podcast-3.json

{"podcast_details": {"podcast_title": "Short Fine Legs", "episode_title": "Quitnon goes. Whats Next .", "episode_image": "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/playlist/2f7a8b93-4b6c-42f7-848e-ab53000525fc/9f20d55b-41d3-428e-80f5-ac55013cf63b/0b82b218-9965-4d85-808c-ac55013cf644/image.jpg?t=1611394388&size=Large", "episode_transcript": " Hey, welcome to Short Fine Legs, South Africa's premium cricket podcast, which is now proudly brought to you by Orko, Africa's favourite auctioneers. Orko are the biggest hitters in online and live auctions, featuring the best brands in luxury and budget vehicles and trucks, as well as furniture, appliances and gadgets for your home and office. The Orko team also their biggest cricket fans aren't there, so naturally we're quite big fans of them too. Visit their website www.orko.com or follow them on social media so you're kept up to date with their latest auctions. Hey, welcome to Short Fine Legs, the cricket podcast that is trying very hard not to take a left turn into negative town, as Faf Du Plessis once warned, but feels we've actually been paying rent here for almost four years now. Look, there's a lot to unpack from South Africa's 113 run defeat to India's Centurion, a stadium that was once considered a fortress for the Proteas, but was so easily stormed it might as well have been guarded by mannequins. Losing the toss and bowling didn't help, especially since the two opening bowlers, Kajiswara Bhada and Lungi Aghidi hadn't bowled with a red ball in a match since July, and the test was effectively lost in that opening session and a half, with K.R. Rahul and Mayank Angawal looking assured and reaching 117 without too much fuss. Both bowlers found their groove and eventually looked like the devastating duo we all know them to be, but they got their selection wrong. The admission of Dwan Olofio looked suspected first and was later explained away by selector Victor Batang who cited Covid and hamstring injury, but then why wasn't Lucas Epamla or Sassan Meghala or Glenton Sturman playing, you know, guys with recent experience bowling with a red ball? Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of people got this confused when I tweeted it. I don't think that Lungi Aghidi should have been rested, but I don't think that Marco Janssen should have played. I like the look of him. When he's two metres tall, has a languid, easy run-up and bowls with his left arm, I mean he's effectively a unicorn in South African cricket. And I hope he has a stellar career and by all accounts he probably will. In fact, Leon Mulder's probably in a bit of trouble now with Janssen showing that he can bat as well, but failing to pick someone fresh and in form was a mistake and it may have cost South Africa the series already. Because India's bowlers are so good. They're so good. Pat Gumbens might have something to say about this, but I'm not sure if there's a better bowler than Jasper Bumro right now. He's just a delight. Every ball is a threat from that weird action and his little scattered run-up. And Verrick Colley must go to sleep at night with a smile on his face knowing he's got a seam attack that will carry his team to a series victory in South Africa. Remember the one place that India haven't won. To go along with the recent triumphs in Australia and England. But I don't want to pick at the bones of that defeat too much. Elga did what he always does. Sadly so did Keegan Peterson, who doesn't look ready for the number three position. I'd like to see him shift down to six with Rassi Vanadiesen, if Rassi Vanadiesen keeps his spot, coming in at first drop. I've always believed that Aidan Markham is better suited to the middle order and I'm not going to bang that drum too loudly now. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get my wish. I know for a fact the player himself wants to continue opening the batting. I know that Dean Elga likes opening the batting with him, but I think we're wasting what is now South Africa's best batter. At the top of the order, every opener has got a new ball with his name on it eventually and why not just give your best batter the best opportunity to score big runs. It's getting harder to defend Vian Mulder and anyone who's followed my work, my writing, my podcasting will know that I'm a huge fan of the guy. I once erroneously wondered if he was the answer to the big hole that Jarkalis had left and he's certainly got all the talent, still young, but he's probably got one more test to score runs before he loses the faith of the selectors. As I said, especially with Marco Janssen proving that he can hold the bat. And Kesha Maharaj, as wonderful as he is and I rate him above every other spinner the country has ever produced, should have been carrying drinks in St. Cherian. And