Opener confusion

A few weeks back I think most felt that Prince would be given the chance to continue as an opener for SA in the upcoming test season. That was before taking to the position, for the Warriors, like a duck to lava.

He's now been dropped down the order and wouldn't you know it, his innings back in the middle order and he smashes a 150 against the Lions.

So where does that leave SA? Your guess is as good as mine. I see that Kallis is going to be given the job of opening in ODI's now. Would opening the batting in tests really be that wild of an idea?

Not so random thoughts on SA's exit

- Cricket South Africa punished the national team by moving all games away from The Wanderers. Is that the reason we lost? Absolutely not, but it didn't help.

- Combine that with only arranging one warm up game, against a poor West Indies side no less, CSA have to take a fair portion of any blame being thrown about.

- The runner for cramps argument has come up a lot. All I want is consistency. Either runners are always allowed or they are never allowed. Enough of this game by game whichever way the wind blows BS. If it stays as it is now, all Smith and other batsmen have learned is to LIE.

- Why do we always cramp? Smith, AB at the world cup, Gibbs on the sub continent a few years back. These are fit guys (well, Smith looks fit now). Sort it out.

- Albie Morkel is a batsman who can bowl a bit. He can be devastating at the death but given a chance, that could just be another bow in his quiver. Because right now that's all we use him for and its a waste. Unless he starts pulling his weight with the bat, he's a liability.

- Is our batting lineup too long? It's a funny thing to say but we've got these guys who CAN bat but hardly ever get the chance. So when they come out to bat the first thing they do is go to their bowling mark before sheepishly remembering what they're there to do.

- So maybe its time to throw in another bowler and let the likes of Roloef and Botha show what they can do.

- And don't be afraid to throw them up the order. Pinch hitters have gone out of fashion for some reason but our innings was crying out for some risk taking. A quick and funny looking 20 off 10 balls from Roloef might have done the trick.

- Stop chasing in pressure games (if we can help it). In normal conditions we are great chasers. In tournaments we mess it up time and time again. SA Cricket Blog

- Chins up boys, we've got a long season ahead.

SA Test Team - the tail

Ok, so let's wrap up this sucker.

Steyn is locked in.

Ntini is hanging on with his finger nails. He was okay in England. He was okay when Oz were over here. So he'll remain in the team. But time is running down on his career and I struggle to see him winning matches anymore.

Morne Morkel is, quite possibly, holding the short straw (which is doubly odd looking, given his height). After a very promising start to his test career, he bombed quite hard against Oz and was duly dropped from the final test. In ODI and T20 cricket, his position has been usurped by the ying to his yang, the ultra accurate Wayne Parnell.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Morne is going to have to work his way back into the test team. I know his brother Albie is effectively the man in possession, but he's never going to cut it as a first change test bowler. Wayne has shown great maturity and despite his age, I think we'll see him line up against England for his first cap. Apparently he can also bat, which might take some of the pressure off Boucher and Harris.

One things for sure, the future is looking damn bright. Parnell and Morkel are definitely the future of SA cricket, with Tsotsobe and CJ de Villiers not far behind.

Another possibility is the returning Ryan McLaren. He was called up last season but couldn't join the team because of his county commitments. But he's a free man now and his the ability, maturity and all round game to add something to Tests, ODI's and T20.

So, in conclusion, without a shadow of doubt, the team for the first test against England will be:

Smith
Prince
Amla
Kallis
AB
Duminy
Boucher
Parnell
Harris
Steyn
Ntini

If I was playing ICC cricket captain, my team would be:

Smith
Amla
Kallis
AB
Prince
Duminy
Boucher
Botha
Parnell
Steyn
Ntini

SA Test Team - the spinner

Harris is a strange character. He's a guy that a lot of teams write off prior to a series at their own peril but by the time the series comes to an end they'll be forced to admit, "he's a little better than I thought".

His record for SA is can best be described as...okay. A few years back we were dying for an "okay" spinner who could hold up an end and chip in with the odd wicket. Harris definitely offers this to the team, but is that now enough?

We have Johan Botha and Roloef Vd Merwe kicking all kinds of ass in the shorter forms of the game. Both do a good job with the ball. They can bat. They are great in the field. They're also fierce competitors.

Harris can bowl. Full stop.

I think there must be some pressure on his position, particularly from Botha. We all know the tail is the teams one big weak point. Botha would definitely remedy that, but do I think they should make that switch now?

I'm not so sure. Not yet at least. Harris was fantastic in the home series against Australia and probably deserves to keep his place.

For now. *cue ominous music*

SA Test Team - positions 3 to 7

Last nights post about the opening positions also covers the rest of the batting line up. If Prince opens then the rest will remain the same with Amla, Kallis, AB and Duminy falling into line and making a damn formidable top 6. If Amla opens, which I can't see happening but secretly think wouldn't be a bad option, then everyone moves up with Prince slotting in at 5 or 6.

Which brings us to...

