The Cricket Thread

[Stuart]

Seventeen wides again? Wow.

[Mystical_Titan]

Man, what a disappointing batting performance. Again. 110 for 1 after 20 overs and we end up getting bowled out for 238? Really, REALLY disappointing. I'm also sorry for Duminy that he didn't get to a 100, but what a selfless way to go out! Kudos to him.

Also a great knock by Dilshan. I'm always worried when an out-of-form batsman from the opposing team is playing a crunch game and hasn't made runs in a while. You always have this nagging feeling in the back of your mind that they're about to come due just at the wrong time.

[Anakha56]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/SAinSr ... s-20130729

Proteas: The fog thickens
2013-07-29 12:37

Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town - South Africa’s one-day international batting must be at risk of reaching its shakiest levels in history.
Especially minus the important input of Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis, there isn’t too much to hugely enthuse over in the bowling department either, but the crux of the Proteas’ problems – following their heavy, series-deciding defeat to Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Sunday - still appears to lie primarily at the crease right now.

At least the last five ODIs in a row have seen AB de Villiers’s team misfire rather severely on the batting front, going a long way to explain why only one victory (Friday’s third ODI against the Lankans) has been achieved in the period.

...

Follow the link for further reading. A lot of these guys should consider themselves lucky they are still playing. I remember when Dippenar & others went through a bad patch and were dropped quite quickly these guys are performing badly for some time and they are still playing .

Stu I am shocked as well by the lack of discipline in our bowling but then our batting seems to suffer the same problem and our fielding seems to be of a lower standard as well. Everything just seems to have fallen off lately...

BTW Was AB behind the wickets for this last game or on the field?

[Mystical_Titan]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/SAinSr ... s-20130729

Proteas: The fog thickens
2013-07-29 12:37

Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town - South Africa’s one-day international batting must be at risk of reaching its shakiest levels in history.
Especially minus the important input of Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis, there isn’t too much to hugely enthuse over in the bowling department either, but the crux of the Proteas’ problems – following their heavy, series-deciding defeat to Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Sunday - still appears to lie primarily at the crease right now.

At least the last five ODIs in a row have seen AB de Villiers’s team misfire rather severely on the batting front, going a long way to explain why only one victory (Friday’s third ODI against the Lankans) has been achieved in the period.

...

Follow the link for further reading. A lot of these guys should consider themselves lucky they are still playing. I remember when Dippenar & others went through a bad patch and were dropped quite quickly these guys are performing badly for some time and they are still playing .

Stu I am shocked as well by the lack of discipline in our bowling but then our batting seems to suffer the same problem and our fielding seems to be of a lower standard as well. Everything just seems to have fallen off lately...

BTW Was AB behind the wickets for this last game or on the field?

He's been on the field for the last two games.

In my opinion, the selection panel isn't making the right decisions. Robin Peterson has been ineffective for some time now in spin-friendly conditions, Quinton De Kock is struggling to find his feet in international cricket, Collin Ingram plays one good knock every few innings. I could go on. I would LOVE to know why Henry Davids and Vernon Philander are not being given opportunities in ODI cricket.

[Stuart]

South Africa's fielding has been heading south for years now. It's never been the same since the Cronje/Rhodes era.

[Mystical_Titan]

And with Faf, De Villiers and Duminy in the team, that seems hard to believe.

[Stuart]

Makes no sense, but it's true. Cronje, Rhodes, McMillan, Richardson ... Those guys would have been mortified to drop some of the catches that our players today drop in their stride.

[Stuart]

You know, as much as I love cricket, World Cup draws are never quite as intense as in other sports. You pretty much know that there will be four big teams and two or three small teams in each group.

[Mystical_Titan]

You know, as much as I love cricket, World Cup draws are never quite as intense as in other sports. You pretty much know that there will be four big teams and two or three small teams in each group.

You should be grateful. Can you imagine if the Cricket World Cup had 32 teams, like the 2010 FIFA World Cup had? People would lose interest LONG before the end, because it just wouldn't end. Super 15 anyone?

[Anakha56]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/SAinSr ... e-20130730

AB takes blame for collapse
2013-07-30 10:00

Cape Town - Proteas skipper AB de Villiers has taken responsibility for their batting collapse which cost them in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Sunday.

The Proteas were well set for a big total, with Hashim Amla's 71-ball 77 taking them to 110 for 1 after 20 overs, but they then succumbed to Sri Lanka's spinners and in the end managed only 238.

JP Duminy, who partnered Amla during that partnership, made 97, but could not find sustained support from the middle order.

Sri Lanka's three spinners bowled 29.4 overs in total and took seven wickets which slowed South Africa's progress significantly in the middle overs, leading to a string of quick dismissals.

Tillakaratne Dilshan removed Amla leg before wicket and De Villiers (4) departed in Dilshan's next over. Duminy managed a 46-run stand with Faf du Plessis (23), but the Proteas lost six wickets for 33 runs.

"That period was the most disappointing thing," De Villiers told the ESPNcricinfo website. "Hash (Hashim) set us up really well to go big, but I think the previous wicket played a bit on our minds. The middle order created more turn than there was.

...

Follow the link for further reading.

[Stuart]

You know, as much as I love cricket, World Cup draws are never quite as intense as in other sports. You pretty much know that there will be four big teams and two or three small teams in each group.

