Another topic Sasue would not like - cricket News

It is now the local T20 competition known as the Ram Slam tournament.   The question is - who are making the runs and who are failing:-

The major run scorers are three opening batters and a middle order one at a run rate wai in excess of a run a ball   are :-

*  Rilee Rossouw

*  Reza Hendriks

*  Quinton de Kock

*  David Miller

The major failures are the following:-

*   Graeme Smith

*   J-P Duminy

The other batters with minimal exposure and rather inadequate results are:-

*  Hashim Amla

*  Faf du Plessis 

AB de Villiers had a hand operation and it is doubtful whether he should be exposed again to wicket  keeping duties as a result.

SA have had very inadequate results on T20 level over the past three years in  international  competitions and change to the squad is absolutely necessary.   There are three internationals against the Australians coming up before the  2014 T20 WC and the following line up is suggested:-

Reeza Hendriks

Rilee Rossouw

Quinton de Kock

AB de Villiers

David Miller

Faf du Plessis

J-P Duminy

Albe Morkel

Vernon Fillander

Dale Steyn

Morne Morkel

All the above - except Albe Morkel - are in the already announced squad. I would add the following three players to the team squad:-

Hashim Amla

Ryan McLaren

L Tsotsobe

Please note the above is the T20 squad - not the ODI squad - where there will be a change in the batting line-up - with Amla in the top 3 and Hendriks on the bench.  Tsotsobe is to replace Albe Morkel in the starting line-up   

"The other batters with minimal exposure and rather inadequate results are:-

*  Hashim Amla

*  Faf du Plessis "

Ceradyne

Amla has gone off the boil a bit recently and I am not leaving him out of anything.   You would notice he remains in the squad I proposed.   Faf came in late in line-ups and he remains in the squad I propose.  

There is no reason for omitting Amla from anything.   The squad selection aims at him getting his mojo back in T20's.    The selection is based on batting form in the present competition that indicates the need for disposal of some players not in the provisional squad - eg Kallis and Graeme Smith - and to find a fifth bowler for 4 overs,   That can be shared between Duminy and Faf du Plessis.

The above team will have a huge advantage over other international T20 teams - with a major advantage in the fielding as well.    

Saffex

What is warped about the above?   It is no more warped than some of your rugby selections.   What would you propose - of the above is so warped?

 Saffex

Smith is definitely OUT in the T20 set-up  - he is not in the provisional squad and has failed badly thus far in the T20 local competition.  He is unlikely to make the ODI squad as well.   The problem is that Smith has a batting deficiency that is exploited by opposing teams in the shorter versions of the game and he failed to score runs at an acceptable run rate.   Whenever he played in recent ODI's the poor start on his part led to defeat. 

I am not questioning Amla's ability - but he has gone off the boil recently and also in the local competition.   He definitely has not been himself recently and I am leaving him in the squad - allowing him to get his mojo back.

Its nice to say - we need to find better all-rounders than Albie and McClaren - I agree with you - but where can we find them?   Morris is not the answer and neither is anyone else.   Perhaps Hardus Viljoen is the answer - he is a bowler who can like Fillander bat as well.     

As it is - with that line-up in batting - we in 20 overs games probably would never need to bat beyond 5.  

 I am saying that Smith's recent ODI performances has been atrocious,   Whenever he was in the set-up we lost the games.   He is still OK in tests - in ODI's he has become a serious liability.   In recent series he played in only 4 ODI's - we lost 3 of those because of poor batting - basically on his part to start off with.   The one we won was because of a batting collapse on the part of the Pakistanis after atrociously poor batting by the SA team - with Smith making 20 runs as an opener - his highest score in all four ODI's he played in.  

In the four recent ODI's Smith played in he scored all of  48 runs from 101 balls.   That shows an average of 12 runs per innings scored at  a run rate of less than 3 runs per over.   No wonder he was dropped like a hot potato in other games played.    Good enough for test cricket - worthless in ODI's.     

We won with ease all the  recent 7 ODI's he was not in the team.   Comprehende?

Saffex

Smith as an ODI player is well past his sell by date - there s ample prove of that.   Ley me explain why he is the problem n the side and why he s a constant problem causing losses.    He makes only a few runs at a very low run rate.   The rest of the batters are put in a catch up situation where they must endanger their own wickets to try and make up the low run rate caused by Smith.   

