I hate to be the one who brings this valid point up but surely Vincent Barnes is LESS qualified to be the BOWLING COACH than Allan Donald? I smell the Q word again. To be horribly honest the bowling in the last few weeks has degraded rather than improved. I feel Allan Donald could help alot with getting the fire back into the young guys like Dale and Morne'. Who do you guys think these young fast bowlers from South Africa respects more and will learn the most from? Allan Donald or Vincent Barnes? Imagine this coaching staff if all was well with SA Cricket....HEAD COACH : Duncan Fletcher. BOWLING COACH : Allan Donald. BATTING COACH : Gary Kirsten. TECHNICAL / KEEPER COACH : Ray Jennings. FIELDING COACH : Jonty Rhodes. TALENT / DEVELOPMENT COACH : Mickey Arthur. In my opinion having ex-players around is an added advantage to any team. Unfortunately we have numbers to make up and these names will never see the inside of the changeroom together :(

DICKY_DICK I agree. We should have batted for a second time and taken another whole day to be out in the middle. The whole World knows we can beat the Bangladesh "B" team. Why do the obvious when we can at least give our top order another bite and to improve their averages? My South African team for the 2nd Test......1. Graeme Smith (c). 2. Neil McKenzie. 3. Hashim Amla. 4. Jacques Kallis. 5. Ashwell Prince. 6. Herschelle Gibbs. 7. A.B. DeVilliers (wk). 8. Johan Botha. 9. Morne' Morkel. 10. Dale Steyn. 11. Makhaya Ntini. 12. J.P. Duminy.

KURTKZ Pom is always like that. He has a problem not using sarcasm and generally talks in riddles. I apparently am the only person who understands the rubbish which flows out of his mouth. Perhaps why he thinks Im his "bunny". Its rather actually that I am the only one, bar a few fellow Commonwealth citizens and a few Aussies who wish they could still be ruled by the Queen who in fact reply to his posts. LMAO!

Actualy it is good batting from South Africa to negotiate the new ball and score 53/0. Alas at 2.53 to the over but still no wickets are down. Good solid start. The South Africans are so happy they are batting first. More practice. The Bangladesh "B" team would have not made 100 on this pitch. South Africa should try bat for 3 days at least for batting practice and score close to 1000 runs, lol. Then set Dale and Morne' loose on them to bowl them out twice by the end of the 4th day.

Pom at least South Africans have excuses to mention. Your English team got a thrashing in Sri Lanka. Just beat a New Zealand "B" team at home. Lost to South Africa at home and are now getting thrashed in India? I fear your beloved COMMONWEALTH team HAS NO EXCUSES, they simply suck. With quota's, the lure of the Pound and constant Political interference I feel we as South Africans have a right to put forward reasons why we do not perform as well as you 1st World countries. Should we simply keep quiet like the Zimbabweans do and just accept that their once strong sport is now the laughing stock of World Cricket and they even lose series to Bangladesh? Now you see Mascarena's as a quota player? I dont see a black Man bowling or batting for you losers. All I see is a Human being batting or bowling. With all your insults directed at the local Afrikaans population in South Africa I can hear it is you actually who is the closet racist Pom. Maybe oneday you might understand what damage this subject is actually doing to ALL SA SPORTS. Now the only succesful sport in South Africa, which is Rugby is also being taken over by the Government and they are trying to change a system which is working.

SAMAN we are then eventually able to agree on something, lol. South Africa is special and funny enough if we had to go the same route as Zimbabwe then Id also haul to Botswana and relocate my business there.

Well Pom all of our real talent is leaving the country so w egotta replace them with someone right? Even has-been coaches (according to you) who are originally from Zimbabwe but now live in Cape Town. After so many years on Mud Island Id also want to return to Africa. lol.

It seems Duncan Fletcher is getting more involved than just for the Banger "b" tour and the series against Australia. He is staying on to "advise" during the ICC trophy and the Commonwealth tour to South Africa next year. Good news if you are a South African.

BREAKING NEWS!! Duncan Fletcher, former Commonwealth coach who is based in Cape Town will take up an advisory position with the South African team since yesterday. This is very good news for all South Africans and our chances in pulling off an upset victory in Australia. He is contracted up until after the 1st Test against the Australians in Australia. I feel his experience and direction might help in a very positive way. Welcome Duncan and heres to hoping you eventually become Saffer coach oneday. I hope he ropes in Ray Jennings and Mickey Arthur as development coaches perhaps? Our chances just got better.

I am looking forward to the upcoming Tests. Australia V New Zealand is not as bad as South Africa V Bangladesh "B" but at least both squads are playing weaker opposition. I feel South Africa would have prefered to play new Zealand but we got Bangladesh "B" instead and too late now to cry. Perhaps the Saffers can play a Provincial team over here before they leave for Oz as the Provincial teams here in South Africa are notably stronger than the Bangers.

