Aus squad for SAf

we (the coach) tell Watson where he's batting, not the other way around.

JGK wrote:

skully wrote:Works for me, but then Pup exposes himself to the "our captain's a coward" brigade. I don't think he wants that image - remember his quick retort to the StuRat T1 I1 dismissal. His first scoring shot in I2 was a cracking pull shot off StuRat. He desperately wants to lead from the front & show heart to his motley crew.

I reckon this has been one of Graeme Smith's great achievements. Engender trust & loyalty by leading from the front.

The "captains a coward" brigade can GFT.

Two of our toughest captains of all time batted at 5.

Now that he's moved up it may not be such a good look to move down again, especially given that during his time at #5 several debutants had to cut the mustard at #3. In any case Waugh used to cop flak for batting down the order. Some critics even said it's harder for a #6 to be considered a great than somebody who is prepared to face the first new ball at least for some of his career.

Proteas Test Squad: Graeme Smith (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras, capt), Hashim Amla (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), AB de Villiers (Nashua Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (Nashua Titans), Dean Elgar (Chevrolet Knights), Rory Kleinveldt (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Ryan McLaren (Chevrolet Knights), Morne Morkel (Nashua Titans), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Alviro Petersen (bizhub Highveld Lions), Robbie Peterson (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Vernon Philander (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Dale Steyn (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Thami Tsolekile (bizhub Highveld Lions).

Tahir dropped, McLaren and Kleinveldt in

"Some critics even said it's harder for a #6 to be considered a great than somebody who is prepared to face the first new ball at least for some of his career." (Yeah apparently*....)

Thatcher to Negus....

Nath wrote:Proteas Test Squad: Graeme Smith (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras, capt), Hashim Amla (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), AB de Villiers (Nashua Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (Nashua Titans), Dean Elgar (Chevrolet Knights), Rory Kleinveldt (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Ryan McLaren (Chevrolet Knights), Morne Morkel (Nashua Titans), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Alviro Petersen (bizhub Highveld Lions), Robbie Peterson (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Vernon Philander (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Dale Steyn (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Thami Tsolekile (bizhub Highveld Lions).

Tahir dropped, McLaren and Kleinveldt in

Fark you Andrew Hudson. Spineless qunt.

de Kock's even been keeping ahead of Tsolekile in the ram slam tournament, no?

tricycle wrote:de Kock's even been keeping ahead of Tsolekile in the ram slam tournament, no?

Yes.

And maybe someone can convince me that Kleinveldt is better than Abbott.

Nath wrote:we (the coach) tell Watson where he's batting, not the other way around.

Twatson has been pandered to since coming into the international sides. I think many pegged him as a massive sook early on & decided it was easier to get the best (*cough*) out of him by giving him his way.

Either Hoggy or SOD (may even have been Crash) said damn near exactly the same thing re Watson on 360 tonight.

Not for the first time in his career Clotto needs to recognise his own luck. At 3 there is no competition outside the XI whatsoever for his spot, and he doesn't that often have to go in at 1-sod-all. He still has the easy gig.

Oh well at least the SA selectors can make dumb decisions too. Thami must have some pretty good pictures of them and agree about Kleinveldt; Abbott should have been picked ahead of him. If de Villiers is not fit enough to keep SA will be severely weakened. de Kock has been a standout in the domestic T20 on top of his ODI stellar success against India and he has a much superior first class record. How long will they persevere with an ageing, moderate keeper ahead of him? Should de Kock head to greener pastures?

Red wrote:Oh well at least the SA selectors can make dumb decisions too. Thami must have some pretty good pictures of them and agree about Kleinveldt; Abbott should have been picked ahead of him. If de Villiers is not fit enough to keep SA will be severely weakened. de Kock has been a standout in the domestic T20 on top of his ODI stellar success against India and he has a much superior first class record. How long will they persevere with an ageing, moderate keeper ahead of him? Should de Kock head to greener pastures?

