I always love reading your pieces…not sure people from Pakistani origin will appreciate being refered to as “Paki[s]” though. I’d suggest you drop it.

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I have pondered this exact situation and have come to the conclusion I’d rather be a peace negotiator between Israel & Palestine.

I do not know – I really don’t. Depth is a good thing, but JP is the find of the summer, making as much waves as Dale Steyn did 3-odd years ago. Who do you drop? Someone else? McKenzie because he had a bad spell - after he was the leading run scorer in the SA team before Australia happened? Kallis because he is getting “a bit on”? – at 34 he is not over the hill, we just feel he’s old because he’s been in the team since he was 11.

This is why “squads” are so important – horses for courses. JP can play both ODIs and Tests, Prince is more of a test man. Duminy also bowls his little dibbly-dobblers which proves handy, getting a wicket in the 2nd ODI. Case for Duminy. Prince is one of the few people who has more test 100s than test 50s. who else can boast an amazing stat like that? Case for Prince.

I don’t know – I just don’t freaking know. I love Mackers, I think he is an awesome player, but alas, something needs to go. Maybe Mackers has had his day, and not even he will be as sad and disappointed as I will be if he played his last games. But yeah, all in all, after beating the Aussies in their own back yard, this is a problem we would have paid for 3, 4 years ago! Keep all three around, people get injured, tired… rotate the squad, the cream will rise.

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Tough decision. But Gerry is right in the sense that you need a ODI and test squad.

JP is perfect for the one-dayers although I believe that our current balance is not right (because of Smith’s injury). We don’t have enough aggressive stroke players it the top 6 and this is causing us to leave big totals for the last 5. You cannot have Amla, Kallis and Mckenzie when Gibbs is struggling.

My suggestion:

Drop Gibbs (when Smith is back). Get Amla or Mckenzie to open with him especially if Gibbs fails in next few ODI’s, followed by Kallis, De Villers, Duminy, Boucher (or new youngster like Van Jaarveld, Van Der Merwe, Van Zyl…), Boucher (if new youngster at cost of bowler), Albie, Botha, Bowlers (Morne, Steyn, other young replacements for Ntini).

*I would strongly consider dropping Amla/Mckenzie and having Duminy open with prince replacing him at 5 or even better someone new like Van der Merwe/alvero petersen/bodi opening. With Amla being top order batsmen and Kallis at 3 only one can stay since both are not known for aggresive batting- and no one will drop Kallis. Of course Gibbs can stay if he has a good series but I think we have seen the last of him and need to find a replacement that is a natural opener.

For tests it is far more difficult as everyone said to accommodate JP and Prince. If you must, I would drop Mckenzie since I don’t beleive he is an opener. Neil is getting old anyway (same for prince) and he has shown in Australia that he cannot open against the best - he can still proof me wrong in the home series. I know it is unfair given his last season but McKenzie is not a natural opener and not one for the future. He competes for me with Amla, Prince and Duminy in the 3-6 positions. Prince on the other hand is not a temporary no.5. The problem is who opens…Amla?

So based on that it is really difficult to accommodate both. Both can only play if we want Amla to open (he can of course be dropped for duminy at 3). Mckeznie has at least adapted fairly well and until we have a natural replacement (which i don’t think amla is) we will have to just use form and injuries to select between Prince, Amla, Duminy and De Villiers.

In the long run however we will drop Mckenzie for a better test opener and get De Villiers to take over the gloves from boucher for ODI’s? Do we want Amla, Mckenzie and Prince in our ODI setup?

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Cheers HD – Grab a beer, have some biltong, let’s talk this out.

“Drop Gibbs”
Yeah – cannot argue with that one. He has had his day. He WAS brilliant, now he is an also ran more interesting for his near-stupid belligerence and lifestyle choices than any runs he has scored. I Like Gibbs, he is a character, and I love characters (Symcox, Klusener & co), but he literally had his day. I think its time to give him a huge party and send him home passed out in a taxi with a cheque in his pocket.

