South Africa team selection

[Bahseph]

Hmm. Happy with the Smith appointment. But who's going to get the captaincy? It's either Markram or Bavuma imo. Rassie isn't going to be around for that long.

 

[Dendarii]

How much captaincy experience does Rassie have? It does seem a little like the only reason his name is being brought up in these discussions is that they're just listing all the batsmen who are likely to be in the team going forward as potential candidates.

 

[SeamUp]

Maybe even Kesh ? But most likely between those 3 batsmen.

I see CSA has arranged a T20 series with India in August. Being behind closed doors won't hurt financially. Would still need to make up 2 small limited overs tours to Sri Lanka and India possibly.

In the winter now 47 identified players less IPL players were to go into a camp. Part of the reasoning was that Smith/Boucher/coaches felt players are well short of where they need to be with understanding and tactical part of the game. So lots of conversations as well as training would have been a crucial part of it.

Charl Langeveldt name dropped Glenton Stuurman, Stefan Tait, Lifa Ntanzi and Gerald Coetzee as young bowlers who would have been there. The key to was to carry on the opportunity young players got at the back of the end the summer to grow their talent and knowledge. Right now though it is personal fitness. Graeme Smith spoke to each one of them personally which is a nice touch.

Watching Graeme and listening to his interview with Pommie it really seems like it has been a massive effort so far and there is still so much more to come. Getting the relationship with SACA sorted along with being more financially prudent but creative (getting sponsors back on side) have been the initial areas outside of excellence in the game he wanted sorted.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Isn't Stuurman about 28 or somesuch?

 

[Dendarii]

Maybe even Kesh ?

Definitely an option but it would mean that they couldn't ever go with all-seam attack, although that's not something I'd have a problem with.

 

[StephenZA]

Definitely an option but it would mean that they couldn't ever go with all-seam attack, although that's not something I'd have a problem with.

Outside a green Wanderers and an occasional Aussie tour we should never be going in with an all seam attack.

But I don't think Kev is really going to be considered. Listening to Smith speak I get the feeling that he wants QDK to grow into the captaincy role using the LO as a starting point. I expect a 'temporary' captain (a year or two) in either Rassie or Elgar. I get the feeling that the Test team is becoming secondary (or more long term plans) while SA try win a LO tournament and sort out domestic structure.

 

[SeamUp]

Isn't Stuurman about 28 or somesuch?

Young probably the incorrect word But yeah 28 and a late developer on to the professional scene.

From what I have seen , he won't be a star but he does look a bowler worth trying to grow.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Young probably the incorrect word But yeah 28 and a late developer on to the professional scene.

From what I have seen , he won't be a star but he does look a bowler worth trying to grow.

Yeah from what I've seen he definitely has some talent, not express but hits the deck and gets some awkward bounce and seam

Just reminds me of noted 36 year old young gun Shaun Marsh

 

[Dendarii]

I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with developing players who are a little bit older to build a bit of depth. Injuries happen, so it's useful to have players who can come in and deliver a solid performance if required. There can be a danger in focusing too much on older players, which is what we saw recently, but the odd one here and there like Stuurman should be fine.

 

[StephenZA]

Them talking about camps of 40+ players is not selecting the best for a national 15 squad, that is well beyond just trying to create depth for the national squad. That is trying to improve players at a domestic level and give those good quality FC players a chance to improve with the best. It feels like a big upliftment program for the entire domestic structure. Which is a good tack to take for long term improvement.

 

[StephenZA]

Obviously the writing was on the wall for Mahatlane not getting the SA U19 gig.

news24.com/sport/cricket/sa-u19-coach-lawrence-mahatlane-appointed-uganda-coach

Hopefully he can do better for Uganda than he did for the SA u19s.

 

[StephenZA]

SA now sponsored by the same people as this glorious site.
news24.com/sport/cricket/proteas/exclusive-cricket-sa-rope-in-betway-as-new-sponsor-but-proteas-void-still-felt

 

[SeamUp]

The 45-man High Performance squad that was chosen to go back to training from beginning of July.


COBRAS
Pieter Malan, Janneman Malan, Zubayr Hamza, Tony de Zorzi, Kyle Verreynne, George Linde, Nandre Burger
WARRIORS
Eddie Moore, Jon-Jon Smuts, Rudi Second, Anrich Nortje, Glenton Stuurman
DOLPHINS
Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Marques Ackerman, Dave Miller, Khaya Zondo, Senuran Muthusamy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maaraj, Daryn Dupavillon, Imran Tahir
KNIGHTS
Raynard van Tonder, Pite van Biljon, Shaun von Berg, Gerald Coetzee
LIONS
Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, Dwaine Pretorius, Bjorn Fortuin, Kagiso Rabada, Beuran Hendricks, Sisanda Magala, Lutho Sipmla
TITANS
Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Theunis de Bruyn, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi


I would say only really 9 talents missed out who could break into the Proteas in the next 12-24 months.

Jono Bird (Cobras)
Matthew Breetzke (Warriors)
Sine Qeshile (Warriors)
Marco Jansen (Warriors)
Grant Roelofsen (Dolphins)
Lifa Ntanzi (Dolphins)
Wandile Makwetu (Knights)
Ryan Rickelton (Lions)
Thando Ntini (Titans)

Perhaps names like Jason Smith, Marco Marais, Stefan Tait, Ruan de Swardt, Eathan Bosch, Dayyaan Galiem can come into the discussion down the line.

 

[SeamUp]

This was going to be such an important year to set a base up to push forward with SA A/ winter camps and even the next domestic season. Unfortunately we still don't have that idea of how we can push forward with the test team.

Don't really care about the T20 stuff. Some of those players like AB, Morris, Steyn were never going to be in the squad above. Imran is and he may be around for T20 in 2021 being a spinner.

Only disapproval of the names above is it includes some of those same failures for years at SA A level like P.Malan, Erwee, Zondo etc but is a massive squad and I am not against young players like Breetzke, Qeshile, Roelofsen, Makwetu, Rickelton and co having to smash the door down with dominant performances. But hoped they would have been involved in winter camps which would be a disappointment if they weren't going to be in those.

Some players with mixed messages ? Nandre Burger who I think has something but left out of the Cobras team towards end of last season (not really deserved) but only a year ago they chose Marco Jansen to be in the SA A squad ahead of him.

Anyone have an idea when the next 50-over , 4-day or test cricket happens for SA cricketers ?

 

[SeamUp]

Looks like I found my own answer for the next cricket but highly unlikely we will play tests in that window so it will likely be T20s first and a 2nd window whenever that is for the tests : https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/...nt-host-south-africa-september-ipl-permitting

 

[StephenZA]

Looks like I found my own answer for the next cricket but highly unlikely we will play tests in that window so it will likely be T20s first and a 2nd window whenever that is for the tests : https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/...nt-host-south-africa-september-ipl-permitting

I was hoping that we could get something in against WI sooner rather than later. But it is very much going to be a commitment by players willing to isolate early and for training away from families, then also isolate when getting to WI. And this could be difficult for some of the more experienced players who want to play IPL need to give similar isolation before and during IPL? Logistics is going to be difficult.

I do wonder though if this might allow a group of youngsters to be picked, who don't have the family commitments and willing to sacrifice the time purely for cricketing reasons?

 

[SeamUp]

I was hoping that we could get something in against WI sooner rather than later. But it is very much going to be a commitment by players willing to isolate early and for training away from families, then also isolate when getting to WI. And this could be difficult for some of the more experienced players who want to play IPL need to give similar isolation before and during IPL? Logistics is going to be difficult.

I do wonder though if this might allow a group of youngsters to be picked, who don't have the family commitments and willing to sacrifice the time purely for cricketing reasons?

Interesting thoughts. Which I wouldn't be against at all and obviously would only be for T20 internationals but would love these guys getting a different exposure. Time will tell I guess.

The rest of the professional cricketers return to training from tomorrow too. But talk of cut-backs for domestic cricket isn't great.

 

[StephenZA]

Interesting thoughts. Which I wouldn't be against at all and obviously would only be for T20 internationals but would love these guys getting a different exposure. Time will tell I guess.

The rest of the professional cricketers return to training from tomorrow too. But talk of cut-backs for domestic cricket isn't great.

This is as bad as it could get for SA (not just cricket), CSA which was already in a bad place financially, has 101 different problems to sort out, politically and structurally with everybody demanding more and little to no real support. Smith and Faul have an almost impossible task. We shall see if this makes SA stronger or finally breaks SA.

 

[SeamUp]

This is as bad as it could get for SA (not just cricket), CSA which was already in a bad place financially, has 101 different problems to sort out, politically and structurally with everybody demanding more and little to no real support. Smith and Faul have an almost impossible task. We shall see if this makes SA stronger or finally breaks SA.

Most likely to be cut will be 4-day cricket. It makes no money.

So unfortunately the same pecking order is likely to be kept by default.

 

[StephenZA]

Most likely to be cut will be 4-day cricket. It makes no money.

So unfortunately the same pecking order is likely to be kept by default.

Need to be careful of the bigger picture as well; the mens international team makes all the money. And that is predicated on them being competitive in Test matches against the likes of India, Aus and Eng. LO stuff might be fun and make money, but those matches lose lots of their lustre when the cricket team is considered to be 2nd rate, and that consensus generally comes from Test performance.