They are not dumb decisions. It is called quota.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:Oh well at least the SA selectors can make dumb decisions too. Thami must have some pretty good pictures of them and agree about Kleinveldt; Abbott should have been picked ahead of him. If de Villiers is not fit enough to keep SA will be severely weakened. de Kock has been a standout in the domestic T20 on top of his ODI stellar success against India and he has a much superior first class record. How long will they persevere with an ageing, moderate keeper ahead of him? Should de Kock head to greener pastures?

They are not dumb decisions. It is called quota.

Hence dumb.

Red wrote:

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:Oh well at least the SA selectors can make dumb decisions too. Thami must have some pretty good pictures of them and agree about Kleinveldt; Abbott should have been picked ahead of him. If de Villiers is not fit enough to keep SA will be severely weakened. de Kock has been a standout in the domestic T20 on top of his ODI stellar success against India and he has a much superior first class record. How long will they persevere with an ageing, moderate keeper ahead of him? Should de Kock head to greener pastures?

They are not dumb decisions. It is called quota.

Hence dumb.

And there goes the BS detector. Please don't comment of the things you don't comprehend.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:Oh well at least the SA selectors can make dumb decisions too. Thami must have some pretty good pictures of them and agree about Kleinveldt; Abbott should have been picked ahead of him. If de Villiers is not fit enough to keep SA will be severely weakened. de Kock has been a standout in the domestic T20 on top of his ODI stellar success against India and he has a much superior first class record. How long will they persevere with an ageing, moderate keeper ahead of him? Should de Kock head to greener pastures?

They are not dumb decisions. It is called quota.

Hence dumb.

And there goes the BS detector. Please don't comment of the things you don't comprehend.

Well would you be a selector if they told you your decisions are compromised?

And one thing I do know is that putting sporting bans on SA who had a colour-based selection policy made a huge difference to the overthrowing of that regime. So reverting to that policy is not something that makes a lot of sense. One doesn't have to live in a country to understand that they do employ quotas. It seems that we haven't learned from the Basil D. episode if we are again factoring skin colour in the equation. People would probably tolerate a non-white being favoured where all things are equal due to previous disadvantage but the cricketing public and the players involved aren't stupid. I still hear Amla being called a quota if he fails by ignorant fans. Whose fault is this?

If they really want to see the demographics of the country being reflected in selection surely they have to try to remedy this at grassroots level and this means funding it expansively. Instead what we've seen in recent times is officials answering charges of corruption and a lack of channelling of funds into the townships etc.

That is why I called Hudson spineless.

The sports boycott had very little to do with the overthrowing of apartheid, contrary to public belief.

But what you can't do is compare the Aus and SA selection boards in this instance.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/shaun-marshs-dodgy-calf-costs-australian-squad-one-more-player-20140129-31lm8.html

So looks like Marsh is in the highly doubtful category now.

Red wrote:http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/shaun-marshs-dodgy-calf-costs-australian-squad-one-more-player-20140129-31lm8.html

So looks like Marsh is in the highly doubtful category now.

Jackson Bird was tipped to join the tour party after wrestling with a sore back,


Bloody stupid thing to do

looking at the saffie squad, it is clear they have a number of matchwinners but also a large number squad cloggers -

of course our team is filled with cloggers, some honest types and very few match winners...saffies 2-0 if we are lucky

So, Fuse it is.

Farked we are.

great, no more Darsh!

He's made of paper mache.

If it's still 'mache', surely it should still be 'papier mache'?

Just asking.

Papier Marshy?

given the vast gap in recent form between fuse and utopia, the latters injury is a + for the Oz team

JGK wrote:So, Fuse it is.

Farked we are.

Just how stoopid is the NSP? FMD.  

I shudder to think how much delighted giggling is going on in the SAf squad ATM.

I can just see this panning out as Fuse being picked at 3, failing 5 times then making a slashing, streaky 82 when we are 2-0 down, and people saying "he was no worse than most of the top 7". FFS, when will these idiots learn?

And sorry h, I've resisted long enough. What is your logic for the ridiculous Utopia handle?

i prefer him to Clotto at 3 and he is light years ahead of the woebegone drunken bog