kolpaks is that most of them were either fringe players or heading towards the end of their careers, so they're not ideal options.

 

[morgieb]

Did they have any worthwhile Kolpak batting talent who've come back into the fold?

I suppose a fair few of them ended up being there long enough to get British citizenship.

Rossouw was the best, but he's basically a white ball specialist at this point in his career.

There's also Bedingham, but I think he's playing county cricket as a local player still?

 

[Burgey]

Fmd just saw Elgar’s wicket. Dire

 

[Prince EWS]

Kolpaks tended to be bowlers. Rilee Rossouw is the only batsman I can think of off the top of my head. But the problem with Kolpaks is that most of them were either fringe players or heading towards the end of their careers, so they're not ideal options.

Markram is clearly one of the best six bats, it's really just a matter of how much of a reset and new rope is required to get him out of his own head. Might need a new coach+captain combination.

I know he wants to be an opener but he should totally bat 3 or 4 too. He's the star bat, could average 50+ there with a new lease on life.

 

[Nintendo]

Australia's fielding hasn't been up to par today. Can't be dropping catches if your going to try to bowl a side our twice in under two days on a road.