The Quotea Draft

[qpeedore]

I can also pick another quota player if anyone doesn't want to count Llewellyn as coloured. It's not an issue. Just don't turn this Draft ugly.

 

[Aislabie]

I can also pick another quota player if anyone doesn't want to count Llewellyn as coloured. It's not an issue. Just don't turn this Draft ugly.

There's no need to do that. This isn't about holding a Dulux colour chart up to someone's face, it's just about celebrating talent that history left behind

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

@Yash. Missed his turn

@ahmedleo414 can go

 

[ahmedleo414]

My next pick goes to Haroon Lorgat, can't find a picture of his playing days, but he has a decent enough first class record that I can use him the the low-mid order of the lineup and a very good bowling record that he can be used as another pace option

1. Bruce Mitchell
2. Eric Rowan
3. ?
4. Ashwell Prince
5. Khaya Zondo
6. Andy Flower
7. Haroon Lorgat
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Dale Steyn
10. Imran Tahir
11. Mfuneko Ngam

@Parth D is next

 

[Yash.]

1. Gary Kirsten
2. ?
3. Aubrey Faulkner
   
4. Kevin Pietersen
5. Colin Bland
   
6. Justin Ontong
   
7. Nazeem White
   
8. Khaya Majola
9. Lutho Sipamala
   
10. Alfonso Thomas
    
11. Neil Adcock

 

[qpeedore]

@ahmedleo414 good pick on Lorgat, I had him in mind a few rounds ago myself.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Daryll Cullinan

A test average of 44.21
A first class average of 44.79
A total of 14 international hundreds
A total of 44 first class hundreds
A solid reliable number 4 in tests
His knock of 275* was once the highest score in an innings by a South African

Daryll Cullinan will smoothly make his way in most of the All Time South African Test XI. He is the best number 4 South Africa ever produced after Kallis. Amazing to get him at this juncture of the draft.

Team PD la Quotea:

Dean Elgar
Temba Bavuma
Daryll Cullinan
AB de Villiers
JP Duminy
Andile Phehlukwayo
Wayne Parnell
Vernon Philander
Hugh Tayfield
Charl Langeveldt ​

@Bevab

 

[Bevab]

I see that @Aislabie has a pick to make between my two choices but given that he has finished his quota picks and only needs a keeper while I have two bowing slots left to fill, I hope I can pick two players and finish my side now.

Of course, if he wants to add to his cabal of all-rounders and have a part-time keeper, he is free to pick Peter Pollock who will be my second pick while Sulaiman 'Dik' Abed will be my first and also be the overseas pick of this side.

I owe a writeup for some of these picks that I've made which I shall endeavour to do so by evening. This was a fascinating draft and I'm extremely happy to pick this side that I've ended up with. Can't wait to sum up my side and summarize everything.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

I see that @Aislabie has a pick to make between my two choices but given that he has finished his quota picks and only needs a keeper while I have two bowing slots left to fill, I hope I can pick two players and finish my side now.

Of course, if he wants to add to his cabal of all-rounders and have a part-time keeper, he is free to pick Peter Pollock who will be my second pick while Sulaiman 'Dik' Abed will be my first and also be the overseas pick of this side.

I owe a writeup for some of these picks that I've made which I shall endeavour to do so by evening. This was a fascinating draft and I'm extremely happy to pick this side that I've ended up with. Can't wait to sum up my side and summarize everything.

You could have easily picked your first pick as Pollock and your last one as an overseas as he has already picked his overseas one.

 

[Bevab]

You could have easily picked your first pick as Pollock and your last one as an overseas as he has already picked his overseas one.

I doubt he wants another all-rounder given the lack of keepers in his XI and his hatred of part-timers in a specialist role.

Abed could also be called a domestic player too, the only reason I refer him to as an overseas player was because he did captain Netherlands and did not play for South Africa at all. He was very close though, being one of the two cricketers called up to appease the growing criticism regarding their apartheid policy. Of course Abed rejected it and soon South Africa would be excluded from the sporting world at large.

 

[Aislabie]

I doubt he wants another all-rounder given the lack of keepers in his XI and his hatred of part-timers in a specialist role.

