PaarlBok
Rod McCall (65)
Where to from here? Thats the next question SA Cricket team.
If I look where we were coming from a year back and where we are at the moment you have to look at our current local state and a bit of SA cricket history. In SA cricket were always the souties game in the past. Clive Rice use to say in his days that the Brute lot playing cricket were the Velskoen Brigade. Myself having a 10 year old kid playing the game close to provincial level, I do have first hand experiense for the game in our enviroment. We do have our local politics (qoutas) playing one huge role in the sport but then cricket have come a long way by bringing talent through in this country. Looking at the team that just beat the Aussies in the final game with a bowling attack of Steyn, Morkel, van der Westhuizen & Botha just show you where the talent come from these days. Our Boer lot play the game just as good and maybe add a bit of mongrel to it. You just have to look which teams produce in our local competition to see that velskoene from Brute and Cheetah country have passed Clive and his Valie Mean Machine ages ago. To summed this up afrikaans schools and the so called not past previlege kids has join the cricket party and there is only one way and thats up. Role players like Langeveldt, thanks heaven there is one coloured player not willingly to let him push around by politicians with Andre Nel and this lot sort the politicians withing cricket like Arendse out of it in no time.
OK enough poltical talking lets look at our current players stock. Look like the trend in the modern game is to start with T20 and play yourself into the test version.
Top Batsmen:
Smith as captain and a world class player. Thanks heaven he grew up as a captain (thanks for Warne to teach him)and show good sportmanship on and off the field. He is pretty special as a left hand batsman and top notch as a player and captain.
In the shorter version you dont need to look futher then Herschel Gibbs as his partner. In fact if he can stay on the right side of the alcohol drinks car he sure can get his place back in tests. Well at least word have it he have not touch it after his rehab so fingers cross. Herschell sure is a entertainer with bat in hand and dont have his equal when he is on song. No doubt world class that can take any bowling apart. Never will be your grinder kind of batsman. That bring us to Prince. With a JP Duminy on song he sure can fit in anywhere from 1 to 5. Nr 3 & 4 short himself out with Kallis and Amla. Pick your pick between this two. Kallis wont be here for seasons but he play a important role in our batting. Word has it that AB de Villiers, our current nr 5. The last batsman spot JP Duminy has made his own. Sure the find of the Aus leg in december. He play all the cricket versions so well from T20 to tests. So we have a nice mix here in the top lot like experienced batsman Kallis & Gibbs, leaders in Smith, Prince & AB de Villiers and young guns on the up like Amla & JP Duminy. I'll rate them all as world class.
All Rounders:
SA have always been fortunate in this department. I think it had to do with our kids playing rugby and hockey in winter and cricket in summer. Back in the history books you'll find some fine all rounders down the years but we find a new one in Albie Morkel. You cant really class him like Kallis a batsman bowler but sure a hard hitter of the ball. Think we maybe found another one from the Velskoen Brigade in Roelof van der Merwe. The differense is Roelof is a fine left hand off spinner. He sure have the temperament to become a great. The Brutes dont call him Bull Dog for nothing. Other all rounders now knocking on the door is Johan Louw. Sure if he gets his oppertunity he'll grab it with both hands.
Wickey:
The modern trend ios to make a batsman a wickey these days. Not SA, we still old school and Boucher not for nothing right there in the top in the record books. You pick the wickey first and then the rest. Something like RB say about Tight Heads in rugby. We are fortunate to have a player like AB de Villiers. He sure is a top batsman and a top wickey. No need to look futher and Boucher no sloudge with bat in hand either but he add experience and leadership for our team.
Bowlers:
The Boer genes bring big frames and hard arse. This two usually the ingredients for a top bowler. We dont lack this specy in the past and wont in the future. Dale Steyn sure a top class quickie. Add Ntini with his experiense and you have a top combination. Now a 19 year old leftie has put up his hands in Parnell plus we have the injured Tsotobe, a out of form tall timber like Morne Morkel and you can pick and chose to give you three fast men. Add your two all rounders in Kallis and the older Morkel and you have your quick attack. add something different but myself love the fact that the two left handers, Parnell & Tostobe, has now show they can play at the top level. That left handers give you real variation in your bowling attack. Only Ntini getting grey but all the others young and full of energy and years to serve SA well. We usually use only one spinner but look like they might change in future. Harris/Botha/Roelof is special spinners. Roelof & Harris left handers adding some variation. Add part time spin from JP Duminy and you have the complete bowling arsenal.
