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South Africa head home
By Scott 2 years ago, at the start of February Leave a comment on this post
South Africa head home in a day or two, after being beaten by Sri Lanka today, which concludes South Africa’s fourth tour of Australia since they were re-admitted to the international cricket community.
It has to be said that Graeme Smith’s team was the least successful of the four. Like many nations, South Africa has never won a Test Series in Australia, and they never looked likely to do that. It took a remarkable rearguard action in the First Test to prevent it turning into a clean sweep. And this South African party was the first to fail to qualify for the triangular series final.
Smith can point to the fact that injuries decimated his squad, although that excuse really only carries weight for the poor ODI showing. South Africa were close to full strength for the Tests.
Smith himself had a wretched time with the bat; he did not score a single half century against the Australians in the entire tour. For such a patently talented batsman, this must have been very disheartening.
He did finally score 67 in a lost cause today, but it was a distraught man who watched his side crumble in his wake. He is under fire from home and is not the first, nor will he be the last, talented batsman to find Australia is as tough a tour as any going around.
Tags: australia, excuse, graeme-smith, lost-cause, ODI, sri-lanka |
6 Responses to “South Africa head home”
February 7th, 2006 at 9.26 pm
February 7th, 2006 at 9.37 pm
It’s the sheer awesomeness of my posting, Wraye- leaves them lost for words.
February 7th, 2006 at 11.39 pm
I hope Smith does stick around, for everyone’s sake. He is tough, which RSA need at the moment, and will make a return to form. He probably needs to pull his head in a bit, but then again, that probably wouldn’t be said if the tactic of going nose to nose with the aussies had worked.
February 8th, 2006 at 4.22 am
Smith is the worst captain of all time but even more damning can’t bat at all. He must be sacked now along with the quota system which cost the country Pietersen who’s a mile better than Smith. I hope the press gives it to him big time ; he deserves it. He’s arrogant and singularly lacking in any intelligence.
February 9th, 2006 at 3.18 am
I’ve told Mylo a million times, don’t exaggerate! 
I couldn’t be more delighted personally that Smith failed so thoroughly with the bat on tour. Big-mouths need to follow up on their words. Mind you, I get pretty sick of some of the pre-series, pre-match verbal antics from the Australians too. McGrath probably still thinks we can win last year’s Ashes 5-0….
February 9th, 2006 at 8.08 am
I didn’t think that RSA or, for that matter, Smith were all that bad.
Needless to say there were things that need fixing:
1. Their batting order needs to be more flexible, especially in the ODIs. Most of the time in Australia it was completely out of synch: it wasn’t necessarily that they didn’t have the right team, but they need to bat in a different order, particularly when Smith fails. In general, I think Gibbs would be better as an opener than as no 3. He could easily swap places with Dippenaar.
2. Their fielding totally sucks. Smith’s field placings are usually interesting (I mean that in a positive sense) but what does it matter when nobody seems able to hold on to the goddamned ball?!
3. They need to lighten up a little and start enjoy themselves a bit more: too often they all looked as if playing actually pained them. That’s not cricket.
I am looking forward to see the RSA team again. If nothing else, they are a better looking bunch than the Australians and the Sri Lankans put together - Symonds and Sangakkara obviously excepted.
