The question and answer session has closed.
Russell Longworth asked:
I cannot understand why none of our quickies can vary their pace to suit the Harare pitch
Mpumelelo answered:
Russell, some of the guys did it but not all through their spells. What I would say is that they have been below par and need to get hold of their skills and lift the intensity. They will after losing and bowling badly twice
Daniel Sebati asked:
This tri series is a good test for SA but up to now am not satisfied with the perfomance.I can`t see the reason why did SA shuffle the top order in the game they lost to Zimbabwe?Zimbabwe seems to be only the team determined in this series and the players rate it very high.
Mpumelelo answered:
DAniel, I can understand your disappointment with the loss and I am sure there are many more including the team that are not happy. However it is important that Kirsten and his coaching staff have a look at all the players in various positions so that the trip is a fruitful one in the end. It would serve no purpose if the batting order stayed the same and the same guys played each game.
jeandre asked:
Hey pommie I have too say I''m not that worried about the loss, we missing key players in morne morkel , steyn , Ab , kallis and Johan botha. What well worries me is a player called Wayne Parnell !! Why does he keep getting a chance? Its clear if you look at stats of the last 2-3 years he hasn''t preformed to the standard that''s recuired of a internasional , so why does he keep getting a chance and players like alfonso thomas , Morris and other talent players just have too watch him giving poor preformance after poor preformance?
Mpumelelo answered:
Jeandre, firstly Alfonso Thomas is on a Kolpak contract at Somerset and so isn't available to SA anymore. I am sure that Chris Morris will get a go in the couple of games to go because the Proteas coaches will want to see him in action...that is why they brought him.
victor asked:
Good morning Pommie do you think SA is utilising the big hitters effectively, can we afford to leave albie morkel out of the T20 world cup again?
Mpumelelo answered:
Victor, personally I think that Albie will be there for the T20 World Cup. He is a good hitter and can do a great job should the top order set it up nicely for him.
Andre asked:
Hey Pommie I''m hoping you can tell me why Tsokilie got a Contract from CSA? Boucher is supposed to retire after the England series but there is speculations if asked he will stay untill end of the Aust series so why dit tsokile get a contract? Why I''m asking this question is because he is 31 so why did csa rather go for villas or darren smith? They are young players which should grow in the proteas culture as soon as posible. Why delay and bring in a player that at the most maby has 2-4 years in him where as villas and darren has dubble those years still in them?
Mpumelelo answered:
Andre, the view from the selectors is that there is not much difference in terms of glove work between those who are candidates for the test match team so they will go with the next man in line and that is Tsolekile. Whoever they go to will be judged on results so no problems there because if not good enough they will be dropped. I am OK with Tsolekile as he has been around a long while and is experienced...the fact that he is a few years older than the other guys should not rule him out. It allows the younger guys to mature as well. It would be too risky to pick a young guy and ask him to learn on the job at the highest level, especially in test cricket.
Nhlanhla asked:
Morning Mpumelelo.
Who would you pick in your Test,ODI,T20 team? AB de Villiers or Michael Clarke?
Mpumelelo answered:
Nhlanhla, both AB and Clarke are fantastic players but I reckon that when it comes to limited overs cricket AB is a long way ahead of Clarke. He is just more versatile and able to adapt to the need for quick scoring and power hitting where Clarke is a bit limited and can be tied down.
Merwe Moelich asked:
Hey there. I personally think Parnell has had enough chances at this level. There is always talked about him, going to the next level, but nothing is changing. I think it is time to give somebody else a chance.
Mpumelelo answered:
Merwe, that is a fair point of view. I reckon he has had quite a lot of chances and not produced what is expected. The fact that he keeps getting another chance may be due to the fact that the selectors and team coaching staff think that they can get to the potential which he has shown in the past. That is why teams stick with certain players a bit longer than others.
itayi . bangidza asked:
what changes do you want to see in zimbabwe national team?
