I see and hear a lot of work going on next door at Kingsmead, with a month left until the Australians arrive, I wonder is this the last time the stadium will be used in the game? Apart from a few T20 games, there really seems no reason to maintain the stadium, it's sees action mostly for the finish of a long run from PMB... after that, not much, it sees more use as a venue for pop up late night shopping.. As a venue for cricket, very little..
After the last round of some cricket T20 I think, within a day the branding was removed and the sports betting sponsor returned..Even they cannot generate enough cash to headline the game to save the game...
T20 ruined cricket, it is like sugar, too much and it is toxic, it will kill the consumer, slowly but surely, slow poison, cricket as a sport, as we grew up loving test and ODi is all out, nothing can save the game....
I wonder just how many citizens of Dallas, in Texas, waking up on Sunday, 30 July 2023 knew of the event, the final of the MLC, what the MLC was, and who the teams and players are? It is actually so bad, that ESPNcricinfo does not even once, anywhere that I could find, tell the users of the site what MI in MI NY means.. I only found out it was Mumbai Indians... It is that bad..
It is so bad that a players are only at the game for a couple of hours, before leaving, one player arrived, and would be out of the country in less than 12 hours, arrived 3 hours before the game, a 3 hour game, then back to play somewhere else... How can supporters build any sort of relationship with players if they only there for 3 hours on a final's day??
How about calling up Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp for the 1st Test? It would be good preparation for their Test v Australia the following week.
Find a way to get Duan Jansen out of his SA20 contract. Call him up for the Test squad and then send Marco instead and hope no one notices?
Alan Dawson is in great form: 215 runs @ 53.75 and 13 wickets @ 15.15 in the Over-50s World Cup in March.
Rusty Theron seems to be a superstar now. Give him a call?
Speaking of the USA, what about Hershell America? He is quite a decent bowler and would double the quota of Hers(c)hell(e)'s to have played Test cricket.
Devon Conway & Neil Wagner for guest appearances to level up the playing field?
many thanks, Wizz - but the time will soon be upon Shukri Conrad to put together a Test squad fron players without SA20 contracts! I suspect David Bedingham is a shoe-in for the middle order with a first-class average of over 50. There's also a minefield of eligibiity criteria to navigate. Is Dane Paterson available to lead the bowling attack? Is he secretely trying to qualify for England? Don't think that's likely as he's played Test cricket for SA...
Bedingham would be tremendous if available. He would surely do enough to guarantee himself a place when (if?) South Africa next play Test cricket. Paterson is an overseas player at Notts, so should be available without jeopardising his county contract. New Zealand conditions should suit his bowling so would he be a great addition if persuadable. And are there a few youngsters who could burst through with a great domestic season before the NZ tour?
Hashim Amla coming back for one last dance would make this whole mess worthwhile. It is such a tragedy that poor administration has ruined players such as KG chance of being remembered in history as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time.
Yep, I'd love to think Hash might be tempted, but I suspect he's far too sensible to consider it! Fortunately for KG, he will always be remembered as a 'great' of the game, purely on his numbers as they are now. The only question that will be asked about his Test career in future is why he played so few games. It's the young players who might only play 15-20 Tests that I feel sorry for.
Yeah, the last Test match SA ever plays.. Kallis, Pollock, G Smith, ADBV, KG, Klusener, all the old age pensioners, the 40+ brigade, that actually know what a test match is... Play a 5 series for the last time, against England, 5 cities, 5 matches. Then call time on test match cricket...
I'd be amazed if du Plooy (because he counts as an English domestic player) or Amla was interested...but with the other three on your list it's more a case of the selectors not being interested isn't it? I would have thought they could easily be tempted now they're overseas players for their English counties.
What's the deal with von Tonder, Neil? A couple of years ago the press seemed to be writing about him as the future of SA batting, and his figures don't look at all bad....but the selectors seem completely uninterested.
Hi Dave, there is so little international cricket played (and domestic in SA, for that matter) that players who burn brightly for a short period find it very difficult to relocate the spotlight after a dip in form, as appears to have happened with van Tonder. And without a 'stage' upon which to perform, he doesn't attract the attention of other domestic franchises. Perhaps he'll join the exodus to New Zealand to try his luck there...
Neil, what has happened to Keaton Jennings & Ricky Wessels? Playing county cricket? No hope of playing for England (again in Jenning's case). Hashim is definitely still good enough for any test team. Pity Temba Bavuma is not available for tour. IMO he will be a bench-warmer in T20 circus. But good in tests & much needed.
David, there are plenty of players, besides Bavuma, who would be extremely valuable for the Test matches in New Zealand in February. But at this stage it is a non-neotiable edict between CSA and the SA20 franchises that every single one of them will not be available for Test selection, whether they are likely to play any SA20 or not...
