The Quotea Draft

[Aislabie]

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

Keegan Petersen is still playing, and Monde Zondeki's body didn't give up on him until 2012

 

[ahmedleo414]

My final pick Jonathan Vandiar

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

@Yash. to finish out his team

 

[Yash.]

Reeza Hendricks becomes my second opening batsman.[DOUBLEPOST=1607973485][/DOUBLEPOST]@blockerdave

 

[blockerdave]

I mean, I get that the "Quota" element of the draft combined with some top-class cricketers produced over the years puts pressure on the selection, but honestly, it's absurd that PETER KIRSTEN has had 85 players picked before him.

You may be thinking of Peter Kirsten the test player, who was doughty and stolid, as seen in his 310-minute 79 at Adelaide or 200+ ball century at Headingley. But Kirsten only made his test debut at 37, and he was past his best. He battled to get as much as he could out of his test career, knowing it would be short.

At his best, he was a wristy and aggressive batsman, comfortable anywhere in the top to middle order. He was a brilliant fielder, in the close catching positions or athletic in the covers, and he was a useful off-spinner.

After Clive Rice was sacked as Springbok captain for losing against the West Indian Rebel Tourists, it was Kirsten who took over.

Kirsten will bat at 3 for me, and captain the side. This probably puts Roro and D'Oliveira in their better positions, and keeps Irvine rested.

1. Barry Richards
2. Jimmy Cook
3. PETER KIRSTEN (c)
4. Frank Roro
5. Basil D'oliveira
6. Lee Irvine (wk)
7. Ben Malamba
8. Eric Petersen
9. Taliep Sallie
10. Garth Le Roux
11. Krom Hendricks

I couldn't be happier with that side. @Aislabie has Ben Malamba listed as a bowler, but my research indicates he was an all rounder. But Malamba, Petersen and Sallie could all bat at any of those 7-9 positions, or even Le Roux can be promoted if we want to smash quick runs. There's express pace from Hendricks and Le Roux, accuracy (and no little pace) from Petersen, and quality spin. D'Oliveira can be the partnership breaker, and the spin of neither Kirsten nor Richards should be discounted. And that top 6 is frightening if they all click!

@Dale88 to go next

 

[Aislabie]

@Aislabie has Ben Malamba listed as a bowler

Definitely an all-rounder, even on the index!

But after that top six, who cares about the batting ability of seven downwards?

 

[blockerdave]

Definitely an all-rounder, even on the index!

But after that top six, who cares about the batting ability of seven downwards?

thought I’d seen him as a bowler in the “selected players but”, my mistake.

I’m very pleased with how that side turned out.

 

[Ed Smith]

1. Alviro Petersen
2. Loots Bosman
3. Jonathan Trott
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Farhaan Behardien
6. Quinton De Kock
7. Senuran Muthusamy
8. Vince Van Der Bijl
9. Morne Morkel
10. Paul Adams
11. Makhaya Ntini

@qpeedore

 

[blockerdave]

1. Alviro Petersen
2. Loots Bosman
3. Jonathan Trott
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Farhaan Behardien
6. Quinton De Kock
7. Senuran Muthusamy
8. Vince Van Der Bijl
9. Morne Morkel
10. Paul Adams
11. Makhaya Ntini

@qpeedore

good bowling attack that

 

[Ed Smith]

good bowling attack that

Had to be really, the batting is a little iffy

 

[blockerdave]

Had to be really, the batting is a little iffy

you need Trott and Pollock to be in good form!!

 

[Ed Smith]

Also had to put a lot of faith in De Kock

 

[qpeedore]

I'll finish my team with Neil Mckenzie. Usually an opener, he can bat anywhere in the top to top middle order. Had a couple bad patches during his playing years, but always returned to form and managed to get himself selected.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

De Villiers will captain my side.

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

 

[Aislabie]

Well first of all I'd like to thank you all for taking part in a very interesting draft, and for facing up to the challenge of picking teams that were very difficult to balance. I would also like to thank almost everyone for not turning it into an argument about race, which was the thing that made me most nervous about this draft concept.

@ahmedleo414

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

Shaun Pollock and Dale Steyn is a fantastic new ball pairing; good luck hypothetical batsmen when it comes to so much as getting one off the square.
A few of your POCs would be excellent left-field picks in a normal draft, particularly Haroon Lorgat.
Your middle-order looks very weak with Vandiar and Zondo up in the top five. Flower batting at three would make that far less of a problem, but alas he isn't.

@Aislabie

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

The first strength has to be the obvious one - six all-rounders in the top nine batsmen offers us almost limitless flexibility. Not that we exactly need it, but it's nice to have.
Procter and Barnes might be the fastest and most intimidating new-ball pair in the draft. Then Zondeki as a luxury seamer means there's no escaping the pace, even when they're resting.
Petersen and Lindsay at four and five is not outstanding; it risks putting a lot of pressure on Greig and Procter with bat in hand.

@Bevab

1. Herbie Taylor
2. Herschelle Gibbs
3. Hashim Amla
4. Dudley Nourse
5. Clive Rice
   
6. Faf du Plessis
7. Thami Tsolikile
8. Dik Abed
9. Peter Pollock
10. Keshav Maharaj
11. Lungi Ngidi

This team has a fantastic top five (I guessed at your batting order), including two players from an oft-forgotten era of South African cricket.
You've also done excellently with making sure that all your POCs have an important role in the side, which was something I was hoping would occur in the draft. The two in your top three would be worth their places in an unrestricted draft too.
Keshav Maharaj as your only spinner does put pressure on him of the kind he hasn't always responded well to. But then, four front-line fast bowlers probably helps that problem.

