Markram coming good at 4z

Why don't people just listen to us here at Ruckers. As soon as Markram went to bat at 4 he's started flourishing.

Very happy for the chap. But it's settled, he's not an opener...or a 3.

He needs to bat at 4 or 5 forever from here on out.

Then we get to the most exciting player for the Proteas...Jansen.

My word this guy is talented. He struct 47 of off half as many today.

Kid's gonna make ton of Money. I swear he's related to Mostert. They have that same "over my dead body" look in their eyes. Both full of heart.

Ozzies to bat now chasing 300 and some change.

Aiden probably gonna get a few wickets too.

Jansen a one man band. 

Gets under the ball for smashing sixes, little bit like Hansie.

Five top order poles too... Coming of age.. We go 54-50 up on these Aussies

Mitchell Marsh blows the series. That was a bit arrogant …..sure there was quite a way to go, but he and Labuschagne were progressing well. Then he chases a ball over his head and way outside the off stump.

And then Jansen runs through their batting lineup.

How do we keep producing these kids?

There had to be something in the water down here.

I'm keeping up with some of the u-14 cricket at the moment due to nephew that is pretty good and keeps getting selected to play above his age group and at provincial level.

I can report that the conveyer belt is still churning them out.

It's staggering to see some of the skill these young teens have.

I watched one hit 220 off of 79 the other day.

That never happened when I was a kid.

According to the BBC Quinto de Kock has said publically that the reason for withdrawing from representing RSA in cricket was due to the enforced call by the SACB to take a knee prior to the start of a game.

Great to see that he has admitted that it is not anything else or money as suggested by many.

The BLM gang is nothing but a bunch of criminals running around like wild animals.

Quinton de Kock says he refused to take the knee at the 2021 T20 World Cup because of interference from Cricket South Africa (CSA).

Explaining his decision for the first time, De Kock says he wanted to stand up for his team-mates and their right to have their own say.

"We are not just pawns to CSA," De Kock told the BBC's Stumped podcast.

At the time, the decision caused major debate with teams across the world in all sports and societies taking the knee following the death of George Floyd, which sparked the start of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Following his omission against West Indies, De Kock released a statement in which he apologised and said "I am not a racist", before returning to the team for the rest of the tournament.

"We all had a choice, when the Black Lives Matter thing came up, the team, we all discussed it," De Kock said. "We thought as a team, we can all have our own views on it.

"A couple of us made a decision not to get on the knee, but we were in support of the guys who were because we understand their background.

"We got the directive from the top - it was the whole scenario, they told us on the morning of the game. How they are instructing/interfering in our team culture when they should be worried about bigger things than the protests, it just didn't sit right with myself and couple of other guys in the team.

"It's not objection, it's about you've taken someone's right away, who are they to force someone to do it? It doesn't matter if you are my boss, unfortunately in cricket, it doesn't work like that.

"The way of the world in which cricket works now, cricketers are becoming their own bosses now to a point. You think you can tell a player what to do, you expect them to listen to you. I can promise you that most players will turn around to you and say no, that's not how it works.

"I wasn't going to let someone take my rights from me and unfortunately, it was in a public space which at the time it was quite stressful, but I thought what I did was right - not just for me but to show the team that you can stand up to what is right and what is wrong and for your rights as a player.

"It was more of a bigger picture for me."

I salute QDK...it's not easy standing up to the mob...pity that things have come to this.

Well put it this way...it was a start..... a marker.....and it was better than doing nothing. Hopefully he's provided the spark for another day.