Pom was that the same series which followed the convincing 2 - 1 Test series victory in England? As you know the Saffers who played in that series were at the end of their season, were still hung over from the party they had after the Test series and just wanted to come home after being stuck on the mud island for so long. So losing it the way we did meant nothing. Well at least our press did not crucify our team like the English press are doing to the Commonwealth today, lol.

England Cricket team = FAIL. lol.

Make that 41/4. Game set and match. A powerful and comprehensive display from the Indian bowlers and batsmen. Well done.

England 34/3 chasing 388........lol. India 1 Commonwealth 0. Simple.

KURTKZ I agree completely. Hashim Amla is the best choice in my mind for the future. Are you suprised? lol. Funny enough I rate Amla. He just needed a few years more in provincial Cricket to mature his game but it seems he is coping now and making the most of the many chances he has been given. Considering how hard the Government is pushing for an all black team oneday having a previously disadvantaged player as the captain would make everyone happy. We also have Neil McKenzie, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis but they are not in the calculations for the future. Trust me.

KURTKZ I agree 110% with you. Smith has had quotas and political interference constantly bothering the team spirit YET he held the sinking ship which was and still is South African Cricket. Still we until recently were ranked number 2 in the World. Not because we had our strongest team on the field but rather because we made do with what we had and I think Smith deserves a mention in that regard. Despite his 154* to win the series in England recently. Ponting on the other hand had a Cricket association backing him 100% and some of the best players of our generation playing for him. A team filled with guys like Hayden, Hussey, Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath and Lee is surely alot easier to captain than a team with guys like Robin Peterson, Roger Telemachus, Justin Ontong, Thami Tsolokile, Gulam Bodi, Alviro Pieterson and even Hashim Amla (when he started). I am NOT MAKING EXCUSES I am merely stating the facts.

The Commonwealth look in AWESOME form. With all their imports they still suck, lol. Maybe they can recruit this Indian kid who took 5 wickets against them in his 2nd game? It is a real pity that South Africa dont get a warm up game in Australia before the first Test. I feel an Australian provincial team might give us a better run than this Bangladesh "B" team. HEBORIC dont stress about Tuesday. If you let her constant rants about weight problems the South African skipper has then you are bound to get upset. Just ignore the comments like half of this forum "apparently" ignores mine, lol. To be honest feel Jacques Kallis is far more overweight than Smith. We need to keep in mind that both of these guys are big units and are not skinny little Hobbits like some Captains we know who are now under pressure. All that matters is a certain 154 not out to win a certain series recently against the Commonwealth (England) in their own backyards.

Jees Heboric quit being so hard on Tuesday! I agree Mick Lewis is FAR WORSE than even Johan Louw. He holds a certain record to show for that. Pom I think KP is actually quite good against spin. His natural South African attacking flair never allows the spinners to settle. To judge him because he struggled against the Sri Lankan spinners in Sri Lanka is a bit harsh. Him taking apart Warne in the 2005 Ashes series is yes an example from 3 years ago but I rate Warne as the BEST spinner ever to play the game of Cricket.

Sludge you are wrong. Ponting is already a legend. For Australia to drop their Captain after one series loss is unbelievable. They will never drop him as Captain and Australia will make a come back like Crickchick mentioned. I fear that backlash BUT I believe that South Africa will be ready for the intensity of the upcoming series, no need to worry there. The minds are right. The Saffers are ready for a fight and they are the team with the confidence and the rested bodies to be honest. This will play a big part.

So heres an idea. How about we all post our countries best players ever in one team. I think we have done this before but if we have not then lets do it before all the big important series get under way, lol. Anyways here is my ALL TIME XI for South Africa......1. Graeme Smith (c). 2. Bruce Mitchell. 3. Barry Richards. 4. Graeme Pollock. 5. Dudley Nourse (vc). 6. Jacques Kallis. 7. Lee Irvine (wk). 8. Mike Procter. 9. Shaun Pollock. 10. Hugh Tayfield. 11. Allan Donald. 12. Jonty Rhodes. SO what do you guys think?

HE_Pennypacker its called tactics to play defensivly btw. Maybe thats why India won the series 2 - 0 because they played with their brains in this series and not just with their hearts mate. I am a little worried about the South African bowlers in that regard. If things are going bad they tend to tense up and panic. Morne' Morkel is the main culprit followed closely by Dale Steyn. Regardless Im just over the moon that JUSTIN ONTONG was dropped EVENTUALLY after another really really really bad series. This time against a really really really weak Bangladesh "B" bowling attack. The class and talent can ooz out of him all day HE_Pennypacker but as long as he averages 12.84 after 25 matches he should rather concentrate on Provincial Cricket please! Enough said I believe and a point is proven.

HowWasThat you are so right. I feel bad about getting so excited about South Africa's chances of winning in Australia. Sorry. I aslo agree how exciting the next few months are going to be. I HAVE TO SAY THIS THOUGH......even if South Africa win this upcoming series in Australia I would still say that Australia are and will be the number 1 team in the World. Respect to the Australian team and their administration for creating such a succesfull and consistant squad over the past 10 years. This series loss in India is but a bump in their proud record. They will be back and that is why I am so excited about the series coming up between South Africa and Oz. The 2 best teams in the World going at each other 100% is worth even getting DSTV (local sattelite channel in SA) for, lol.

