Third Test. SA v England. Jo'burg, Jan 14-18

[Dr Cricket]

SA going with an all pace attack. Looks like VIljoen could debut.

nice move not sure Duminy deserves to be in the team yet though.
Van zyl dropped for Duminy, de kock opening.
would have just gone for 3 coloured players in the team, when you considering it is only an one off because of the pitch conditions and philander being injured, when philander being fit, SA could easily field 5 or 6 coloured players depending on form and merit.

[dan08]

SA going with an all pace attack. Looks like VIljoen could debut.

nice move not sure Duminy deserves to be in the team yet though.
Van zyl dropped for Duminy, de kock opening.
would have just gone for 3 coloured players in the team, when you considering it is only an one off because of the pitch conditions and philander being injured, when philander being fit, SA could easily field 5 or 6 coloured players depending on form and merit.

Duminy scored 260* for Cape Cobras last week.

[Dr Cricket]

SA going with an all pace attack. Looks like VIljoen could debut.

nice move not sure Duminy deserves to be in the team yet though.
Van zyl dropped for Duminy, de kock opening.
would have just gone for 3 coloured players in the team, when you considering it is only an one off because of the pitch conditions and philander being injured, when philander being fit, SA could easily field 5 or 6 coloured players depending on form and merit.

Duminy scored 260* for Cape Cobras last week.

TBH SA Domestic competition isn't that strong even Selectors agree to that, but even then not doubting his ability.
his inclusion is more that De kock has to open and him getting in mean a lot of shuffling of the batting order.
really if duminy comes back to the team he either opens or he doesn't play, no real spot in the middle order.

Really if they are going that route, would just make Duminy open ridiculous asking de kock opening and keeping.

[Arthur Crabtree]

JPD hasn't been bowling for SA lately, even as much as Elgar. So he isn't coming in for his spin.

[Dr Cricket]

the only other solution is to make Amla open, Duminy goes at 6 or 7.
Wouldn't really mind that but still would have had Van Zyl/Cook opening if I was picking the team, too much of a mess getting Duminy in the team right now.

[dan08]

Will de Kock still keep?

[Arthur Crabtree]

He must. It's a bit of a mess.

[Dr Cricket]

He must. It's a bit of a mess.

yeah it is this convo really shows what kind of mess it is.

Dane Piedt left out by SA for 3rd T so Hardus Viljoen (296 1st-c wickets @ 25) could make debut. Duminy for Van Zyl with de Kock opening?

de kock won't open lol

nah..top 7 remains the same.

how do they make the 'unofficial' quota then?

@ballburnisher I wouldn't but SA selection is complicated as I'm sure you know.

@Cricket_Mann yes coz in SA quotas>>> balance of the team/winning

@ballburnisher therefore Duminy has to play surely. And if he plays, van Zyl has to go and someone has to open. Hence de Kock (unless Bav?)

SA cricket is in a massive disarray Rand is in an all time low so basically all the players have seen 200-500% pay cuts, no idea the real percentage haven't worked it out but trust me it is a lot.
1 pounds is 21 or 22 rand, couple of years ago it was 1 pound to every 11 rand.
De villiers wants to go free lance since even the likes of CPL will pay more than international cricket because the rand is so low, depending on which currency WI players get paid, SA players could actually be the lowest paid team in the ICC which is odd considering 2-3 years their would be in the top end of the low 7 Nations that how much the rand has fallen in recent times.
If England don't win this series their will never have a better chance to beat SA away from home.

[Dr Cricket]

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/arti ... -earn.html
no idea how accurate this website is but they say South africa cricketers get 105K a year.
weirdly enough it made them 3rd richest board in terms of central contract pay.
article says a top CSA player gets about a million each year,
http://www.rainbownation.com/uk/compare/index.asp
can't find the exchange rate in 2010 when article was written but assuming the exchange rate was 10.32 so basically top players got about 10 million rand a year convert that to today money.
That would mean today he earn 410K so loss more than half his wages.
and the normal contract everyone get is worth around 42K

By my calculation South african players have lost 250% percent of their wages in 5 years.

[Arthur Crabtree]

If England don't win this series their will never have a better chance to beat SA away from home.

All this suggests England will have better chances down the road (give or take their own problems). Right now, SA's biggest problems are the injuries to Big Vern and Steyn. And England's is an inability to catch.

[Dr Cricket]

If England don't win this series their will never have a better chance to beat SA away from home.

All this suggests England will have better chances down the road (give or take their own problems). Right now, SA's biggest problems are the injuries to Big Vern and Steyn. And England's is an inability to catch.

good point, took me a while to actually understand what you were trying to say lol.

be quite sad if SA never reach or become a top side since 1990 SA have always been a top 2-3 side, hardly failed or really declined as a team.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Broad needs four wickets to go past Bob Willis as England's third highest wicket taker. He will get them in an equal number of Tests if he does it at the Wanderers.

[Dr Cricket]

Broad needs four wickets to go past Bob Willis as England's third highest wicket taker. He will get them in an equal number of Tests if he does it at the Wanderers.

if you could bet on a cricketer breaking someone record I would put money on Broad or Ishant Sharma to break McGrath pace wicket record.
it feel unreal that he on 322 wickets at the age of 29.

It still feel like broad on 200 wickets or something.
it was only last year English media were going crazy over Anderson reaching 383 wickets.
feel so unreal that broad nearly there.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Will take him four years less than Bob. Willis will have been injured more, as well as there being fewer games back then.

[Arthur Crabtree]

It's supposed to be a grassless cracked pitch in Johannesburg, and preparation hampered by the drought, much as at Cape Town. Maybe it won't be typical.