You should be grateful. Can you imagine if the Cricket World Cup had 32 teams, like the 2010 FIFA World Cup had? People would lose interest LONG before the end, because it just wouldn't end. Super 15 anyone?

This is true. 32 teams in a game that takes 90 minutes per match is one thing. In cricket it would be a little overwhelming for most.

[Mystical_Titan]

Well now... imagine my surprise to find that Albie Morkel is NOT injured, but instead playing in the Caribbean Premier League while South Africa is struggling for impact players in Sri Lanka. WHAT. THE. !@#$.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/caribbean-p ... 35215.html

[Anakha56]

Who said he was injured? Old Vernon is there as well...

[Anakha56]

*sigh*

South Africa have finished 16 minutes after the scheduled close, and could be fined for a slow over-rate. Morkel has been taken for 78 runs, the most he has conceded in an ODI.

Taken from a cricinfo commentary...

[Stuart]

*sigh*

South Africa have finished 16 minutes after the scheduled close, and could be fined for a slow over-rate. Morkel has been taken for 78 runs, the most he has conceded in an ODI.

Taken from a cricinfo commentary...

How our captain just cannot learn to manage his bowlers. Seriously, with three slow bowlers in the team, how the hell can you not keep to your over rate?

[Mystical_Titan]

Okay, I've just been made head of the selection panel and have been told to select the XI I think is best for the ODI side, but which excludes Smith, Kallis and Steyn. Here goes (in batting order):

1st XI

- Henry Davids
- Hashim Amla
- JP Duminy
- AB de Villiers (keeper)
- David Miller
- Ryan McLaren
- Johan Botha (captain)
- Vernon Philander
- Morne Morkel
- Lonwabo Tsotsobe
- Imran Tahir

Additional squad members:

- Albie Morkel
- Quinton De Kock (backup keeper)

You've got:

- A seamer with steep bounce (Morkel)
- Another with subtle, but deadly, seam movement (Philander)
- A 3rd that bowls good angels and gets some swing / seam (Tsotsobe)
- A 4th that also gets good bounce and can change his pace well (McLaren)
- A spinner who takes it away from the left-hander, bats very well and is a DAMN fine captain (Botha)
- And a leggy who takes it away from the right-hander and will be much more effective in ODIs where batsmen are coming at you all the time (Tahir).

The batting goes fairly deep, although perhaps a touch light towards the bottom end, but I believe it's high time the top 6 start taking responsibility for making the runs. What do you guys think?

[KALSTER]

Why no Steyn?

[WiK1d]

Why no Steyn?

He's too busy being a film star

[Mystical_Titan]

Why no Steyn?

The idea was to pick a capable squad without Kallis, Smith or Steyn in it.

As additional squad members, I'd also add:

- Marchant De Lange
- Kyle Abbott

[Stuart]

Well, two far better performances in the T20 than we saw in the ODI series. A little shaky in the first, much better in the second, though I'm not sure I'd go so far as to describe it as "clinical."

[Stuart]

Okay, I've just been made head of the selection panel and have been told to select the XI I think is best for the ODI side, but which excludes Smith, Kallis and Steyn. Here goes (in batting order):

1st XI

- Henry Davids
- Hashim Amla
- JP Duminy
- AB de Villiers (keeper)
- David Miller
- Ryan McLaren
- Johan Botha (captain)
- Vernon Philander
- Morne Morkel
- Lonwabo Tsotsobe
- Imran Tahir

Additional squad members:

- Albie Morkel
- Quinton De Kock (backup keeper)

You've got:

- A seamer with steep bounce (Morkel)
- Another with subtle, but deadly, seam movement (Philander)
- A 3rd that bowls good angels and gets some swing / seam (Tsotsobe)
- A 4th that also gets good bounce and can change his pace well (McLaren)
- A spinner who takes it away from the left-hander, bats very well and is a DAMN fine captain (Botha)
- And a leggy who takes it away from the right-hander and will be much more effective in ODIs where batsmen are coming at you all the time (Tahir).

The batting goes fairly deep, although perhaps a touch light towards the bottom end, but I believe it's high time the top 6 start taking responsibility for making the runs. What do you guys think?

Honestly, I think that Albie should be in that starting lineup somewhere. Ordinarily, I'd say put in in for Botha, but the more I see SA captaincy post-Smith, the more I'm beginning to grant Botha a grudging place in that lineup. I hate to put an average bowler and average batsman in the starting lineup, but he is certainly a far better captain than anyone else we've seen since Smith.

[Mystical_Titan]

Well, I'd have put Albie in Ryan's place, but Ryan has proved to be a much more reliable bowler than Albie, whilst still being solid enough with the bat.

[Mystical_Titan]

By the way... it seems DRS is going from bad to worse. Has anyone seen the KP dismissal? How is this any better to when DRS didn't exist yet?

[Stuart]

By the way... it seems DRS is going from bad to worse. Has anyone seen the KP dismissal? How is this any better to when DRS didn't exist yet?

The problem is that third umpires are not sticking to the rules. I'm not sure you can blame the system when it's the humans behind the system that are making the errors.

[Mystical_Titan]

But it's because the system is flawed that those making the decisions aren't making the right ones. And the fact that there have been several decisions upheld, despite Hot Spot giving CLEAR evidence to the contrary, just goes to show that the umpires themselves have no faith in the system.