first topic!!!

im not too sure how many sports fanatics we are going to find among a pc realted online comunity, but its worth a try!

anyone see the cricket today? what is wrong with us? our top order just crumbles!!!
is it the pitches? or their training? or is pakistan just better than us?

lets have some wanabe managers giving us what they think is wrong with the team!

We lack the confidence since the world cup. Its too easy to give up! I miss the old days when the guys fought down to the last ball bowled.

I know its not right, but i have to say it,
I miss Hansie, and i wish none of that shit ever happened.
I hated him for what he did, but now i have come to realize that he was the heart and soul of ouir team.
and now with jonty gone as well, we have no motivation on the field, noone running around, making the extra effort, making the rest of the team ready and waiting for the next shot. The team just strolls around the field and seem almost disinterested at some times.
I think that our most motivated player at the moment would have to be Smith, or nitini.

Agreement, w2dmb, none of that stuff should ever have heppened.

I think the 2 main factors currently are:
1) The players did not want to go to Pakistan
2) A sudden rise of 10 degrees + in temp


We do lack the Klusener-flashy-end-of-the-innings batsman, that can come in and tonk the bowlers around for 15+ an over. Because of our top order's slow batting (which builds the innings, but thats another matter), the pressure on the middle and low order guys is really immense. Suddenly they have to bat like demons on the last 10 overs, and that is something none of them is apparently used to.

I don't think there is much wrong with our cricket, just that the players are tired, and lack some motivation and their current tour. Wait until December for the Windies (i think) tour, and see how we play at home. We deserve to be second rated in the world, but i would like a tour down to oz, where we smash them to shit.

I think that most of our team as you said are slow batsman, and are better suited to the 5 day game, but then how would I explain the tour to engalnd? I dont know!

Maybe the players are just getting tired for the constant traveling, they have been away from home for a long time now, with only a short visit in between.

Im sure that when the windies come here if they do as you say, they will be playing a force to be reconed with, and should (i hope) be smashed to bits.

Good luck to the proteas in the rest of the series, you need some cheering up!

The tour to England was 3 months, and a lot of games played. That has to tire the players!

I firmly believe that Gibbs should come in at 4 or 5. Keep Dippenaar and Smith as openers.

My Batting order

Smith
Dippenaar
Kallis
Rudolf
Gibbs
McKenzie
Boucher
Pollock
Hall
Nel
Ntini

I feel Gibbs should move down the order to stabilze the middle, and really get the score moving along. We always seem to slow down with the scoring during the middle of the game.

I would disagree with you there, because of the fact that Smiith is considered to be the more stable (and slower batsman). With Gibbs at the helm, you will have a very balanced opening partnership, Gibbs being the attacker, and Smith the stable run-scorer (although he can really "bliksem" a ball as well).

What we need is someone like Pollock (because he's the only tonker on tour now), to come in at the right moment and smack the bowlers around. Event Hall will be able to do that, given the right foundation. We should not leave everything to these lower order batsmen.

We getting Windies here in SA, just before we go to NZ.

Will be a very nice tour, and will definately attend one of the tests

Something drastic needs to change! Dippenaar is doing well, he is even increasing his run rate, he should stay. We need a strong in the middle order that can come in, in any situation, good or bad and be able to cope. I personally think that Gibbs is the right man for that job.

Gibbs could be the answer, but i would still prefer him to open.
Have you considered moving Smith down the order?

Or getting someone like van Jaarsvelt back in the squad at the expense of McKenzie?

Or getting Klusener back?

We have so many options, we just need to find the right one.
I just hope it happens before we tour Oz again.

Maybe Van Wyk will be a good addition to the team. Boucher is not playing too well lately, and I don't think his keeping is up to scratch either.

I would happily get rid of McKensie. Guess we will wait and see how Kluesner does this year for Natal.

Smith, like Kirsten is an opening batsman. His techniques are good and he has the mental stamina required for opening. Again referring to Gibbs, I don't think he has the mental stamina for it. Thats why again he should be better suited down the order. The ball is a bit older, it doesn't move around as much off the seam - perfect for Gibbs to come in and keep the run rate up.

We loose most of our games in the middle of the innings. Lose a couple of wickets, the run rate soars, and the tail enders are under pressure. Gibbs has the ability to come in and hit the ball, no messing around trying to get your "eye in". Thats why the run rate dies, guys come in, [norty word] foot around and then get out!

Seems like we cannot agree on the Gibbs issue.....let's leave it there then and see what the selectors have in store, since we have too many openers anyway.


van Wyk might be an excellent choice, given that Boucher is injured. I think something really drastic has to happen for them to drop Boucher. Hell he cost us the world cup by dropping those damn catches.




