South Africa team selection

[SeamUp]

No real surprises.Our bowling was required to try keep teams under 300 because our batting was not deep or good enough to chase 300+ scores. And that has proved true.

Our bowling has been atrocious and I think lots of that has to do with forgetting the basics, I don't know why we tried bouncing out Bangladesh today it obviously was not working and did not make sense with this pitch.

I don't know whats going on behind the scenes but it is not working obviously.

This x a million.

 

[StephenZA]

Breetzke
Qeshile
Verryenne
Nortje
Dupavillion
Mulder

Just off top of my head.

 

[Dendarii]

Spinning options?

Admittedly he hasn't been helped by being in and out of the team, but Shamsi doesn't look like he can cut it at this level. And he can't bat, which is a problem.

Maharaj, Linde, and Muthusamy are the ones who come to mind right now as spinners who offer something more with the bat. Any others?

 

[Pom_in_SA]

No real surprises.Our bowling was required to try keep teams under 300 because our batting was not deep or good enough to chase 300+ scores. And that has proved true.

Our bowling has been atrocious and I think lots of that has to do with forgetting the basics, I don't know why we tried bouncing out Bangladesh today it obviously was not working and did not make sense with this pitch.

I don't know whats going on behind the scenes but it is not working obviously.

Over 60% of all wickets in the tournament so far and half of Englands wickets against SA were off the short ball,so the tactics were not wrong from that perspective...the issues is that the people they were relying on to bowl them were awful.

Ngidi was carted all over the park early doors and it was a blessing he got injured, whereas Rabada is proving once more that he is a home 'Green Mamba Bully' and cannot adapt away from home. As for Morris he is just not an international cricketer and should not be blamed for his performance as it is beyond his own control.

The other issues was that they do not have the personnel to implement a Plan B. Markrams silly little wobblers are just that. Duminy gets carted off after each expensive over (big confidence boost for the lad there Faf!?) and Tahir is bowling at around 6.00 an over which is unlike him. (but still farcically celebrating each wicket like he has just won the World Cup no matter that they are so far behind the 8 ball that only surgery could save them!?)

I am an England fan through and through, but hate to see the country I live in just laying down and taking one from the likes of Bangladesh....Its awful. Let's hope Steyn can forget his glass shoulder for a couple of games at least and fire them up a bit, because Faf seems strangely reluctant to try (during the 44 over and needing about 40 an over to win (!!!) the camera panned to the SA dressing room to catch Quinny and Faf engaged in some hilarious fun, laughing away like they had no care in the world...)

The one shining light Andile Phehlukwayo...bowled very intelligently in both games.

 

[SeamUp]

Spinning options?

Admittedly he hasn't been helped by being in and out of the team, but Shamsi doesn't look like he can cut it at this level. And he can't bat, which is a problem.

Maharaj, Linde, and Muthusamy are the ones who come to mind right now as spinners who offer something more with the bat. Any others?

Been thinking about this. Not sure we can carry Shamsi for too long so he has to prove himself quickly otherwise I think we have to go the Maharaj, Linde, Fortuin route.

Because I am also slightly concerned about who our gun fielders are going to be.

 

[Dendarii]

Duminy gets carted off after each expensive over (big confidence boost for the lad there Faf!?)

I don't get why Duminy is still considered as a bowling option. There was a period in 2009 when his bowling average dipped to the low 30s, but for most of his career it's been over 40. And his List A bowling average is also over 40, so it's not a case of him having a good domestic record that might justify his being given the ball in international matches. And yet he still regularly gets a handful of overs and is also considered to be a genuine bowling option, not just by fans who might not be aware of his poor stats, but also by commentators and coaches, who would be.

 

[StephenZA]

Over 60% of all wickets in the tournament so far and half of Englands wickets against SA were off the short ball,so the tactics were not wrong from that perspective...the issues is that the people they were relying on to bowl them were awful.

Ngidi was carted all over the park early doors and it was a blessing he got injured, whereas Rabada is proving once more that he is a home 'Green Mamba Bully' and cannot adapt away from home. As for Morris he is just not an international cricketer and should be blamed for his performance.

The short ball tactic works as a surprise after doing the basics well, not as a single strategy. Buying wickets with the short ball does not work. Ngidi`s success has not come from bowling the short ball, him doing it now makes no sense. Ngidi getting injured did not help SA at all against Bangladesh. And if you truly think that about Rabada there really is nothing to say.

 

[SeamUp]

I think this would be my group for the next 4 year cycle.

Quinton de Kock
Janneman Malan
Ryan Ricketlon

Aiden Markram
Rassie van der Dussen
Matthew Breetzke
Raynard van Tonder
Sinethemba Qeshile
Kyle Verreynne

Wiaan Mulder
Bryce Parsons

Marco Marais
Wandile Makwetu

Andile Phehlukwayo
Eathan Bosch
Marco Jansen
Gerald Coetzee

Bjorn Fortuin
George Linde
Keshav Maharaj

Kagiso Rabada
Lungi Ngidi
Anrich Nortje
Daryn Dupavillon
Lutho Sipamla

 

[StephenZA]

That looks pretty good. I don't know Bryce Parsons? What about Jason Smith? Seems to have stepped it up again.

