Faf du Plessis slams CSA for lack of vision in not finding replacement for prominent names

[MenInG]

South Africa on Tuesday suffered a humiliating defeat as they lost to India by an inning and 202 runs in the third Test in Ranchi. This was South Africa's heaviest defeat to India in Test cricket. After his side's agonising 0-3 series defeat, South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis said the loss has given them "mental scars" which would be hard to overcome. Du Plessis also slammed the Cricket South Africa for their lack of vision and "not planning" to fill the big gap created by the retirement of some of their prominent names. He also criticised South Africa's cricket structure saying it has created a "gap between domestic cricket and international cricket".

"It shows that our structures are not where they need to be. The gap between domestic cricket and International cricket. If you look back three or four years and if someone had the vision of saying, in three or four years' time there will be a lot of inexperienced guys. A lot of 34, 35, 36-year olds could possible retire. So what do you do to make sure you get yourself ready for when that time comes?" Du Plessis said in the post-match press-conference.

"And possibly we are guilty of not planning or when these guys going at the same time. And now you've got to replace not only one player but four or five of your best players. Perhaps we could've been a little bit smarter in our planning phase, and the phasing out of the great players," he said.

Reflecting on his side's series loss, Du Plessis said the it has left the team with "mental scars" and that it is "difficult to come out of that hole".

"A tour like this reveals that there's a lot of mental scars that can happen and then obviously it's difficult to come out of that hole," Du Plessis said after they conceded their heaviest defeat to India in the third Test.

https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-so...s-on-south-africa-says-faf-du-plessis-2120866

 

[MenInG]

South African captain Faf du Plessis on Tuesday expressed dismay over the loss of their players to county cricket under the Kolpak deal.

Expecting the situation to favour the Proteas after Brexit, Du Plessis said that the visitors were missing out on their best players due to the Kolpak deal.

“It’s sad for South African cricket not to have the option of their best players. Simon Harmer has had an unbelievable season. And it would be great for South Africa to be in a position where they could go, ‘He’s done well overseas. Let’s bring him on tour with us’,” Du Plessis said in the aftermath of the 0-3 series loss to India.

Harmer, who has done well for the Essex in the past two years, had picked up 10 wickets in 2 Test matches in South Africa’s previous tour to India.

“You are missing out on all your best players and your talent pool is all of a sudden a lot smaller. So that’s something that we’ve tried to identify to stop. But it’s been very difficult to stop,” Du Plessis told reporters in the post-match press conference.

https://indianexpress.com/article/s...-brexit-faf-du-plesis-on-kolpak-deal-6082300/

 

[Savak]

Lol, Faf needs to stop crying. South Africa does not have the eternal right to world class talent, every country goes through it

 

[Hasan123]

South Africa should have phased out some of the older players earlier. I will never understand why JP and Amla went to the WC when they were finished. Even Faf is past his best and he is still carrying.

South Africa will be fine. They have a strong sporting culture and a decent domestic structure.

De Kock, Rabada, Van Der Dussen, Malan, Mulder, and Hamza will be good enough to carry South Africa.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Lol, Faf needs to stop crying. South Africa does not have the eternal right to world class talent, every country goes through it

Where did he talk about world class talent. South Africa are losing the likes of harmer to Kolpak and that's a fact. The guy couldn't get a chance for a domestic team in SA when the likes of Dane piedt are playing test matches.

 

[MenInG]

Earlier this year, former Proteas fast bowler Morne Morkel had warned that more South Africans could decide to follow the Kolpak route in the near future, urging Cricket South Africa to be proactive about keeping players at home.

Duanne Olivier signed a three-year contract with Yorkshire, following fellow fast bowler Kyle Abbott, who joined Hampshire in 2017.

Rilee Rossouw was a first-choice ODI player when he joined Hampshire around the same time. Morkel, too, joined Surrey, but only after his international retirement in 2018. Hashim Amla, too, is set to sign for Surrey as a Kolpak registration.

Amla announced his retirement from international cricket in August and has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with the club.

Now, South Africa is part of a deal called the Cotonou Agreement with the European Union, so their players are eligible for Kolpak deals.

