Greatest South Africa Test Team of all time (Including uncapped players)

[ankitj]

And it's a crime not to include Allan Donald in first SA XI. Easily top 2 pacer from SA, or top 3 at the least depending on how you rate Procter. Surely we have room for 3 top drawer pacers in an SA XI.

 

[Jacob Boris]

Not a SA domestic cricket follower so I'll just name the best international XI in my opinion
Graeme Smith (Captain)
Hashim Amla
Jacques Kallis
AB de Villiers
Dudley Nourse
Jacques Rudolph
Mark Boucher (Wicketkeeper):
Shaun Pollock
Dale Steyn
Makhaya Ntini
Allan Donald

 

[Marius]

Not a SA domestic cricket follower so I'll just name the best international XI in my opinion
Graeme Smith (Captain)
Hashim Amla
Jacques Kallis
AB de Villiers
Dudley Nourse
Jacques Rudolph
Mark Boucher (Wicketkeeper):
Shaun Pollock
Dale Steyn
Makhaya Ntini
Allan Donald

Jacques Rudolph? Instead of Graeme Pollock or Alan Melville or Daryll Cullinan or Ashwell Prince or Jackie McGlew or or or?

And why would you open with Alma?

 

[Jacob Boris]

Jacques Rudolph? Instead of Graeme Pollock or Alan Melville or Daryll Cullinan or Asgwell Prince or Jackie McGlew or or or?

And why would you open with Alma?

Considering Amla played most of his career as an opener why wouldn't I open with him? As for Jacques Rudolph, yes I agree he might not be justified but I preferred him for his versatility in different positions. Also I personally admired his game so thats a factor as well lol

 

[Marius]

Considering Amla played most of his career as an opener why wouldn't I open with him? As for Jacques Rudolph, yes I agree he might not be justified but I preferred him for his versatility in different positions. Also I personally admired his game so thats a factor as well lol

Amla only regularly opened in ODIs, in Tests he opened twice in two matches - he played 126.

 

[Jacob Boris]

Amla only regularly opened in ODIs, in Tests he opened twice in two matches - he played 126.

My bad think my knowledge of SA cricket is not as great as I thought it was

 

[Dendarii]

Not a SA domestic cricket follower so I'll just name the best international XI in my opinion
Graeme Smith (Captain)
Hashim Amla
Jacques Kallis
AB de Villiers
Dudley Nourse
Jacques Rudolph
Mark Boucher (Wicketkeeper):
Shaun Pollock
Dale Steyn
Makhaya Ntini
Allan Donald

Ntini? And no Tayfield?

 

[BazBall21]

1) Barry Richards
2) Bruce Mitchell
3) Dudley Nourse
4) Jacques Kallis
5) Graeme Pollock
6) AB De Villiers
7) Mike Proctor
8) Aubrey Faulkner
9) Shaun Pollock
10) Dale Steyn
11) Allan Donald

Toughest choice is Amla vs Nourse.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Dammit I already forgot his name - but there was a great post recently about the first great African batsman - never could play first class and doesn’t even have a cricinfo page but certainly merits a place in this thread…

Think he played between the wars?

I included Roro in one of those teams; probably the 4 th.... It's really hard to judge a batsman who never even played outside of Howa Bowl; but his legacy is truly strong among dark skinned South Africans.
Also, yeah; as bowlers Bijl is definitely on par with Procter and better than Rice; but both Rice and Procter are much better batsmen.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Why is Clive Rice there in first XI? Already too many all rounders. I would play Dudley Nourse instead.

With Shaun Pollock or Mike Procter at 7 and ABD functioning in as a keep; this team has a ridiculous depth in batting; that's why I opted for one more all rounder.

 

[capt_Luffy]

And it's a crime not to include Allan Donald in first SA XI. Easily top 2 pacer from SA, or top 3 at the least depending on how you rate Procter. Surely we have room for 3 top drawer pacers in an SA XI.

I totally want to include him; but I think both Procter and Shaun Pollock are around his levels as quicks; and them being much much superior batsmen prompted me to give them the nod. Rice is more of a batting Allrounder who have a really good bowling average; and Faulkner is probably the most balanced allrounder between his batting and bowling. I picked Steyn over him; so really if I want to include to Donald I have to drop Tayfield and go for an extra pacer.

 

[Red]

B Richards
G Smith
J Kallis
G Pollock
AB DeVilliers
A Faulkner
J Waite +
M Procter
H Tayfield
D Steyn
A Donald