However - you are onto a lost course here.   He is not selected as a frontline ODI player at all.   Has been replaced by De Kock in the last 4 ODI's after buggering up badly against the Pakistanis.

Yes - you are correct - cricket is a team game - but under-performance by individual players in the shorter versions of the game destroy the teams chances of winning - and Smith was a constant under-performer.   Do you really think they are going to drop De Kock as opener to make way for Smith - you must be kidding.  An d lower in the order against spin bowling Smith is a lost course. 

The other player on very thin ice is Duminy - constant poor scores are not acceptable and he was poor in 90% of he matches he played in.  He could find himself in the team as a spin bowler that can bat a bit - noting else.

Saffex

If he plays many more ODI's we will lose more ODI's than we will win.   He is the cricket equivalent of Morne Steyn, Francois Steyn and Earl Jantjies in rugby.

He is not in the T20 squad anymore  and even if he is in the ODI squad he will not be selected to play ahead of Quinton de Kock.

Why do you say rugby players should be out because of the age factor and not cricket players?  Smith is 35 years of age and his hand eye co-ordination is that of a 35 year old.   That makes him unsuitable to bat in ODI's.       

 Saffex

Sorry - I was wrong about his age - he will be 33 in just over  two weeks time and e 35 by the time of the next WC.  

Look = I do not care about his career average and strike rate - his career average and strike rate came down from the 40 it was three years ago to 37 and his strike rate was  in steady decline over the past two years. 

Why do you think he was left out of most of the recent ODI's if it was not because of his own  poor performances?   Those started in India at the previous WC - when he would not come back with the team and went off to Ireland instead.   His own display was so poor that the criticism was widespread,   The outcome was they decided to change the captaincy to AB.

Now they have another problem = there is a straight choice between Smith and De Kock.   De Kock has to open the batting - he cannot come in after Smith and try to play catch up after Smith's slow batting debacles.   They tried it twice and it failed twice.    Smith cannot bat lower down in the order because he is weak against spin bowling.   So what now?   Must they leave out De Kock to make way for Smith?  Comments please.                   

Saffex

Making 48 runs from 101 balls in 4 successive ODI's he played in is SLOW AND POOR BATTING.

However, we are arguing about a theoretical issue.   If Smith ever again bats in an ODI - it will indeed be a miracle.   He is out of contention for selection in the shorter versions of the game and that is as clear as daylight.

Why did they drop Smith like a hot potato after the latest ODI loss?

POOR FORM IS TEMPO RARY WHEN IT LASTS FOR THREE MONTHS - NOT 2 YEARS      

Saffex 

In ODI's over the past year against Pakistan Smith made 73 runs facing 201 balls - that run rate being totally unacceptable.

You may think he will be back in the ODI team - but I do not think so and nether does the commentators,

He will continue in test cricket - and that is where his real contribution will stop.  

Despite the fact that you claim there are places for both Smith and De Kock,  it just is not possible,    Both are openers and if De Kock has to bat lower down he has to play catch up to get runs quicker because of Smith's poor run rate.   It did not work out  recently resulting in low scores on the part of De Kock.   Smith cannot play lower down in the batting order because he is poor against spin bowling.

It is different in tests where run rate are not such a pressing issue.   There De Kock can bat even at 7.

So according to the commentators there is a straight choice between De Kock and Smith for the opening batting position and Smith is not supported by any of them.       

Saffex

We are discussing T20 and ODI's here - not test cricket.   I have never said Smith and Amla is not to play TEST CRICKET for South Africa.   This discussion is around Smih's contribution in T20 cricket and in ODI's.

Smith is NOT in the T20 squad anymore - so he is out of that competition - will not be elected in any T20 tournament.   That is where the discussion started.   You brought in Smith into that area of the game - where he is not even a consideration - and the discussion then veered of to the ODI's.

In this case Smith is still in the squad - but he seems to be on the way out.   His performances since 2011 went one way and that is down.   Even where he made decent scores (against New Zealand - the run rate was too slow to im,pact on the outcome of the games and the Proteas lost the series. 

Since then his run rate has deteriorated even further and when he did play last year the rate was down to just over 2 rpo - just not good enough.    Smith nowadays is more interested to protect his wicket than o score runs.   In one ODI he faced 20 balls and scored 1 run.  

Whenever he opened batting the run-rate is under threat and Amla will be in the same boat as De Kock was this year when he was played at 3 after Smith wasted too many balls as an opener.  

