Smith: 1-1 at home would have disappointed us.

[THX_1138]

In typical south african spirit, Smith took a last shot at the indian team by suggesting that a 1-1 result at home would have disappointed him. Furthermore, he trivialized indian bowling by saying that "we were a bit too anxious to bowl out india rather than just concentrate on putting the ball in the right areas... on this pitch india showed that if you pitch the ball in the right places, there is enough in the pitch to take care of rest", and if that was not enough, he, rather unabashedly exaggerated his team's achivement: "when we came to the sub continent, no body gave us a chance, but we won in pakistan, won in bangladesh, and finished 1-1 with a very good indian team". Will someone grab this gasbag by his balls and remind him that india were missing the services of their top two bowlers: Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan for a majority of the series? Especially considering how Zaheer Khan has Smith dancing around the pitch like a hyperhormonal teenage girl on her prom night attempting, unsuccessfully to resist the advances of her jock boyfriend in the backseat of his 1996 Camaro? Not to mention that our top batsman was missing from the latter two games, and even for the third game, were batting 4th would have been prohibitively tedious, Smith won the toss and after posting 152-1, he team collapsed in the post lunch session before being moped up in the third... I wish we had some ODIs planned right after this for it would have been the ideal foil for this series. Our batsmen would have aclimatized to their over exaggerated bowling attack (true, Ntini bowled well throughout the series, and Morkel had his patches, but Steyn for all the hyperbole hardly ever troubled our veteran, techincally sound batsmen: Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma). And had Ishant been around for the first two games, Neil McInzie and Hashim Amla would have spent most of the time in the dressing room blowing each other.

[Predator_05]

Especially considering how Zaheer Khan has Smith dancing around the pitch like a hyperhormonal teenage girl on her prom night attempting' date=' unsuccessfully to resist the advances of her jock boyfriend in the backseat of his 1996 Camaro? [/quote'] :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: You have truly exceeded yourself on this occasion, THX...

[Predator_05]

That post just gets funnier everytime i read it...:hysterical: But in all seriousness, i do believe that India have reason to feel disappointed with a 1-1 draw at home. 76 all out at Ahmedabad was a pretty shameful display and could have been avoided. To lose by an innings against any visiting team is unacceptable, especially for a strong team like India. Dare i say that before a single ball had been bowled, India were touted as overwhelming favorites to win this series ? Even without Tendulkar, Zaheer and Ishant, this team should have lived up to the hype. The fact that they managed to destroy SA in 3 days at Ahmedabad is testament to that. SA will be delighted with this result, and rightfully so.

[umpire]

you forgot to mention, our main bowler and captain Kumble was unfit in Test 1, 2 and 3

[Lurker]

and if that was not enough' date=' he, rather unabashedly exaggerated his team's achivement: "when we came to the sub continent, no body gave us a chance, but we won in pakistan, won in bangladesh, [b']and finished 1-1 with a very good indian team".

Loudmouth as Graeme Smith maybe he certainly is not very far removed from the truth here. Fact is between India and South Africa, Indians were considered the firm favorites.Many an experts on CI were openly supporting Indian chances, specially after India's strong showing in Australia. This was enhanced further due to all the political dramas, read quota system, going on in South African team. Senior players like Nel who should have been shoo-in were kept out. So yes South Africa did exceed everyone's expectations overall.

[umpire]

>So yes South Africa did exceed everyone's expectations overall. yes they did, nobody is denying that. But they were one up, and India for the first time in 18 years were without Kumble and Tendulkar. They were under pressure from all quarter. If I was Smith, I should have fancied my chances to winning the series. but I did not inspite of winning the toss, I should be more disappointed.

[SA-Eddie]

lol m8...before blowing your trumpets....take a good look at the pitch they needed to beat the saffies...hats off to India in drawing the series , but before you write off the saffies they are a team on the up with alot of young chaps in the team (still learning their trade etc), India on the other hand have alot of old guys that will soon be retiring in the near future. SA has alot of crap back home with the quota system ,which means it will never be their full strength side ,ie not all in the team is there on merit . Most saffie fans dont really care and follow cricket anymore cause of it .Which is sad since alot of kids arent playing it anymore and rest immigrating cause of it (quota,reverse racism etc). In the long run hope the SA team does do well , cause if they dont .....might just see SA cricket dying a slow death in future .