It's funny you should say this, because I'm currently faced with a choice between a top-quality wicket-keeper and a good batsman, or a competent part-time wicket-keeper who also accumulated 71 first-class centuries at a batting average of 41.73. In the end though, you're quite right...

Denis Lindsay

Test stats - 1,130 runs @ 37.66 (3 centuries, best 182) and 59 dismissals (57 ct, 2 st) in 19 matches
First-class stats - 7,074 runs @ 35.54 (12 centuries, best 216) and 333 dismissals (292 ct, 41 st) in 124 matches

The temptation to pick Ken McEwan and make do with a him being a somewhat inferior wicket-keeper was obvious, but in the end I had to pick a proven Test keeper-batsman. A sort of proto-Gilchrist, and one of very few players from his era or before to be excellent both in front of and behind the stumps. Hopefully someone who has a slot left for a batsman will still pick up McEwan, because it'd be a travesty if he missed out entirely.

1. Yacoob Omar
2. Eddie Barlow
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Keegan Petersen
5. Denis Lindsay
6. Tony Greig
7. Mike Procter
8. Saait Magiet
9. Omar Henry
10. Vincent Barnes
11. Monde Zondeki

Notes about my team
I am really very happy with my team, not least because all of my POCs end up with an important role in the team. Yacoob Omar is tasked with opening the batting; Keegan Petersen will bat at number four and almost certainly spend a lot of time with Kallis; Vincent Barnes is my opening bowler, backed up by Saait Magiet as first change; Omar Henry will be the main spinner alongside Greig, and Monde Zondeki will be let loose whenever we need someone to try to break a partnership by bowling fast. Then add to that some of the finest white players South Africa has ever produced - especially Kallis, Lindsay and Procter - and I think that's a formidable team. Honestly not sure how much Kallis and Barlow will even get to bowl, which is madness.

@Parth D

 

[qpeedore]

@Parth D you know I hate you even more now right? Cullinan was supposed to be my pick damnit. Alright, back to the drawing board. I'm last in this Draft, I now need a number 4 when it's my time.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Onto my last pick, the overseas slot.
I guess I am the only person to pick from the overseas lot now, so I can speak openly about it.

Well, to be honest, I was confused as hell. I even asked a few of the experienced draft regulars here for their opinions.

I had BJ Watling in mind initially as my wicket keeper, test average of 38 and currently New Zealand's prime glove man.

If not Watling, I had Matt Prior as my pick, with an even better batting average of 40+ and he is touted to be the best ever wicket keeper to play in whites for England.

But then I realised, wait a minute, we often discard AB de Villiers the Keeper. Probably because he is such a treat to watch in the out field, but he is just as good with the gloves for the Proteas. AB de Villiers has kept in 24 tests for SA, a number which most keepers haven't even played in their careers. So yes, he will be keeping the gloves in my team. But again, since will be keeping, I can't play him any where above the number 4 position. So that leaves another dilemma for me to pick another opening partner for Elgar.

There were potential offerings in form of Jason Roy and Colin Munro for the 2nd opening slot, but although they have proven numbers for the white ball, they are yet to deliver in the red ball. Hence, recently, since I checked, Bavuma has already been opening off late for South Africa in ODIs and had COVID-19 not impacted the ongoing tour of SA, he probably 'might' have opened in Tests as well. If SA can try him at 2, I can surely too. So Bavuma will be opening.

Spoiler: CONTROVERSIAL

Besides there was another option for me, but I will reveal that thing post the last pick of the draft to not play spoilsport at this juncture.

That leaves a gap at number 3 for me and for that, I pick,

Marnus Labuschagne

Currently, the only person standing between him to fetch the highest average in Test cricket award is none other than the mighty Bradman. A test average of 67 is just squash-buckling, even after considering the small sample size of matches he has played. And even if I take the stats and numbers away, boy-o-boy this guys has been in sublime touch, 2019 was his calling, a dream Ashes series for him which already had so much into it. To stand equally with Steve Smith and probably to stand up in his absence with the same stature is commendable.

That completes my team. Happy with my team barring a single hook in the coffin.
The job's done. It's now for the experts @Aislabie @Bevab to comment on how the team turned out.

