Rice: sooky should never be picked again for SA

It's amazing how the fans and many of the scribes and ex-players in SA seem to consider it was the country's divine right to win, or certainly at least make the final. No other country seems to have reacted in the way they have to their somewhat premature departure. They even refer to the 'disgraced' team at times, who returned without their cowardly skipper. Fanie de villiers seems to be a tad more balanced in his appraisal, though thinks that popularity should be the only criterion for selection as the new captain.

Make Amla or de Villiers captain'









Johannesburg: Former South African paceman Fanie de Villiers feels
that either Hashim Amla or A.B. de Villiers should succeed Graeme Smith
as the national cricket team's captain.
Citing that the only criteria for the new captain should be that he
has to be popular with cricket fans, de Villiers told the Afrikaans
weekly Rapport that both Amla and A.B. fulfil this condition.
“If people do not love him, you can forget about it.
“That's why I believe that AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla are the only two candidates,” he told Rapport.
“Stick your pride in your pocket and learn from guys who know what
they are talking about. There is enough talent in this country to make
South Africa a world power in cricket,” de Villiers told Cricket South
Africa.
de Villiers said even Shaun Pollock had acknowledged that he had
learnt more about the game in the two years since stepping down than he
had in all his years of playing for South Africa.
He also called on CSA involve lots of experts in the post-mortem of
the South Africans' failure after they were ousted against all odds by
underdogs New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
“I'm not trying to be too clever,” de Villiers said.
“I said long before the time that you can't play a World Cup on the
subcontinent with a bunch of specialists. We lost this World Cup not
because we were bad. We lost it because we had the wrong side there,” de
Villiers said.
Smith went straight to Ireland from India to get engaged to pop singer Morgan Deane and then back to India to play in the IPL.
Meanwhile, former captain Clive Rice was also scathing in his attack
of Smith's attitude in leaving his teammates to explain their defeat,
accusing the captain who led his last game in India of “climbing the
first, best rescue boat and leaving his teammates in the sinking ship.”
“I hope he never gets selected for South Africa again.
“That's not what a captain does — and it's no wonder so many people have little or no respect for him,” Rice said.
The tensions around Smith's failure to return with the team were
further highlighted with a short, terse statement released by CSA on
Wednesday.
“CEO Gerald Majola on Wednesday emphatically denied a newspaper
report that he had given captain Graeme Smith permission to stay behind
in India at the end of South Africa's ICC Cricket World Cup campaign”,
said the statement.
“At no stage did I discuss the matter with Graeme,” commented Majola.— PTI

Nice tits Red.

Didn't Clive Rice persuade Kevin Pietersen to turn his back on South Africa and go and forge a career with him in England?

I think his right to comment on anyone else acting in a way counter to SA's interests has long been revoked.

Red wrote: No other country seems to have reacted in the way they have to their somewhat premature departure.

Losing to an England team out on their feet was pretty embarrasing.

JKLever wrote:

Red wrote: No other country seems to have reacted in the way they have to their somewhat premature departure.

Losing to an England team out on their feet was pretty embarrasing.

Like going down to the Irish and the Bangers?

Rice has lost it and will say anything to get his name in print.

I think I might have mentioned this before.

They were the only team to defeat India though.

mynah wrote:

JKLever wrote:

Red wrote: No other country seems to have reacted in the way they have to their somewhat premature departure.

Losing to an England team out on their feet was pretty embarrasing.

Like going down to the Irish and the Bangers?

Better than going down on an Irish in exchange for bangers.

Red, is there any chance you could move to South Africa and sort out your difference with Smith once and for all? Or is there some sort of restraining order taken out by Smith that means you can't be in the same country as him so we have to suffer the unending bitterness you have towards him?

Zat wrote:Red, is there any chance you could move to South Africa and sort out your difference with Smith once and for all? Or is there some sort of restraining order taken out by Smith that means you can't be in the same country as him so we have to suffer the unending bitterness you have towards him?

So that's why he couldn't return after the WC.

I don't understand the criticism of Smith - let alone constant bitter denunciations from Red.* Smith has a fine record as a player and captain and seems a decent person...brave too.

* of course Red's bitter diatribes can be contrasted with the mild and constructive criticisms others have made in the past of the Oz NSP and the likes of bung, midge et al....hell Red's fanaticism exceeds my own gentle oft misunderstood critiques of the Koalas

That's a big call, h.

the way of my people commander

It is not very usual for bar-thumpers to be interesting, but most fluke it a lot more often than Red on Smith.