However, things could change if Britain leaves the EU, in which case Kolpak contracts will most likely not be possible.

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis echoed the view while reiterating that it is sad for the country to not have the option to pick its best players. "Brexit will be the one thing that will stop the Kolpak players," du Plessis said here on Monday.

"So that could benefit South African cricket tremendous amounts... I don't know if they will find a loophole around it by saying 'we will have another overseas player' that will be allowed to play in county cricket which still means the guys will go and play there; it will just be under a different name," he added.

"The opportunities are there for people in the domestic circuit in England... a lot of South African players are down there at the moment. From a financial point of view, the pound is stronger than the rand so that will be a concern for us.

"At the moment, we are not only losing our experience in international cricket but in domestic cricket as well... your top players domestically are going overseas... the guys who don't get picked for the national team are going overseas, so obviously the talent pool has got smaller; it's proving very difficult to stop."

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...-final-test-ranchi-result/article29767837.ece

 

[Saj]

Money talks.

CSA and other Boards like PCB don't have the financial clout to compete with the richer Boards and the Kolpak ruling has been a hammer blow for South Africa.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Where did he talk about world class talent. South Africa are losing the likes of harmer to Kolpak and that's a fact. The guy couldn't get a chance for a domestic team in SA when the likes of Dane piedt are playing test matches.

harmer would make no difference in india. would get smashed as usual. The big loss was abbott. he was supposed to be the new steyn or atleast a morkel.

duane is mediocre
roussow is average

 

[aloo paratha]

Harmer has been destroying county sides, there is no doubt that he'd be better than Piedt at least.

Rilee Roussow is better than average, he would've been very useful for South Africa in this years World Cup, in his short ODI career he averaged 39 at a SR of 94.

Yes Duane was mediocre, Abbot was a big loss as well.

Kolpak and quotas holding South African cricket back.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It doesn't explain why Faf failed in this series. He knows Indian conditions in and out. Seniors did not step up when needed.

 

[Savak]

Money talks.

CSA and other Boards like PCB don't have the financial clout to compete with the richer Boards and the Kolpak ruling has been a hammer blow for South Africa.

Atleast no Pakistani player has abandoned their country for another county

 

[Savak]

SA have always been poor in Subcontinent conditions. They should have backed their pacers rather than playing garbage spinners

 

[MenInG]

Johannesburg - South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday that full-time appointments concerning the national team's coaching staff and selectors needed to be made urgently.

Speaking on the team's return from a three-Test trouncing in India, Du Plessis said uncertainty over key positions was "a massive red flag".

Cricket South Africa fired coach Ottis Gibson, his back-up staff and the selectors after a poor World Cup campaign.

They announced a new structure headed by a director of cricket and a team director.

Former one-day international player Corrie van Zyl and 37-year-old Enoch Nkwe were appointed in an interim capacity, with Nkwe in charge of the team in India.

Du Plessis said he was committed to continuing as captain despite going through what he described as "the toughest period in my cricket journey".

But he said his own position and those of the other key posts "needs to be resolved as soon as possible".

"The most important thing right now is clarity," he said.

"Someone needs to make decisions, the director of cricket first and then filter down so everyone else can make decisions," he added.

Du Plessis also called for former players to be involved with the national team.

"It's obvious that we need to make more use of ex-players but it also comes with challenges," he said.

"I suppose it always comes down to finance. I know for a fact that we have tried to get them involved but the financial thing is a hurdle. We need experience in the team right now and that comes from ex-players."

Du Plessis admitted that South Africa had been outplayed in India and acknowledged that the team had lacked mental strength.

"It was obvious from the way we played the last Test match. We started really well but by being put under pressure for a long period of time through the series, slowly but surely we started playing worse."

The South African captain said losing the toss in all three Tests had made an already difficult task almost impossible.

"Every Test match they bat first, they score 500, they declare when it's dark, they get three wickets when it's dark and when day three starts you are under pressure. It was like copy and paste in every Test match."

He repeated his call for the toss to be done away with for Test matches.

"Then away teams will have a better chance. In South Africa I don't mind that, we bat on green tops anyway."