“Consider dropping Amla/Mckenzie …. Van der Merwe/alvero petersen/bodi opening”
Hmmm. Not sure I agree with any of those. Bodi, for one, I do not believe can make the transition form Back Yard to Big Time. I hope he proves me wrong. I won’t drop either the Bearded Wonder or Mackers. If I have to choose, it will rip my heart out, but I’d drop Mackers. Amla is just too young and awesome a talent to drop.

“no one will drop Kallis”
time to think with our heads and not our hearts. Kallis has cost us a few ODIs with his slow batting – 2007 world Cup comes to mind. He is not a ODI player – klaar! Test player, maybe 3rd greatest ogf all time after Bradman and Graeme Pollock. A true legend of the game. The Sanexed one can play in my test team any day, and will probably make anyone’s all time test XI. But please, don’t put him in the middle order when we need to score 6 an over.

“I would drop Mckenzie since I don’t believe he is an opener.”
Ignoring Australia his record proves otherwise. He had a bad 3 games - so what? Despite it being Bangladesh – “world record opening stand” proves you wrong. (This is the same Bangladesh who recently scared the living daylights out of Sri Lanka!)

“Neil is getting old anyway (same for prince)”
Mackers is 33, Ashy is 31. If that is “getting old” then I’m ready for the retirement resort. Mackers has at least 3 more years to offer us and prince as much as 6.

“and get De Villiers to take over the gloves from boucher for ODI’s”
No. AB admitted he has no interest in wearing the gloves. We’ll have to find a youngster to replace Bouch. Fortunately, I believe that because we’ve had two legendary keepers in a row (Dave Richardson and now Bouch) I think we’ve inspired many youngsters to take over when He leaves. He is not dead yet though, at 32, he may even have another 2 world cups left in him!

My teams:
ODI:
1 – Smith
2 – Mackers
3 – Amla
4 – AB
5 - JP
6 – Bouch
7 – Albie
8 – Morne
9 – Dale
10 – Harris (yes, I believe we need a spinner in ODi’s)
11 – Ntini
12 – Kallis – because we need his experience in the dressing room, if not on the field.

Tests:
1 – Smith
2 – Amla
3 – Kallis
4 – AB
5 - Prince
6 – JP
7 – Bouch
8 – Albie (Yeah, I believe this kid can make it in the test form of the game!)
9 – Dale
10 – Harris
11 – Ntini
12 – Mackers – because no matter how I cut it, I can’t find a place in the playing team for him. (I’m gonna slit my wrists now)

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Valid points guys, who’d be a selector hey?

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Gerry, you offer an interesting test line-up. However, I don’t think we need two all-rounders in the team (Kallis and Albie). I happen to agree that Albie perhaps deserves a bash in the test side, and could offer something incredibly exciting at number 6 or 7. Hash is developing into a great number three and I think we should keep him there. Kallis has declared preference for number four and I think he’d be reluctant to move up to 3. JP certainly deserves a spot, but as the article points out, it’s a tough call between him and Ash. I don’t think the solution is to drop Mackers; he’s proved awesome at the top notwithstanding a poor showing down under, and deserves loyalty. I think JP should be groomed to replace Kallis at 4, and unfortunately the youngster will have to wait his turn, unless we think of putting him at 6 and let him develop till Jacques bows out (he has many years ahead of him and will benefit from being in the squad until he has a full-time position.). However, who’s going to drop AB? No one.

I would retain Morne because I think the kid has heaps of potential. Of course he needs to develop some consistency, but the last thing the great White Lightening was when he started his international career was consistent. Give the fella a solid run.

My test line-up for now:

1 – Smith
2 - Mackers
3 – Amla
4 – Kallis
5 – Ash
6 - AB
7 – Bouch
8 - Morne
9 – Harris
10 – Dale
11 – Ntini
12 – JP

My test line-up in 3/4 years:

1 – Smith
2 - AB
3 – Amla
4 – JP
5 – Ash
6 - Albie
7 – Bouch (with a prospect undergoing grooming)
8 - Morne
9 – Harris
10 – Dale
11 – Ntini

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GPH - I like what you are proposing.

I have a question though - Ntini at no 11 in 3/4 years?

