Momentum Cup Update - 24 January 2021 - Lions vs Warriors

This game is interesting as we may have another look at Rickelton and some real losers that is in the Pakistan T20I squad.

The Update thus far reads as follows- 

   M Ackerman 

The bowling attack of the Knights in the main consist of spin bowling and Ackeraman  struggled badly facing the Knights spinners - especially Snyman - and as out for 1 run facing 13 balls,  

So far 19 runs in two games

Roelofsen 

This guy is phenomenal - he scored 92 runs at 5,7 rpo,;

So far  has 157 runs in two innings batted at an average of 78,5.

Andile 

 Like yesterday Andile struggled in the batting initially,   He had 6 runs from 11 balls when he hits the ball high up into the sky and when it came down the bowler missed a simple catch. In this process he made two runs    He did hit the next ball bowled by the same bowler for 6 - but thereafter he made only 1 run from 3 balls and was out with his score at 15 - rather a substandard show.

Andile so far took no wickets and was extremely expensive in his bowling today.   Yesterday they gave him 6,3 overs to bowl  - today it was only 6 overs since he was so poor they would not give him anymore - in the 6 overs he gave away 44 runs  

So far he has scored 67 runs in two games and took no wickets in the 12,3 overs he bowled 

De Swardt

He made 36 runs this innings and looked good in batting - was given out with a ball that hit his pads outside of the leg stump and would have missed the stumps - bad umpire decision.   Took two more wickets and ran out Behardien - as well as making two catches,  

So far he scored 46 runs and took 5 wickets. 

Miller

Unlike the game yesterday when he was out for a duck - he made 57 runs today,   Showed ability against the mostly spin attack of the Knights,

So far scored 57 runs in two games played  

 Gouss  -  to be updated

Gous was the only top class bat playing for the  Knights in their game against the Dolphins  = he m\ade 56 runs and was a fluent bats man.

D Rickelton

Rickelton's  fluent and very good 109 from a 100 balls proof that he is class act  and I am delighted that he did well in the Momentum Cup match betweeen the Highveld Lions and the desperately poor Cobras.   I think he deserve inclusion in the T20 squad, 

Only made 10 runs from 12 balls in the  match today - he was clean-bowled by Nabe.   Worrisome decline in performance  after a brilliant  first innings,   Rickelton did not play in today;s game.

Janneman Malan

s the only batsman of the  Cobras that made a score of note,   He made 67 runs at a snail pace with a strike rate of 71 - which is plainly not good enough. 

 Janneman  was hopeless today in the game between the Cobras and the Warriors today.  He made one run from 14 balls faced and then wnet out by a ball bowled by Stearman.

Janneman is back - he scored  a brilliant 96 runs from 92 balls in the game between the Cobras and the Lion.

In the Final Round Robin game between the Cobras  on 30 January Janneman showed massive class and when rain interrrupted play he and his brother was still in with the score  on 126 with no wickets lost.   The Warriors  made 262 runs all out and due toi that the D-L method had the Cobras winning by 41 runs.    

Baartman is in the national test squad,    I have not seen him bowling before - but if it is  anything like it was in the two Momentum games he played in thus far, his selection for the tour to Pakistan is farcical.  

Matthew Breetske

This was Breetske's first match in the tournament and he made 55 runs on a pitch that is not really helping the batsmen.  Was injured early and was only brought back at the end of the game - looked good at the start,  

Jonathan Bird  

Also his first game.    Playing for the hopeless Cobras he made 27 runs Sjould move to another franchise - the  Cobra franchise has a hopeless coaching set-up.  

A star in the making - did not bat today.     

Bird must have   recovered from selection fear - he cored a brilliant 50 tioday - not iyt and took a wicket  in his bowlong as well.   

Proteas T20I selection 

Andile, Baartman  and Snyman from the A Pool were selected to play against Pakistan and Rickelton and Janneman Malan from the B pool teams as well.    The arrangements are that the Pakistani squad players will keep on playing in the Cup matches.