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/P...u-plessis-calls-for-coaching-clarity-20191025

 

[Savak]

Johannesburg - South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday that full-time appointments concerning the national team's coaching staff and selectors needed to be made urgently.

Speaking on the team's return from a three-Test trouncing in India, Du Plessis said uncertainty over key positions was "a massive red flag".

Cricket South Africa fired coach Ottis Gibson, his back-up staff and the selectors after a poor World Cup campaign.

They announced a new structure headed by a director of cricket and a team director.

Former one-day international player Corrie van Zyl and 37-year-old Enoch Nkwe were appointed in an interim capacity, with Nkwe in charge of the team in India.

Du Plessis said he was committed to continuing as captain despite going through what he described as "the toughest period in my cricket journey".

But he said his own position and those of the other key posts "needs to be resolved as soon as possible".

"The most important thing right now is clarity," he said.

"Someone needs to make decisions, the director of cricket first and then filter down so everyone else can make decisions," he added.

Du Plessis also called for former players to be involved with the national team.

"It's obvious that we need to make more use of ex-players but it also comes with challenges," he said.

"I suppose it always comes down to finance. I know for a fact that we have tried to get them involved but the financial thing is a hurdle. We need experience in the team right now and that comes from ex-players."

Du Plessis admitted that South Africa had been outplayed in India and acknowledged that the team had lacked mental strength.

"It was obvious from the way we played the last Test match. We started really well but by being put under pressure for a long period of time through the series, slowly but surely we started playing worse."

The South African captain said losing the toss in all three Tests had made an already difficult task almost impossible.

"Every Test match they bat first, they score 500, they declare when it's dark, they get three wickets when it's dark and when day three starts you are under pressure. It was like copy and paste in every Test match."

He repeated his call for the toss to be done away with for Test matches.

"Then away teams will have a better chance. In South Africa I don't mind that, we bat on green tops anyway."

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/P...u-plessis-calls-for-coaching-clarity-20191025

These cry babies saffies, i don't see them complaining when they bully subcontinent teams in their home conditions

 

[Hyperion66]

Lol Faf crying again after another mighty performance with the bat. You don't churn out replacements of AB, Amla, Steyn just like that. As their most experienced bat SA needed Faf to show up and he failed miserably on batting friendly pitches.

 

[Ab Fan]

No doubt SA didn't had enough quality in their lineup but they really put up a very poor show, should have shown some mettle or intent of changing what happened in 2015 but none really stood up.

 

[The Viper]

Sad state of affairs when former players are not interested in coaching roles.

Can't blame them tbf when the pay must be pretty poor.

 

[Savak]

Lol Faf crying again after another mighty performance with the bat. You don't churn out replacements of AB, Amla, Steyn just like that. As their most experienced bat SA needed Faf to show up and he failed miserably on batting friendly pitches.

Like I said he believes South Africa is entitled to have quality players all the time, eventually the cycle gets interrupted, every major nation ie West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and now South Africa will go through it

 

[andy0204]

Faf must be sacked and csa make Dean Elgar as a captain.

 

[Saj]

Players leaving South Africa.
Coaches leaving South Africa.

They are in huge trouble and sinking fast.

 

[Savak]

Lol Faf crying again after another mighty performance with the bat. You don't churn out replacements of AB, Amla, Steyn just like that. As their most experienced bat SA needed Faf to show up and he failed miserably on batting friendly pitches.

Players leaving South Africa.
Coaches leaving South Africa.

They are in huge trouble and sinking fast.

ABD apparently was making $100,000 a year from his central contract with CSA. He is their top most player. That is peanuts and even less then what Pakistani players make. No wonder all the top quality players and coaches are leaving for better economic opportunities elsewhere

 

[barah_admi]

ABD apparently was making $100,000 a year from his central contract with CSA. He is their top most player. That is peanuts and even less then what Pakistani players make. No wonder all the top quality players and coaches are leaving for better economic opportunities elsewhere

You either care about money or your country. Whatever ABD was getting paid would have been far more than the average pay of South Africans. He can't be moaning about that. Also, a board can only pay based on what they earn and ECB, BCCI, CA and PCB are the 4 highest earning boards in cricket.