I will certainly keep an eye out for him, as will alot of other people. But after his row with the UCB over the awarded contracts, i doubt if he will be selected again, but i will hope they come to their senses if he's in good nick this season.


One more thing: we need Ngam.....and he started playing again.....

Ngam (if he can keep from getting injured the whole time)- or a pure pace bowler. Somebody that can bowl over 150km/h.

And the other thing - a good wrist spinner. I have always liked Adams, but he really lacks a lot of variation.

They could also try and teach Ntini a slower ball, and get him to bowl 148's again.

But i guess you are right, we have the batting line-up (sort of), but not the bowling lineup to support it. That makes a difference between winning and losing.

Zondeki has been bowling very well against SL A, but whether he's pacey enough is another matter. He falls over in his delivery stride and probably loses a yard or so, the yard that will make him express....

All of our bowlers, bowl very much the same. - Medium/Fast - There is no variation. Kallis has also lost the ability to swing a ball.

Hall used to bowl very well at the death.

Brings me to another point - Learn how to bowl proper yorkers!!!!!!! Not low full tosses or half vollies.

One bowler should be taken to the nets, and that is all he must bowl - yorkers!!

But yes, I do agree that our bowling needs to be worked on.

you guys are realy getting accross some valid points here, and i am in the middle of the road on the Gibbs issue.

All hands On deki (Zondeki) has been bowling well in Sri Lanka, but I feel that he lacks the spirit, or maybe the will to face someone as powerful mentaly as Australia.

Ngam is back? since when? and when will he play his first match? I realy hope that eh can come back to competitive cricket, our squad needs some serious pace to scare the batsman!

Yorker is not a word that our national squad understand Drevil. You are right, they eed some of those tossed into the game to create sopme uncertainty in the batsmans life, none of this, bowl them all straight on line, and you might get a wicket crap.

Ngam played in a charity/warmup for supersport series match.
Full story



Yip it does seem like it. I watched the game over the weekend (Sunday's one) and kak'ed on Boucher, for being asked to bowl yorkers, right after he was hit for 4 again.

They should really look into playing more than just 1-dimentional cricket that was advocated by Pollock when he was still captain.

That was Hall, and that was not a decent ball he bowled. If I am not mistaken the very next ball went for 4 as well.

Just to add to my pevious post.

One bowler needs to be a "yorker" specailist. It very damn difficult to hit a four, let alone a 6 if the ball is about to break your toe. You will force the batsman to come down the wicket or take a step away to try and hit the ball, thereby making it easier to get a wicket.

One must try and make the batsman try different things, cos the chances are he will mess it up.

All good and well in theory, but they do need to relook thier bowling strategy.

it's tht biachi AKHTAR i swear i'll have his balls for this
neways not to worry we won

Yes, a torker specialist could work, but I think that each bowler should become a yorker specialist in his own right. If a batsman can practise against yorkers, when the yorker specialist comes in, he will know exactly what to do, as a yorker is what he can expect.

A bowlers life depends on variation, mixing it up, confusing and surprising a batsman, not sticking it in the same place all the time, every ball. thats just borring, and in the end, a losing strategy.

I miss Zulu so much! Bring him back! People seem to forget that he saved us in the 1999 World Cup. But, we relied on him too much, so I’m sure the pressure got to him.

Players like McKenzie bat too slowly for ODIs. IMHO, McKenzie is best-suited for the 5 day game.

I would also open with Dippenar and Smith.

As far as motivation and encouragement go, I’d say Ntini and Boucher come out tops.

Yes, we need to learn to bowl yorkers! One of the main reasons the Aussies are so good is because they bowl yorkers!

Time for a bit of controversy! Hehe: I am quite convinced that some of the Pakistani bowlers throw.

throw? no, not the HONEST PAKISTANIS *muffled laugh*

I have always been suspicious of the sub continents bowlers, but there is nothing we can do about it.

Yea that was the good old days when Hansie was still Captin

they did so well back then thay had all the confidence they needed to win back then

I seem like the only person here that does not think so.....
But anyways, Robin Jackman suggested it yesterday during commentating on the game. This moght yet prove very interesting indeed.



No controversy, just agreement....

I am also happy with the openers at the moment, maybe they are slightly off form, but does not mean that they should be swapped around!

I think yesterdays game must prove something. Dippenaar should open. Every time he has opened this series, he has scored a 50+.

I still maintain Gibbs should be a "floating" batsman down the order.

Dude, stop reviving dead topics already... Spamming your merry on this board is gonna get u banned....

Sorry Sadist, I deleted the post