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Du Plessis looks cooked as a test cricketer to me. So many soft dismissals in this series. A far cry from the guy who batted a day and a half to save a test in Adelaide a number of years ago.

mikeh wrote: Du Plessis looks cooked as a test cricketer to me. So many soft dismissals in this series. A far cry from the guy who batted a day and a half to save a test in Adelaide a number of years ago.

The extra burden of being Captain and their leading, most experienced bat looks to have taken its toll on him for sure Mike. Elgar is really the only other batsmen in their top order these days who has played a bit of Test cricket the others are all newbies with the recent retirements or those headed to England to finish their careers.

after their stirring win in the first test SA have looked wobbly & there's a few selection things to get sorted but the sooner De Kock takes over it might be the better thing for them
and that will take off the shackles for Du Plessis who is still one of their premier players regardless of this slump

Totally agree mikeh....Du Plessis is cooked alright....life was easier when Amla and De Villiers were still around...poor ole De Kock has the unenviable task of leading a piss weak SA top order into a new era....wish Aust was playing the Saffies in the near future

Yeah their stocks look a little thin at the moment. So hard to replace legends like AB, Amla, Steyn, Duminy and Morkel. They will be losing Philander after the next test and the new players will need time to get in. Temba Bavuma has been injured but is now fit again but seems to be on the outer atm. He looks a better bet than a few of those guys playing. Of course Rabada won't be playing in the last test because of his "transgression" when he got Root out so the Poms are looking odds on for a 3- 1 series victory here.

Only a full day of rain can save SA from going 2-1 down now, SA's batting stocks are currently so poor even Joe Root's innocuous off spin is looking like hand grenades.

Beasley Hutton wrote: Only a full day of rain can save SA from going 2-1 down now, SA's batting stocks are currently so poor even Joe Root's innocuous off spin is looking like hand grenades.

This is not like the South Africa I am used to BH. Even if defeated the old South African teams captained by Wessels, Cronje and Smith would fight to the last wicket and victories over them would be earned the hard way. This mob just roll over like friendly puppies. They did the same in India last year.

mikeh wrote:

Beasley Hutton wrote: Only a full day of rain can save SA from going 2-1 down now, SA's batting stocks are currently so poor even Joe Root's innocuous off spin is looking like hand grenades.

This is not like the South Africa I am used to BH. Even if defeated the old South African teams captained by Wessels, Cronje and Smith would fight to the last wicket and victories over them would be earned the hard way. This mob just roll over like friendly puppies. They did the same in India last year.

You are not wrong Mike you always knew you were in for a tough fight against SA who would never give up until the final ball is bowled but the current lot look completely out of their depth to be honest.
The recent retirements of all time great Proteas like DeVillers, Steyn, Amla, Kallis, Smith, Boucher, Morkel, Duminy etc has gutted them completely plus throw in others who have all left to play professionally in England (Kolpak) Morris, Abbott, Parnell, Olivier, Rossouw, Wiese, Ingram, Van Zyl etc and with Markham, Ngidi & Bavuma injured has left them with almost no depth whatsoever.
I dont think the SA changeroom has been the happiest of places of late so the new off field regime under Smith, Boucher, Kallis, Langeveldt etc have their work cut out turning this around pretty quickly.

I would agree with all of the above; but, also add that England has a pretty solid attack on the field. Faf, as they insist on calling him. has never been a great. He has a top score of 137 from memory; he is our Mark Edward Waugh, at best.

That's pretty close to it - Faf was very limited in shotmaking in the beginning he really was a stonewaller and spent long periods at the crease which probably explains a low-ish HS to a good extent