Where is Jacques Rudolph ?
I’m a great believer in the abilities of Hashim Amla, I’ve recently written why I think he’ll become the greatest test batsman South Africa has produced. I’ve been following Amla’s performance for Nottinghamshire in the county series this season. To date Amla has played four games, scored 396 runs including 129 on debut for Nottinghamshire. Amla has an average of 79.20, his total includes four half centuries.
During his first game, Hashim Amla got to his half century with out having to have run one run, he scored 13 consecutive boundaries.
That makes for some interesting reading, but if you look up the run leaders table you’ll notice the name of Jacques Rudolph. Playing for Yorkshire, Rudolph has scored 518 runs, at an average of 86.33 including an unbeaten century in a record breaking partnership in the Clydesdale Bank 40.
Jacques Rudolph scored an unbeaten on 228 against Essex this season and is on his way to being Yorkshire’s leading runs scorer again, as he has done for the fourth season running.
So it begs the question, where is Jacques Rudolph? Can the South African selectors continue to ignore him? How can you put Ashwell Prince and his pathetic run of form ahead of Rudolph’s continued and consistent run of form?
If I were Andrew Hudson, my first executive decision would be to include Jacques Rudolph in the Proteas test team.
Leave a Reply
Follow SACB:
ok I get what you are saying but what are the bowling economy rates in county cricket. the level of county cricket is not quiet at international level, not even close to say the least. so makking that kind of assumtion is a little short minded.
Rudolph is a great player but he’s at no level with AB De Villiers or Graeme Smith. on their bad day.
if either one of the above guys(other then Amla) can score at the level of Smith/De Villier/ even Prince against the Pakistan/Australia/Indian bowling attack then we can start to make assumptions like that until then I really dont think that your article is at all fair…and as Cricket SA you are a body that needs to stand unbiased side that doesnt give up on it children at any site of failure or disappointment.
@Zoli I’d like to point out that this blog is not associated to Cricket South Africa at all, I’m an independent blogger.
The county championship is a world call cricket event, here are a few bowlers that are playing this year, let me know if any of these guys are below average: Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson, Jonathan Trott, Stuart Broad, should I go on?
Did you know Rudolph has a test career of 36.21? I didn’t call for Smith or de Villiers to be replaced. Do you know that Prince hasn’t score above 45 in 10 test innings?
You can’t defend the form of Ashwell Prince, no one can. The only person who can prove my theory wrong is Ashwell Prince himself, and I hope he does, but I doubt it.
I think you are focusing very much on players that played 5years ago and players that are playing right now. instead of looking at South African young talent in domestic cricket that we as South Africans can nurture and develop into future proteas. what these players make for county cricket with all due respect has little influence on most South Africans.
regarding calling yourself “Cricketsa” I think that’s getting a little ahead of yourself. rather call yourself SA Cricket bloger…I think that would be more appropriate to avoid further confusion.
if it means anything I get your point on prince but I think that he hasn’t been given as much of a chance like some other players but still that’s no excuse. I think he’s a great player and a great ambassador for the game
I’ll give you one reason why Prince is still in the squad, and it’s probably the same reason Duminy kept his place after not really scoring since australia.
Rudolph is a great option, but I’m not sure how the selectors see the players in the UK. Look at HD Ackerman. He left the Lions and scored LOTS of runs. Double centuries, etc. It happens so often with the SA players. For the most part, they do it at the end of their careers to keep playing good cricket and make some good money. The younger ones that go across end up being Pieterson, Kieswetter or Lumb.
I have a question: Why are there no SA bowlers in England? Makes you wonder a little, doesn’t it?
And Zoli – The blog is called SACricketBlog. What is the problem here?
@Zoli Jacques Rudolph plays for the Titans, so he does play domestic cricket in South Africa, there a few South African players playing county cricket as there is no domestic cricket on the go at the moment is SA.
With regards to the name of the blog, it’s called SA Cricket blog because it’s a blog about SA Cricket blog…..
@Blindcripple good point about the lack of bowlers playing in the county series, wonder why that is?
Going though the current games going on in the UK, there are a few SA bowlers turning the arm over. Willoughby, Nel, who I doubt either will ever play for SA again, and then one M. Ntini. Who, by the way, took 10 wickets in the match. Interesting.
There are a whole bunch of SA players there at the moment playing in our off season. All scoring runs and taking wickets. Even Boje is scoring lots. And Hall is captain of his side. We breed quality here.
I’ve been a fan of Jacques Rudolph for ages and have been watching cricket all my life. I have become despondent due to the quota system and the talent drain because of Kolpak- we are losing quality players at all levels of the game. Back on point- I haven’t read all the comments so forgive me if I repeat what has already been stated. Rudolph is pure class. I remember he played a world cup warm up match against Australia back in 2003 and scored somewhere around the150 mark and I think an Australian remarked that they were thankful that they didn’t have to face him in the world cup that was to follow. He has consistently scored runs at domestic level and was prolific last season- although he didn’t top the run scoring sheets he was amongst the top players. He has broken the 1000 run mark for 4 consecutive years in English county cricket and a newspaper headline today was, ‘Another Yorkshire win, another Rudolph ton’ One cant look past this man- what else does he need to do.
jacque is in my poket
I suggest you select Jacques Rudolph for the upcoming tours of Australia and Sri Lanka,the Proteas can win them with Rudolph unless you want to lose him the same way you lost Kevin Pietersen to England