The Keeper

Boucher is a legend. He's been fantastic for the team and has dug us out of many a hole. But he's not getting any younger and these days his batting in tests flits between "just about acceptable" and "Mike Hussey bad". Every now and then he'll put together a gritty and important knock, but that would be followed by half a dozen scores of under 30.

When Polly was around there wasn't as much pressure on Boucher's batting, but with Harris or Morne coming in at 8, this is definitely a weak spot in the team.

But who would replace him? With AB saying that he doesn't want to keep, surely Boucher's long term successor must be Heino Kuhn. He averages over 40 in domestic cricket and is handy enough behind the stumps. At 25 he's got enough experience to start to make the step up and proved as much by being one of the best players in the Emerging Players tournament a month or two ago.

I'd like to see him slowly being brought into the fold with the view to take over at the start of the 2010/11 season in tests. I have a feeling that Bouch is pretty much undroppable though, and it will be on him to hand over the gloves.

Polly played on a bit too long in test cricket. Hopefully Bouch will take note and bow out at the top.

The 2009/10 SA test team - Openers

Today I found myself thinking about the upcoming SA-ENG tour and what, if any, changes there could be to the test squad. It's gonna be a bit too long for one update so each day I'll focus on a new position. Once finished, CSA can print out my posts and go ahead and announce the squad.

The Openers

Assuming he doesn't break a finger playing table tennis or something, Smith will be back in his familiar opening spot. But who will be his partner? Previously on Square Pegs and Round Holes - Neil Mckenzie was dropped for the final test against Australia, due to an extended run of low scores. In that final game the young up and comer Imraan Khan got a good looking 20, if there is such a thing as a good looking 20. He also destroyed everyone in the domestic leagues. His partner was Ashwell Prince, opening for the first time. Ash knocked up a fantastic 150 and his overall record for SA is fantastic.

Personally I think Prince will stay as Smith's partner for now. Mckenzie also wasn't a test opener...until he was. That little experiment proved to be a huge success, although it has now run its course. I can't help but think Amla might be a better long term prospect as an opener, but Prince deserves a chance to make the spot his own. He certainly has the right temperament for the job.

As for Neil, I just can't see him getting back into the team. Go hump your gorgeous wife, you've earned it.

As for young Imraan, I think they will try and make him the new Duminy, meaning he'll spend a lot of time in and around squads, but very little on the field of play. It certainly worked for JP.

5 reasons why SA are not in the final

The cold light of day is hurting my eyes, so let's get this out of my system.

1 - Not getting Afridi out sooner. Without his innings, SA would probably have chased 130.

2 - Go crazy with the bat up front. Look, we knew the spinners were on form and going to cause problems on that pitch. We also knew Gul was incredibly tough to get away at the death. So, surely, we needed around 60 runs from those first 6 overs? If ever there was a time for a pinch hitter, when Smith went out, this was it.

3 - Duminy and Kallis put their foot on the gas a couple overs too late. Look, it was a tough situation. They didn't want to expose a new batsman to those difficult batting conditions, but whats the use of having a long tail if you don't use it? Replace "tail" with "penis" and the same lesson applies.

4 - Justin Ontong didn't play. He would have got 4-20 and a 50, you know its true.

5 - We lost.

Smith: We're no longer nearly men

So says the headline on Cricket365.

Look out Pakistan. They're all the way men now. They're going to smash your balls, catch your balls and then rest their balls on the chins of your wives.

Why? Because they're men, dammit. All the way men.

The secret to SA's success revealed

No, its not the long batting order or the fantastic bowling variety currently in the team. Its not the top notch fielding nor the mix of youth and experience. No, the real reason is that SA are ass kissing their way to the top.

Before the Windies match, coach Mickey Arthur said that the Windies were a "dangerous team". SA won.

Leading up to the England clash, skipper Graeme Smith told reporters:

"England have got some class players, and will obviously have home support, so that's a great challenge for us."

SA won.

Before the New Zealand match, Graeme Smith said:

"Everyone contributes in their team, they are well led and on their day they can pretty much challenge everybody and beat everybody.

Before asking for directions to the nearest McDonalds. Oh, and then SA won.

Even against bloody Scotland, Smith had this to say:

"We saw last night how unpredictable this game can be, and we will be making sure we play to our potential."

SA crushed the poor Scots.

Its clear* that SA are intent on stroking the confidence of the other teams and then ruthlessly bringing them back down to earth on the field.

* It's not clear at all. I'm talking shite once again.

SA Emerging Players

The SA squad for this seasons emerging players is a pretty strong one. Its a shame that Jonathan Vandiar is injured and I don't know why Imraan Khan was overlooked, but there's plenty of young exciting talent to get excited about (I tried to be very careful with that sentence).

The odd man out seems to be Henry Davids. The only thing that Henry is "emerging" from is his 20's. He turns 30 in a few months, which makes his selection a bit puzzling. Maybe he's filling the vital position of team chaperone.