[Predator_05]

lol m8...before blowing your trumpets....take a good look at the pitch they needed to beat the saffies...hats off to India in drawing the series , but before you write off the saffies they are a team on the up with alot of young chaps in the team (still learning their trade etc), India on the other hand have alot of old guys that will soon be retiring in the near future. SA has alot of crap back home with the quota system ,which means it will never be their full strength side ,ie not all in the team is there on merit . Most saffie fans dont really care and follow cricket anymore cause of it .Which is sad since alot of kids arent playing it anymore and rest immigrating cause of it (quota,reverse racism etc). In the long run hope the SA team does do well , cause if they dont .....might just see SA cricket dying a slow death in future .

Sad to hear that. I am sure the popularity of cricket will decline further as the 2010 World Cup draws closer. You better hope that SA don't make it past the first group stage, 'cos if they do, plenty of kids are going to get hooked to football and cricket will remain in football's shadow for a long time.

[zubinpepsi]

SA-Eddie, Is this quota system only in cricket?? or in other sports aswell???

[Mandrake]

lol m8...before blowing your trumpets....take a good look at the pitch they needed to beat the saffies...hats off to India in drawing the series , but before you write off the saffies they are a team on the up with alot of young chaps in the team (still learning their trade etc), India on the other hand have alot of old guys that will soon be retiring in the near future. SA has alot of crap back home with the quota system ,which means it will never be their full strength side ,ie not all in the team is there on merit . Most saffie fans dont really care and follow cricket anymore cause of it .Which is sad since alot of kids arent playing it anymore and rest immigrating cause of it (quota,reverse racism etc). In the long run hope the SA team does do well , cause if they dont .....might just see SA cricket dying a slow death in future .

So when you guys get a pitch conducive to seam bowling its sporting(Ahmedabad)..when you loose its 'cause the pitch was unsporting.....can't beat that logic:haha:

[SA-Eddie]

Its in all sports here . Rugby , cricket , netball ,waterpolo etc etc....hockey isnt even supported by the government , these guys had to pay for their own tickets etc in that last world comp . Netball we used to be in the top 3 in the world then they said there had to be 4 "non whites " in the team (7 in team) ,now they in the lower end of the world rankings . They had a case where a team had only 3 non whites and the team was not allowed to compete ... Soccer is the one sport you don't hear about quotas , and yet there is no whites playing it or very few (the coach gets like a million rand salary a month and they not even in the top 100 in the world :tounge_smile:) . Whats happening here is the government is targeting all past sports that whites played and forcing quotas on them , yet most black kids aren't interested in them , they like soccer . The only non white kids that tend to play the so called white sports are the ones that go to private schools ( ie rich familys) . The government is being anal and not looking at the problem at grassroots level ...if they promoted all the sports in the government schools you will get kids from all cultures trying it... and they would get there on merit....there would be no need for quotas etc. At the moment things are rough in SA sports wise , job wise etc etc .apartheid has not disappeared...its just changed masters .

[sachinlaxman]

being india, we are always satisfied if we don't lose.

[THX_1138]

Its in all sports here . Rugby , cricket , netball ,waterpolo etc etc....hockey isnt even supported by the government , these guys had to pay for their own tickets etc in that last world comp . Netball we used to be in the top 3 in the world then they said there had to be 4 "non whites " in the team (7 in team) ,now they in the lower end of the world rankings . They had a case where a team had only 3 non whites and the team was not allowed to compete ... Soccer is the one sport you don't hear about quotas , and yet there is no whites playing it or very few (the coach gets like a million rand salary a month and they not even in the top 100 in the world :tounge_smile:) . Whats happening here is the government is targeting all past sports that whites played and forcing quotas on them , yet most black kids aren't interested in them , they like soccer . The only non white kids that tend to play the so called white sports are the ones that go to private schools ( ie rich familys) . The government is being anal and not looking at the problem at grassroots level ...if they promoted all the sports in the government schools you will get kids from all cultures trying it... and they would get there on merit....there would be no need for quotas etc. At the moment things are rough in SA sports wise , job wise etc etc .apartheid has not disappeared...its just changed masters .

