South Africa vs India, in India, 2008: South African Team Announced
Andre Nel dropped for Charl Langeveldt and is very angry about it.
It was Straightdrive who dug the link out for discussion.
Andre Nel brings a spirit which has created wickets and chances out of arid sessions of play for South Africa. His efforts have also inspired the drooping shoulders of his fellow bowlers.
SD argues that this could be yet another quota effect. But did Nel do enough to be there on merit? Charl Langeveldt has been difficult for Indians in SA as well. Has Charl done enough to merit selection ahead of Nel?
Which among the two do you think could matter against Indians at home?
Meanwhile Nel is considering options...it has to be the Kolpak route for IPL is closed for the season and ICL may have been a couple of years in the future for him IMO.
Gawd! I'm going to miss some of his histrionics which gave some colour to an otherwise insipid SA.
South Africa Team for tour of India:
Graeme Smith (captain)
Ashwell Prince (vice-captain)
Hashim Amla
Mark Boucher (Wk)
AB de Villiers
JP Duminy
Paul Harris
Jacques Kallis
Charl Langeveldt
Neil McKenzie
Morne Morkel
Makhaya Ntini
Robin Peterson
Dale Steyn
Note this fact - Herschelle Gibbs is omitted!
Phlegmatic players have been preferred for the subcontinental grind. Gibbs may not be in the most consistent test form, but he is a Sehwagian gamble worth taking at the top. If he clicks, along with Smith, SA are in the driver's seat. They doi realize of course that India will not fold up for BD level scores and may not allow 400+ runs on day one? A threatening weapon of such capability would have been smart.
From this team selection - with the emphasis on "stayers" (even though I don't rate Amla as one or test class yet), matched by the bowling selection, the South African gameplan is announced loud and clear - attrition, stonewalling the Indian bowling that is suspected to be capable of shredding opposition from the top.
This selection makes it so tempting to play five Indian bowlers - Ishant + RP + Sree + Harby/Piyush + Kumble at the expense of one bat.
The 100th anything
2 hours ago
17 comments:
Hi SB
I was taking cue from that article which mentioned that as per agreement there should be 6 players of color in the squad.
When it comes to Charl Langelveldt vs Nel, I agree with your point that Charl always fared better against Indians than Nel but then that's in ODIs. I have hardly seen him bowl to Indians in tests. But then he is more of a disciplined line and length bowler than someone like Nel who can be pacy and do the other stuff you mentioned. He was never short of effort and ran in whenever he had the ball in his hand. Every captain would want someone like him. Also Nel's test record is far better (some 110+ wickets in 30 odd matches) compared to Charl Langelveldt's (16 from 6).
Any day I will go for some one like Nel for tests than Langeldveldt. But in ODIs it's definitely Langelveldt over Nel against Indians.
Yes SB we should go in with 5 bowlers. Your attack will do just fine. But what the team will do with Irfan? Will they drop him? They won't. But then whom will they drop? Sree or RP? It should be a tussle between RP and Sree to retain the place if Irfan secures a place in the Eleven. If Irfan plays then he will get the new ball.
For psychological reasons I would prefer Sree over RP for the first test. Also generally Chepauk will assist bowlers with some bounce during first two days.
Hi SD, thanks for the link mate. I've been a bit off evening and night cricket watching/blogging/forumming lately! Only day for a while and then 606 is closed.
I would have thought Nel was automatic over Charl. There is surely something we don't know.
About Irfan...it may work out to be between him, Sree, RP and Zak depending upon how many are fit. Ishant too isn't yet a certainity and that's probably the main reason for postponing the selection meeting....recovery time for players.
If all are fit, I'd go with the attack and leave Irfan out. We need to strike first...in the first test itself.
Irfan could play in later matches if one feels that four bowlers are more appropriate or an extra bat+bowler is needed.
The omission of Gibbs seems little like SA are getting on the back foot. Nel's case is another surprize and might prove costly. I would agree with your choice of 5 bolwers at the cost of one bat - assuming they are all fit. This might be an interesting contest.
I see them, Victoria, as preparing for a long haul. At least batting wise. The combined selection is a great tactical shift from previous Saffer teams which were more inclined to the bomb and blast tactics for early and continued dominance.
