Aid Him Markram

His test scores against India......5, 39, 0, 0. Boy we sure stepped up when the great Amla retired.

And he's been at it for I think 4 years now.

Even our late bloomers began showing signs of reward for the time investment by now.

Is he Jaques Rudolf or Boeta Dippenaar mark2?

Seems like it. 

Problem is, he isn't even comfortable on SA pitches anymore . That was his saving grace for me early on. But it vanished too.

One wonders if Rossouw and Abbott would strengthen this side. Yes. 100% yes. 

Agree Rossouw would be a step up.

Might give Stiaan van Zyl another look too. How is he doing in England ATM Dave?

If you are going to lose Smith, Kallis, AB and Amla in the space of a few years...the team will take ages to recover. 

The above 4 are all in the top ten ever SA players. Two of those are among the best ever to have played the game. And then we haven't mentioned Steyn or Morkel.

Australia had a very similar problem. 

Kallis, AB and Amla are once in a lifetime players. So is Steyn. 

Smith's persona and captaincy level are only matched by the great captains historically. There isn't presently an equal in the world game. 

The only option really is to start almost entirely fresh and invest in young players. Stop gaps like JP and Faf will only take you so far. 

This is why it's such a pity that Quintie isn't really captaincy material. He was perfectly positioned to usher in a new generation. Markram is the best bet because the Elgar boat has sailed. 

On a positive note, the age of the team is where it needs to be. The guys just need to pull through and become real world-class players playing as a solid unit.

I don't want to talk too badly about CSA because captaincy, quota and player exodus aside, they look like they're planning ahead. How much they can do in terms of contracts etc, i don't know. Ideally, the government would leave them alone, with the only mandate being "Give us the best team and the best results.'

Yeah...never gonna happen.

Moz, AB outed himself....integrity is more important than a chance at a WC, entertaining him would have been wrong on so many levels.

Smith and Kallis left too soon...Amla on time. The problem is that the next in lines did not step up to the plate ....AND the leadership is not what it should be. Faf is a fighter with grit, but a poor tactician and apparently not a real "thinker" of the game. Amla and AB weren't either....that's the real problem. Get Biff in the change room ASAP!

Honestly I don't get the big 'integrity' issue with AB. After adding huge value to the Proteas he decided he was done....hell, maybe he didn't enjoy the coach. Then shortly before the WC he changed his mind......that's not even as bad as the  disgusting snot blowing I see in every sport these days.

Dread, I'm a big Smith fan.

He knows the system, has an incredible amount of leadership experience and I struggle to think of anyone else that'll be able to prepare our teams more thoroughly. 

From the outside, I struggle to see the downside to st least giving him a bash. There just doesn't seem to be a single hard nosed fighter in our team or on the staff. 

We'll keep struggling if the situation persists.

Best quote about Smith ever. His ex wife's family really dislike him and say he's addicted to the spotlight. They said...

"He'd go to the opening of an envelope." Hahaha

"There just doesn't seem to be a single hard nosed fighter in our team or on the staff. "

Pansies, the whole lot of them.....only joking...Elgar and Faf have plenty of fight, but neither of them has the do or die stubbornn leadership Smith had. He simply refused to be defeated....most 4th innins centuries ....and one of the best tacticians around.

Lack of talent in running Cricket SA, lack of Proteas selection, management and coaching and a lack of talent. 

Our Cricket is being run by clowns. Can't bowl, can't bat are barely club level. 

Thank goodness Rassie has been bringing the Boks up to pace.