cry me a river... there is a price for your actions. If you choose to oppress a human being for the better part of four centuries, an oppression that has not yet ended today, simply on the basis of skin color; choose to abolish regional cultures and exploit local resources without an equal or even a representative distribution of wealth; choose to let the downtowns of your local cities descend into squalor while the suburbs are all converted into gated communities with private security; there is a price to pay. either the price is national and international shame for your practices, and subsequent sanctions for your undemocratic and apartheid ways; or if you seek moral vindication, be prepared to restore the social and economic imbalance now virtually institutionalized. every country has a similar story. here in the united states, there is affirmative action, often derided and often admonished, it is nonetheless an attempt to reverse the holocaust of slavery and the then subsequent social darwinism. in india, there is the regional system where selectors are motivated to choose players from their regions over other meaningful criteria such as talent and skill. if the south african team is what it is, then it is simply the south africans to blame for it. but spare a thought, who in the team is undeserving of their position? prince? you know he was your finest batsman the last time india and south africa played? and who would you rather leave out for andre nel...? would you leave out ntini, or morkel, or steyn? or would you fancy your chances with all out pace attack?

[HouMac]

I would've been disappointed IF we weren't misisng our two best fast bowlers, if our best spinner wasn't rendered ineffective due to injury and if one of our two fast bowlers hadn't just returned from injury and was obviously not 100%. Then I would've been PISSED about a 1-1 result at home. But since we weren't anywhere close to 100%, I'm content with India's performance.

[Dhondy]

Despite all that, they are a proud sporting nation, South Africa. Trevor Immelman's walking away with the Masters at Augusta. A few months back, I was on a flight to India and pestered a steward to find out that England had unexpectedly thumped France at the Stade de France in the rugby WC semis. In the final, they unfortunately came up against a rock solid SA. No competition. SA can walk away from the series with their head held high. Not many sides leave India with their pride intact. SA have a 4-4 record in India, the best among all sides recently, bar none.

[Bumper]

Some good posts from THX & SA-Eddie. Eddie, dont you think Nel missing out is a blessing in disguise ? Whom would he have replaced in the bowling lineup ? Going by seniority, I'd think it would have been Morkel ? IMO, Morkel is your most dangerous bowler regardless of the surface. He bowls with great pace, bounce & a pronounced in-swing for sustained periods of time. Had there been no quotas, which player in the current XI, would have been dropped ? I reckon Amla, Prince & Ntini all deserve a place in your Test XI. SA has all the ingredients of a good test team, but without a quality spinner, you guys will always struggle in the subcontinent. Paul Harris isnt a long term prospect.

[Lurker]

SA has alot of crap back home with the quota system ,which means it will never be their full strength side ,ie not all in the team is there on merit . Most saffie fans dont really care and follow cricket anymore cause of it .Which is sad since alot of kids arent playing it anymore and rest immigrating cause of it (quota,reverse racism etc). In the long run hope the SA team does do well , cause if they dont .....might just see SA cricket dying a slow death in future .

I hope thats not correct. South Africa has been one of the great teams and as history has already witnessed cricket lost a great team of 70s, one of the very best, thanks to Apartheid issue. Since them coming back in early 90s their record speaks for itself. I would also hope it doesnt go the Zimbabwe way that got so caught up with the quota system that cricket went down the toilet. Zimbabwe were a pretty decent team and always scared the top rung teams from time to time. But of course see where it is now.

[SA-Eddie]

Some good posts from THX & SA-Eddie. Eddie, dont you think Nel missing out is a blessing in disguise ? Whom would he have replaced in the bowling lineup ? Going by seniority, I'd think it would have been Morkel ? IMO, Morkel is your most dangerous bowler regardless of the surface. He bowls with great pace, bounce & a pronounced in-swing for sustained periods of time. Had there been no quotas, which player in the current XI, would have been dropped ? I reckon Amla, Prince & Ntini all deserve a place in your Test XI. SA has all the ingredients of a good test team, but without a quality spinner, you guys will always struggle in the subcontinent. Paul Harris isnt a long term prospect.