Team PD la Quotea:

Dean Elgar
Temba Bavuma
Marus Labuschagne
Daryll Cullinan
AB de Villiers
JP Duminy
Andile Phehlukwayo
Wayne Parnell
Vernon Philander
Hugh Tayfield
Charl Langeveldt ​

Phew that was some task.
@ahmedleo414 complete your team.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

It's funny you should say this, because I'm currently faced with a choice between a top-quality wicket-keeper and a good batsman, or a competent part-time wicket-keeper who also accumulated 71 first-class centuries at a batting average of 41.73. In the end though, you're quite right...

Denis Lindsay

Test stats - 1,130 runs @ 37.66 (3 centuries, best 182) and 59 dismissals (57 ct, 2 st) in 19 matches
First-class stats - 7,074 runs @ 35.54 (12 centuries, best 216) and 333 dismissals (292 ct, 41 st) in 124 matches

The temptation to pick Ken McEwan and make do with a him being a somewhat inferior wicket-keeper was obvious, but in the end I had to pick a proven Test keeper-batsman. A sort of proto-Gilchrist, and one of very few players from his era or before to be excellent both in front of and behind the stumps. Hopefully someone who has a slot left for a batsman will still pick up McEwan, because it'd be a travesty if he missed out entirely.

1. Yacoob Omar
2. Eddie Barlow
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Keegan Petersen
5. Denis Lindsay
6. Tony Greig
7. Mike Procter
8. Saait Magiet
9. Omar Henry
10. Vincent Barnes
11. Monde Zondeki

Notes about my team
I am really very happy with my team, not least because all of my POCs end up with an important role in the team. Yacoob Omar is tasked with opening the batting; Keegan Petersen will bat at number four and almost certainly spend a lot of time with Kallis; Vincent Barnes is my opening bowler, backed up by Saait Magiet as first change; Omar Henry will be the main spinner alongside Greig, and Monde Zondeki will be let loose whenever we need someone to try to break a partnership by bowling fast. Then add to that some of the finest white players South Africa has ever produced - especially Kallis, Lindsay and Procter - and I think that's a formidable team. Honestly not sure how much Kallis and Barlow will even get to bowl, which is madness.

@Parth D

The only person I see here to play in this decade is Kallis

 

[blockerdave]

It's funny you should say this, because I'm currently faced with a choice between a top-quality wicket-keeper and a good batsman, or a competent part-time wicket-keeper who also accumulated 71 first-class centuries at a batting average of 41.73. In the end though, you're quite right...

Denis Lindsay

Test stats - 1,130 runs @ 37.66 (3 centuries, best 182) and 59 dismissals (57 ct, 2 st) in 19 matches
First-class stats - 7,074 runs @ 35.54 (12 centuries, best 216) and 333 dismissals (292 ct, 41 st) in 124 matches

The temptation to pick Ken McEwan and make do with a him being a somewhat inferior wicket-keeper was obvious, but in the end I had to pick a proven Test keeper-batsman. A sort of proto-Gilchrist, and one of very few players from his era or before to be excellent both in front of and behind the stumps. Hopefully someone who has a slot left for a batsman will still pick up McEwan, because it'd be a travesty if he missed out entirely.

1. Yacoob Omar
2. Eddie Barlow
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Keegan Petersen
5. Denis Lindsay
6. Tony Greig
7. Mike Procter
8. Saait Magiet
9. Omar Henry
10. Vincent Barnes
11. Monde Zondeki

Notes about my team
I am really very happy with my team, not least because all of my POCs end up with an important role in the team. Yacoob Omar is tasked with opening the batting; Keegan Petersen will bat at number four and almost certainly spend a lot of time with Kallis; Vincent Barnes is my opening bowler, backed up by Saait Magiet as first change; Omar Henry will be the main spinner alongside Greig, and Monde Zondeki will be let loose whenever we need someone to try to break a partnership by bowling fast. Then add to that some of the finest white players South Africa has ever produced - especially Kallis, Lindsay and Procter - and I think that's a formidable team. Honestly not sure how much Kallis and Barlow will even get to bowl, which is madness.

@Parth D

You made the right choice in my opinion.