for the sake of the series, I hope he does moving forward. I don't think the spinner is necessary. I think the Indian spinners, Indian batters playing him well and I'd like to see an all steam attack. Olofie, if it has to play. I've covered the bowlers, which leaves me with two men who stand on different platforms in the psyche of South African cricket fans and who represents what seems to be diametrically opposed ideals. Certainly among the fans, I think they've become totems for vitriol from both sides of this conversation. And I think you know who I'm talking about. The first man is Temba Bavouma, famously the first and only Black South African with a Test 100. He ended 2021 with his team's highest average with 53.6. The next best is Dean Elga who averaged 44.2 and no one else averaged more than 40 this last year. But here's the thing and I'm guessing you know what's coming. Bavouma's top score was 61. He made two 50s. In the last four years, he's reached the 16 half centuries. But that tonne against England on a flat deck in a meandering contest that ended in a draw is his only contribution of three figures in the score book. He doesn't need me or anyone else to tell him that that's not good enough. Two 50s in a test count the same towards the total score as a single 100 and a duck. But I'll tell you what, that single 100 wins you test matches. Two 50s in both innings do not. But rather than state the obvious. Let's come up with a solution. And I think it's pretty clear. He has to bat at number four. With 45 test matches under his belt, he's no rookie. And given the lack of experience around him, it means he should be entrusted with the premier spot in the lineup. Especially if Aidan Markham is insisting that he wants to bat in the top. Temer Bavouma is the vice captain. He skippers the whiteboard team. He captains his franchise. He's a respected and trusted figure in the game. In the country, and he's the only bad in the middle order who looks interested in batting for an extended period of time. It's not a wholly new position for him as he's batted at number four on 12 occasions. Look, the stats don't support my argument as he averages 21 there with a top score of just 71 against Bangladesh on the road that is Potschestr\u00f6m. But I ask you, what alternative is there? We can't keep him owning his conversion rate if we're asking him to bat with the all rounders and the tail every other innings. Give the man some responsibility. I think he's earned it. He's not Joe Roots or Verat Kohli or Steve Smith or Kane Williamson, you know, titans of international cricket right now. I don't even think he's the best batting in the lineup. But he has earned the rights to be the alpha. And it's not like anyone else is putting their hand up to be the top dog at the minute. And I also think the added responsibility and over trust in him would help. This is a guy who grew up literally looking up to all the big boys in school and scary fast boaters who must have dismissed him as a little pipsqueak given his diminutive stature. But he hooked and he pulled and he cut his way to the top. And as a compact technique and a half the size of a V8 engine, he can do it. Let's back him. Now we come to the other side of the coin. A man forever linked with Timber because of a political act or rather the absence of one. Quentin Dukoc, South Africa's most talented wicket keeper batter and a contender for a spot in the top five most talented batters of all time, genuinely, has retired from test cricket at the age of 29. He leaves with 3,300 runs from 54 matches, an average of 38, a strike rate of 70, as well as 622 fifties. He also held onto 221 catches behind the stumps and nabbed 11 stumpings. As always, the numbers tell half the story. The man may not be the most eloquent speaker. I wouldn't want him doing my taxes or educating my children on history. But with a bat in his hand, I am very comfortable calling him a genius. His ability to pick up length is freakish and he has such fast hands, able to cut the ball effectively out of the keeper's gloves and change his stroke as the ball is coming down at him. I mean, his pick up over the leg side is up there with one of the best shots in world cricket. His loss is massive for South Africa. Thankfully, Ryan Rickleton and Kyle Varena cut out for the elite level. But Quentin was special, is special. And I'm truly sad to see him leave. I interviewed him a few years ago in 2019 for a cricket monthly piece, which you can read if you like called the effortless genius of Quentin Decock. We chatted for over two hours and to be honest, I got the sense that being an international cricketer wasn't something that he's ever loved doing. Don't misunderstand me. I believe he loves playing cricket, playing cricket. I just don't think he ever found the joy