Faf and co need to stop moaning as they have a string of pretty decent cricketers but what they have in skill, they lack in spine.

 

[Savak]

Lol Faf crying again after another mighty performance with the bat. You don't churn out replacements of AB, Amla, Steyn just like that. As their most experienced bat SA needed Faf to show up and he failed miserably on batting friendly pitches.

You either care about money or your country. Whatever ABD was getting paid would have been far more than the average pay of South Africans. He can't be moaning about that. Also, a board can only pay based on what they earn and ECB, BCCI, CA and PCB are the 4 highest earning boards in cricket.

Faf and co need to stop moaning as they have a string of pretty decent cricketers but what they have in skill, they lack in spine.

How much is $100,000 in South Africa? The Australian, English, Indian players earn $ millions a year, that's a world of a difference.

Graeme Pollock suffered health problems in his 60's and was about to lose his house and he desperately reached out to the BCCI for help because Cricket South Africa could not do much for him.

South Africa also has many other sports and Cricket is not that popular there. The players have a very limited amount of time to make the most amount of money to secure their families. Based on this you can't blame the players for prioritizing T20 leagues, Kolpak deals over their country as patriotism and pride doesn't pay bills or put food on the table

 

[Hyperion66]

ABD apparently was making $100,000 a year from his central contract with CSA. He is their top most player. That is peanuts and even less then what Pakistani players make. No wonder all the top quality players and coaches are leaving for better economic opportunities elsewhere

Wow didn't know that!! You sure about that number? Don't get me wrong but that's like really really low pay for a sportsperson of his stature. I had no idea of CSA being this broke, damn!!

 

[Hyperion66]

How much is $100,000 in South Africa? The Australian, English, Indian players earn $ millions a year, that's a world of a difference.

Graeme Pollock suffered health problems in his 60's and was about to lose his house and he desperately reached out to the BCCI for help because Cricket South Africa could not do much for him.

South Africa also has many other sports and Cricket is not that popular there. The players have a very limited amount of time to make the most amount of money to secure their families. Based on this you can't blame the players for prioritizing T20 leagues, Kolpak deals over their country as patriotism and pride doesn't pay bills or put food on the table

Very well put, totally agree.

 

[MenInG]

I suggest that instead of fancy words, Faf and some of his illustrious colleagues should sit down with the Bok's Rugby team members and understand what commitment to the cause means!

 

[Abdullah719]

Boucher on SA cricket: We're in a pretty bad state

Spoiler

Cape Town - Former Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher says South African cricket is in a dire state and that the Mzansi Super League (MSL) will not solve Cricket South Africa's (CSA) problems.

CSA has been in the spotlight following the Proteas' seventh-place finish at the recent Cricket World Cup and their 3-0 Test series defeat to India.

Last week, CSA suspended three senior officials alleging they had neglected their duties in a payment dispute between the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) and CSA relating to last year's MSL.

The focus has turned to the local scene with the MSL getting under way on Friday with a repeat of last year's final as the Jozi Stars take on the Cape Town Blitz in Gauteng.

Tshwane Spartans coach Boucher says he wouldn't want people to think the T20 tournament is "sugarcoating" any problems.

"There might be quite a few people looking at this and saying we're sugarcoating the actual situation we are in with South African cricket at the moment," said Boucher, as quoted by SACricket Mag.

"We've got ourselves into a pretty bad state. Hopefully there are some clever heads there to try and turn things around."

Boucher firmly believes that the tournament will do well this year, but cautions we shouldn't rely on the tournament to fix SA cricket's issues.

"The tournament will be well supported as it was last year, but we've got to be very careful with putting too much emphasis on this tournament. There are bigger problems that need to be sorted out," he said.

"It's sad to read, watch and listen about our cricket. There's a lot of negativity."

The Tshwane Spartans kick-start their campaign against the Durban Heat at Kingsmead on Saturday (12:30).

