Tomorrow is do or die for the Proteas...

jbayman · Post by **jbayman** » 17 Sep 2004, 07:06

Hopefully they can get it together against the Windies to advance to the semi final.

Post by **wit_skapie** » 17 Sep 2004, 07:10

I hope so too - they haven't been doing that great lately...

Post by **Anakha56** » 17 Sep 2004, 07:50

I also really hope that SA can do something. One thing they should do away with in there batting line up Herchelle Gibbs they guy cant bat he is underperforming and he is hurting the team. Get rid of him and put someone else in thier who can @ least hold his end until Smith starts going. My 2c worth.

Post by **Tel** » 17 Sep 2004, 08:01

This is definitely do-or-die for the Proteas. You can't really say that it was relief they beat Bangladesh as (no disrespect) it is expected to crush them.

The test will be tomorrow...

GOOD LUCK PROTEAS!!! :bigups:

oukie · Post by **oukie** » 17 Sep 2004, 08:02

Ok Ok lets get a positive attitude going here ....

They will be able to pull it off ... Just 1% more from each player and we'll do it

Mystical_Titan · Post by **Mystical_Titan** » 17 Sep 2004, 08:59

In terms of potential, South Africa has THE greatest team in the world. In terms of actually utilising that potential, not so good.

It's like SA's cricket and rugby are on a scale of good and bad. As long as one does good, the other does bad. What's up with that?

People like Gibbs and Klusener are potent when they get going. Only lately it's been few and far between (if at all). Our cricket needs a serious wake up call.

jbayman · Post by **jbayman** » 20 Sep 2004, 07:21

Anakha56 wrote:I also really hope that SA can do something. One thing they should do away with in there batting line up Herchelle Gibbs they guy cant bat he is underperforming and he is hurting the team. Get rid of him and put someone else in thier who can @ least hold his end until Smith starts going. My 2c worth.

Maybe he heard you.....

Hill · Post by **Hill** » 20 Sep 2004, 07:37

I was a little disappointed with the guys performance this week end.

Maybe someone can explain this to me. Wh, if Eric Simmons was a bowler himself, do our bowlers not know how to bowl a yorker. Pollock had 2 sixes smacked off 2 balls trying to bowl yorkers, because in the end he bowled low full tosses. This is not the first game I have noticed this in.

And as well, why bring Klusener in so late in the innings. When Gibbs went out, why did they not send in Klusener. If he had time to get his eye in he could have scored a few runs more. Instead we first send in Van Jaarsveld, Pollock and Boucher. They're all accomplished batsmen but don't have the fire power of Klusener.

Have you noticed that after this long deserved rest they guys have had we have managed to slip from number 1-2 in the world down to 6-7.

Well thats my 2 cents worth. Proteas use it don't use it, whatever.

Post by **wit_skapie** » 20 Sep 2004, 09:47

What a bunch of losers...

Post by **Scarlet_Spider** » 20 Sep 2004, 10:17

no offence to anyone but to me the problem lies with Smith, he comes across as someone who is really full of himself.

(dont you find it weird that, in rugby if you lose 5 games every goes for the throat of the coach, but in cricket if the side loses a few games its the captain who is looked at for replacement

)

Post by **Anakha56** » 20 Sep 2004, 10:31

He may come across as someone who is full of himself but that doesnt explain or excuse the batters and bowlers for not doing thier jobs properly. Yesterday Ntini does all that hard work to get the wicket and to reduce the amount of balls to the amount of runs only to have Pollock give the Windies 18 RUNS theres the problem and the same applies to our batsmen. Gibbs is meant to be a great opener but besides from yesterday he couldnt do a thing and it was up to Smith to do the work. Yesterday was an exception to that Smith went out Gibbs did the work. but the people who came in at the last were useless. Klusner should go yes he is strong but what can he do? We need fresh blood in the team Pollock is no longer a force to be reckoned his accuracy is what gets batsmen out, so we need a new strike bowler. Batting we need Gibbs to either wake up and play like he used to do, or we should get a new opener. Same goes for Klusner he is no longer our pinch hitter we need a new one to fill that role.

My 2c worth.

Mystical_Titan · Post by **Mystical_Titan** » 20 Sep 2004, 10:59

I agree that Klusener isn't the player he used to be. Which really breaks my heart because he is my favourite player. He could still be that guy he used to if the selectors or whoever decides the batting line-up stops screwing him around. He is NOT a top-order batsman and he is NOT a tail-ender. He should come in either at six or seven. Why on earth send out Boucher or Pollock before him? He needs time at the crease, so why not give it to him? What on earth are they thinking when they send him in at 8 or 9?

