Kirsten once again play a fighting knock as SA pile up the runs
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Mc Kenzie got his chance after playing 2 good knocks in the warm up match but gone again cheaply
After McKenzie departed it's Boucher in the middle with an aggressive intent
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SA reach 350 with Kirsten well set in and Boucher hitting the odd 4
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nice hitting by Rudolph and Kallis - and great batting all round by the Proteas - i hope Gary scores 20th test career century.
*Prior to Lunch on day 2 SA lost Boucher so Pollock in for some hitting *
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*NZ into SA's tail after Pollock is run out for just 10 runs *
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*SA 381/8 with Kirtsen clsoing on his 21st century *
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*the wind-screen of this truck caused problems for the fielding side *
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*the match evenly poised *
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damn - the tailenders of New Zealand did it again - Vettori, Oram and McCullum contributed 229 runs as this test match hangs in balance.
Kallis again leads his side with blistering knock - at the moment the Proteas are leading by 84 runs - this first test match is going to be a draw as only one day is left.
a mammoth second inning by Kallis(150 runs) draws the second test - he can play - officially he is a hardcore cricketer in my book.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Talha: *
a mammoth second inning by Kallis(150 runs) draws the second test - he can play - officially he is a hardcore cricketer in my book.
[/QUOTE]
Pollock now South Africa's best bowler (most wickets) ever by passing Alan Donald. Pollock still the best medium pacer the world has ever produced. I forsee him reaching 500 wickets in his career (bar injury).
Kallis has now equalled Donald Bradman's 5 centuries in a row. Bradman's 6 in a row record now under threat.
can't say about surpassing the record but i see Kallis equalling record of Sir Bradman - he has been in a great form lately ever since his father passed away - for most cricketers it takes time to return in form - it's not the case with Kallis.
as for Pollock - 500 wickets record in test? i see him to do that in ODI as well.
the sad news for me will be when the test series ends - Gary Kirsten has decided to quit the cricket. :(
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Talha: *
the sad news for me will be when the test series ends - Gary Kirsten has decided to quit the cricket. :(
[/QUOTE]
I certainly would have liked to see Kirsten in the team for the Asiatic tour. He always performs well there. Currently South Africa's highest test scorer and century maker (15'th in the world, I think). He never was accepted as a cricketer with tremendous talent, but a good concentrator and hard worker. The South African Cricket Board pay the players according to 3 categories. Kirsten is the only one in no category!
His century record will be reduced to rubish by Kallis in the not to distant future, not yet 30 years old and with 16 centuries under his belt. If Kallis can double his cricketing life (having only played test cricket for the last 8 years and being 28 years old), he might well end his career with more than 30 centuries to his name. What I do like of him is his 55 test average after more than 120 innings and 45 in ODI's! He only needs 39 wickets to join the 200 wicket club as well - how many others could do 200 wickets and more than 5000 runs? After a very long dry spell initially, the South African selectors persevered with him although many called for him to be axed. Good for the selectors at the time.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by The Old Man: *
I certainly would have liked to see Kirsten in the team for the Asiatic tour. He always performs well there. Currently South Africa's highest test scorer and century maker (15'th in the world, I think). He never was accepted as a cricketer with tremendous talent, but a good concentrator and hard worker. The South African Cricket Board pay the players according to 3 categories. Kirsten is the only one in no category!
[/quote]
really? i never knew that - how's that work? as for Gary - he wants to spend more time with his family - he became the father so i guess he believes he has served his country well.
whatever the case might be - it's his will - i think in test cricket South Africa is likely to miss his experience in years to come.
[quote]
His century record will be reduced to rubish by Kallis in the not to distant future, not yet 30 years old and with 16 centuries under his belt. If Kallis can double his cricketing life (having only played test cricket for the last 8 years and being 28 years old), he might well end his career with more than 30 centuries to his name. What I do like of him is his 55 test average after more than 120 innings and 45 in ODI's! He only needs 39 wickets to join the 200 wicket club as well - how many others could do 200 wickets and more than 5000 runs? After a very long dry spell initially, the South African selectors persevered with him although many called for him to be axed. Good for the selectors at the time.