Prophet_pbuh I am sure we can go and do something which even India could accomplish and that would be to win a series in Australia. Playing them there is a different proposition BUT I need to tell you Australia look FRAGILE and ready for a whipping if they do not buck up their efforts. Thanks for the vote of confidence though brother. I agree about the lack of Australians on this forum ALL OF A SUDDEN. Such bad winners and losers now it seems.

Game over......INDIA wins!!! Well done. I never thought Australia would crumble under pressure like that! At least South Africa had enough backbone to eventually draw the series. So now it is time for South Africa and take note that Australia are NOT as invincible as they were even a year ago. Ooooh I cannot wait, Quotas and all we are coming, lol.

SAMAN and POM I actually noticed that stat while I was watching the game. I was wondering how long it would take Cricket South Africa to notice and cause a huge uproar about it? Shhhh please dont tell anyone please BECAUSE the guys who did play and who are not white are the guys who actually deserve to be there on MERIT. I still say they can DEFINATELY drop Johan Louw and bring rather guys like Monde Zondeki or Yusaf Abdullah in. Morne' Morkel is struggling now but he will come right when the real business end of the season begins trust me. He is pure class and will find form soon I promise. Good to see Graeme Smith recovering and playing such an important innings even though it is against the Bangladesh "B" team. Amla was fantastic and is slowly proving me wrong. I just pray he can be more consistant like he has been against Kenya and the Bangers. J.P. Duminy is pure class and with guys like Kallis and DeVilliers sharing the pressure this South African team can go far. Dale Steyn is almost back to his best form and he is so dangerous now already. Mark Boucher adds experience and a calmness. Johan Botha is also looking decent.

I saw Neil McKenzie got a third ball duck for the Lions agsint the Titans. Paul Harris got 53 runs off 77 balls in the same game. Looks like he has been practicing. Andrew Puttick got another ton this time against a Cobra's team with Kleinveldt opening the bowling and getting 1 for 28 off 9 overs. Weird seeing Ashwell Prince playing for the Warriors. I heard Kallis signed for them as well. Any other big name signings from the Cape? Also good to see the promising opening batsman from the Eagles, Dean Elgar getting a solid 70 off 148 balls. Dippenaar 106 and Bailey 150 scoring heavily as well against Natal. So no problems on the batting depth but bowling is looking a little thin.

SAMAN yes but Im still stuck with only 3 players of colour right? So I am short of 1 right? What dont you understand? Or what was your point again? TUESDAY I agree. We must remember that the South Africans are using this as a "training camp". Playing a few weak teams in the process to get some game time in the middle and preparing for the Aussie series. For a change South Africa will be touring with a freash squad and possibly injury free. Lets hope. On the other hand Australia are going to look a little tiered and jaded after a hectic schedule leading up to December. Possibly a few injuries after this series in India and New Zealand might be carried into the SA series and who knows? Regardless you guys are at home so that will help alot and might still swing the balance to your favor. On another topic I agree on the Johan Louw issue. I feel he is in this team as a bowler and his batting exploits should not be considered a major bonus. fair enough he scored 23 off 7 balls but South Africa would have still won the game without his score. Considering he bowled 7 overs, no maidens, none for 50 and going at 7.15 runs to the over . So in the overall picture he made a negative contribution even if you take his batting display into consideration. He reminds me of another Mick Lewis, ROFL! What ever happened to 438/9 btw? Why not give Zondeki this opportunity? Is he injured? Before I forget I just thought Id mention JUSTIN ONTONG once again. Yes I can now see the class and talent. Oooozing. Hashim Amla is looking awesome. J.P. Duminy is looking better than any other Saffer batsman. Albie Morkel is looking like a young Klusener as he matures. Steyn and Morne Morkel are slowly making a return to form. Steyn is looking particularly good btw ARROGANTOZ. So your Aussies will see him fully fit and hungry, dont you worry mate. He is looking alot thinner. Anybody else noticed?

Wow what a comback from Australia, well done. So can someone tell me why White got picked ahead of Krejza in the first 3 Tests? I guess the same could be said if Johan Botha gets picked oneday ahead of Paul Harris in the Tests. an attacking spinner for a defensive one. One only has to look at this Test as a good example of this train of thought. For Krejza to end the first innings average of 26.88 is not too bad considering he bowled over 40 overs in the innings. Looks like I was wrong about the spinning depth in Australia or was I right and the Indians will play Krejza with more respect and not try and hit every ball he bowls for four in the 2nd innings? SAMAN enough said about you mate as well. I dont understand what you are rambling about. There are 11 players in a Cricket team right? The South African Government needs 4 players of colour in the starting lineup for Tests, ODI's and T20 matches. This is a gentlemens agreement btw and why the Government get so excited whenever these figures are not met. Ala the World cup in the West Indies and the Peterson / Telemachus circus which followed. I inserted 3 players of colour into my starting lineup and I was one short right? What dont you still get if I may ask politely before I lose my patience please? 1+1+1=3 which means I am 1 trnasformation player short. This is due to Gibbs being an alcholic because I would have inserted him into the number 4 position and Kallis at 3. Please stop talking to me in the third person and ask the question directly if you can please. Nobody else here cares about my posts so they cannot answer your questions btw. lol.