Nel and Langeveldt , their time is past in the side tbh . Look both can be good on their days but the side just looks better with the younger guns . Amla has come into his own the last few tests and deserves his place , young as well . Prince...he has his moments and is a fighter , but....should have been dropped in the 2nd test already . They have a young bloke called Duminy sitting on the bench and the talent and form his in at the moment should have replaced Prince for last 2 tests , (Prince was not performing on the sub continent ) Ntini is one of SA's hero's , his been out of form last 1-2 years though and most were thinking he needed a drop to go get form back in the domestics , but glad he seems to be getting back in form . Theres a young bowler in reserves called Zondeki who is also in great form and bowls like Morkel and Steyn speed . Gibbs is really talented , but he tends to be lazy and not focus . He needed to be dropped.....been out of form in the test arena for almost 3 years ,cant understand what took them so long...(kinda a case like your Jaffer ) Spin department .....hmmm to be honest we suck there . SA best spinner is a kolpak in England and cant play for SA (forgot his name :embaressed_smile: ).There is a Indian guy in the domestics i hear that is a good spinner , he married a SA girl and moved here from India , not sure how long till he can play for SA . In the long run i would prefer to see Prince , Boucher , Harris dropped and Ntini and Kallis to follow in maybe 2-3 years time depending on their form . Prince replaced by Duminy Boucher replaced by De Villers and making way for Ab Morkel (all rounder)to come into the side Harris replaced by Zondeki (spin can be done by Alma and Smith till they get a decent spinner)

[THX_1138]

Nel and Langeveldt , their time is past in the side tbh . Look both can be good on their days but the side just looks better with the younger guns . Amla has come into his own the last few tests and deserves his place , young as well . Prince...he has his moments and is a fighter , but....should have been dropped in the 2nd test already . They have a young bloke called Duminy sitting on the bench and the talent and form his in at the moment should have replaced Prince for last 2 tests , (Prince was not performing on the sub continent ) Ntini is one of SA's hero's , his been out of form last 1-2 years though and most were thinking he needed a drop to go get form back in the domestics , but glad he seems to be getting back in form . Theres a young bowler in reserves called Zondeki who is also in great form and bowls like Morkel and Steyn speed . Gibbs is really talented , but he tends to be lazy and not focus . He needed to be dropped.....been out of form in the test arena for almost 3 years ,cant understand what took them so long...(kinda a case like your Jaffer ) Spin department .....hmmm to be honest we suck there . SA best spinner is a kolpak in England and cant play for SA (forgot his name :embaressed_smile: ).There is a Indian guy in the domestics i hear that is a good spinner , he married a SA girl and moved here from India , not sure how long till he can play for SA . In the long run i would prefer to see Prince , Boucher , Harris dropped and Ntini and Kallis to follow in maybe 2-3 years time depending on their form . Prince replaced by Duminy Boucher replaced by De Villers and making way for Ab Morkel (all rounder)to come into the side Harris replaced by Zondeki (spin can be done by Alma and Smith till they get a decent spinner)

come on mate... so the supposed quote system's ugly head is keeping out only one player: Duminy. and yes, he has been in quite good form but Prince is no imbecile with the bat. look at the other side: Gautam Gambhir has been in the form of his life against the second finest attack in the world on their home turf and has been left out of the team. Eddie, every team has these woes: nepotism, incorrect selection and downright turd brain logic. but in the words of uber idiot donald rumsfeld: you dont fight with the army you want, you fight with the army you have... hence, each team must play with the team it has available. Gibbs, well he cant come to india for the obvious reasons that are not worth mentioning. Boucher has been a brilliant keeper, and one of the best south african batsmen against spin. Aside for Kallis, there has not be a better executor of the sweep since Rhodes and Cullinan. but true, Abe would make a good addition. Similarly for india, Kaif would be more deserving of a spot than Rahul Dravid... so lets chin up... you guys have the moral high ground, most teams come to india for a doze of humility; be they Steve Waugh's invinsibles or Flintoff's warriors or Inzimam's jihadis (snick). However, if there has been one team that has met India blow for blow and at times gone one up, its the South Africans. I will conceed that over the past 17 years since the end of the cricket exile, South Africa have not once let India gain the upper hand over them... but in this series, they have ended up 1-1 in rather favorable circumstances: a placcid pitch for a warmup, a self destructive batting for a quick victory, depleted bowling attacks of the opposition, and finally a toss in the final game that was worth its weight in platinum.

[DomainK]

Will someone grab this gasbag by his balls and remind him that india were missing the services of their top two bowlers: Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan for a majority of the series? Especially considering how Zaheer Khan has Smith dancing around the pitch like a hyperhormonal teenage girl on her prom night attempting, unsuccessfully to resist the advances of her jock boyfriend in the backseat of his 1996 Camaro?

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: