As much as I liked singing his name to a Duran Duran song, he's 33 and never quite cemented a regular place. South Africa need to move on from filler players in their twilight years.Dwaine has retired from international cricket.
) and RvdD looks like an octopus on roller skates against a red ball for some reason. Also not sure TdB has the steel to make it at Test level, and he played a terrible shot in the first innings of his only Test in Aus.
Yeah guys like Richards and van tonder have been producing runs for far longer.
Van Tonder has fallen away in recent seasons and Richards should replace Erwee or Elgar, wouldn't have him in the middle order.
Dude is pissing runs and looks class, let him have a go. You are always saying we should get new guys in so why not Hermann.
van Tonder had one bad season... and has been scoring runs again recently. And I would be giving Breetzke a run before Hermann at this stage.
I`m not saying don't give him a go... there are a number of young batsmen that have been scoring runs for a few seasons, that look class and need a go. Doesn't mean we just choose the most recent one.
Yeah, it's a tricky balance, I get what you're saying re: journeymen, but sometimes a 31-year-old with ten seasons of FC cricket behind him will do a job a young oke might not be able to. Think Stephen Cook is a good example, was never an oke people were talking about but forceed his way into Proteas selection through sheer weight of runs and did a job when we needed him to. Would probably still do a better job now as an opener than Erwee or Elgar, to be honest.
Its about timing... you have a world class settled team that has an injury and you need somebody to come in and do a job... then you pick the Cook, Erwee for a tour or two and don't just throw a youngster into the cauldron. While still looking at an overall succession plan...
TB has also gotten faaaaaarrrrrr more rope than most other guys would have got.
Fair point. And Cook probably was not treated in an exemplary fashion... but ultimately my comments have very much more to do with the team circumstance than the particular player. If they had picked Erwee or VDD to do a job in a settled team due to experience and form at the time, I would not complain about their selection. My complaint about their selection now is that they serve no purpose for the future and rebuilding the team which is what SA selection policy should be based around.
I'm in complete agreement with you. I was just trying to point out that the past we've been far more ruthless with our selections.
Hope for Pybas as tests and birrel or former northans coach as assistant or that and one of them as white ball coaches, shukri has won nothing ever other 3 have and mbleki also won nothing before.
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