Pardon me, but don’t you have to earn the right to “test your depth” and give rookies a run at international level in any sport?
I mean, it’s mos lambs to the slaughter if a struggling Wales decide to send over a second-string rugby team to face the Springboks.
So are we really so dig or that much in denial about the state of our cricket in South Africa that we think we can experiment at international level? Yoh! I’d feel a bit innie gesig gevat if India, Australia or England sent a B-team over to South Africa for a limited overs series.
Problem is, they’d probably give us a proper hiding with those second-stringers, because that’s how good their first teams are.
But not us. We’re not in that Whatsapp group.
And it’s just where our cricket’s at at the moment – a bit like Manchester United; the worst it’s been since the turn of the century at least.
That’s why, as fans, it’s time for us to accept the reality and stop seeing ourselves as the strong team of years gone by where Herschelle Gibbs bliksem’d the Aussies stukkend, Jacques Kallis went down on one knee to smack one out of the park or Dale Steyn being given the ball to ruk the penne of the opponents.
Hashim Amla could turn a game with a flick of the wrist, while Graeme Smith was able to eek out runs when his team needed him to. Those days are gone.
We had good squads before then too. In fact, ever since readmission in 1992 we had competitive teams. That’s until now.
This period is the worst I’ve seen of SA cricket and dit raak net erger.
The proof is in the pudding. Losing matches against Afghanistan and Ireland are now par for the course, while any excuse to fear the ‘mighty’ Bangladesh in the upcoming Test series is an acceptable one.
For sure, the minnows of cricket have upped their game. Here’s the thing, though, we have stagnated. In fact, we’ve been on a slippery slope and have failed to improve ourselves.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, our cricket is losing the game off the field and, to my mind, it is showing BIG TIME on it now.
We know of the battles at Cricket South Africa (CSA) and all that.
I do believe that the off-field turmoil of the last five years or so has created a bad aura around the team and I just wonder if the Protea is still being worn with pride.
When I listen to players from other countries saying ‘no thanks’ to big bucks in the T20 tournaments around the world because they want to play for their countries, I wonder where we went wrong.
It feels to me like we almost have to beg players to play for the Proteas. But that’s a story for another day.
The latest thing that puzzled me was their insistence on “giving young players a run in the Proteas environment against ‘top-class’ opposition” and then going down against the likes of the West Indies, Afghanistan and Ireland.
It’s not even like the players they are exposing are that young. Just look at the ODI squad that played the first match against Ireland last night.
The only uncapped player in the squad, Ottneil Baartman, is already 31 years old.
Following him is 29-year-old Jason Smith with one cap, Ryan Rickelton (28) with his two caps, Lizaad Williams (31) with his four caps, Nandre Burger (29) with his five caps en so kan ons aangaan.
Nee boys, you’re not breeding young guns, you’re playing SA dirt-trackers and selling us adibas instead of adidas.
Something’s seriously wrong with our cricket. Just look at the disrespect the national team was shown during the SA20 this year when they sent a bunch of who didn’t make the cut for the SA20 to represent the country in Tests in New Zealand.
Just there you made the Protea cheap and it’s difficult to come back from that.
As a big Proteas fan for decades already, I think they need a serious overhaul from the top down – meaning CSA and it’s boontjietellers.
As it is, cricket is leaving a bad taste in lot’s of sportsmense’s mouths.
It’s time to restore some pride and it’ll only happen if the best players play for SA.
And when we’ve reached the top of the mountain and only then, can we be so cocky to send a second string to face so-called minnows. Until then, all the best gents.
But this is not lekker.