Everything about him is AB

Rickelton showing his worth as well

To think we have these two exciting young bats showing how it’s done while we had to endure a bunch of talentless 30 plus year old embarrassing us in our test top 5

Malan

Rickleton

Brevis

Stubbs

Verreynne

Markram

Jansen

Gerald Coetzee(boy is approaching 150km/h lately and is 22 years old now)

Rabada(Though i do think he needs a break…a long one)

Nortje

Ngidi

Would pretty much be my team for all three formats. I’d rely on Markram as a batting all-rounder.

I’d have Bird, Richards, Hermann and v Tonder in the equation as well

Big fan of Maharaj

In the test side:

I’m not sure who of Bird, Richards, Hermann and Malan I’d have as my openers but it would be 2 of these. Hermann looks really classy.

Also Breetzke is a very gifted player but has an average FC average. He is a very elegant bat who needs to do better given his talent

I’d have Rickelton at 3, Markram at 4, Brevis 5 and Verreynne at 6

You can’t have Markram at 4 dude.

It’s been tried.

He needs to come in 5 or 6 and bowl way more. I’d do a like for like swap, Markram for Maharaj…cos i think Maharaj is a bit average and probably same amount of variation that Markram has…a straight one and one that turns a little haha.

I like van Tonder too.

Regardless, i want the same top 6 to play tests and ODIs.

The idea of having opening test batters that don’t taste international cricket for 7 months between tests is stupid in my book.

If Klusner played today we’d probably only use him in T20s…ridiculous. It’s like we assume that if a guy can really hit a ball…then he’s not a test player.

Markram is still our best bat and a fighter so id have no problem with sticking with him at 4

You are very very wrong about Maharaj, he is one of the best spinners in the game. He is a specialist

Markram is a part time spinner, never good enough to be our primary spinner

Good enough to be our 6th bowler

Agreed there is absolutely no reason test players can’t be used just as effectively in ODI’s

The odd white ball specialist can be brought in like Miller, Stubbs and the all rounders like Andile and Mulder

Maharaj has a bowling strike average of 32.1 Lyon 31.6 - that is how good Maharaj is

Lyon is one of the best spinners out there and Maharaj is only 0.5 a run more than him in his strike average

What  I agree with is to get rid of all 5 test batsmen and the team needs a captain - not duds.   Th disaster to have players with average way below 49 is a disaster in all mats of the game and they need to be replaced. 

There are a host of better batsmen in SA - the present Protera squad can be regarded as totally useless and a disaster for SA yet the coach claim they are the best batsmen we have at present.   With that kind of approach we might as well go the way of third rate cricket teams.

There has never been any criticism of Maharaj until the most recent series against Oz, as a bowler he has been a star across all formats for as long as he's been playing. I've often said he's our best allrounder, only a fool would think he's average. The top 5 batsmen must go and I'd also drop Ngidi from the test squad.

Markram an underachiever is a class act and if he can sort his issues he'd be my opener and Captain. Also think Rickleton has better technique than Verreynne. He's especially good off the front foot.

I doubt any of the necessary changes will be made by the current powers that be, we can only hope. Our cricket is being led by those who don't know that they don't know and that is why it was quite simple to predict the embarrassment we've recently witnessed.

The embarrassment of SA cricket went back to 2019 when the WC was a fiasco and SA lost a home test series against SriLanka. We have never improved since then - it got even worse than it was ever before.

If I ever have to select the top eam for SA in all formats of th e game it would be as follows:-

1    Hermann

2    Rickelton

3   Van Tonder

4     Brevis

5     Markram

6     Verreynne

7     Pretoius   M

8     Coetzee

9     Rabada 

10   Nortje

11    Sipamla/Ngidi

The above will never happen - since it will undermine the quota system.   

The embarrassment of SA cricket went back to 2019 when the WC was a fiasco and SA lost a home test series against SriLanka. We have never improved since then - it got even worse than it was ever before.