SAMAN is it hard for you to understand that there are 3 QUOTA PLAYERS IN MY TEAM which means I am ONE SHORT. What dont you understand buddy? Should I draw pictures and fax them to you maybe? LMAO! I picked Amla, Prince and Ntini because Gibbs is an alchoholic, Zondeke is too green and even though Duminy is better than Amla and Prince he is also a little green and inexperienced to face an Australian team in Australia. Perhaps if one of the top 6 batsmen fail in the 1st or 2nd Tests he can get a game but not sooner or his career might also be damaged like so many poor transformation youngsters before him, ALA THAMI TSOLOKILE. On the topic of the spinner I was trying to say Botha would fill the number 8 batting position comfortably while adding his attacking offspin bowling and top class fielding. Harris only adds defensive left arm spin. His fielding sucks as does his batting. A positive attacking attitude is what made Australia such a dominant force in Cricket. Why would we be making a mistake to follow their example? TUESDAY thankyou sister, I agree about Ontong and Gibbs.

I picked Johan Botha because he is the only genuine allrounder in the squad. Morkel and Harris are not number 8 batsmen. Harris loses out for Botha for a better team balance. Also his fielding is much better. I feel Harris has the role of a defensive spinner, Botha is much more attacking one and his batting is top draw stuff and him coming in at 8 would be perfect. BTW I picked Amla because Herschelle gibbs has lost the plot. I would have had Kallis at 3 and Gibbs at 4 but after this drinking incident he deserves retirement or something. The other thing is I picked my Test squad knowing there HAS TO BE 4 QUOTA PLAYERS IN THE TEAM. So Ntini would drop away for Nel if everything was normal in our politics. I am already 1 guy short for quotas criteria due to Gibbs acting like an alchoholic and there is no tomorrow. Otherwise Duminy would have to make an appearence in place of DeVilliers at 6? I hope everyone can now see how hard it is to pick a Saffer team let alone balance Government requirements and needs.

Drizzler Id rather have Bodi there than Ontong. at least Bodi is not afraid of the bowling and doesn't crumble under pressure while batting and fielding.

KURTKZ so you are saying Ontong deserves his place in the T20 and ODI squads? lol. On another matter INDIA are playing beautifully! Well done guys but dissapointing from AUSTRALIA after they had the Indians at 116/3 at one stage. The track looks like another dusty highway and again the Indian spinners might be the difference between the teams I feel. Wow whoever doubted Tendulkar was really wrong. The little maestro is playing like we all know he can. I wish I was there to hear the crowd cheering him on to a double hundred. Go INDIA you good thing!!

I am the first to now admit that South Africa have serious depth problems in the fast bowling department. If we need to cap a guy like Louw then that shows how desperate the selectors are really. Also after watching A.B. DeVilliers keeping wicket last night I feel he still has a long way to go before he is better or the same as Boucher when it comes to keeping. He needs more experience definately and is the keeper backup for the future. This would be my latest Test squad to tour Australia.....1. Graeme Smith (c). 2. Neil McKenzie. 3. Hashim Amla. 4. Jacques Kallis. 5. Ashwell Prince. 6. A.B. DeVilliers. 7. Mark Boucher (wk). 8. Johan Botha. 9. Morne' Morkel. 10. Dale Steyn. 11. Makhaya Ntini. 12. J.P. Duminy. 13. Paul Harris. 14. Andre Nel. 15. Herschelle Gibbs (to serve drinks and roll the joints, lol).

KURTZ lets us remember Johan Louw was bowling against the Bangladesh "B" team's tail please. He is useless and I am a Natal supporter. Imagine what Australia or India would do to him? In regards to Kleinveldt filling Polly's shoes, well that might be BUT right now he is not taking his Cricket seriously enough. His weight problem is a direct symptom of his lack of profesionalism in the game. Give the guy a few years to correct that negative and yes he might add to the South African team. I funny enough rate Yusaf Abdullah higher than Kleinveldt. He is a left arm quick who plays for the Natal Dolphins. Tons of talent. As for Ontong well his showing last night proves ALOT of people correct about his selection. Pity we ALMOST lost the game due to his slow batting in a T20 game. Add to that Kleinveldt being hit for 20 runs off his only over and we can all see where Im going with this one right? Pom congrats on your yearly bath. You do know water is really cheap here in Africa right and much cleaner than Mud Island? Cleanliness is next to Godliness I always say Pom.