 

[Pom_in_SA]

And if you truly think that about Rabada there really is nothing to say.

Yeah he has been brilliant on his travels ...silly me.

 

[SeamUp]

That looks pretty good. I don't know Bryce Parsons? What about Jason Smith? Seems to have stepped it up again.

Seems to be held in high regard. Scored big runs & is a genuine top 6 bat who bowls slow left-arm. Only batsmen to come out of India tour with much credit which shows he is adaptable. Threw him in there as 22 in 2023 WC and could allow us other options. Bit of a punt but the pedigree is undoubted.

I want Smith to kick and he could but I have major doubts. Certainly don't think his bowling will achieve much at this level too.

 

[Bahseph]

StephenZA made a great comment on the Bang-SA match thread. How can the plan move from using four genuine wicket takers to having Pretorious and Lucky in the same team? And then we throw in some overs from Duminy and Markram. Someone has to take the blame for this. Perhaps it's our England 2015 moment.

 

[SeamUp]

Kolpak players who could be pushing this squad in this generation ?

Rilee Rossouw
Colin Ingram
Colin Ackermann
David Wiese
Kyle Abbott
Marchant de Lange


Decent bunch. When you think we've pushed Markram who didn't show his hand before the WC, Amla who has been abysmal form for 2/3 years especially as a senior player , Miller and JP who just haven't done enough for a while. Nortje was rushed with only 4 games and D.Pretorius hasn't been performing domestically and Morris was ignored for so long but called up.

 

[StephenZA]

Gibson came in saying the right things, and initially seemed to give the correct indications. But in the end he has gone back to SA's tried and 'tested', and for all the realities of letting the players play naturally none of that has happened, feels the SA type game plan orientated no matter what. I look at this team and I see SA poor choices all over it, nothing new and exciting. Easy to criticise after losing those first 2 games but we all saw this coming.

 

[StephenZA]

Kolpak players who could be pushing this squad in this generation ?

Rilee Rossouw
Colin Ingram
Colin Ackermann
David Wiese
Kyle Abbott
Marchant de Lange


Decent bunch. When you think we've pushed Markram who didn't show his hand before the WC, Amla who has been abysmal form for 2/3 years especially as a senior player , Miller and JP who just haven't done enough for a while. Nortje was rushed with only 4 games and D.Pretorius hasn't been performing domestically and Morris was ignored for so long but called up.

All those players could have made a difference. Will say that all had been given opportunities and none decided to hold out for their time. Understandable but I`m not going to totally lay the blame on CSA for that one. Some of them even needed that time in county cricket. And I was never a big fan of de Lange.

 

[SeamUp]

Gibson came in saying the right things, and initially seemed to give the correct indications. But in the end he has gone back to SA's tried and 'tested', and for all the realities of letting the players play naturally none of that has happened, feels the SA type game plan orientated no matter what. I look at this team and I see SA poor choices all over it, nothing new and exciting. Easy to criticise after losing those first 2 games but we all saw this coming.

It has just been all very un-South African. This chilled approach. We best when we play with passion and aggression. How flat have we been in the field.

What has been even more disappointing is how ineffectual 2 of our gun bowlers in KG and Lungi have been particularly in their first spells.

 

[SeamUp]

All those players could have made a difference. Will say that all had been given opportunities and none decided to hold out for their time. Understandable but I`m not going to totally lay the blame on CSA for that one. Some of them even needed that time in county cricket. And I was never a big fan of de Lange.

Was just asking the question. No other country has so many of their players closest to pushing for intetnational selection and pushing incumbents taken away from them like South Africa.

They leaving for not trusting the system and some money. It's a mix. Why stick around when spots you fighting for are limited. But that is another story.

 

[Bahseph]

Gibson came in saying the right things, and initially seemed to give the correct indications. But in the end he has gone back to SA's tried and 'tested', and for all the realities of letting the players play naturally none of that has happened, feels the SA type game plan orientated no matter what. I look at this team and I see SA poor choices all over it, nothing new and exciting. Easy to criticise after losing those first 2 games but we all saw this coming.

We knew it. I have a feeling that within the team they felt they had one last ride in them. But our batting has revolved around de Kock and Faf. We totally lucked into Rassie. We gave Reeza an extended run and then dropped him. That selection looks increasingly stupid now.

 

[SeamUp]

Look how poor the test team was this summer ? There was no forward thinking at all. Gibson lived off Australia/India test series wins and we all know how big a role AB played.

Say it again, we need to start a Woolmer/Arthur era now. Young and exciting. Next coach appointment is extremely important.

 

[MrPrez]

I imagine a team of SA players who have declared themselves unavailable for selection could have a really good shot of beating our current team.