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/M...a-cricket-were-in-a-pretty-bad-state-20191106

 

[MenInG]

Former South African captain Graeme Smith has withdrawn his interest in becoming Cricket South Africa's (CSA) director of cricket. In a statement issued on his Twitter feed on Thursday, Smith said he was not confident that he would have been given the freedom to do the job on his own terms. Smith confirmed that he had been interviewed by CSA for a position which would effectively have put him in charge of the national team, who have endured a miserable set of results since losing a home Test series against Sri Lanka in February.

"I would love to have taken on the role," the 38-year-old Smith said.

"However, despite my obvious desire to make a difference, during the long and, at times, frustrating process over the last 10 or so weeks of discussions, I have not developed the necessary confidence that I would be given the level of freedom and support to initiate the required changes."

Smith's indication of the timeline of negotiations may explain why the key positions of national team director and director of cricket have not been filled only six weeks before the first of four home Tests against England.

The team director will report to the director of cricket, who will in turn report to chief executive Thabang Moroe.

The relatively inexperienced Enoch Nkwe was appointed interim team director for a tour of India in which South Africa lost all three Tests by wide margins last month.

The interim director of cricket, former international Corrie van Zyl, was recently suspended along with two other officials in a controversy over money owed to players for last year's Super League T20 competition.

Media reports indicate, however, that Van Zyl remains a contender for the full-time position.

Smith concluded his statement by saying his passion for South Africa's cricketing fortunes remained steadfast.

"I give my heartfelt best wishes to whomever does take the role on. I will continue to support the teams and give my advice and guidance whenever I can."

News that Smith was in line for the director role gave rise to hope that he might have been able to transform South African cricket as Rassie Erasmus did with the country's rugby Springboks, who recently won the Rugby World Cup.

Erasmus appeared to have been the freedom to run the team without political or administrative interference.

Smith scored 9,265 runs in 117 Test matches, hitting 27 hundreds.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/for...wn-cricket-south-africa-director-role-2132719

 

[jnaveen1980]

When he says "desired changes" does it mean eliminating any kind of quota system? Curious to know what they didn't agree with.

 

[MenInG]

Well seems he found some inspiration ....

===

South African cricket captain Faf du Plessis said on Tuesday that a chance meeting with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had turned him into a fan.

Du Plessis was having dinner with Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi in a Cape Town restaurant in November when Klopp, on a private visit to South Africa, walked in.

Kolisi has been a long-time Liverpool fan and Du Plessis posted a picture on both Instagram and Twitter showing the two captains and Klopp, commenting that Kolisi had a “man-crush moment”.

Klopp recognised Kolisi after watching the Springboks win the Rugby World Cup final in Japan some 10 days earlier and came across to congratulate him.

“Did he recognise you?” asked a journalist at Du Plessis’ press conference ahead of the first Test against England, starting on Thursday. “No,” admitted the cricket captain to laughter. “But he said he watches cricket. The Liverpool guys watched the Cricket World Cup and saw how well England did.”

Du Plessis said he had never become a close follower of football but said meeting Klopp had changed that. “For someone to be that famous, he is a great guy and that’s what I believe real leadership is about. It’s about connecting with people, having great relationships with people, so I became a massive fan.”

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...is-into-fan/story-nqYI55ft8hD4HD9TciTp3N.html


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[Mamoon]

He has been a great servant for South African cricket, but it is time for CSA to find his replacement as well.

The time has come for him to retire. He is very clearly not good enough anymore and cannot be expected to perform consistently.

Time to make de Kock the captain and get someone like J. Malan in the side.

 

[Ab Fan]

SA are in transition right now but it's pretty much a given that this will take quite a time before they could again rejuvenate and collect themselves back as a top team.

 

[Saj]

They need to stop the drip feed of players leaving South Africa and playing their cricket overseas. This problem will hurt them a lot if it's not addressed very soon.

 

[Hasan123]

Time to retire Faf. One of my all time favourite South African players and one of my favourites in the modern game. But it's time to ride off into the sunset ams enjoy franchise cricket. You deserve it buddy. Represented South Africa with pride and always gave his all. Didn't run away in difficult times like that coward AB. In fact he thrived in adversity. His last couple of years have been the best of his career.