You know as much as you guys dislike me for always talking Quota's I feel if the shoe were on the other foot and Australia HAD to field 4 Aboriginie players in their team to make up for past Human rights violations then we would not hear people begging me to shut up but rather heated debates and concerns for the welfare of Aussie Cricket. Thankyou for your manners in your last post ArrogantOz but I am a very competitive sportsman. Losing because we dont have our strongest team on the field drives me crazy. Simple. Just look at Ontong in the T20 game last night against the Bangladesh "B" team. He looked scared to hit out to some average Bangladesh "B" bowling. 6 runs off 12 balls coming in at 3? lol. Point proven. Kleinveldt as well was hooked and dispatched to all ends of the Wanderers by a Bangladesh "B" batting lineup. He is officially the MOST OVERWEIGHT Saffer player I have seen! He does have potential but not for now. Johan Louw is another and should stick to domestic cricket. He is worse than Ntini by a country mile and how he even got two games is beyond me! Why does Johan Louw get a game but we let a guy like Kevin Pieterson go? I swear the national selectors for South Africa are sometimes worse than the Commonwealth's in their decisions. Loots Bosman looked better than I expected he would after the season he has had so far with the Eagle's. On a positive note Johan Botha looked sharp in the field and with his offspin. Ontong I forgot missed a sitter of a catch. Oh wait I forget he didnt get near the ball actually so I cannot blame him for missing it, lol. Otherwise the stutter we saw last night was from over confidence. Well done to Mohammed Ashraful, he looks a gifted batsman with a bright future. Well done to Johan Botha for setting such a un-orthodox field for a T20 match which led to his swing and a miss desperation shot which got him out.

Thanks Shifter.........I agree with you on J.P. Duminy, Ashwell Prince, Makhaya Ntini (even though he has sucked for a year now), Herschelle Gibbs (same as Ntini), Hashim Amla (still too inconsistant for an international number 3), Charl Langeveldt (unfortunately he has QUIT now because he dislikes QUOTAS), Gulam Bodi (played against him in Durban), Imran Khan (played against him in Durban), Ahmed Amla and more recently Monde Zondeke. Please though DO NOT PICK A PLAYER WHO IS OUT OF HIS DEPTH and force him to fail or succeed. Players careers can be ended this way. Sometimes it seems half of the people on this forum have NOT PICKED UP A BAT OR BALL and played a team game before. In a team game your team is only as strong as your WEAKEST LINK. Simple. The Aussies understand that. The Commonwealth understands that. Everyone but us here in South Africa understands that. Why then do we pursue an avenue which might lead us to a dead end oneday? One which causes more racial tension than before? One which might see the "legends" of our game to leave and play for another country? People outside of South africa will never understand the problem as they have not seen a player like Ricky Ponting leaving Australia to go and play in England because the Aussie team has to have 4 Aboriginies in the team and he could not make the team. lol. Imagine how ArrogantOz and Tuesday would moan and whine then? lol.

KURTKZ I am already involved with coaching at a clinic inside Alexandera township for Rugby and maybe next year or two from now Cricket if we can get grounds to share. Right now we are using Soccer fields which have NO GRASS on them! My problem is that I have with my own two eyes seen the so called development in this country and if you do not stay in Soweto you will not see it. You are right about my passion for saffer sports because we are natrually a gifted nation and are blessed with wonderful sportsmen and women. Problem is we are losing our "legends" like Kevin Pieterson. This one player MIGHT have won us a World Cup or even two during his career for South Africa but he has left and gone to the Commonwealth. Let us rather concentrate on quality rather than quality please. Let us put the millions of Rands for development into development INSTEAD of the administrators back pockets!!!!!!!!!!!! Stop talking development when there is NONE HAPPENING FFS! 12 years of development and we have a handful of quality development stars? J.P. Duminy in my opinion is the best batsman we have right now. Do I care if he is coloured? NO!!!!!!! Do I care if he is keeping a white player out? NO!!!!!!! I just want the best team picked. I want the best selectors picked and I want Cricket people administrating Cricket. NOT POLITICIANS!!!!!! Is this too much to ask in an apparently democratic country?

Oh and when a class player like Andrew Hall or Kevin Pieterson is LOST to SA Cricket then its automatically internal team problems? lol. No SAMAN the fact is if we keep losing class players from our systems then we will NEVER be able to compete on the international stage. Then when we are ranked lower than 6th in ODI's and Tests you and the rest of the "too chicken to say anything" brigade can eat up all of Pom's and ArrogantOz's bull$h*t about their teams being far superior to ours because by that time I would have long stopped watching what used to be a proud and consistant team. Another thing is SAMAN, how many of the national selectors are also themselves QUOTA selections? Jees can you not see the negative effect this subject is bringing to a once proud sporting nation. It is honestly causing more bad than good and in the next 5 years we will see the rewards of this silly system. Dont listen to me please by all means just watch the rankings ok. Dazzler if you read this I GOT YOU buddy to do something which you said you would not, lol. If you no longer read my posts then why are you reading this one and the last? Try harder next time please. It seems all you add these days is negative inputs to mine? Why not talk aboput something else rather and ask my opinion about that? Oh my I am so hurt that you dont want to read my posts, sniff sniff. LMAO!!!!

