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***Official*** South Africa in England

Should Freddy be included in team for the second Test?


  • Total voters
    44

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I didn't say he was, I was referring in general to the point of not replacing anyone who's inept at anything just because there's no obvious replacement.
While "there's no obvious replacement" is obviously a disappointing reason for keeping someone in a job, if it's a question of bad or worse, you clearly choose bad. EG, Chirac vs le Pen.

If the best man for the job is poor at it and someone who might replace him appears likely to be abysmal, you clearly keep the incumbant.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
There is perhaps a difference between "no obvious replacement" and there being nobody at all good enough, though. Agree that change for change's sake is not necessarily a good thing, but in captaincy there will usually be an option about that is good enough.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
There's no-one who strikes me as someone who'd make a good job of captaincy right now.

Captaincy by nature is a job that in some cases you don't know how good someone is until you give them a chance, but you can't just go throwing captaincy at someone and hoping it works.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Yeah, but if Vaughan is quitting of his own accord then we don't really have a choice.

Plus Strauss has won his only series as captain. And when he was captain for the series (2nd, 3rd and 4th) V Pakistan he was much more proactive then when just doing the job as stand-in (1st Tests V Pakistan & West Indies, filling in for Flintoff & Vaughan respectively)
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Strauss would certainly be my choice, but it looks like the decision has already been made.

Perhaps what we wait to find-out is whether it's on a long-term or short-term basis.
 

Uppercut

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Strauss would certainly be my choice, but it looks like the decision has already been made.

Perhaps what we wait to find-out is whether it's on a long-term or short-term basis.
Agreed, Strauss is the only real option. Averages 23 in this series though- he's hardly sure of his place himself.
 

irfan

State Captain
Vaughan should be made permanent 12th man. That way when England bat, they will actually have someone in form with the bat @ No.3 (be it Key, Shah, Bopara etc.) and when England field, Vaughan can come on for Monty and start captaining. In the 2nd innings when you need Monty bowling, Cook/Bell can feign injury and be subbed off for Vaughan. :)
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Never really understood how Law whatever.whatever ("a substitute shall not act as captain") works but that's the way it is.

No-one can stop someone setting fields and making bowling changes. There's no set-in-stone rules about what the captain in cricket does, apart from gets put on the scoresheet with a * next to his name.
 

Napier16

Banned
It was proposed in The Times by WIlde I think how he could have been a "non playing" captain for the next ashes tour or something weird.
 

Steulen

International Regular
Strauss would certainly be my choice, but it looks like the decision has already been made.

Perhaps what we wait to find-out is whether it's on a long-term or short-term basis.
So Pietersen it is then? Sounds logical since he's roughly the only man in the team whose position is set-in-stone safe for the foreseeable future

Can't say I agree, though. The man is a bit of a tool and I haven't seen anything of him that would make him a good captain. Didn't think he was up to much in the ODI's he did so far.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
On really basic ground, one would think that KP would be in need of calming down rather than doing the calming and more in need of guidance than capable of giving it.

Just doesnt seem to be the balanced and sympathetic guy needed for the job.
 

Uppercut

Request Your Custom Title Now!
On really basic ground, one would think that KP would be in need of calming down rather than doing the calming and more in need of guidance than capable of giving it.

Just doesnt seem to be the balanced and sympathetic guy needed for the job.
I agree, but it doesn't mean he won't be a success. A variety of personalities make good captains, from Mahela Jayawardene to Chris Gayle. In many ways, it's a gamble that England feel they have to make. Because at the moment, they're nowhere near where they want to be.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
We will get destroyed in the next Test and in the ODIs because everything is in a bit of a mess

South Africa to be the first side in as long as I can remember to come to England and win both Tests and ODIs...can't remember if Australia did it in 2001 or not?
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
We will get destroyed in the next Test and in the ODIs because everything is in a bit of a mess

South Africa to be the first side in as long as I can remember to come to England and win both Tests and ODIs...can't remember if Australia did it in 2001 or not?
Pissed it. Don't think we even made the final of Nat West/Texaco/Other sponsor's 3-team thingy.
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
We will get destroyed in the next Test and in the ODIs because everything is in a bit of a mess

South Africa to be the first side in as long as I can remember to come to England and win both Tests and ODIs...can't remember if Australia did it in 2001 or not?

It was a Triangular series with Pakistan in 2001.........which Australia won.:)
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
And the last time before that was Australia in 1993 as well. Though in 1999 there was no home ODI series\tournament, just the World Cup and the NZ Test series.
 

Smith108

Cricket Spectator
First post... Strauss would seem the logical option to take over, but I think Pietersen would make a better one day captain rather than a test captain.
 

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