South Africa, made of butter?

It’s easy to bag a team out of form.

So let me bag South Africa for a moment.

Graeme Smith is the number 1 rated one day batsman in the world.

He is out injured.

Let us look at the rest of the batsmen South Africa have.

Gibbs â€" well past his best. Just holding onto his position, and is probably there as much because the rest of the batsman are boring.

Should be pensioned off.

Amla - Looked the goods yesterday, but he needs to bat with someone who has after burners, not Jacques Kalli like yesterday.

A possible anchor man if they have the artillery around him.

Kallis â€" looking old and finished right at the moment. Hard to knock someone with his record, but this tour of England is looking horrible. And in the world cup Ponting was hoping to keep him at the crease if you remember.

Gone?

DeVilliers â€" Hard to put a marker on him, has the youth and skill to be a batsman, but seems soft under pressure. Looks like a front runner and is yet to convince me.

10 year player, or a 10 year kolpak player.

Duminy â€" Haven’t seen much of him, but does make some runs. Looks like another flat track, front running South African batsman, which is their forte.

Has the right colour to have a long career, but is he any good?

Boucher â€" Always been South Africa’s best batsman in a scrap. Has more fight then the rest of the team combined. But at 6? That is a proper batting slot.

If he is at 6, what sort of batting does South Africa have?

Morkel â€" Sure he can hit, I can attest to that after watching a six go flying over my head, but you wouldn’t say there is a lot of thinking going on up there.

When the going is tough, can he bat?

England does have a good bowling line up, but, this is a batting line up made of butter, don’t leave it out in the sun too long.

The bowlers.

Steyn â€" where is Dale Steyn? He clearly never turned up to England.

Ntini â€" he is a one day disaster case. Should not be playing one day cricket.

(Supervillian) Morkel â€" bowls well, always looks dangerous, but never cuts a swathe through a line up.

Kallis â€" still Kallis.

(Baby Face) Morkel â€" Is a pretty handy one day bowler, has a great yorker, and you wonder why others get the death overs.

Botha â€" has an action that would make Murali cry. But is hard to get away, even if he can’t get wickets.

Right at the moment this does not look like the recent top ranked one day side.

There are holes everywhere in this line up.

And England, who are up, are slapping them all over the place.

South Africa always play great cricket against average sides, but how many times do they struggle against good teams in form?www.cricketwithballs.com... fighting the war on tony greig