There’s a lot of opinion around that the Proteas have the best fast bowling attack in World Cricket.
I disagree. While they have some brilliant quicks boasting impressive career figures, once you take them away from home and remove the minnows of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe they’re quickly bought back down to earth. What
- Dale Steyn – Right-arm fast
Career: 27 Tests, 136 Wickets at 22.67
Excluding Minnows, away from home: 9 Tests, 40 Wickets at 27.68 - Makhaya Ntini – Right-arm fast
Career: 93 Tests, 369 at 27.69
Excluding Minnows, away from home: 37 Tests, 119 Wickets at 36.48 - Morne Morkel – Right-arm fast
12 Tests, 40 Wickets at 30.92
Excluding Bangladesh his figures are 8 Tests yielding 19 Wickets at 45.6 - Jacques Kallis – Right-arm fast-medium
Career: 125 Tests, 245 Wickets at 30.92
Excluding Minnows, away from home: 51 Tests, 92 Wickets at 35.86 - Monde Zondeki – Right-arm fast
Career: 6 Tests, 19 Wickets at 25.26
Excluding Minnows, away from home: 4 Tests, 7 Wickets at 47.57
So, 4 right-arm quicks offering no variety and ordinary performances away from home. Their Spearhead, Dale Steyn had been, in my estimation, the best quick in world cricket until he toured England a few months ago. Now he’ll really have to lift his game to match Brett Lee and the rapidly improving Mitchell Johnson.
They’ve left out Andre Nel, and while I’ve not closely followed the Saffa scene I do recall him being omitted from a recent Bangladeshi tour due to his whiteness. Perhaps the stigma associated with his being dropped for Charl Langaveldt then is still around? Either way, they’re a weaker side without his aggression and passion, and he’ll be sorely missed by the Aussie crowds in need of a villain.
Compare this to the variety offered by the Aussie pace attack:
- Brett Lee ; right-arm fast
- Mitchell Johnson ; left-arm fast
- Stuart Clark ; right-arm McGrath
- Shane Watson ; right-arm male model
Here’s to a cracking series, and to no Perth Based Saffa ex-pats yelling racist remarks and tarnishing Australian crowds with their brush.
Totally agree with your point. There’s no way South Africa have the best bowling attack. However, are Australia much better? England certainly have a poor attack at the moment. In fact, I think the standard of bowling at international level has taken a downturn recently. I mean where is the next Warney or Murily or McGrath going to come from?
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rugby, do you want to look around first before resigning yourself to years of agony? does instant karma, mendis, and the young chawla mean anything to you? steyn is great and he will prove it soon enough, morkel is going to be fine as well once he finds his radar and i think the boy broad is not too shabby either. i think the bowling stock is okay, just not stacked like it was when glen and co weree operating
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The next Murali is Mendis, and actually it could be an Indian too, by the name of Mohnish Pawar.
20 yr old kid who has modeled himself on Murali. Bowls just like him. Action looks fishy just like Murali But gets teh same spin and has a doosra. Might be in Indian colors soon.
Mos- agree on your point about the saffers. they attack is so boring. i wonder if they will run into this overrate issue ? it might a interesting side pt to keep a look at.
harris is their only spinner and he is quite shit at the moment.
i think spin will play a huge role in the outcome, if krejza is fit, we might just see him make his first big impact in a test series.
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I’m not claiming that the saffattack wont be a handful, especially in Perth where it should favour quality pace bowling. It’s just the lack of variety should encourage batsmen who start to get in. If you can survive the opening onslaught from Steyn and Morkel then you’ve got two more bowlers who are pretty much the same but slower to replace them..
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i am of the opinion that your best bowlers who you feel will give you those 20 wickets should be played…having said that i agree with you that since england tour dale has not shown the form which he was showing before…but may be this tour will fire him to come good…
ntini should watch ishant’s bowling tapes coz like him his stock delivery is which comes in…and if he gets the bowl in right areas can trouble ozies…specially punter…i wonder that was the reason they asked kirsten for help…
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and Aus have Jason Krezja not to mention Symmo!
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