Have to agree with you that Wiaam Mulder is a vastly improved player from where he was a year or two ago. I'm pleased for the lad and I hope he makes even more improvement, the team needs a quality allrounder.
"Looks a Philander kind of bowler"
Yep, totally agree, my kind of bowler. Just imagine what he'd be like if he could consistently bowl in the mi d 130's?
FD
I was initially very critical of Sipamla, but after watching him bowling I became convinced that he is good enough to play for the Proteas team
I agree with you that Mulder was forced into the team too early. But he was not properly coached anyway. Boucher thinks very highly of him now.
I think van Tonder would have played if it was not for a finger injury picked up in training last week, Hoe he can recover and get into squad for Pakistan, especially since I do not think that Van der Dussen would make it on sub-continent pitches,
.
"We need good black players that play on merit."
"Stuff Rassie the guy is 32 and averages 33 at test level
Don’t rate him at all"
A bit harsh, he did ok as an ODI player but as a test player I agree he is out of his depth and besides his strike rate is snails pace.
On top of that there's several promising young players who need to be given opportunity.
Th e main problem in the team is NOT only Van der Dussen - it is the insistence to keep Du Plesasis and Elgar - both suffering from the dreaded 6:1 factor for two years since 2019 - as irremovable on the game. Instead of bringing in new talent stagnation is the norm in SA cricket. .
Flash
I hear you and I know exactly what you're saying but I have never and will never sing along with a system which mandates selection based on colour. It is racist.
"Elgar and Du plessis still have a lot to offer."
That's debatable. The longer they hang around the longer it takes to debut a young promising player. We dig a hole for our selves if we leave it for too late. I suggest we sit back and note their performance against Pakistan, Pakistan as you know were wiped by NZ.
Let a level playing field be the decider.......I've always been a Faf man both as a Captain and as a player, I've never like Elgar as a batsman. Let's wait and see.
FD
If you take the performances of Faf and Elgar over the last two years - neither of them would have still been in any test s ide,- bar in the SA side, They still badly suffer from the dreaded 6:1 factor - 6 poor innings and one good one out of 7 innings batted.
They were cardinal to the failure of the Proteas since 2019. Against a weak SL attack they did well enough - but can it last? There is ample proof that they will be back to failure soon. .
Dave
In this I am with you 100% = the SA cricket side has stagnated for years with on the batting side the only youngsters brought in being De Kock and Markram,
Rassie was already 30 when he was selected the first time - basically to replace Amla. Compared to the constant failures of Amla during his last year of international cricket he was a high light initially - but as you said he is now 32 and not a star in international cricket - a very average no 3 batsman which could perhaps last another year on international level
Bavuma was 28 years old when first selected and is now a batsman also in the average level of performance - nothing outstanding,
There was no real investment in younger platers for years now and that is why the Proteas got beaten by teams like BanglaDesh in the CWC.