What has SA got to gain out of this series with the WI? Nothing as far as I can see.
South Africa A have just demolished the Windies. The series will tell us nothing. The new players in the Test side have probably played stronger sides locally. The big surprise will be if the Windies can draw a Test match.
We will have to wait to next year for the big Tests.

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"Checkout the big brain on Brett" Pulp Fiction

England came back from the dead to win the ashes in 2005, only to return to the grave in 2007, and sitting on the edge in 2006.
You have to take each match as it comes, understimate any side and you are setting yourself up for a fall.

Look at the drunken England players on the victory bus, they were humbled just weeks later in Pakistan by a side they underestimated.

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Ern

Theres underestimating, but then theres the windies, ive seen better village teams, they should be chucked out of the test areana until they have a proper structure within the domestic game, without this the dimise will continue until something is done. The icc spend on this money on schemes such as american cricket, yet one of the collusues of the game are hitting rock bottom and i would be suprised if the icc has given a penny, i just cannot understand that. Why not focus on making the 11 test playing nations all of extremly high standard instead of wasting money on teams such as holland and usa who in realiity most of the country doesnt even recgonise the word cricket. Then if one of those players wants to play for a team, then he can be part of the country that he is closest to. This is a prime example of why the icc is one of the poorest boards in sport.

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Finally England have risen from the ashes.

At least this time it looks like the Windies have the good sense to go in with a proper five-man attack- and at least one of them will be a spinner (even if it is the underwhelming Rawl Lewis). Edwards, Taylor and Bravo are all showing some form, so the Windies really have to concentrate on making the runs more than anything else- easier said than done, I know.

Couldn't of put it better. There is as much chance of the Windies winning the series as Tim Henman winning the US open ( tennis). Its possible but lots of things are possible.
Except for Chanderpaul all their batsmen are county standard. Their bowlers are much the same.
Now SA don't have the worlds best batting lineup but all of them can play this bowling attack.

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"Checkout the big brain on Brett" Pulp Fiction

Could be a very nasty scoreline here, I can see Steyn causing serious havoc through the top order, only Chanderpaul could prove some resistance. Would like to see young Steyn in Australia...that would prove we're he is at.

Hi John. Good to see you posting again.

I would just like to know why SA have played NZ and WI again this year. We played both of them 2 years ago. Both these teams should be kicked out of World Cricket. Now Smith will score some runs against these poor attacks and will start thinking that he is a "great" batsman again. He will start opening his mouth again before every series and put the team under unnecessary pressure again. WI are a waste of time and I am amazed that every time they come to SA we here Tony Cozier saying that this WI side is here to compete.

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434, world record for the shortest period. Whos choking now?

I agree. Steyn is looking good this season but we will only know how good he is when he bowls to a proper batting lineup. No disrespect, but NZ and WI are probably the 2 worst teams playing test cricket.

SA have an abundance of bowlers and I am looking forward to Steyn and Morkel leading the attack next year against England and Australia. I rate this guy Morkel better than Steyn. Look out for him.

On the other hand, I can see Lee and co blowing away our batting lineup again. I would like to see Mckenzie in the team but because SA have played NZ and WI, all the batsman have been scoring and I doubt that any of them will be dropped.

Like I always say, if your team is off form, all you need is a series against WI or NZ to get the averages up. I think England desperately need to play the WI soon

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434, world record for the shortest period. Whos choking now?

Yes, the big surprise WILL be if WI can draw a Test or even carry one competitively into the last day.

I disagree, this series will tell us something.

How good/poor the WI are and how much the likes of Kallis can raise their batting averages by.

There is a proper structure to the WI domestic game.

I also fail to see how kicking the WI out of the Test arena is going to help them get better at performing in the Test arena.

However, I;m sure you have thought it through so please, enlighten me how that works?

Why should the ICC give money to the WI?

The WI board will make a loss on this tour financially even if we were miraculously to whitewash SA. In fact, it loses on EVERY away tour and makes money only when England and Australia tour the WI.

Whilst we were never (and never will be) the most financially endowed board, our economic situation became worse in 2000, upon the changing of ICC policy with regards to how tours are funded.

That policy was voted upon by each member who has a vote and everyone has to abide by it.

Hopefully, when that comes up for review and the WI board puts forward claims for some support from the ICC, the other nations will be able to see past their own self interest and help us out. Until then, as usual, we will do the best we can with what little we have.

It is not the ICC's job to improve the standard of WI cricket. That is the WICB.

Would Englishman tolerate the ICC meddling into the ECB's handling of the English game?

I also fail to see your point about someone from Holland or USA playing for the team he is closest too. Dutchmen should have the right to play for the Holland team and likewise Americans.

Why?

What is it with everybody and this incessant cry of "kick them out of world cricket" or "kick them out of the Test arena"?

Well he (and Michael Holding) have spent the longest time telling the world that Brian Lara was the reason WI were underperforming. So now he's gone the team obviously will rise to the top again

Sadly, there are hardly any Bajans on the team to calm Cozier and the captain (Gayle) is now Jamaican, so Holding should be happy.


You will also here terms like "turned the corner" and other cliches.

Blimey Gibbs Fan. Kick them out of world cricket!! Might I suggest this is a some what provocative statement? These things are always cyclical. You only have to go back around 25 years and the WI team of that era would have thrashed any SA team you want to put out from any era of your history. Sure these sides are struggling at the minute but if you kick teams out for losing a few games my lot would have sunk without trace in the 90s!!

There have even been times in the game's history when SA have not been World beaters; perhaps you should have been kicked out in the thirties when you played a game and didn't get to 50 in either innings of a test. (Getting my blows in early before next summer Gibbsy!!)