in all that goes with it. The travel, the time away from home, interviews with the press, events with sponsors, the pressure, the scrutiny, the weights of expectation. He knows how fortunate he is and the pay is tremendous, obviously. And that's afforded him a life that he does love. He's passionate for fishing in the bushes, well documented. But cricket, I think test cricket in particular. Five days in an average team in empty stadiums. That's the bio bubble now. I'm disappointed, but I'm not overly surprised to see him go before his time. He told me and I quote, I back myself to know the game. I don't know what it is. I find it hard to explain. If I'm in the right space, I can see what will happen before it does. But there's no formula for how I do it. I couldn't teach anyone how to do it. He also said, there's more to life than just cricket. Now with fatherhood looming, he's taken a stand. We have to respect that, as disappointed as we might be. I want to save the analysis on his career for when he does eventually walk away for good. He's got a lot to offer the white ball side and I reckon he's still got a few records to break. So if you were hoping for a deep dive on his decision not to take the knee during the T20 World Cup and how that decision impacted his legacy, well then you'll have to wait. This is about Dacoc, the test cricketer. Who once promised to be South Africa's answer to Adam Gilchrist. He still makes my all time proteus test 11. As they say, don't be sad it's over. Be happy that it happened. That's our show. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you've had a wonderful festive season and that your 2022 is off to a great start. I'm so excited for the wondrous test even though I won't be there in person. But if you're watching along on TV and want to drop me a line on Twitter, please do. I'm Daniel Gellin. Thanks, y'all. See you next time."}, "podcast_summary": "In this episode of Short Fine Legs, the hosts discuss the recent cricket match between South Africa and India. They delve into the reasons for South Africa's defeat and analyze the team's selection choices. They also discuss the performances of individual players, including Temba Bavuma and Quentin de Kock. The hosts suggest that Bavuma should be given more responsibility by batting at number four and express their sadness over de Kock's retirement from test cricket. Overall, the episode provides an insightful and honest analysis of the match and the players involved.", "podcast_guest": {"name": "Elon Musk", "org": "Tesla", "title": "", "summary": "Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster is an electric sports car that served as the dummy payload for the February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight and became an artificial satellite of the Sun. A mannequin in a spacesuit, dubbed \"Starman\", occupies the driver's seat. The car and rocket are products of Tesla and SpaceX, respectively, both companies headed by Elon Musk. The 2010 Roadster is personally owned by and previously used by Musk for commuting to work. It is the first production car launched into space.\nThe car, mounted on the rocket's second stage, was launched on an escape trajectory and entered an elliptical heliocentric orbit crossing the orbit of Mars. The orbit reaches a maximum distance from the Sun at aphelion of 1.66 astronomical units (au). Live video of the Roadster during the launch was transmitted back to the mission control center and live-streamed for slightly over four hours.Advertising analysts noted Musk's sense of brand management and use of new media for his decision to launch a Tesla into space. Musk explained he wanted to inspire the public about the \"possibility of something new happening in space\" as part of his larger vision for spreading humanity to other planets.\n\n"}, "podcast_highlights": "- The defeat of South Africa's cricket team to India's Centurion stadium is discussed, with the opening session and a half being the most critical.\n- The selection of certain players, such as Duanne Olivier and Marco Jansen, is questioned, and it is suggested that their inclusion may have cost South Africa the series.\n- The quality of India's bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah, is praised, and it is stated that their seam attack is capable of winning the series.\n- The performance and position of certain players, including Keegan Petersen, Temba Bavuma, and Quinton de Kock, are analyzed and debated.\n- A suggestion is made that Bavuma should bat at number four and be given more responsibility, despite his low conversion rate to century scores.\n- The retirement of Quinton de Kock from test cricket is discussed, with his talent and genius as a batsman being acknowledged, and his decision to prioritize other aspects of life is respected."}