I see and hear a lot of work going on next door at Kingsmead, with a month left until the Australians arrive, I wonder is this the last time the stadium will be used in the game? Apart from a few T20 games, there really seems no reason to maintain the stadium, it's sees action mostly for the finish of a long run from PMB... after that, not much, it sees more use as a venue for pop up late night shopping.. As a venue for cricket, very little..
After the last round of some cricket T20 I think, within a day the branding was removed and the sports betting sponsor returned..Even they cannot generate enough cash to headline the game to save the game...
T20 ruined cricket, it is like sugar, too much and it is toxic, it will kill the consumer, slowly but surely, slow poison, cricket as a sport, as we grew up loving test and ODi is all out, nothing can save the game....
I wonder just how many citizens of Dallas, in Texas, waking up on Sunday, 30 July 2023 knew of the event, the final of the MLC, what the MLC was, and who the teams and players are? It is actually so bad, that ESPNcricinfo does not even once, anywhere that I could find, tell the users of the site what MI in MI NY means.. I only found out it was Mumbai Indians... It is that bad..
It is so bad that a players are only at the game for a couple of hours, before leaving, one player arrived, and would be out of the country in less than 12 hours, arrived 3 hours before the game, a 3 hour game, then back to play somewhere else... How can supporters build any sort of relationship with players if they only there for 3 hours on a final's day??
Other ideas:
How about calling up Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp for the 1st Test? It would be good preparation for their Test v Australia the following week.
Find a way to get Duan Jansen out of his SA20 contract. Call him up for the Test squad and then send Marco instead and hope no one notices?
Alan Dawson is in great form: 215 runs @ 53.75 and 13 wickets @ 15.15 in the Over-50s World Cup in March.
Rusty Theron seems to be a superstar now. Give him a call?
Speaking of the USA, what about Hershell America? He is quite a decent bowler and would double the quota of Hers(c)hell(e)'s to have played Test cricket.
Devon Conway & Neil Wagner for guest appearances to level up the playing field?
N Manthorp to get game? You know you want to.
many thanks, Wizz - but the time will soon be upon Shukri Conrad to put together a Test squad fron players without SA20 contracts! I suspect David Bedingham is a shoe-in for the middle order with a first-class average of over 50. There's also a minefield of eligibiity criteria to navigate. Is Dane Paterson available to lead the bowling attack? Is he secretely trying to qualify for England? Don't think that's likely as he's played Test cricket for SA...
Bedingham would be tremendous if available. He would surely do enough to guarantee himself a place when (if?) South Africa next play Test cricket. Paterson is an overseas player at Notts, so should be available without jeopardising his county contract. New Zealand conditions should suit his bowling so would he be a great addition if persuadable. And are there a few youngsters who could burst through with a great domestic season before the NZ tour?
Hashim Amla coming back for one last dance would make this whole mess worthwhile. It is such a tragedy that poor administration has ruined players such as KG chance of being remembered in history as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time.
Yep, I'd love to think Hash might be tempted, but I suspect he's far too sensible to consider it! Fortunately for KG, he will always be remembered as a 'great' of the game, purely on his numbers as they are now. The only question that will be asked about his Test career in future is why he played so few games. It's the young players who might only play 15-20 Tests that I feel sorry for.
Yeah, the last Test match SA ever plays.. Kallis, Pollock, G Smith, ADBV, KG, Klusener, all the old age pensioners, the 40+ brigade, that actually know what a test match is... Play a 5 series for the last time, against England, 5 cities, 5 matches. Then call time on test match cricket...
I'd be amazed if du Plooy (because he counts as an English domestic player) or Amla was interested...but with the other three on your list it's more a case of the selectors not being interested isn't it? I would have thought they could easily be tempted now they're overseas players for their English counties.
What's the deal with von Tonder, Neil? A couple of years ago the press seemed to be writing about him as the future of SA batting, and his figures don't look at all bad....but the selectors seem completely uninterested.
Hi Dave, there is so little international cricket played (and domestic in SA, for that matter) that players who burn brightly for a short period find it very difficult to relocate the spotlight after a dip in form, as appears to have happened with van Tonder. And without a 'stage' upon which to perform, he doesn't attract the attention of other domestic franchises. Perhaps he'll join the exodus to New Zealand to try his luck there...
Neil, what has happened to Keaton Jennings & Ricky Wessels? Playing county cricket? No hope of playing for England (again in Jenning's case). Hashim is definitely still good enough for any test team. Pity Temba Bavuma is not available for tour. IMO he will be a bench-warmer in T20 circus. But good in tests & much needed.
David, there are plenty of players, besides Bavuma, who would be extremely valuable for the Test matches in New Zealand in February. But at this stage it is a non-neotiable edict between CSA and the SA20 franchises that every single one of them will not be available for Test selection, whether they are likely to play any SA20 or not...