If I ever have to select the top eam for SA in all formats of th e game it would be as follows:-

1    Hermann

2    Rickelton

3   Van Tonder

4     Brevis

5     Markram

6     De Kock

7     Pretoius   M

8     Coetzee

9     Rabada 

10   Nortje

11    Sipamla/Ngidi

The above will never happen - since it will undermine the quota system.   

For me, we don't need a pure frontline spinner as much as we need batting depth. If we stick with Maharaj then we need another allrounder capable of 100s.

For those that don't agree...witness our innings averages over the last three years. Give yourself a better chance to draw. This was the philosophy before the Proteas went on to become #1 under Smith and it paid dividends for years after that because they built a solid foundation. We seemed unable to win or lose a series for a good long time, and then the wins started rolling in.

I'm only suggesting Markram because I still have some faith in him but to call him one of our best batters when he's averaging (Tests 34 in 60 innings) and (ODIs 28 in 40 innings) is laughable at best...for context Boucher, our 3rd best keeper, finished with averages of
(Test 30) and (ODIs 28). 

Sorry to burst your bubbles but Markram is a number 6, if that, at the international level. The only way he gets into a side I'd select is if he's relied on as a batting all-rounder. 

Maybe I'm wrong and he turns it around, but to finish his career with respectable averages he basically has to play like a house on fire from here on out. I don't think you guys realise how difficult it is to raise your average once the denominator goes beyond 50.

And that average, no matter what they say, is an ever-present monkey on one's back. T hen you add to that a mind prone to brain farts, like Markram's...good luck to you.

No Markram is far better than that and yes has underachieved in a big way, often by throwing his wicket away

He has work to do for sure but in terms of talent he is definitely a top 4 bat

We have to find 6 test quality bats without having to resort to playing 7 specialist bats and in the process leaving our side unbalanced

Jansen is proving a bit of an all rounder and Maharaj often contributes with the bat as can KG

6 specialist bats including a keeper and 5 specialist bowlers including a spinner is the correct formula

Right now we keep failing because we don’t have the correct bats playing - they are super shit

Mike I like your team with one exception.....Marco Jansen is my must pick at 7.

Also, if Markram has sorted his problem then he has to bat higher up in the order and Sipamla gets my nod of approval ahead of Ngidi in test cricket

Denny

I made a correction to my proposed team and put De Kock in at 6.    In an environment less poisoned than SA Cricket he surrendered and called it a day.   I think if a proper team is selected he would walk into it.  As to Markram he was under the same pressure as De Kock was - but he has not yet decided to walk out on SA Cricket lunatic asylum yet.   Both De Kock and Markram was not interested in fighting because they had nothing to fight for - there were too many flops that would destroy any effort on their part.

As to no 7 I am not sure which of the two Jacob twins should be included - Marco or Duan?   The latter played yesterday and his bowling figures were top class.   I have not seen Duan batted yet - while Marco did show some batting ability already.      

Denny

I made a correction to my proposed team and put De Kock in at 6.    In an environment less poisoned than SA Cricket he surrendered and called it a day.   I think if a proper team is selected he would walk into it.  As to Markram he was under the same pressure as De Kock was - but he has not yet decided to walk out on SA Cricket lunatic asylum yet .   Both De Kock and Markram was not interested in fighting because they had nothing to fight for - there were too many flops that would destroy any effort on their part.

As to no 7 I am not sure which of the two Jacob twins should be included - Marco or Duan?   The latter played yesterday and his bowling figures were top class.   I have not seen Duan batted yet - while Marco did show some batting ability already.      

Denny

I made a correction to my proposed team and put De Kock in at 6.    In an environment less poisoned than SA Cricket he surrendered and called it a day.   I think if a proper team is selected he would walk into it.  As to Markram he was under the same pressure as De Kock was - but he has not yet decided to walk out on SA Cricket lunatic asylum yet.   Both De Kock and Markram was not interested in fighting because they had nothing to fight for - there were too many flops that would destroy any effort on their part.

As to no 7 I am not sure which of the two Jacob twins should be included - Marco or Duan?   The latter played yesterday and his bowling figures were top class.   I have not seen Duan batting yet - while Marco did show some batting ability already.