Love to hear your thoughts on SA Cricket team!
If I look where we were coming from a year back and where we are at the moment you have to look at our current local state and a bit of SA cricket history. In SA cricket were always the souties game in the past. Clive Rice use to say in his days that the Brute lot playing cricket were the Velskoen Brigade. Myself having a 10 year old kid playing the game close to provincial level, I do have first hand experiense for the game in our enviroment. We do have our local politics (qoutas) playing one huge role in the sport but then cricket have come a long way by bringing talent through in this country. Looking at the team that just beat the Aussies in the final game with a bowling attack of Steyn, Morkel, van der Westhuizen & Botha just show you where the talent come from these days. Our Boer lot play the game just as good and maybe add a bit of mongrel to it. You just have to look which teams produce in our local competition to see that velskoene from Brute and Cheetah country have passed Clive and his Valie Mean Machine ages ago. To summed this up afrikaans schools and the so called not past previlege kids has join the cricket party and there is only one way and thats up. Role players like Langeveldt, thanks heaven there is one coloured player not willingly to let him push around by politicians with Andre Nel and this lot sort the politicians withing cricket like Arendse out of it in no time.
OK enough poltical talking lets look at our current players stock. Look like the trend in the modern game is to start with T20 and play yourself into the test version.
Top Batsmen:
Smith as captain and a world class player. Thanks heaven he grew up as a captain (thanks for Warne to teach him)and show good sportmanship on and off the field. He is pretty special as a left hand batsman and top notch as a player and captain.
In the shorter version you dont need to look futher then Herschel Gibbs as his partner. In fact if he can stay on the right side of the alcohol drinks car he sure can get his place back in tests. Well at least word have it he have not touch it after his rehab so fingers cross. Herschell sure is a entertainer with bat in hand and dont have his equal when he is on song. No doubt world class that can take any bowling apart. Never will be your grinder kind of batsman. That bring us to Prince. With a JP Duminy on song he sure can fit in anywhere from 1 to 5. Nr 3 & 4 short himself out with Kallis and Amla. Pick your pick between this two. Kallis wont be here for seasons but he play a important role in our batting. Word has it that AB de Villiers, our current nr 5. The last batsman spot JP Duminy has made his own. Sure the find of the Aus leg in december. He play all the cricket versions so well from T20 to tests. So we have a nice mix here in the top lot like experienced batsman Kallis & Gibbs, leaders in Smith, Prince & AB de Villiers and young guns on the up like Amla & JP Duminy. I'll rate them all as world class.
All Rounders:
SA have always been fortunate in this department. I think it had to do with our kids playing rugby and hockey in winter and cricket in summer. Back in the history books you'll find some fine all rounders down the years but we find a new one in Albie Morkel. You cant really class him like Kallis a batsman bowler but sure a hard hitter of the ball. Think we maybe found another one from the Velskoen Brigade in Roelof van der Merwe. The differense is Roelof is a fine left hand off spinner. He sure have the temperament to become a great. The Brutes dont call him Bull Dog for nothing. Other all rounders now knocking on the door is Johan Louw. Sure if he gets his oppertunity he'll grab it with both hands.
Wickey:
The modern trend ios to make a batsman a wickey these days. Not SA, we still old school and Boucher not for nothing right there in the top in the record books. You pick the wickey first and then the rest. Something like RB say about Tight Heads in rugby. We are fortunate to have a player like AB de Villiers. He sure is a top batsman and a top wickey. No need to look futher and Boucher no sloudge with bat in hand either but he add experience and leadership for our team.
Bowlers:
The Boer genes bring big frames and hard arse. This two usually the ingredients for a top bowler. We dont lack this specy in the past and wont in the future. Dale Steyn sure a top class quickie. Add Ntini with his experiense and you have a top combination. Now a 19 year old leftie has put up his hands in Parnell plus we have the injured Tsotobe, a out of form tall timber like Morne Morkel and you can pick and chose to give you three fast men. Add your two all rounders in Kallis and the older Morkel and you have your quick attack. add something different but myself love the fact that the two left handers, Parnell & Tostobe, has now show they can play at the top level. That left handers give you real variation in your bowling attack. Only Ntini getting grey but all the others young and full of energy and years to serve SA well. We usually use only one spinner but look like they might change in future. Harris/Botha/Roelof is special spinners. Roelof & Harris left handers adding some variation. Add part time spin from JP Duminy and you have the complete bowling arsenal.
Love to hear your thoughts on SA Cricket team!
