It feels like coaches aren't taking the batting of tail-enders too seriously these days in SA.
Rabada always looks good when he's at the crease but that doesn't translate into runs. He's a bit like the Duminy of the bowlers in that regard.
Cronje and Kuiper would get into the SA team on their batting. Their bowling was only secondary but it more than did a job. Which is what you want really. Kallis was a rarity. Ihope Mulder can be a Rice/McMillan who were in my opinion the best all-rounders in the world during a part of their careers which would be good enough.
If you go by their career bowling averages then possibly they were better than Duminy.
Suppose it is the difference between spin and seam in bowling in SA ?
I'd argue it's a bit more than that; that while that contributes, Duminy is weaker than both of them.
I`m hoping Mulder becomes a McMillan type player batting 6/7 for SA.
Possibly; I`m not saying that Cronje/Kuiper would not be the best option at 6 nowadays (in a struggling SA ODI team); I am saying that their numbers are similar to Duminys. Cronje/Kuiper never had their positions questioned (and still regarded as great options), Duminy has had a question mark his entire career. Partly because people felt he was a better player than he showed but also because the competition was tougher on the batting front imo.
In Tests, and quite rightly so given his Test stats, but in ODIs I don't think he's really had much of question mark at all.
He was questioned over his LO's role near the end of his Test career. Retired from tests and started performing in LO's again.
Is that a consequence of having a coach who was bowler and so he favours a bowling-dominated strategy? Or is it just playing to our current strengths i.e. our fast bowling stocks being so good at the moment?
Mickey Arthur made the decision to leave out Shaun Pollock and go with 3 quicks and a spinner who really couldn't score a 50 regularly. I would say whilst he changed the game plan with Graeme Smith - a younger Shaun Pollock would have got in for his bowling a lone and Procter would do so too. Same would go for Kallis, Rice, McMillan, Barlow, Goddard getting in for their batting a lone.
) or is just we were spoilt with freaks and have run dry ?
It is not even that much of a dry run, Kallis retired 5 years ago, Pollock 5 years before that, McMillan '98 (apparently)? Replacing Kallis was never going to be easy. Mulder is by far our best chance at a true WC all rounder since Kallis retired.Maybe it is a question of coaching today at youth level and deeper issues? Why has their been changes if there has been (expression or hogging duel roles
Mostly the fact that duminy lacks control and bowls a lit of bad balls. Mych more difficult task for him than a medium pacer, but he still could have got it better. He would have needed to focus on it, including game overs to develop control.
Our selectors have done really well considering the challenges they've had to face.