Reeza Hendricks as  expected was super shit,  He made 3 runs facing 8 balls,

Nandre Burger bowled some very good balls earlier iin the game - but became a Xmas bowler soon,    Guess he ahs some potential - but that is not to be gained playing  international croclet.

Bjorn Fontuin  is a spin bowler with nothing to write home about,  

Rickleton got quite a classy 100. 

Looked very organised with great shot selection.

{;um

I was impressed by Rickelton in the game on Friday - bit today he was not really that good.   I still think Roelofsen is a better batsman than him and that males for a future contest as to who should be the openiong bastmen of the Proteas,      

Sure Dave he is good and should be in the test squad as well.     

Two games played by Pool B teams and which of the rotea T2- squad did not make the grade:=

Reeza  Hendricks  -  horribly poor - 3 runs in 2 games,

Bjorn Fortuin 

Nandre Burger

Ckemndon Stuurman

How the hell did they make the squad.

Yes Dave - but so has the averages of other players - probably directly linked to the disruption of cricket by the Chinese virus.    There were even 3 day-games in the November series cancelled as a result of infection of players - so I would not take that as serious.    

I also think that the  issue dealt in the main with shorter versions of the game - where those two are a class of their own.     If those two play for clubs in Australia and England they would already have been in there teams - but in SA any batman younger than 25 find it impossible to be selected.

That is the fact that we have here - totally deluded selectors,    I elsewhere did an analysis of the "young squad" they selected to play in Pakistan and found the average age of the so-called "young squad" amusing - it was 28,4 years of age .    

If Dawid Malan and Labuschagne  decided to continue their playing career in SA they would never have been in the Proteas team at all.     That tells you that the SA selectors and coaches have shit instead of brains in their thinking abilities,   .           

How many games did they play in the longer format of the game  in 2020.      I it is less than five it is hardly the norm for determining averages compared to a normal year of cricket.      

Dave

I accept that - but in player evaluation on has to look a bot deeper into the issue.  So lets analyse the issue a bit further:-

Ryan Rickelton 

Innings batted     -     49

Not out 3             -      3

Highest score      -     202  not out

Centuries            -        5

50's                     -        7

Grant Roelofsen

Innings batted     -      65

Not out 3             -      6

Highest score      -     147  not out

Centuries            -        8

50's                     -        8

Not outs males a massive contribution to averages and if both players made no centuries and one or two fifties in the buggered up match schedule in 2020 and had no not outs in that year it could have a serious impact on their averages.    That is why I am not sure whether the drop in averages is so important in this particular case.

However, I agree with you that of the averages are  roundabout 40 and they stay that way over the next year or two then one has to reconsider the issue.

I have also looked at the first class averages averages of Faf du Plessis and Elgar and both averaged higher than Faf and is  on par with  Elgar.   I am sure when accustomed to national team membership their averages of both younger players will increase massively in years to come..                 

Agree with you about both Elgar and Steyn.   Elgar has a defective technique and it is surprising that he can make runs.    

However, both suffer since 1999 from the 6/1 factor and that entails making 1 good and 6 poor innings they play in the game.   

I w ill have to keep my eyes open for the Warriors - Cobras game tomorrow.    

Todays game ha been updated - refer to comment about 

*    Janneman Malan.

*    Matthew Breetske; and 

*    Jonatan Bird

*     Rickelton

The situation is that today the last match on the round robin phase was played.   I will update the performance evaluation of the players under a new thread net week, when the semis are  played/

The semis will be between -

*   The Dolphins and the Cape Cobras; and

*   The Lions and the Knights

It is not certain when the  T20I squad will depart for Pakistan.   The semis are on 1 and 2 February and the final on 4 February - so if they depart after 4 February the players I covered above will all be available for the games,   If not I will reuce the format to cover only the players able to play in the matches/

 .