The emphasis is that Smith WAS good in ODI' s  previously - but for nearly 3 years now his performances in ODI's went down so badly that he is not a candidate anymore.   If he is so good - why do we lose more games than we won?   With only one change - namely Smith -  the team wins by wide margins.   Why is that the case?

Cricket SA has recognised the problem and they are not going to endanger winning chances by playing Smith in ODI's.

Whether you like it or not - Smith is to play test cricket in future - not ODI's and T20 games.         

 Saffex

It is not a lie about Smiths form being bad

In India in the 2011 WC his highest score in all innings played was 15 runs at a rpo rte of less than 3 runs per over.

Last year he had to decent scores against New Zealand - but was aocious in th subsequent series against Pakistan.   He then did not play in the Workd Championships in England - where we used players like Ingram instead and went down the drain.

After the disastrous performance against the Pakistanis - he did not play in ODI's until November in the Gulf states  - where he scored 35 runs from 59 balls in two games.    We won the first ODI by  1 run after their was a huge collapse and Pakistan lost their last 7 wickets for 25 runs.  SA lost the second ODI and Smith was sent back to SA.  The other three ODI's and 2 T20 matches in the Gulf we won by substantial margins.

Back in SA and there were two changes made to the ODI team in the first 2 ODI's against Pakistan - Smith and Kallis was brought in - we lost both matches.   Both failed badly in the first ODI - but Kallis scored 50 runs off 90 balls in the second ODI.   Smith was sent packing and we won the  third ODI.

He was left out completely in the subsequent series against India which we won.

There is no way that Smith's performances in ODI's since 2011 were even remotely acceptable and that is a fact.          

Saffex

The question are two-fold, namely -

*  Even with good averages - what was his run rate?

*  How many matches did we win where he scored an acceptable number of runs?

The problem is not only the runs itself - it is a combination of runs scored and run rate that determines the outcome of matches.    In a recent ODI Kallis scored 50 runs from 90 balls.   He faced 15 overs of the total overs bowled for 50 runs - ie about 3,4 rpo.   His 50 runs took up so much of the total balls bowled that the Proteas lost the game by a huge margin.

Even though Smith in a few games did put in decent runs - the run rat varied between 2,5 and 3,5 rpo - just not good enough and the losses munt up as a result.  

Between 5 and 6 rpo in an ODI is acceptable - anything lower is not.  Smith has not achieved that in virtually all games played. So he would be phased out altogether - that is if he was not already.  

 Saffex

Balls - watching ODI's while Smith is batting is like watching paint dry.   Smith takes up too many balls to make a reasonable score - putting the lower order batters under extreme pressure and they fail as a result.  Even with small recent scores he wasted too many balls in the process,   His last 4 ODI's is typical - scoring 48 runs from 101 balls

Even in those cases you mentioned - Smith's batting ratio was between 4,0 and 4,5 rpo - which is too slow for an opening batter.   That means the lower order batters must make 7  to 9 rpo to ensure a reasonable total.  That is the main reason for the batting collapses that has plagued the Proteas over the past three years and the low batting scores often encountered.

Why was the recent ODI's without Smith so convincing - taking into account India is the top-ranked ODI team  in the world?  It was because two players were not wasting balls in the process - Kallis was in all three ODI's - made low scores and did not waste balls - so he was not as bad as it could have been.   Smith was out and the Proteas flourished without him.    That for me is the final proof of the pudding.

 Saffex

I have read everything you wrote.   I accept the concept of builders - but then builders must show show some signs of life - which your builder working at half the required pace fails to do.   Fine in test cricket  - but no go in ODI's.  

There is no chance in hell that Smith will play ODI cricket again unless there are a string of injuries a mile long.   He has spoilt his copybook too frequently - which is not what I say,  but is the opinion of all the commentators.  

He will not be able to oust De Kock from the opening berth and it is apparent that they want a righthander and lefthander to open.    They will retain Amla and De Kock as openers and will probably play Rossouw at 3, De Villiers at 4, Miller at 5, Du Plessis at 6 and Duminy at 7 - with the bowlers to follow.  The spin bowling will be shared between Duminy and Du Plessis.   So good bye Graeme = there is no place for him in ODI's.             

Saffex

Dream on - Smith is past tense insofar as ODI's are concerned.    End of story.