Mpumelelo answered:
Itayi, I am not sure in aspect you mean but as far as the tri series is concerned I would like to see them have a look at other members of their squad so that the whole squad gets a taste of tough competitive pressure before the T20 World Cup
Petrus asked:
Hi there, why do you think Loots Bosman is not playing in t20s anymore? Imagine him and Levi together? Brake the 300 mark in T20, LOL.
Mpumelelo answered:
Petrus, I see you are a Loots fan. he sure can hit the ball a long way. He has struggled with his fitness in the past but at the end the day he did not put the numbers on the board in the MiWay T20 this year so has not got a recall.
Tumelo asked:
Hi Pommie,thanks for your time.
Do you think Gary will stick will Colin @3 or will he try someone else there like Vilas and Morris come in for Parnell,Faf in for Levi and Fahaarn in for Morkel just to see what they offer
Mpumelelo answered:
Tumelo, a pleasure mate. I reckon Gary wants to have a look at everybody who has come up for the tri series and so will ring the changes to give everybody a go. That is the purpose of the whole exercise.
Ralf asked:
Do you think SA will play more attacking cricket under the leadership of AB in the ODIs? Include more big hitters in the team? More big hiiters upfront? Not make daft decisions like dropping Albie for a T20 world cup?
answered:
Ralf, I reckon that the intention is to be attcking and aggressive in T20 cricket as well as ODI cricket regardless of who the captain is. However there is the need to find a workable balance that will allow consistent success. AB is a class player and more often than not will grab a game by the scruff of the neck and move it along when batting so that will sure help things. More big hitters....well, that is dependent on whether the team is balanced or not but in my opinion there is a place for Albie and Levi along with the touch players
Gilbert asked:
What are the chances of Zimbabwe winning the series? Do you think they can actually win a series, considering they are desperate for a series win, even unofficial?
Mpumelelo answered:
Gilbert, yes I think that they can win it but will have to play even better than they did as South Africa will be sure to lift their intensity.
heinrich asked:
from the look of S.A performance dont you think that they should consider having a specialist T20team,like the 7s in rugby?what are they dtill doing with Parnell i mean when last did he put in a good performance i think before he got injured.
Mpumelelo answered:
Heinrich, I reckon you are onto something in terms of specialists for the format but I also think there are those players who can be very good in all formats who you would still pick. AB DeVilliers for example would play all forms as would Dale Steyn.
Ismail asked:
8ta Mpumelelo. The rustiness of our players is showing in this friendly series & this will be advantageous for our players to get rdi of their cobwebs. However i feel that this series relies solely on a hit-and-run scenario which would be detrimental to our overall playing standards especially the tests. Was there any possibility of having this tournament played as ODI or 3 day game seeing that they are friendlies in order to assist our players get aquainted to the mental aspects of the longer format? Thanx for your time.
Mpumelelo answered:
Heita Ismail, this is a tournament that is particularly to get more T20 cricket for those in line for the T20 World Cup in September because there is a limit on the number that they can play internationally as a team. Hence the unofficial status. The test players, most of them, have been left in South africa and are being put through their paces there.
Thabiso Baas asked:
Hi Pommie
Hope all is good.
How do we get the right balance in all formats going into the England series, and the weekie issue, should Bouch have another go?
answered:
Thabiso, that is the biggest challenge for Gary and his management team with the way that the schedule is set. I don't think that there is a simple answer. The first part to it I would say is flexibility and also specific training for all the players. SA A iwill be busy whilst the Proteas play in england and that will certainly help. The test players will have to adapt quickly when they get to England. There is no simple answer to that
Danver asked:
Howzit Mate
Apart from the fact that SA''s bowling & batting were pathetic yesterday, I have always thought that there is a big gap between how strong their batting line-up is and how average their bowling line-up is. They can let the runs flow from their bats and unfrotunately, from their bowling too. Would you agree/disagree?
Mpumelelo answered:
Danver, I don't agree mate. I would not say that the bowling attack at full strength is average. Oftentimes a team will not execute 100% in both and one bales the other out but South Africa generally have a well rounded and balanced team that covers all bases
