South Africa v WI, 1st Test, Port Elizabeth, 26-30 Dec

Red wrote:Hard to see how a captain could get it so wrong.

It's smith

I hope this is the turnaround in Windies Cricket. There is only so much rallying'round'the West Indies that the Crikcet World can do before they start producing results.

They always seem to play better when BCL isn't in the team.

A series loss here and it's hard to see smith keeping the captaincy or even his batting spot(average of 30 in the last 20 tests)

Yes Smith has become a joke of a batsman and a joke of a captain. The sensible thing would be to drop him for the tours of India and England where he'll struggle and let him develop a proper technique back in his domestic side. Maybe try to get him to play county cricket (if any county would have him ) in 2008 and give him a full domestic season next year rather than sending him to Australia where he'd be humiliated. By then he's still only as old as Hussey when he made his debut and he might be finally ready for the rigours of test cricket.

He, Gibbs and AB are all mentally very weak.

he's way younger than hussey.

he's not even 27 yet

please don't yell wrote:he's way younger than hussey.

he's not even 27 yet

Red said that if he took a couple of years to sort things out then he would still be only as old as Hussey when Huss debuted . . . .

Looking at his stats, besides his big series against Eng, he's only ever beat up on the Windies and the Bangers. He's not done much against anyone else and must be worried about his place now he can't even bash the Windies.

well done windies. too early to say its a turn-around, but one sincerely hopes it is

ah cheers tac misread it.

But as you said im not sure he's going to get a lot better at this level.

England bowled a bunch of legstump rubbish at him when he was young but teams have adjusted to him since, test cricket is about smith then readjusting to cover his weaknesses and he can't seem to do it.

please don't yell wrote:ah cheers tac misread it.

But as you said im not sure he's going to get a lot better at this level.

England bowled a bunch of legstump rubbish at him when he was young but teams have adjusted to him since, test cricket is about smith then readjusting to cover his weaknesses and he can't seem to do it.

Yep. Agree whole-heartedly . . . Smiffy's days may well be numbered.

Although taipan seemed to be suggesting there was very little in the way of quality openers coming through SA ranks.

Worrying times for them if true.

If Steyn had bowled with the same control and hostitlity on the first morning as he did in the Windies' second knock - we would now be talking about yet another Windies' defeat.

My hunch is that S.A. will do a fair demolition job on them in the second and third tests - allowing S.A. to paper over the cracks as far as their batting is concerned.

I agree Tac, Smith's test career could well be over. He can't make tons any more and can only make half tons against the likes of Pakistan and India.

And England's attack was very weak when he fluked those double tons. That was probably the worst thing for him. And he's too mentally soft to admit and then work on his weaknesses which are highlighted when you're opening.

Red wrote:I agree Tac, Smith's test career could well be over. He can't make tons any more and can only make half tons against the likes of Pakistan and India.

And England's attack was very weak when he fluked those double tons. That was probably the worst thing for him. And he's too mentally soft to admit and then work on his weaknesses which are highlighted when you're opening.

Agree about our bowling against Smith on the last tour to England. Also, the two double tons were scored on the flattest wickets you could wish or fear to see. In the last three games where there was more in it for the bowlers, he didn't get past 50.

The worst double tons in test history- I think they should be stricken from the record.

Yes he batted appallingly at Lord's and bored the crowd senseless. Even Gillespie's double ton was better. Don't worry he'll never score another run against England again he's so poor. His career is effectively over as his reflexes are now in rapid decline. He and Gibbs are well over the hill. Gibbs is another whose record flatters in a major way.

Just seen Kallis' dismissal on the highlights

Kallis was robbed.

Great stuff from the Windies. Fabulous to see.

I notice the Human is in fine form in SA domestic cricket... drop Gibbs for him. Send Bliks totally over the edge.

Serious, surely Pollock must play in the next test. He's a better batsman than 2-3 of the top 7, FFS.

Too true Leo, Pollock has always been a better bat than Smith, Gibbs and Amla and he has his bowling as a backup.

Got to love this article:

Outrageous example of sour grapes

I can't believe someone could write such garbage.

Unbe-******-lieveable.

What a pile of shite.

Oh dear.

Windies probably got the slight rub of the green re. umpiring decisions but to suggest it's a race conspiracy is ludicrous.

Ban South Africa!