KURTKZ if Justin Ontong in your opinion is an average international player then why is he being continuely picked for our ODI team? Does that mean you can be an average player and get picked for your national team? Why was I never picked then? lol. Regardless the white players I mentioned were NOT given a long run to prove themselves. Rudolf and Dippenaar would play one or two Tests and then miss twenty if they failed. Another thing is Dippenaar averages 42.23 with a strike rate of 67.78 in ODI matches but now cannot get a look into the team? While players like Loots Bosman and Justin Ontong get extended runs? On the Telemachus story Andrew Hall averages 26.47 with 95 wickets after 88 ODI's but cannot get a Cricket South Africa contract because he was no longer needed? HE WAS THE BEST BOWLER AT THE WORLD CUP for South Africa on flat West Indian tracks! What about Andre Nel who averages 27.68 with 106 wickets after 79 ODI's but cannot get a look into the team now? Sorry with all due respect to Roger he was never better than Hall or Nel and did not deserve the extended run he got. Now Zondeke is a prospect and so WAS Ngam but unfortunately Mfuneko cannot maintain his fitness at the highest level for a full season. Another thing is if Kruger was so amazing as you make him out to be then why was he not nurtured and developed further? Why was he lost to South African Cricket and chose to take a Kolpak contract instead? He had a chance but he blew it and did not make an impression. Instead of developing him they left him in limbo. My problem is not with QUOTAS EDITOR it is with the people who are meant to DEVELOP IT!

KURTKZ Ngam being injury prone is an understatement mate. Kruger made a few appearences and dissapeared? I agree both were talent filled but instead of persisting with them they were thrown to the wayside for new quota players or old ones who had performed before. Telemachus was useless buddy. For you to rate him is a joke. He went to the World Cup in the West Indies and didnt even get a game along with Robin Peterson. Does that not say something about JUST MAKING UP THE NUMBERS? Another thing is the number of white players to come and go NEVER had the same opportunities as their black team mates. This is a known fact. Dippenaar and Rudolf are good examples. They would play one or two Tests and then sit out for the following twenty. Is that fair to say or should they have received a fair run like Kallis and Amla is now getting? On seeing Kruger in full flight I actually faced him during a club game here in Johannesburg. He was very very very quick but his accuracy was less impressive trust me. HEBORIC I agree 100%. It is no good introducing the sport to the masses but if you only rely on a corrupt CRicket South Africa then development will NEVER HAPPEN. Simple. SAMAN McClaren is a huge loss to our Cricket and could have been the cog in this Saffer team we have been missing. He will be greatly missed. Unfortunately similar stories will occur in the future because of our admin turning their back on certain racial groups. Oh well just another day in sunny South Africa. Even with so many negatives our teams still try their best and challenge the best in the World. That is the true south African fighting spirit people.

This is a serious problem for me seeing the squad which will face the Bangladesh "B" team today at the Wanderers. How do players like Loots Bosmam, Rory Kleinveldt and Justin Ontong make the South African squad when we have lost a guy like Ryan McClaren to England? lol. Id rather have McClaren than all three of the names I mentioned above. Add to those three names Robin Peterson, Roger Telemachus, Thami Tsolokile (who made the SA 6-a side team how I dont know when he cannot even make the Western Province starting lineup?), Thandi Tshabalala (to his credit he is performing in the Supersport series), Mfuneko Ngam, Vernon Philander, Garnet Kruger, Alfonso Thomas and Charl Langeveldt (who quit because he DID NOT WANT TO BE SEEN AS A QUOTA PLAYER). It just seems like the list is getting longer and longer each season and the real reason for transformation is being lost on players careers who are being damaged because they are being rushed into the squad too soon. All credit to guys like Hashim Amla, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince and Makhaya Ntini for at least remaining consistant over the past few years but the rest of the guys who are seen as transformation players, they are FAILING left, right and centre. During this transition period we are losing the guys these guys are meant to be learning from. Ala Kevin Pieterson, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Jacques Rudolf, Lance Klusener, Dawid Malan, Martin VanJaarsveld, Johan VanDerWath, Nicky Boje', Boeta Dippenaar and Nic Pothas. There are countless others trust me. So Pom in regards to pretend-a-africans. How about the Aussies? Surely they are pretend-an-aussies considering they were not the original Australians right? lol.

SAMAN as much as it hurts to say this McClaren has been denied permission to get out of his Kolpak contract. He is not joining South Africa and will possibly in the future turn out for the Commonwealth team (England).

Heboric the Australians have a great fast bowling attack and batting reserve strength. Just think they have a guy like Tait sitting at home. It is their spinning department which is a little thin.