De Kock or Van Der Dussen need to be made captain.

 

[globalcitizen]

FAF is right in asking this issue to be addressed. It’s not his problem that players are leaving because of introduced quota system.
It’s unfortunate when people say that players are leaving to county for money it’s not true. They are absolutely committed to their nation no doubt about it.
Some of players are one rung below but still get selected and play instead of some deserved players.
And this is not just in sports but also in white collared jobs. So many people are migrating from SA in all fields!!!

 

[tyron_woodley]

FAF is right in asking this issue to be addressed. It’s not his problem that players are leaving because of introduced quota system.
It’s unfortunate when people say that players are leaving to county for money it’s not true. They are absolutely committed to their nation no doubt about it.
Some of players are one rung below but still get selected and play instead of some deserved players.
And this is not just in sports but also in white collared jobs. So many people are migrating from SA in all fields!!!

No offence but white saffers have only themselves to blame for ill treating the native South Africans in the past. and no past will never be forgotten easily. all those non native saffers especially white origin ones deserved to booted out into oblivion. it’s not their country.

 

[Ab Fan]

Faf should retire. He is not good enough, he never was in test cricket barring a couple of odd innings.

 

[moghul]

No offence but white saffers have only themselves to blame for ill treating the native South Africans in the past. and no past will never be forgotten easily. all those non native saffers especially white origin ones deserved to booted out into oblivion. it’s not their country.

That's emotional stuff , no wisdom in it. South African should be more interested with country's development and not the revenge. Similarly cricket will go down if they kept this revenge mentality. They were beaten by Afghanistan team in under 19 WC and 0-7 by Pakistan recently. Their cricket is doomed unless they open their mind.

 

[Bewal Express]

Beg ABD to come back and guide the batsman because Faf looks shot. Move Van der Dussen to 3 and put Bavuma to 4 and ABD to 5.

 

[globalcitizen]

No offence but white saffers have only themselves to blame for ill treating the native South Africans in the past. and no past will never be forgotten easily. all those non native saffers especially white origin ones deserved to booted out into oblivion. it’s not their country.

Are you serious? So what’s that got to do with cricket or FAF. I was just pointing the fact that some in this forum are discussing alternate things without knowing the real truth. and less we talk about some who still discuss nonsense even after knowing truth Just for sake of it.
Any cricket system going through that transformation will suffer so SA cricket is no different. And we are not just talking about natural transition by players retiring...

 

[tyron_woodley]

Are you serious? So what’s that got to do with cricket or FAF. I was just pointing the fact that some in this forum are discussing alternate things without knowing the real truth. and less we talk about some who still discuss nonsense even after knowing truth Just for sake of it.
Any cricket system going through that transformation will suffer so SA cricket is no different. And we are not just talking about natural transition by players retiring...

No the quota system is fine the way it is. the native people were deprived of the privilege to play cricket in the past. Nothing wrong in encouraging more natives to play cricket via a quota system through the grass root levels. Yes the problem is it will take some time to become a top team again. They did it with rugby. they just won a rugby world cup with a majority black team. South Africa will be fine. just give it time. Soon we will see a majority black plus coloured south african team.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I love Faf. I am his biggest fan. Not just of his batting but of his captaincy aswell. But even I feel his time has come. Could even get sacked after this series which South Africa can't win altho he might hold on the limited-overs captaincy till the T20 WC. And I don't blame him, I can understand his frustration. The South African team is looking like the skeleton of the team from last year. de Villiers's departure in particular has really hit them hard. I still feel though another great South African team is only a couple of years away. It's impossible to keep them down. The talent just keeps coming through. Markram, Nortje, Ngidi are just some of the names who can become greats. I'm a fan of de Bruyn as well eventho he hasn't quite established himself at the top-level. Despite the politics and the quotas I find it hard to believe that South Africa will not be a very good team in a few years time.

 

[andy0204]

Abd was the difference between Australia (sandpaper gate) and India series otherwise they would have got defeated just like now.

