Showing posts with label proteas. Show all posts

Thursday, 24 February 2011

PROTEAS ARE FIELDING FIRST...We have LIFT OFF SA...!

We have LIFT OFF South Africa...The Proteas are bowling and fielding first in their first 2011 World Cup match against the West Indies. Here are the team sheets...

South Africa:

Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Robin Peterson, Johan Botha, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir

West Indies:
Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (captain), Devon Thomas (wk), Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn

South Africa has gone into this match with all three spinners and Tahir should be a handful on these low, spinning pitches in India. Smith won the toss and decided that chasing the oppositions score is best suited for his team. Lets see what happens...Go Proteas...!!

Monday, 21 February 2011

WORLD CUP CRICKET 2011 - Decision time for Proteas...?

It is time soon for our Cricket boys to kick off their 2011 campaign in a sixth attempt to win the biggest crown in International one-day cricket. Will this be the year for the Proteas, or will they fall flat on their face once more...?

Our opening match will be against the unpredictable West Indies side and this time around we do not want to start our WC the way it did in 2003 when we lost our opening match, on home soil, against the very same West Indies side.

What sort of side will they select to play in this all important opener, because we want to start with a very positive result to give us immediate momentum going into the rest of the month-long tournament? Our selectors, coach and captain Graeme Smith have a few difficult choices to make? Will they go for the tried-and-tested players, or will an unexperienced spinner like Tahir get the nod? What will it be?

This is the moment in a International sports persons career where decisions can influence the outcome and

"WE WILL NOT CHOKE" - Duminy insists...

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket

South Africa can shed their reputation as Cricket World Cup chokers, batsman JP Duminy insisted on Friday.
The Proteas have yet to win the sport's biggest one-day prize following a series of misfortunes since the country's return to international cricket.
Duminy believes that having a 15-man squad that boasts 11 World Cup debutants means a campaign free of the baggage of failure.
"We know that tag (as chokers) haunts us quite a bit but there are a lot of new faces in the team," Duminy told cricinfo.
"Hopefully that tag won't bother us too much in going all the way in this tournament. It's a young-looking side but it's not necessarily a bad thing.
"We've been putting building blocks in place before the first game and we are looking forward to the challenge."
After 21 years of apartheid-induced isolation, South Africa made the semi-finals in 1992 only to be undone by a bizarre rain rule that left them needing 22 runs off one ball to beat England.
In 1996 a side led by the late Hansie Cronje and coached by the innovative Bob Woolmer established themselves as favourites in India and Pakistan, sweeping through the group stage only to be beaten in the quarter-finals by a West Indian team that had struggled to qualify.
Cronje and Woolmer were again in charge of a powerful team in England in 1999 before Australia clawed back from the brink of elimination in a Super Six match, then knocked the Proteas out on net run rate when a dramatic semi-final between the two teams ended in a tie.
South Africa's failure to qualify for the second round at home in 2003 cost Shaun Pollock the captaincy and his successor, Graeme Smith, led a largely lacklustre campaign in the West Indies in 2007.
Although South Africa reached the semi-finals for the third time it was no surprise when they were beaten by a strong Australian team.

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

CRICKET WC NEWS: Proteas beat Aus - Steyn shines again...!

http://www.supersport.com/cricket

Read More for FULL Scorecard of game....

Openers Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla struck half-centuries on Tuesday to guide South Africa to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Australia in their World Cup warm-up match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Captain Smith smashed 65 and Amla made 60 as South Africa raced to their target of 218 in 44.2 overs, condemning three-time defending champions Australia to a second successive practice defeat before the World Cup.

Both Smith and Amla retired in a bid to give others batting practice.
Jean-Paul Duminy was not out on 47 and AB de Villiers on 16, when the target was achieved.
Australia, who lost to India two days previously, were all out for 217 as pace bowler Dale Steyn and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson bagged three wickets apiece.

The Proteas took control early in their innings, blunting the pace attack of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson with some determined batting.
Smith, who later used his feet well against the spinners, decided to retire on 65 after smashing 10 fours off 81 balls.
Amla followed in similar fashion a little later with a neat 60 off 76 balls with seven fours.
"It is lovely to get some confidence ahead of the World Cup," Amla said. "Australia is a very good team and it was good to play well against them. But then, this was just a practice game."

PROTEAS UPDATE vs. Australia - WC Warm-up...!

Group A

Group B

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket

Dale Steyn trapped Shane Watson lbw for a duck in the first over of the match, before Lonwabo Tsotsobe ran out Brad Haddin also without troubling the scorers.

Earlier, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has won the toss and elected to bat.

It is the second warm-up match for both teams.

Australia lost to India by 38 runs on Sunday, while South Africa beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets on Saturday.

Tsotsobe, who had strained his right knee during South Africa's first warm-up game, was cleared on Monday by the Proteas medical team to play in this match.

Both teams can field their full 15-member squad, with a maximum of 11 to bat and field.

South Africa's first World Cup match is only on Thursday, February 24, against the West Indies in Delhi.

Australia play their first match on Monday against Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad.

Teams:

Australia:
RT Ponting (captain), SR Watson, BJ Haddin†, MJ Clarke, DJ Hussey, CL White, TD Paine, SPD Smith, JW Hastings, MG Johnson, JJ Krejza, B Lee, SW Tait, DE Bollinger, CJ Ferguson

South Africa:
HM Amla, GC Smith (captain), JH Kallis, AB de Villiers†, JP Duminy, F du Plessis, CA Ingram, Imran Tahir, RJ Peterson, WD Parnell, LL Tsotsobe, DW Steyn, M Morkel, MN van Wyk, J Botha

Wednesday, 9 February 2011

CRICKET WC 2011: Proteas coach want patient and steady start!

It is understandable that South Africa's cricket team and their coach Corrie van Zyl want cool heads to prevail ahead of this years World Cup in the sub-continent. We have not played in these conditions for some time now and the next 15 days will be very important while the Protea's use the time to adjust and adapt, before they meet the West Indies in their opening match.

read more...

IMPORTANT TO ACCLIMATISE
http://www.supersport.com/cricket

HOW WILL PROTEAS LOOK IN THEIR NEW WC SHIRTS...?

Looking more and more like Australia's colors...?

Tuesday, 25 January 2011

CRICKET: It is all change for the Proteas...

Variety and adaptability are two of the major ingredients South Africa take with them to the Cricket World Cup, and neither are entities heavily associated with previous sides from this country.

They were oft-spoken of sure, but that’s where it ended with South Africa rather choosing to go with a ‘tried-and-trusted’ policy which nearly always led to predictability and which too often showed the opposition South Africa’s hand.

Through design and a bit of error South Africa arrived at World Cup squad, who for the most part during the series against India couldn’t apply tactics they will use on the sub-continent and in the cases of Imran Tahir and Jacques Kallis had no role to play at all.

However this series has shown the variety and depth of the unit. Faf du Plessis in the third match and Morné van Wyk in the fifth, batted with skill and courage to suggest that there is merit for their inclusion in the starting XI.

CRICKET: Proteas making their way to St Georges for 4th ODI vs India...

Live Twitter message from AB de Villiers a few minutes ago:

ABdeVilliers17 AB de Villiers

Butterflies setting in as we drive past so many fans streaming into the ground here at st.Georges park! Big day for us. Come on boys

YES, COME ON BOYS...!! Lets show our support for the Proteas by supporting them where ever we are - At work, at our local sports pub and restaurant, at home.

South Africa need to desperately win today's encounter down at Port Elizabeth. The weather prediction for St Georges looks good enough - let's hold thumbs for a full 50 over ODI between these two exciting teams...