Just a philosophical musing: we’ve been chatting about Prince & Mackers “getting old”, but cricket’s most famous goat herder himself is Prince’s age. Batsmen mature, bowlers grow old. a lot more impact and strain on a bowler than a batsman. We need to groom someone who can take over, a speedster who (delivers from midwicket) can match Ntinis pace. This is maybe a good indicator in support of your case for including Morne.

As for two all-rounders - well, modern cricket you are expected to be a bit of an all-rounder. More so on the bowler’s side than the batsmen. Specialist batsmen at the top of the order is okay, but everyone from 6 down is lately expected to contribute with the willow. Tails are supposed to wag in the modern game, and so the case is made for more “specialist all-rounders” as some inane commentator said.

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agreed, gerry, makhaya is getting on a bit. however, is there a fitter cricketer in the world? can you remember when he was last too unfit to play? i can’t. as such, i suspect he’ll be around in 3/4. nevertheless, a replacement is tantamount. morne is the obvious guy for the job.

on all-rounders, call me old-school, but i don’t think there is room for more than one all-rounder, and a genuine one at at that. the lower order certainly does need to contribute, but not in an all-rounder capacity per se. they there to bowl and get wickets. that’s why they’re in the team. scoring runs down the order is becoming increasingly important, as dale’s stand with jp testifies. tis doesn’t make dale an all-rounder. i would far prefer to have specialists in the team because, well, they specialise in a discipline, meaning they are morel iable to succeed in that discipline. if you follow your all-rounder logic to its ultimate conclusion, why not have 11 all-rounders? as such, i’d go only with one to provide either depth with the bat or the ball. after that, the it’s the batters’ job to score runs and the bowlers’ job to take wickets. we can’t select teams on the assumption that players won’t fulfil their roles.

this really is an interesitng subject, and i whole-heartedly agree albie could become a devastating test cricketer, especially with the proteas’ apparent (touch wood) ascent to world dominance. the thought of him at 6 or 7 really gets me going. however, i can’t see it making sense with jacques still around, jp looking to fill jacques’ spot at 4, jp keeping ashwell out, hash becoming a wolrd-class number 3, and ab having expressed desire to stay in the middle order.

as the original article makes plain - these are convenient problems indeed.

thansk for the reply, gerry.

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cheers GPH! Indeed we need problems like this more often.

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I would drop Boucher from the test and ODI team. He is not getting the scores he used to.

My team for the tests:

Smith
McKenzie
Amla
Kallis
Prince
De Villiers
Duminy
Harris
M Morkel
Ntini
Steyn

ODI’s:

Smith
Gibbs
Kallis
Prince
De Villiers
Duminy
A Morkel
Botha
M Morkel
Ntini
Steyn

Regards, peter

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I suppose since c*cks are indeed on blocks-

Tests

Smiffy
Hashim (Good no3’s shouldn’t find the conversion hard they often have to come in early anyway)

Kallis
JP Duminy
Prince

AB

Boucher

Botha
Morkel
Ntini
Steyn

ODI’s

Replace Kallis with Gibbs and push Hash to anchor the innings at no3. And get Loots Bosman to sort his head out, he’d make a great ODI opener if he focussed more.

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Anyone see hash do a great anchoring job against the OZ in Game 4?

That’s what I am talking about! Just like Kallis before he went all Kepler Wessels on us.

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Lol…nice piece.

Can’t we have a 12 man team? That would solve this whole problem….

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“Kallis won’t be playing forever will he?” - It’s a bit premature to be talking about that isn’t it.

The only position that is not tied down is the opening spot. Neil should still be given a run. and i think Duminy should probably be given a go before Prince. Injuries in cricket have often been the opportunity for another player to launch his career. It happened on numerous times, Eg Vaughan and Strauss or Cook. Duminy deserves a run given his unbelievable form in AUS.

When boucher was injured i had the same thought haunt me about the changing of guard.

So Prince sits out for me. Very hard to say that but if i was pushed that would be my answer. I cant see Amla or AB being dropped either, which leaves Smith And Kallis plus McKenzie.

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or the unthinkable - drop Boucher and include both with AB taking the gloves….

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The one who should get the boot is Neil McKenzie. Nice, guy, astute tactician, mediocre batsman. Scored lots of runs against weak opposition last year, but couldn’t cut it in Australia. Move Amla to opener, and bring back Prince.

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