Now we have concepts like spinners, a balance in attack, and batsmen capable oflong stints of concentration and batting time (not all of them may score runs to match...Kallis is the exception and to an extent Prince).
Saffers now are looking more to play the game of chess which cricket really is.
It could be that the quota system is playing a part, but I don't see any new bombers other than Steyn and Morne Morkel. Nantie Hayward faded away...Pollock's retired.
Albie Morkel, could have been a useful inclusion instead of Charl...he's as good a medium-fast and a proper lower middle-order bat. Actually, Harris' performance in Pakistan last year might have also been responsible for the tone of selection.
SA is taking this sub-cont tour seriously...there is the ICC test ranking at stake in this series.
Albie Morkel, could have been a useful inclusion instead of Charl
I don't think that Morkel is a player of colour like Langeveldt.
Gibbs ommission might have something to do with the match fixing scandal for which the Indian police has been after Gibbs for questioning. But Gibbs met them during the champions trophy didn't he?
Nel's disappointment has been reported on Cricinfo. Speculation of retirement is going on.
I didn't know that about Charl. Well, neither did I about Gibbs till we were told about it by the press.
David, could this turn out to be a move that makes the argument against quota stronger?
Q, I think he was cleared of all that. So was Boje I think.
I don't think Gibbs was dropped due to that. For long there have been murmurs about his test inconsistencies. I need to look up the stats on it, but I do remember plenty of discussion about him during the Windies series and the Pakistan tour earlier.
I think most people outside South Africa can't pick the Cape Coloureds. I kind of know what to look for now, but I still checked other sources before I commented.
This is just the latest in a long line of similar arguments against the quota policy. Kevin Pietersen's playing for England because of it. I would guess that the stream of South African Kolpak players in county cricket is larger than it would be without the quotas.
Apparently there was recently a big kerfuffle over quotas between team selectors and the South African Board, which led to a delay in naming the squad for the Bangladesh tour.
Yes, there was some trouble then. I have heard convincing arguments for and against the system. The trouble is the good intentions of the quota can be offset by the poor overzealous application of it.
However, I find it curious that despite Charl having come in ostensibly because of quota system, they still could have picked a man in form under the same system....Monde Zondeki.
He's leading the domestic pile quite significantly!
Yeah, Zondeki must feel a bit unlucky. Perhaps they didn't think he'd be effective in Indian conditions, I don't know.
Yes SB it surprises that someone like Zondeki is left out for Langeveldt. SA selection system is getting murkier. Some time back I read that Quota system was totally abandoned. Then suddenly all this happens.
SA must abolish quota system and instead focus on takng the game to the masses with good facilities and infrastructure. They must strengthen their domestic system so that it keeps churning out players of all colors.
The current quota policy will dissuade those sidelined by quota and slowly kill the domestic cricket in SA. It will prove a problem English though with Kolpak players coming in large to play counties. Of course there is ICL. SA cricket should be wary of all this.
is the first innings collapse of first test is anything to do with their safety first approach...??
they would have thoght that escaped major embarrassment and against better bowling attack the series cold have been 1-1...
regarding nel he has every right to feel disappointed...charl can only be handy in english kind of weather and will be steamrolled in rather hot weather here...
may be kallis was not feeling easy to go around with his sister have anything to do with his getting dropped ?? ;-))
SD, I am in complete agreement with you on the quota system.
It serves no purpose beyond a point and only detracts from true progress by engendering a new unbalanced society...only, in different colours. The value of quota system is limited only in eliminating previously existing biases and opening the doors firmly to the denied. Once that is done, merit from the vistas must be welcomed through the portals rather than mirroring in narrow beams of imbalance like before.
SA perhaps has a stronger infrastructure than Zimbos and may survive all this, but they'd be better built if merit from all corners is used rather than accomodation. The purpose of cricket quotas has been served to open the eyes of all Saffers...time to give it up for it can only prove divisive rather than inclusive now.
SP,
I truly believe that Saffers believe they have enough to win in India. They might have preferred an open option on that one contentious bowling spot without the interference of quota to add to their existing strength.
And is Cindy Nel Andre's sister? I thought there must be many Nels.
i read somewhere in ujrod's blog that cindy is indeed nel's sister... :)
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