[/QUOTE]
please don't axed Kallis - UCBSA like to screw everything up, don't they? Kallis has come a long way - i mean he is improved himself to the next level of cricket - surely he is one of the greats cricketer to be produced by south africa - you know when things got ugly between UCBSA/Smith and Zulu - and the fallout of Pollock after the world - i never wanted to pay attention to South Africa cricket - but things are certainly back to normal even tho i don't like Smith as a skipper and person - however - with Gary quitting - Kallis is there to take South Africa in a league of their own with Gibbs, Pollock and Nithini.
anyhow - back to the test match - Proteas are 108 without loss - a thumping start from them!
The following players are considered the most experience/valuable players and paid as Category A players:
Pollock
Boucher
Gibbs
Kallis
Ntini
Smith
The following players are considered as faily valuable players and paid as Category B players:
Adams
Boje
Dippenaar
McKenzie
Rudolph
The following players are paid and contracted as Category C players:
Prince
Ngam
Dawson
Hall
Nel
Peterson
Van Jaarsveld
Zondeki
Each category has a price range whereby the players can be paid. I believe that Nel will move to B once new contracts are negotiated.
BTW> The selectors will NOW never dream to ax Kallis. I only mentioned the fact that Kallis in the beginning of his career battled at test level. The selectors stuck with him though. His average after 7 innings was 8!
Clear mind, clear focus, no distractions: how Kallis does it
http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/MAR/097597_COL-WORLD_16MAR2004.html
Is there a secret to Jacques Kallis and his current run of form? Is there a magic ingredient? The answer is mostly “no”, although there is just one part of his life that qualifies for a “yes”. And that part is, well, his life.
Cricket is a strange enough game without over-analysing its smallest parts, so analogies and similes are useful for most of us. Staying within sport, any golfer will understand how difficult it is to hit the ball without being relaxed. And that’s just the first shot. Keen golfers will no doubt have experienced the sensation of playing a game when all was not well in day-to-day life. Suddenly a difficult game becomes impossible.
Outside of sport, businessmen have the same problems. It can be difficult to close a deal, make a sale or design a building when you think your children might not be seeing enough of you, or mixing with the wrong crowd, or you’re sleeping with your secretary.
Distractions are the bane of our lives, but it’s not easy to rid ourselves of them. Sometimes the very act of looking into the mirror of our lives is the hardest thing of all.
But when Henry Kallis finally succumbed to cancer in the middle of June last year, Jacques was facing the biggest distraction he had ever known: the loss of his father. If he could deal with that, he could deal with anything.
Kallis confronted the loneliness of bereavement and chose to face all the other, much smaller problems in his life. Who he was as a public figure, what he wanted to be and how he was perceived. And what he wanted from his private life.
He sought the professional advice of an old friend, Paddy Upton, the former South African team fitness coach. Upton has reinvented himself and now boasts a PhD in sports psychology, and practises in something he calls “executive coaching”.
If that all sounds like pretentious mumbo-jumbo, then it probably is. Put more simply, Kallis examined his approach to life, his relationships with friends, colleagues and the general public, and made sure he was being honest, sincere and fair. Having done that, he reasoned, he couldn’t blame himself if things went wrong or if he was resented – by anyone.
It is an ongoing process, but having started it, Kallis finally found the game of cricket as simple as it really is. The bowler delivers the ball and you (a) stop it hitting your stumps, and (b) try to hit it. Clear mind, clear focus, no distractions. Simple.
When Kallis spoke to the media in Hamilton a few days ago, after his fifth century in as many Tests, there were a few grumbles that he “hadn’t said much”. But against the background of the process he had decided to put himself through, he said everything: “I’m just going about my business and thoroughly enjoying my cricket. It’s an honour to be ranked amongst the greats of the game. You have to back yourself, because nobody else will – that’s something I’ve taught myself over the years.”
The death of his father, the end of a long-term relationship, and the battle of trying to set up a new home while never actually being in his home town are just a few of the issues, the distractions, which Jacques Kallis has confronted. The new, open, embracing, fearless Kallis has stopped putting issues to one side to be dealt with later.
