Not really. They have got some very good batsman in their team. They have just under-performed. Dean Elgar can bat out any conditions as far as I have seen him, Faf du Plessis is a very dependable batsman, Bavuma is a very good Test players as well. It is never enough to say anything about Markram he is just that good. Zubayr Hamza is also very talented batsman. I feel like Du Plessis is a better accustomed player than AB de Villiers in the longer format. This is just a problem with the attitude with which they have played.
Disagree with this. This South African batting lineup is absolutely terrible. I can’t even remember their team looking this bad in my limited lifetime of watching cricket. All of their future batting prospects look a year or two at best away from properly maturing and establishing themselves.
To show how bad their batting lineup is, take Faf. Would you agree that he is indisputably the best batsman in this side right now? And yet, his highest score in tests is only 137 and averages just above 40. A few years ago, in a peak strength South African lineup, he would be batting at six with those numbers. And yet you rank him above AbD who is clearly a class above him.
Markram is quite full of potential indeed but in his limited test experiences in Asia, he looks completely clueless versus spin. South Africa can’t afford a home track bully who is also supposed to be their future captain.
In no way is Bavuma a very good test player though. Nearly 40 tests later as a specialist batsman and he still has just one century to his name with plenty of gritty 30s and 40s at best. Added to that, he is supposed to be the vice-captain now. Had it not been for several spots being open and a couple of other players uncertain of their positions too, he would have been dropped without any doubt. But alas, to this simple conundrum there is the addition of quotas and the government building him up to be an icon of inspiration for future batsmen of his race which has made his continuous selection even more contentious.