 

[globalcitizen]

No the quota system is fine the way it is. the native people were deprived of the privilege to play cricket in the past. Nothing wrong in encouraging more natives to play cricket via a quota system through the grass root levels. Yes the problem is it will take some time to become a top team again. They did it with rugby. they just won a rugby world cup with a majority black team. South Africa will be fine. just give it time. Soon we will see a majority black plus coloured south african team.

Lol I am telling you the same and it took 2 posts to make you understand. Probably you have comprehension issues. So the main issue is quota system and by time they get good balance it takes time. So ppl should stop talking about FAF being reason for SA downfall and also questioning commitment of some players. They are doing the right thing for themselves based on situation.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Lol I am telling you the same and it took 2 posts to make you understand. Probably you have comprehension issues. So the main issue is quota system and by time they get good balance it takes time. So ppl should stop talking about FAF being reason for SA downfall and also questioning commitment of some players. They are doing the right thing for themselves based on situation.

No I had no difficulty understanding even the tripe you spouted before.

I just wanted to make it clear that I actually genuinely want them to kick out white players if they need to. Specifically white origin. If they wish to make it an all black/coloured team then I am all for it. Their country. Their wish.

As for the quota system yes it's not fair but eventually it will come to fruition. I already stated that. My point was to endorse the idea of building an All black/coloured team with zero whites.

 

[Manunited18]

The quota system is a very sensitive and devisive issue, because of the history of the country, clearly cricket rugby in South Africa is upper class sports which in general has been dominated by the minority white population, the real progress for South Africa would be to allow the majority black population to thrive at grass roots then they will see real progress on and off the field

 

[MenInG]

Cape Town - Faf du Plessis says he remains committed to captaining the Proteas despite suggestions that he could be nearing the end of his tenure.

South Africa lost the third Test to England by an innings-and-53-runs on Monday to go 2-1 down in the four-match series, while Du Plessis has come in for particular criticism for his lean run of batting form.

The 35-year-old days he has been aware of the uncertainty surrounding his immediate future, but reiterated his desire to stay involved until after this year's T20 World Cup in Australia in September.

"I've heard there are a lot of rumours about retirement, but I think I've been pretty clear with you guys that I have committed myself to CSA until the T20 World Cup," Du Plessis told media at St George's Park.

"There isn't a lot of Test cricket left this year. There is one massive Test match where we need everyone to be as strong as possible to try and draw the series, then afterwards there is quite a big gap and an opportunity to release some of that responsibility in terms of captaincy to give guys opportunities, particularly in ODI cricket to look to the future.

"There are two Tests in West Indies and the rest of the year is white ball stuff.

"Most probably, I don't know, after that then Test cricket will be something that won't see me. But that is a decision that I will only make then, as I've been saying for a while."

Du Plessis is expected to step away from the ODI captaincy for the upcoming three-match series against England, but he still in the frame to take the side to the T20 World Cup.

And, listening to him on Monday, it seems that Du Plessis is still keen on taking the side to the West Indies in July.

The pressure, however, has gotten to him.

"I try to block it out, as one should do, but myself and everyone else in the dressing room are not robots so it does get to you," he said.

"At the moment there are quite a few of us that are under-performing and that's a fact ... myself included. 20s and 30s have never won Test matches and will never win Test matches. For me, it's about trying to be as mentally strong as possible and block out the noise."

Du Plessis acknowledged that his Test form was not good enough.

"Personally, from a runs point of view, I'm not up to the level where I should be, but I've still got a huge role to play as a captain to make sure I lift these guys up," he said.

"If I'm brutally honest with myself, white ball cricket at the moment is probably where I'm at my most successful.

"In ODI cricket my stats are up there with the best in the world, in T20 my stats are up there. In Test cricket my stats are not where they need to be. From an average point of view, averaging 40 or 41, I need to be better than that. As a batting unit our standards need to be better, and at the moment I am not acquiring those stats."

Leadership, though, is something that Du Plessis continues to embrace.

"It's a character builder and you try and make sure you learn as much about yourself as possible, even in the tough times, so that you can be strong for someone else," he said.

"It's a tough time, but there is no running away from it.


"The worst thing a leader can do is pull the plug mid-series and say 'sorry boys. I'm out.'