Consequently, when he goes out to bat these days, he really does just see a bowler and a cricket ball. And fielders, of course, although they have been of little consequence lately. So has he changed much in his cricket? No. Has he changed much else? Not really, just his approach to life, that’s all.
Neil Manthorp is a partner in South Africa’s MWP Sport agency.
© Wisden Cricinfo Ltd
Kirsten confirms retirement
http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/MAR/097099_RSA_15MAR2004.html
Gary Kirsten, the prolific South African batsman, has confirmed that he will be retiring from international cricket after the current tour of New Zealand.
Kirsten, 36, had originally planned to step down after last summer’s tour of England, but was encouraged to carry on by his good form and the support of his team-mates. Kirsten scored his 21st century in the first Test against New Zealand, which finished yesterday, and the second Test, which starts in Auckland on Thursday (March 18) will be his 100th. Of current players, only Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara have made more than Kirsten’s 7210 Test runs, and he was the first man to score a Test century against all nine possible opponents. He made his debut in 1993-94, after being called up as a replacement - along with his half-brother Peter - for the tour of Australia.
Kirsten, who has yet to decide whether he will continue in first-class cricket, said: “It is a sad and emotional moment for me. I have been extremely fortunate to have had the privilege of playing for my country for so long. It has always been a massive honour to play for South Africa and I have enjoyed every moment of my career.”
He explained the timing of his announcement: “My wife Deborah and I had made a decision that when our first child arrived I would retire, but with Joshua now nearly four months old it has overlapped a little. I want to wish the side all the very best in the future and hope that they will continue to go from strength to strength. I was lucky enough to play with and against some wonderful cricketers, and I take many great memories with me.”
Gerald Majola, the chief executive of South Africa’s United Cricket Board, paid tribute to Kirsten’s contribution over the past 11 years. “We all respect Gary Kirsten’s decision to retire after an extraordinary playing career during which he set many milestones,” he said. "His records might well be broken, but they are there so that history can record for posterity his outstanding achievements at all levels of the game, but statistics do not tell the whole story, as they cannot record the manner in which he achieved these feats with sheer guts and an absolute determination to give of his best.
“These are qualities that have been hugely admired and appreciated by all who have watched him around the world as he so ably represented the new South Africa in the first decade of its birth. South African cricket will always be grateful to Gary for his outstanding contribution, both as a batsman as well as a role model on how the game should be played.”
© Wisden Cricinfo Ltd
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by The Old Man: *
The following players are considered the most experience/valuable players and paid as Category A players:
Pollock
Boucher
Gibbs
Kallis
Ntini
Smith
The following players are considered as faily valuable players and paid as Category B players:
Adams
Boje
Dippenaar
McKenzie
Rudolph
The following players are paid and contracted as Category C players:
Prince
Ngam
Dawson
Hall
Nel
Peterson
Van Jaarsveld
Zondeki
Each category has a price range whereby the players can be paid. I believe that Nel will move to B once new contracts are negotiated.
[/quote]
i don't mean to be harsh but categorizing players by UCBSA sounds alot like discrimination - noone is perfect.
[quote]
BTW> The selectors will NOW never dream to ax Kallis. I only mentioned the fact that Kallis in the beginning of his career battled at test level. The selectors stuck with him though. His average after 7 innings was 8!
[/QUOTE]
yes - they won't - if they do axed him - who would you count on? at the moment Kallis is the Man!
Gary couldn’t have summarized it better - no ifs and buts - just simple plan - all the best to him and his family. :flower1:
231 for 2 at the end of day 1 - good decision by Smith to bat first - it paid off - many test games outcome at Eden Park favor those who chose to bat first.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Talha: *
231 for 2 at the end of day 1 - good decision by Smith to bat first - it paid off - many test games outcome at Eden Park favor those who chose to bat first.
[/QUOTE]
Dismal start on the 2nd day by SA
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*This pick of the Bowlers MARTIN on his comeback *