@blockerdave

1. Barry Richards
2. Jimmy Cook
3. Peter Kirsten
4. Frank Roro
5. Basil D'Oliveira
6. Lee Irvine
7. Ben Malamba
8. Eric Petersen
9. Taliep Sallie
10. Garth Le Roux
11. Krom Hendricks

This is a very explosive side - from the free scoring of Richards, D'Oliveira and Irvine to the express fast bowling of Le Roux and mystery spin of Sallie.
There is a Plan B for every role in the side; two fast bowlers, two swing bowlers, two spinners, a third opener - there is cover for anyone who has a bad day so they can play without fear.
The only real issue with this team is more of a South Africa issue than a you issue - a lot of your players' achievements are apocryphal, owing to the dreadful record-keeping and infrastructure of non-white cricket before the 70s.

@Dale88

1. Alviro Petersen
2. Loots Bosman
3. Jonathan Trott
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Farhaan Behardien
6. Quinton De Kock
7. Senuran Muthusamy
8. Vince Van Der Bijl
9. Morne Morkel
10. Paul Adams
11. Makhaya Ntini

You got a few absolute steals in this draft, most notably by picking Vince van der Bijl in round nine. A huge man with a huge amount of ability to round off an already intimidating seam attack.
Although you don't bat as deep as some of the other teams, Trott and Pollock is an impressive and contrasting pair of players in the two chief batting positions.
The opening partnership is probably the biggest weakness here; Loots Bosman averaged under 30 in first-class cricket, and you never quite know when Alviro's been given money to throw his wicket away.

@Parth D

1. Dean Elgar
2. Temba Bavuma
3. Marnus Labuschagne
4. Daryll Cullinan
5. AB de Villiers
6. JP Duminy
7. Andile Phehlukwayo
8. Wayne Parnell
9. Vernon Philander
10. Hugh Tayfield
11. Charl Langeveldt

The engine room of your batting order is outstanding - Marnus, Cullinan and de Villiers are all players who can seize control of a match and not let go.
In Philander and Tayfield, you have two of South African cricket's best bowling brains; they should provide leadership for the rest.
There is still a hint of the makeshift about this side though. You've got Bavuma opening, while Phehlukwayo and Parnell are your third and fourth seamers. Not quite ideal.

@qpeedore

1. Andrew Strauss
2. Graeme Smith
3. Zubayr Hamza
4. Neil McKenzie
5. Faiek Davids
6. Mark Boucher
7. Charlie Llewellyn
8. Tabraiz Shamsi
9. Allan Donald
10. Kagiso Rabada
11. Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Leadership. You've got Smith and Strauss, consulting with Boucher behind the stumps and Allan Donald leading the bowling attack.
Donald and Rabada will be taking the new ball, which like so many pairs here is a fearsome proposition.
There's a real lack of batting in this team unfortunately; Hamza is a bit of a pick on potential, but picking Ken McEwan over Neil McKenzie might have helped - even if that still leaves Davids and Boucher at five and six.

@Yash.

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

Having Aubrey Faulkner in this side immediately puts you at an advantage - he's a world-leading batsman and spinner rolled into one, to a greater extent than anyone else has ever been.
Neil Adcock is an underrated player to lead your attack, but he has the bowling stats to match any other available seamer.
Honestly, I can't put my finger on it but I do feel that there's just something missing from this side. I think what I'm not seeing is a second top-class seamer to partner Adcock.

The XI that we missed

1. Alan Melville
2. Trevor Goddard
3. Neville Francis
4. Ken McEwan
5. Ahmed Amla
6. Morris Garda
7. Matt Prior
8. Reggie Schwarz
9. Rushdie Magiet
10. Aaron Phangiso
11. Junior Dala

Reggie Schwarz and Aaron Phangiso provide a great combination of attack and defence, as does the duo of Goddard and Dala in our seam attack.
Melville and McEwan are two of South Africa's greatest overlooked batsmen, while Francis and Garda were the two stand out Dadabhay Trophy batsmen before Yacoob Omar came along.
There aren't really any star names, and I think that shows how well we did at picking up most of the very best players available (apart from McEwan really).

 

[blockerdave]

@blockerdave

1. Barry Richards
2. Jimmy Cook
3. Peter Kirsten
4. Frank Roro
5. Basil D'Oliveira
6. Lee Irvine
7. Ben Malamba
8. Eric Petersen
9. Taliep Sallie
10. Garth Le Roux
11. Krom Hendricks

The only real issue with this team is more of a South Africa issue than a you issue - a lot of your players' achievements are apocryphal, owing to the dreadful record-keeping and infrastructure of non-white cricket before the 70s..

This is a spot on analysis, and among all the tragedies and inequities of apartheid this is another. We know Basil D’Oliveira’s name and achievements, but we don’t know how good he might have been had he had the opportunities and facilities before his mid-30s.

But Sallie, Petersen, Hendricks, Roro and Malamba, they are true “legends” in the King Arthur / Lancelot mould... stories passed down, embellished perhaps, little proof, we’ll never know...

I loved this draft. What I most like is the challenge of piercing the side together.

In a normal draft, it would be easy at the end to say “if I’d got all my picks, my team would be X”.

but in this draft, if you said “pick an all time SA team according to modern quota” and there was no draft, just my XI, I don’t know who I’d end up with, because a change here means your quota is out so that leads to 2 more changes and oh hang on I haven’t put in Faulkner and oh hang on that’s the quota gone again and wait a minute, didn’t I start with Richards and Cook opening, how have I got Smith and Goddard and hang on, if I use Rabada instead of Steyn I can put in Rice over Amla and...