Well done Australia. This is why I say the Aussies will definately not be a complete push over. Luckily for South Africa they dont have any spinners who look like they can threaten us and the spin factor of Warne, Hogg or McGill was always the difference between the teams. After this opening stand my feeling has changed from a win for India to possibly a draw. I doubt a result is possible now but let us see though first. My South African team to face Australia in the first Test...1. Graeme Smith (c). 2. Neil McKenzie. 3. Jacques Kallis. 4. Herschelle Gibbs. 5. Jacques Rudolf. 6. Ashwell Prince. 7. A.B. DeVilliers (wk). 8. Johan Botha (vc). 9. Ryan McClaren. 10. Morne' Morkel. 11. Dale Steyn.

Dale Steyn has been wrapped in Cotton Wool for the Australian series ONLY. He was bowling in the nets yesterday and is on a strict gym routine to build his strength he lost from the virus. Dont worry Aussies Dale will tour and you will see him up close and personal. Oooh that is going to be great with Morne' Morkel on the other side! I fear you Aussies think Dale Steyn is the only fearsome bowler we have, remember the series against England? Steyn was injured. Who took all those wickets then? Anyways he might get a run in the Test against the Bangladesh "B" team which recently did very well against New Zealand. Unfortunately Bangladesh are going to run into a brick wall when they come up against us. I feel Arthur will pick his strongest team for that Test, shame poor Bangers because the Saffers will use that one as a warm up to the Oz tour obviously. Graeme Smith will be ready as well for the Aussie tour. No problems there. There was talk in the papers he was going to be also ready in the next few weeks. Mmmm all this rest time and practice games is the best preparation any Saffa team has had before an Australian series in Australia. A well rested and motivated South African team can be expected Tuesday to give your weakened Aussie team a run trust me sister, lol. Good times to be a Saffer supporter FOR A CHANGE! Quotas and all, lol.

My prediction of India reaching over 600 WAS SPOT ON BTW. Now Australia have a HUGE fight on their hands and their courage will be tested. Damn I love Test Cricket. How anyone can watch T20 and even ODI Cricket instead of Test Cricket is beyond me. Test Cricket is what seperates the boys from the Men and as hard as this is to say Australia has ruled as Kings at Test Cricket for as long as I have been watching it. Well done Australia for not collapsing and posting a well made 50 for no loss. I do feel though India's spinners will still win this game for them no matter how well Australia bats in both innings.

NRVS I could not agree more with you. Well said. Ponting does look a little suspect without the legends in the team. That does not mean that this australian team is not dangerous though. I think they are just shell shocked by the aggression and passion which the Indians are playing at the moment. OOOOOH AAAAAAAH INDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!! POOCHANDI at 409/3 and Ganguly and Dhoni still to bat? Id say 600 is a realistic target mate. Shame poor Aussies, gonna be a looooooooooong day in the field under the HOT Indian sun.

Tuesday I know but my point is if Australia had not wiped out 90% of the Aboriginal population to make space for British farmers then they might have faced interesting dilema's like Quotas and transformation today right? Maybe then everyone on their pedestals in Australia might feel my pain when it comes to the subject of picking sportsmen on their talent and not on the color of their skins. Otherwise the Test in Delhi is shaping up to be rather one-sided. GO INDIA YOU GOOD THING! Hope you guys make over 600 and bowl Australia out twice :)

ArrogantOz no I am not. Please quit putting words into people mouth's when you are WRONG about something. Same as you are not saying I was the reason why thousands of Africans were killed during Apartheid (besides me being only 15 in 1992 when Apartheid ended) right? Regardless I doubt Id ever go to this weird place you keep mentioning, like I said I wanna stay in Africa as long as possible. Try and make the country of my birth WORK instead of RUNNING away like many others. If that fails and the economy crashes like I predict it will in the next 5 - 10 years I will be off to Peru mate. Anyways there are too many Australians in Australia for me to ever move there anyways trust me, lol. You still managed to avoid the question I posed to TUESDAY btw. Wonder if she will do the same? Do you not care about the state of your Aboriginal population and WHAT OUR ANCESTORS DID TO THEM? Your lack of concern and compassion is a disturbing revelation which shows your personal views of anybody not white ARROGANTOZ? Pom and you call me a racist? lol. Jees you might wanna come down on ArrogantOz a little harder in future as well please in regards to racism mate. Quotas are not an excuse ArrogantOz they are a FACT of our lives here in South Africa. I wonder how much you would support them if THE SHOE WERE ON THE OTHER FOOT? This is my point. If you cannot answer this simple question ArrogantOz then why reply at all and rather then ignore my posts please?

ArrogantOz after hearing what you guys do to sheep over there Id rather take my chances in Africa mate, LMAO!!!! Like I said I make more money here and aint leaving anytime soon. I was planning on moving perhaps to Peru in South America when I retire but only to pursue a dream of owning a timber mill near the mountains oneday. Is MARALINGA like that? lol. Somehow I doubt it but will Google it if Im REALLY REALLY bored.