"I think that's what leadership is all about ... you have to stick through the tough times as well."

The fourth Test gets underway on Friday.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/E...oteas-eyes-t20-world-cup-as-swansong-20200120

 

[Savak]

I wonder if anything has changed in the last year and a half. This SA team is just so low on quality compared to the team from 1990-2018. In the last 2 years when all the great players left and all the current players went the kolpak route, they have suffered very badly where beating them now is no longer considered an upset any longer.

They lost at home to Sri Lanka in 2019.

 

[Ab Fan]

Over the past two years, it has been proved that post retirement of Smith and Kallis, SA were completely dependent on AB in all formats. Amla and Steyn were past it and didn't have in them to carry the team further.

Although SA were still not the same force post Smith and Kallis retirement but were still a top 3-4 team and reached semis in 2015 WC. But post ABD departure, they have further slides down from 3rd position to 6th-7th and over last two years trying to cope up against the likes of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

It is also proved that Faf was always a mediocre batsman and all this talk about being the man in adversity was complete hyperbole and non sense and basically a bait to demean other greater cricketers. When you have to demean diamond, you do start hyping silver and that was the case.

Faf has failed to carry his team as batsman and captain and gave them some humiliating defeats like against Sri Lanka at home and getting humiliated by Windies and Bangladesh in World Cup 2019.

Moreover, their next captain, Quinton de Kock has also been exposed and looked all in sea when leading his team. It was his time to perform and deliver for their country but he have failed to do so and his poor record in World Cup further illustrates that he belongs to the same choker gene which Saffers had in past, brilliant in bilaterals but come the major World Cup, he doesn't have any good knock to show up. He has also established himself as one of the worst captains to have lead his team based on the disinterest shown by him.

South African cricket is currently in great dismay and they will probably give the captaincy to Markram who should do better in my opinion compared to their previous two leaders, Faf and Qdk. He is extremely talented and has shown leadership skills by taking his U-19 team to a world cup win. He is the right man to take this team forward but whether he is ready or not remains a question.

 

[Bilal7]

Ironically enough, out of all the players in Smith's legendary South African team, Faf du Plessis was one of the players who is most-replaceable.

You don't just replace the likes of Smith, Amla, Kallis, ABD, Steyn and Philander. These were generational talents.

 

[Pakhs]

Over the past two years, it has been proved that post retirement of Smith and Kallis, SA were completely dependent on AB in all formats. Amla and Steyn were past it and didn't have in them to carry the team further.

Although SA were still not the same force post Smith and Kallis retirement but were still a top 3-4 team and reached semis in 2015 WC. But post ABD departure, they have further slides down from 3rd position to 6th-7th and over last two years trying to cope up against the likes of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

It is also proved that Faf was always a mediocre batsman and all this talk about being the man in adversity was complete hyperbole and non sense and basically a bait to demean other greater cricketers. When you have to demean diamond, you do start hyping silver and that was the case.

Faf has failed to carry his team as batsman and captain and gave them some humiliating defeats like against Sri Lanka at home and getting humiliated by Windies and Bangladesh in World Cup 2019.

Moreover, their next captain, Quinton de Kock has also been exposed and looked all in sea when leading his team. It was his time to perform and deliver for their country but he have failed to do so and his poor record in World Cup further illustrates that he belongs to the same choker gene which Saffers had in past, brilliant in bilaterals but come the major World Cup, he doesn't have any good knock to show up. He has also established himself as one of the worst captains to have lead his team based on the disinterest shown by him.

South African cricket is currently in great dismay and they will probably give the captaincy to Markram who should do better in my opinion compared to their previous two leaders, Faf and Qdk. He is extremely talented and has shown leadership skills by taking his U-19 team to a world cup win. He is the right man to take this team forward but whether he is ready or not remains a question.

Actually Amla and ABD decline started round about the same time except in ABD case it was not a decline in terms of ability but mostly losing interest in playing for SA but concentrating on making whatever money he could in the twilight of his career through IPL and other leagues.

Obviously they have not been able to replace any of the big names that made them number 1 and went unbeaten away from home for 7 years straight even Rabada is not as good as steyn.