Boje Out

[flanflinger]

http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CR...03NOV2004.html

Nick Boje is not out of the tour - now as I understand it the replacment could be Langerveldt which means that SA will be touring without a single front-line spinner.

This has got to be madness and must severally dent their chances of actually winning the series...

[vosser]

Just think about this for a moment, Australia have just toured India, played four tests and 145 wickets fell in the series. Of these wickets 87 fell to spinners well over half the wickets in the series. In their wisdom South African selectors have decided to, after injury changes, take 1 spinner on tour. To me it just seems as though somehow it would have at least been more fruitful to at least have a second spinner on tour to complement Robin Petersen who I still feel is far from being a test quality spinner. I think we again are leaving far too much hope on the run scoring ability of our batters and too be honest we haven't really been that consistent in that area.

All I can hope for is that I'm proved wrong in this one.

Good Luck Lads

[Rachael]

To be fair.. McGrath and Gillespie had a lot of success as well... and the Aussies bowled Warne asa solitary spinner for so long as he was available. Add in the fact that Clarke's figures were freakish and I think it's reasonable to conclude that the Aussie tour was a poor guide.

I guess that if the SA selectors thought they had a(nother) spinner capable of troubling the Indian batsmen they would have picked him.. but if the cupboard is bare.. what do you do?

[Maranello]

Good point Rachael. Just because one is touring India, one should not pick up any ole finger-tweaker - horses for courses is all very well, but people should be selected based on ability, first and foremost.

I reckon Pieterson is not a genuine wicket-taking spinner - he will bowl his flat deliveries for 20 overs a day, but will not pick up many runs...and if he is bowling when Sehwag or Laxman decide to let it rip...then its RIP Pieterson!

However, it seems other SA slow bowlers are not even as good as Pieterson - hence much more sensible to rely on Pollock, Nel and Ntini, and not sacrifice one of these three for an additional spinner just because you are in India.

[vosser]

Well, I have to agree in part with both of you (Rachael and Maranello). Looking from the point of view of the Indian top six, I still feel that after Pollock and Ntini you really are looking at a spinner who will bowl all day for 3 an over, a quick who has consistency issues in both his bowling and his temperament and then a couple of allrounders who arent really going to pick up that many wickets between them. I struggle to find us taking 20 wickets and challenging for a series win, it looks like we will be fighting from the trenches just to hang in there.

Our Batting order looks particularly inexperienced (JK excluded), Smith has never played in India at this level, Amla, Ontong, van Jaarsveld, Dippenaar and Rudolph all jostling for places in the top six and whereabouts they'll bat. Who joins Smith in the openers role? I like the selection Of Thami Tsolekile although without Boucher and Klusener the Middle to Lower order does look shaky leaving Hall, Thomas and De Bruin fighting for the second Lower order allrounder spot.

I would have liked to have seen Klusener in the mix, steadying the MO/LO and also providing another option with his off cutters which have previously been so effective.

4 uncapped players in the squad, only 2 players having played Test cricket in India, Rudolph still a question mark and definately won't bowl, a new opening partnership, new coach - a series we would definately be more than pleased with a competitive draw

[flanflinger]

True,

no spinner may be better tahn any spinner, but in Indian conditions with the heat, humidty etc as well as the obvious benfits of pitches that suit spinners better, surely it is madness to not have any spinner.

It is very sad that SA with so many good players, great history do not have any spinners who can step up now Boje is not avialable.

[vosser]

Surely taking along your next best would be of great advantage, a young spinner spending three weeks on Indian soil, gaining experience that you can only get on tour. Worst case scenario, SA have taken along a passenger who has come through a learning period and is more ready next time we find ourselves in this situation.

I'm thinking of the likes of Paul Harris who has been knocking around the Titans for a while.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by vosser

Surely taking along your next best would be of great advantage, a young spinner spending three weeks on Indian soil, gaining experience that you can only get on tour. .

Got point Vosser, It is intresting that Australia took three spnners on tour, even though it was obvious that only one would make the XI, and as it is Hauritz stepped up to the plate well when needed.

Often England will go with one experinced spinner and one younger less-experinced one to the sub-continent- like Batty. What better place to learn that in the sub-continent, it must be better than taking another seamer?

as it is they have five seamer all-rounders, (Pollock, Kallis, Hall, Thomas and de Bruyn) two of those are new to Internantional cricket - surely it would have been better to have included and extra young spinner to back up Peterson?

[vosser]

Again it seems as though common sense has not prevailed, The likes of Thomas who will play a part in the future of SA cricket will not come away from India with much other than net bowling and the experience whereas a young spinners career would be boosted a great deal and might learn a lot about his bowling out in the sub continent.