Pollock may not be the bowler he used to be, but he is still one of the best. I think Ntini should do the opening with someone and send Pollock in at 12 or 13 overs to tie down the batsman. Pollock's bowling at the death is quite disspapointing, considering that he is so economical. Ntini can be very good, although he tends to be expensive sometimes, but he is also one of my favourites.

Gibbs is one of the most devastating batsman in world cricket WHEN he fires. He does not enough consistency. Gibbs and Jonty had about the same average, but Jonty could get 3 or 4, even 5 fifties in a row if he had to. Gibbs is unable to do that.

As for Smith, they made him captain too soon. They should have spent some time, a year or two or maybe even three, nurturing his talent, not thrown him directly into the deep end. But such is the way of SA sport, even rugby. Someone new comes along and the whole country puts all their hopes on this one person. As a result, the pressure is too much and they fail. Then everyone starts shouting crucifiction. That's because they want results NOW, instead of realising the obviousness of the truth: Getting our sport back to where it was will take TIME.

I think that SA cricket may need to undergo the complete restructuring that Rugby went through a while back.

Post by **Anakha56** » 20 Sep 2004, 11:17

I agree with you about Pollock send him in in the middle of the game to create pressure. I really wish Ngame(cant spell his name, same goes for most players hehe) could play he and Ntini up front and on the strike would be devastating. Hall would be another choice for a strike opening bowler.

Smith may have been thrown in the deep to early in his career but he is fighting back quite well.

Klusener should be a number 5 or 6 batsmen. That i agree with he is no longer a pinch hitter.

Gibbs I think needs to take some time out play some provinsional cricket to get his form back then come back to the international areana instead of hurting his stats as well as the teams status.

My 2c.

Mekker · Post by **Mekker** » 20 Sep 2004, 11:20

do or die!!??

Lancelot stikes!

alot of nepitism as well

Post by **Anakha56** » 20 Sep 2004, 11:28

You cant say that Mekker, unles you want to start a flame like this,

Lets let bafana bafana die because there are to many black players in the team.

Cricket is not racist and neither are any of our country's sports, its just diffrent people and diffrent races enjoy diffrent sports. Please dont turn this into a racial argument.

Mekker · Post by **Mekker** » 20 Sep 2004, 13:53

Anakha56 wrote:You cant say that Mekker, unles you want to start a flame like this,

Lets let bafana bafana die because there are to many black players in the team.

Cricket is not racist and neither are any of our country's sports, its just diffrent people and diffrent races enjoy diffrent sports. Please dont turn this into a racial argument.

did you ever play cricket? you can comment after you have been overlooked so many times.

Post by **Anakha56** » 20 Sep 2004, 14:03

you know what......i can comment I used to play cricket in high school and you know what......i also got overlooked and guess what youre absolutly gonna love this......i am white oh and one other thing my experiance @ high school i dont let it affect me now. cricket is a great game dont go and hate and discrimnate it just because you got overlooked in school, if i had that mentality hell i would hate everything from sports to computers to girls to clothes hell even life. if i had let it affect me i wouldnt have the wonderful life i have now. let the chip on your shoulder fall, live for tomorrow not for now and definitly not for the past.

Mystical_Titan · Post by **Mystical_Titan** » 20 Sep 2004, 14:04

Anakha56 wrote:Klusener should be a number 5 or 6 batsmen. That i agree with he is no longer a pinch hitter.

I don't think that he isn't a pinch hitter anymore, he just needs to get back in touch with that side of him. If he isn't one anymore, then he has a problem, because that's the only kind of batsman he knows how to be.

But who knows what would have happened with more time at the crease? 12 runs from 10 balls...

Mystical_Titan · Post by **Mystical_Titan** » 20 Sep 2004, 14:07

Anakha56 wrote:live for tomorrow not for now and definitly not for the past.

I have to disagree with you there.

Yesterday is a past that will never change and tomorrow is a future that will never arrive. Live for the moment.

Post by **Anakha56** » 20 Sep 2004, 14:21

THats also a good one Titan. I think Klusener should look into being a run maker as in he comes in 6th and he just start making runs and supporting the others then when he is settled he goes all out and scores big.

my 2c