Saffex id there is one player in the Protea team

that should amongst others get the boot it is Graeme Smith,  Against even half-decent bowling he fails all the time - because of a seriously flawed batting technique.

I think it is time to move on and get rid also of Alviro Petersen.  Unlike you I have no problem with Faf and Elgar is doing just fine. I think that if we had a half decent opening pair - we will find that the rest of the batting line up will come through as well.

Smith is OK against a weak attack - useless against a strong one.

We are indeed lucky - he is not in the OFI or T20 squads - so time to move on the same way in test cricket.   

 Dddraad

A flawed technique can be over-looked at a younger age when reaction and hand-eye co-ordination are better, but that wears off as time goes by and the older players get - the more difficult it becomes against top bowlers. 

I was a great Smith supporter - but the mere fact that he fails far more frequently than he succeeds is becoming a serious problem.  

Simultaneously a low scoring failing opener - puts the whole rest of the batting line-up under pressure.   And Smith cannot bat lower in the order - he cannot play spin bowling well enough.

Incidentally the issue does count and Smith is not really in line for the shorter version of the fame in particular.  

Mozart

My problem is - how many poor shots does Smith in fact play?  Far too many and that is why I have question marks about his role as an opener.   The problem is not his technical flaws in batting - in younger players those flaws are minimised  by better hand-eye co-ordination and better reflect action - the older you get, the more pronounced those flaws become.  

Amla had flaws in batting but he worked on it and it is much less of a factor now than it was before.   De Kock does not have a problem technique -wise,   He has had a problem today by playing a rash shot thinking he could score easy runs from a part time bowler.   That is hardly likely to happen again.   If I have a choice as to who should face the Aussie quickies between Smith and De Kock - the end result will always be De Kock even at this early stage of his career.