So Tuesday how would you feel about QUOTAS in Australian Sports? Would you feel it is fair considering the SHOCKING record of Aboriginal massacres throughout Australia by the COLONIALS (AKA ENGLAND's PRISONERS). How about that the Aboriginies were seen and hunted as animals up until 100 years ago to make space for British farmers? Almost to EXTINCTION BTW. Surely that should consitute some form of transformation back to the right numbers or something just as silly as Quotas is here in South Africa? Imagine how strong your awesome team would be then. Would be great if the shoe were on the other foot if Quotas were implemented and FORCED UPON your Aboriginal population. Then we would see if Pom's misplaced idea of FORCED participation would bear ANY fruits in another country right? Lets be honest Aborigine's prefer Australian Rules Football right and it would be hard to recruit 4 players of Aboriginal decent to make your team right? Or would it be wrong to say they prefer one sport over another like Football here in South Africa? Just an interesting point I think. If we gonna correct the wrongs of the past with quotas here in South Africa why not try it on the rest of the world as well? lol. MSPR1NT I dont watch the Ashes because Australia ALWAYS WINS anyways and nothing is going to change anytime soon to be honest.

HE_Pennypacker thankyou I never thought Id get a compliment out of someone like you, lol. Sarcasm noted and returned with interest ok buddy. I mentioned your spinning problem BECUASE it is a problem and NOTHING is being done about it even after the last Test. Bring back Warney I say. Australia seem toothless without him and McGrath. I think even when they are passed 40 years old they would be good enough to make this Aussie team. Better than anything they have got right now right? lol. As for my company HE_Pennypacker you seem to have a keen interest? You want to drop me an e-mail and send me your CV? lol. EDITOR I loved the first sentence of your story on the first days play.......INDIA ARE RUNNING RAMPAGE IN DELHI. Just thought Id repeat it in case any Aussie missed that line, lol. GO INDIA GO! For the records. I support ANYONE who plays against ANY COUNTRY who supports and wants to be just like the USA, AKA the Commonwealth (England for those who dont know by now) and Australia. Otherwise GO INDIA YOU GOOD THING! I love this site and thanks to you guys at Cricket365 for putting up with my personal rantings about how wrong the World is in my opinions.

On the Australian spinning front...........wow the cupboard is looking a bit bare to be honest. Id recall Shane Warne ASAP guys. Australia dont look anything special to be honest. Why not see if Johan Botha or Paul Harris wants to immigrate? LMAO!!!!!

Pom I have dated a Zulu Woman but that did not work out because BOTH of our parents WERE racists then. It is also a huge pity when white folks are always labelled racists. Trust me the feelings are mutual. Does it mean because I have dated and loved an African Woman that I am in your eyes EVENTUALLY not a racist? lol. On the racist card I see Mickkey Arthur is upset because he FINALLY SPOKE OUT and said that these Kolpak Contracts are hurting South African Cricket........YOU DONT SAY MICKEY!! On the Indian Australian clash.......GO INDIA YOU GOOD THING!!!!!!!!!

HE_Pennypacker not the best captain of all time but the best captain South Africa has had in many many years. Might I dare say MANY of the other Test playing nations are jealous we have such a talent as an opener and as a captain. One Test playing nation even went and BOUGHT a SAFFA to CAPTAIN THEM after what Graeme Smith did to World Cricket! LMAO. His batting stats tell the entire story averaging 49.23 with a strike rate of 60.91 opening the innings on each occasion. On his fielding I have never seen him drop a catch, if I am wrong please inform me. His captaincy is almost rivaling Stephen Fleming and Ricky Ponting. It sounds like a little sour grapes your side mate, lol. Btw I call my girlfirend "little monkey"? what is wrong with that? Does she have a right to sue me for being a racist? LOL. People are so uber sensitive in the World these days.

I know this is not a good example but after my provincial Rugby team the SHARKS won the Currie Cup I looked at the Springbok squad which was selected to tour the British Isles. Two players caught my eye, EARL ROSE is under investigation for drug dealing and had one of the most woeful Currie Cup seasons EVER. Chilliboy Ralephele didnt even play 98% of the season but yet these two "quota" players were chosen above Peter Grant and Adriaan Strauss? Is this fair when the latter two had awesome seasons and Super 14's? Is it fair now that these two go and represent another country because their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS have been infringed on? So here in South Africa only "black" citizens have rights it seems? Reversed Apartheid? Mmmm, makes you wonder why the World are not up in arms about this?

Prophet why pray tell would he have a nickname like "the licker". What tick did Gilchrist have which earned him that one? By the way Shane Warne is in my books allowed to say whatever he likes. This Man is a legend of the game. Only one bowler ruined one of the best batsmen to come out of South Africa. An almost Tendulkar like reputation as he started playing provincial Cricket very young and excelled at it. Was compared to a right handed Graeme Pollock. A certain Darryll Cullinan. Eventually renamed to Waney's "bunny". I sat and watched Warner send down 50 odd overs in ONE spell. His line, length and variation had me amazed. Consistantly flighting and landing his deliveries on the right areas to bowl South Africa out at the Bull Ring (Wanderer's) on the first day if I remember correctly. For me he was better than Murali. (Sorry Sri Lanka fans). Lets not open that can or worms anymore than that, lol.